Advanced data management solution for the Tarragona Water Consortium

The Costa Dorada in Catalonia (Spain) is an area that has traditionally suffered from water scarcity. The recent increase in demand, as a result of burgeoning tourism, population growth and industrial activity, has posed additional challenges which have required a shift in data management.

CAT has always been a leading utility in water technology. However, its operations were still using multiple non-interconnected platforms and databases. Data silos and the use of local applications and computers made knowledge transfer and efficiency improvements difficult.

The consortium implemented the Xylem Vue platform and its Smart Water Engine to solve this problem and boost water and energy efficiency. The Unified Network Management application was deployed to provide a single control center for its drinking water treatment assets, regardless of their geographical location. CAT provides drinking water to 69 municipalities, catering for 1.5 million inhabitants and 26 industries on the Costa Dorada in Catalonia (Spain).

The project included the setup of an agnostic data ingestion system, information storage in the new data lake, and the unification and standardization of information in the DMD (Domain Master Data). All the sensor data was centralized in the platform, and a single, holistic dashboard was developed.

The platform also uses artificial intelligence to predict the quality of the water collected and factors in data from weather forecasts, the real-time status of water in rivers and treatment processes in the drinking water treatment plant to optimize processes and reduce costs.

The project has helped CAT to enhance the service it provides to its clients via the implementation of a holistic visualization and reporting system that displays global management indicators. These include information related to energy costs and consumption, finance, billing, budgets, drought monitoring, asset management, and operations and maintenance.

The new business decision-support system, built out of the integration of different systems, has provided many benefits, such as greater water security and the early detection of water quality issues. The project has also included specific training for operators in the use of the Xylem Vue platform.