Concept Water 4.0: The future of water supply

Water 4.0 places digitalization and automation at the heart of the strategy for efficient, flexible and competitive management of water resources. The concept encompasses the same basic features and uses the same terms associated with the Industry 4.0 revolution, such as the networking of machines, processes, data storage systems, smart grids, the Internet of Things and services, and brings them together in the systemic context of water management. When implementing Water 4.0 with the help of cyber-physical systems, an optimal connection of virtual and real water systems is achieved, in which planning, construction and operation are largely taken over by software. This enables the intelligent connection of water users (agriculture, industry and households) and components of the water system to form a sustainable infrastructure with the environment and the water supply chain, taking a holistic approach across the entire process of water capture, treatment and distribution.