Today, there is an opportunity to drive the digitisation of the water sector and, at the same time, the need, arising from climate change, pollution and population growth, to ensure good levels of water quality and to distribute this resource efficiently and equitably.
Therefore, the sector has several objectives: to have sufficient water, due to the frequency with which water crises occur, the increase in demand and quality; to make water distribution and purification more efficient with the modernisation of infrastructures to minimise losses and thereby increase competitiveness in operations and, finally, to achieve a social benefit through compliance with the Sustainable Development Goals, which aim to achieve a better future for all.
The water sector is going through a time of uncertainty with factors such as water deficit or desertification that show the vulnerabilities and challenges of the sector but which, at the same time, present a moment of opportunity to make structural changes to adapt to the new times and carry out the digitalisation of the integral water cycle.
A context in which to position Spain as an international benchmark in the management of water resources thanks to digitisation, not only of urban water, but also of agriculture, the main consumer of water resources. Thanks to the European Next Generation funds, the PRTE (Recovery, Transformation and Resilience Plan) and the PERTE Agri-Food and for the Digitalisation of Water, it will help to avoid obsolescence in the sector and adapt to the new challenges of the future.
Therefore, the sector has several objectives: to have sufficient water, due to the frequency with which water crises occur, the increase in demand and quality; to make water distribution and purification more efficient with the modernisation of infrastructures to minimise losses and thereby increase competitiveness in operations and, finally, to achieve a social benefit through compliance with the Sustainable Development Goals, which aim to achieve a better future for all.
Sustainable water management is not an option, it is a necessity. With this premise, data plays an essential role in the management of the integral water cycle, increasing efficiency, optimising and accelerating processes and saving costs and energy.
In order to develop sound water management, it is essential to have a data infrastructure that securely and efficiently stores and manages all the information generated in the water networks; that is capable of analysing it and that helps to make better decisions. The sector must be committed to open data management and data sharing. Transparency, data ownership and data sharing are key aspects for the administrations that manage these infrastructures.
In addition, monitoring and managing assets remotely will facilitate faster detection of leaks or incidents in the systems; it will help optimise the performance of the networks, guarantee water in adequate quantity and quality, and help raise awareness among citizens about the responsible consumption of this resource.
The digital transformation of the water sector is a common goal in which public and private entities must be aligned in order to overcome the existing barriers in the Spanish water sector.
The Ministry for Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge is promoting this through funds linked to plans, measures and programmes for water management such as the 'Hydrological Plans', the PERTE for the Digitalisation of the Water Cycle, the National Strategy for River Restoration and the Flood Risk Management Plans (PGRI).
In this context, it is interesting that public administrations rely on specialised companies for the development of technological projects that allow progress to be made in sustainable water management, placing Spain in a position of international reference.
The exploitation and extraction of value from data is a key aspect for the digitisation and competitiveness of economies. European and Spanish administrations are encouraging the participation of more and more agents through initiatives such as the Digital Europe Programme or the Digital Spain Plan 2026.
These initiatives encourage the development of shared data spaces and promote the interconnection of these to achieve a cross-exploitation of the data and information that currently exists. A sector that is still in the development phase and in which there is a need to overcome the barrier of awareness on the part of administrations and companies to perceive the added value that is provided by the inclusion of their information in these shared data spaces with which to generate benchmark products, adapted to the needs required by the water sector.
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