Drinking Water Company Vitens Integrates ArcGIS with the OSIsoft PI System to Bring Rich Data to the Surface

Vitens is the largest drinking water company in the Netherlands. Each day, a large network of pumps, treatment systems, reservoirs, and pipe systems ensure a reliable supply of clean drinking water. Vitens carefully tracks the water levels in the reservoirs against water consumption, particularly by heavy industrial users, to safeguard the company's supply. Having 11 billion data points annually provides Vitens with complete visibility into its systems, supporting decision-making and daily operations. Sensors collect and send the data, and the OSIsoft PI System aggregates the data. By integrating the PI System with ArcGIS, bringing the company's rich data into a map, Vitens is discovering new insights. 

"ArcGIS Online visualizes our data on an interactive map, which makes it easier to analyze the data and identify the root cause of a problem," said René Kersten, senior business analyst at Vitens. Using the integration of the PI System with ArcGIS, Kersten's team configured two applications: an automatic meter reading (AMR) dashboard and the Resttijden Reservoirs dashboard. "The AMR dashboard displays the water consumption of our industrial clients in real time," explained Kersten. "It also tells us if the water meters are working correctly. Every water meter is a dot on the map. A red dot indicates that the meter has not been sending data for some time. A single red dot in an area usually implies a battery issue. Multiple red dots usually suggest a network outage. From the dashboard, you can drill down into the underlying data to validate or invalidate your assumptions."

To anticipate and prevent potential water shortages, Vitens uses the Resttijden Reservoirs dashboard in ArcGIS Online. The PI System predicts the remaining water supply in terms of hours based on reservoir inflow and outflow, and ArcGIS Online visualizes the predictive data on the map. "A red dot indicates that the water level of the reservoir is low, with less than two hours of supply remaining," said Theo Veltkamp, Analyze and Control (AR&C) analyst, "This can point to a reservoir problem," he continued. "But if the surrounding area changes color as well, the water consumption in that area is higher than predicted. The dashboard then helps us assess whether the reservoir can meet the increase in demand so that we can take action if needed."

The predictive capabilities of the PI System, in combination with the map view in ArcGIS Online, also support Vitens in preparing for extended periods of warm weather. "We are able to compare realtime usage of water with the forecast based on historical data," said Veltkamp. "Historical temperature and consumption in combination with realtime usage produces a map that identifies which areas are at risk for water shortages, allowing us to take direct measures."

On a local level, Vitens is experimenting with a digital twin, a copy of the water system. Like the dashboards, the digital twin is the product of the integration of the PI System with ArcGIS. The amount of data that is aggregated and brought into the map, however, is much greater. "The underlying data of the digital twin is complex," said Kersten. "That's why we're applying the Scrum approach and collaborating with an Esri developer to scale up." The digital twin provides insight into the status of the water system and helps Vitens prepare for maintenance activities and incidents by modeling their impact on the system. Vitens also uses the digital twin to go back in time. "It allows us to trace the impact of a service disruption and learn from it," said Kersten. 

The current tools play an important role in Vitens' daily operations, but according to Kersten there is still much more that can be gained from the integration. "We develop a tool, we implement it, and along the way we identify new opportunities. Our DMAs [District Metered Areas], for example, measure [not only] the flow, temperature and quality of the water but also the pressure in the water pipes. If you add this data to your map, you can more easily identify relationships with other data points when there's a sudden, significant change in water pressure. This feature is high on our list."

ArcGIS adds a new dimension to Vitens' data. "The combination of the PI System and ArcGIS is truly powerful," said Kersten.