2.1 Navigating digital waters

Challenge

Digitalization is one of the major technological trends of our time. The development of digital technologies has resulted in both new opportunities and challenges. There is an expectation that digitalization will impact us on individual, organizational, system, and societal levels.

However, despite high expectations, most industries are still in an early stage of digitalization. It is only within a few sectors (e.g., the music and media industries) that we can already talk about a digital transformation.

How will digitalization affect the water and wastewater (VA) sector? Will we be able to speak of a digital transformation in this industry, and if so, what might it look like?

Solution

By qualitatively studying the water and wastewater system as a sociotechnical system—comprising actors (e.g., water utilities, policymakers, and users), technologies (e.g., infrastructure), and institutions (e.g., norms and regulations)—we can examine how digitalization affects and fits into different parts of the system. In this way, we can identify what drives or holds back digitalization in the sector.

Societal Impacts

• Evaluation of what a digital transformation of the water and wastewater sector might look like.

• Examples of applications of digital technologies that can be used in the sector.

• Points the way forward by identifying drivers and barriers to digitalization.