Evolution of water technology from a structural perspective

Rivers are cradles of human civilisations and continual innovations in water technologies are the key to sustainable human development. Yet, limited research has explored the interactive dynamics among different technologies, hindering our ability to effectively manage technological transition. This paper presents a framework that conceptualizes water technology as a complex adaptive system containing three interrelated sub-systems: water demand, water supply, and water management. The interactions among these sub-systems were measured using three network-based metrics: intensity, brokerage, and efficiency. Patents registered in the World Intellectual Property Organization from 1863 to 2020 were used as the data source. It was found that 40,304 patents from 44 countries were registered, with 40% of them belonging to the water management sub-system, followed by water supply (35%), and water demand (25%). Technological development in the three sub-systems presented linear growth over the past 160 years, focusing on water treatment, hydroelectric power, hydraulic engineering and water monitoring. The water-demand sub-system was identified as the structural “bottleneck” with the highest brokerage value, which was considered crucial for knowledge transfer between the other two sub-systems. Overall, the water technology system is characterized by slow development, skewed spatial coverage, categorical homogeneity, and structural imbalances, limiting our ability to address the escalating global water threats.