MIT Enterprise Forum: Can Smart Water Technologies Quench the Thirst of our Modern Cities?
- 12.2.2016 | 12:30 AM - 3:30 AM
- MasCEC 63 Franklin Street Boston, MA 02110
It is estimated that it will cost the US $384 billion to upgrade the US water infrastructure. And this number is likely to increase given the stressors from increasing population, climate change and water pollution. As a result, many cities are looking to new technologies to help them address the need for, and to efficiently produce fresh, clean water for its residents.
Cities face many pressing issues regarding their water infrastructure. The most critical water issues relate to improving the fundamental components of our urban water systems: Identifying the location of the underground pipes and mapping them (these were laid so long ago cities do not know where they are); Instrumenting the pipes so they and the water they carry (and leak) can be tracked and analyzed; Upgrading the aging infrastructure: ‘US water infrastructure breaks once each minute – about 540,000 times per year; and Optimizing energy and water use. Cities spend a considerable amount of money on the energy required to power the systems and pumps that make up our water infrastructure – some spend up to 30% of their energy costs just on providing water to the residents.
Advances in sensor technologies, data analytics and strategic collaborative planning will help cities to supply to the needed amount of revenue producing clean water at reasonable rates. Join MIT Enterprise Forum to learn:
- Why have these issues not been solved before?
- How can 3-D technologies, big data and IoT help cities optimize their energy and water use?
- What are the greatest challenges to making ‘Smart Water—Smart Cities’ a reality?
- How can we as entrepreneurs and as a part of the entrepreneurial ecosystem help cities with these complex and sometimes impenetrable issues?
