On May 17, at the Schneider Electric (News - Alert) Headquarters in Paris, a global group of companies founded Smart Water Networks (SWAN), an alliance dedicated to promoting the development of data-driven systems to improve water network management. 

With six billion gallons of water lost in the U.S. distribution network, alone—on a daily basis—the market for global smart network management is nearly fathomless.  

The alliance was formally established at the first-ever SWAN Forum, hosted by Schneider Electric, a specialist in energy management. In addition to Schneider, the announcement was made by TaKaDu, an Israel-based firm that offers a software solution for monitoring water distribution networks; Derceto Ltd., a U.S. company that sells water utility optimization software; Echologics, a Canadian firm that uses acoustic technology for leak detection in pipes;  i2O Water, a U.K.-based developer of network management software, and Telvent of Spain, a provider of IT monitoring systems for pipelines.

"SWAN is a complete ecosystem created to support the development of smart water networks for

system integrators, industry experts, and leaders in the water industry," said Guy Horowitz, Chairman

of SWAN and Vice President for Marketing of TaKaDu. "As water network management becomes increasingly complex and generates an ever-growing volume of data, it was vital for industrials to join forces to propose smart solutions," he continued.

Members of the SWAN alliance want to promote the enhanced processing of collected data, in order

to monitor, understand, and increase the efficiency of water distribution networks—thereby guaranteeing improved infrastructure management for both vendors and utilities. With instrumentation and telemetry playing a growing role in the industry, a new layer of smart data applications has become both feasible and available.

At the first SWAN Forum, the alliance leaders and members discussed the opportunities,

challenges, and next steps in promoting the adoption of smart water networks. In addition, the Forum showcased solutions designed to make the measurement, capture, and analysis of data even smarter.

"A smarter water network means that we can improve energy efficiency while also optimizing the

process, whether for drinking-water distribution or waste-water treatment," stated Pascal Bonnefoi,

Schneider Electric Water Segment Director. "This forum provides an excellent opportunity for every

participant to drive innovation, based on feedback from different contributors working in the field."

In addition to its founding committee, SWAN has a consultative committee comprising  two major European water utilities, Thames Water and Vienna Waterworks. SWAN is open to new members with an industry, government, or financial interest in water network management. . To find out more,

go to their site.