The Project

The Water-Futures project aims to develop a theoretical basis for designing smart water systems, which can provide a framework for the allocation and development decisions on drinking water infrastructure systems

A new theoretical framework

This project aims to develop a new theoretical framework for the allocation and development decisions on drinking water infrastructure systems.

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Goal oriented
approaches

Decisions should be socially equitable, economically efficient and environmentally resilient, as advocated by the UN Agenda 2030, Sustainable Development Goals.

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Team
diversity

The Water-Futures team will build on synergies from four research groups, transcending methodologies from water science, systems and control theory, economics and decision science, and machine learning, into an integrated decision and control framework.

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Considerations
for sustainable transitioning

The framework will integrate real-time monitoring and control with long-term robustness and flexibility-based pathway methods, and incorporate economic, social, ethical and environmental considerations for sustainable transitioning of urban water systems under deep uncertainty with multiple possible futures.

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An open-source
research toolbox

The decision and control framework will be implemented as an open-source research toolbox.

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Case Studies

The new science outcomes will be applied to three case studies exemplifying different types of urban water systems:

  1. A mature, relatively stable system.
  2. A mature and rapidly expanding system.
  3. A relatively recent supply system in a developing country with high growth and special challenges, including limited resources, intermittent supply and high water losses.

Socially acceptable and fair decisions

Water-Futures will provide the theoretical and practical basis for enabling various stakeholders, policy makers, managers and operators to make socially-acceptable and fair decisions.

Project concept

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