Digital Twin Workshop

"Making Digital Twins Mainstream"

Hosted by the SWAN Digital Twin Work Group, this Digital Twin Workshop has become a staple of the SWAN Conference attracting global utility and industry experts to share the latest digital twin trends and insights.

This year's event will take a hands-on, interactive approach with participants engaging in the current challenges and collaborating to further progress the practical strategies making digital twins a reality in the water sector, focused on the theme, "Making Digital Twins Mainstream."

Workshop Agenda

*All times below are in Glasgow GMT and content is subject to change.

8:00 – 9:00 am Registration, Coffee & Networking

9:00 – 9:10 am Workshop Introduction
Andy Smith, Head of Smart Water (Anglian Water)

9:10 – 9:30 am Keynote: "Scotland's Canals: Rescued, Reimagined & Digitally Relevant" Richard Millar, Interim CEO (Scottish Canals)

9:30 – 10:30 am Interactive Roundtable Session
Topics & Facilitators:

1. The Power and Potential of Turning a Utility’s Data into Actionable Insights Led by Javier Ortega, Sanitation and Urban Drainage Specialist (Global Omnium) & Claudia La Verghetta, Client Solutions Architect for Europe (Xylem Digital Solutions)

2. Digital Twin in Water Utilities: What it means for Planners and Operators? Led by Satish Tripathi, Managing Engineer (City of Houston)

3. Harnessing a Digital Twin to Optimise Energy and Cost Savings Led by Stephen Griffen, Senior Intelligent Control Centre Duty Manager (Scottish Water) & Simon Bunn, Business Development Manager (SUEZ Smart Solutions)

4. Integrating the SWAN Layers through Decision Making and Supporting a National Digital Twin of the UK Led by Andy Smith, Head of Smart Water (Anglian Water) & George Schley, Enterprise Architect (Jacobs)

5. Putting Digital Twins into the Cloud Led by Adam Rollinson, Head of Engineering Improvement (Thames Water) & Andrew Dunn, Head of Utilities (ExploreAI)

6. How to Accelerate Digital Twin Model Building Led by Joukje Keuning, Program Manager Infra2025 (Vitens)

7. How IIOT Sensors & Digital Solutions Are Revolutionising Operational Performance Led by Jane Campbell, Principal Consultant (Yorkshire Water) & Luke Eeles, Asset Management Consultant - Smart Networks & Leakage (Stantec)

8. Unleashing the Power of Convergence in IT – OT – E Led by Dean Ford, Managing Principal Engineer, COO, (Luminary Automation, Cybersecurity, and Engineering)

9. How tech providers can collaborate to benefit their mutual customers Led by Matt Rolls, Vice President of Business Development (Specific Energy) & Luke Butler, Director of Innovation (Qatium)

10. How to evaluate and select sensors and platforms for intelligent water systems Led by James Cooper, Global Director, Water Optimisation (Arcadis)

11. Building a Water Data Culture – Overcoming Data Hurdles in Digital Transformation Led by Darren Coleman, Business Implementation Manager (Anglian Water) & Javier Cantu, Senior Product Manager (Autodesk - Innovyze)

12. Automatic Detection of Anomalous Events in Water Supply Systems Led by Douglas Miranda, Senior Consultant - Water Infrastructure (Bentley)

13. Bringing digital twins into Waterschap De Dommel operations – Lessons learned (and journey ahead) Led by Ruud Peeters, Senior Advisor on Policy and Innovation (Waterschap De Dommel) & Fabio Polesel, Wastewater Engineer (DHI)

10:30 – 11:30 am Operationalising Digital Twins - Global Case Studies
Moderator: Bruce Johnson, Technology Fellow (Jacobs)
Speakers:

Aris Witteborg, Leading Professional Digital Smart Water (Royal HaskoningDHV) “Creating and Implementing a Wastewater Digital Twin – the WBL Story”
Dr. Athena Zitrou, Head of Business Analytics (Scottish Water) "Our Journey Towards a Digital Twin"
Jonathan Piveteau, Delivery & Support Department Manager of Centre Technique Distribution (SUEZ) “Live Operational Modelling of Distribution Water Networks - 1st Twinet Reference on a Large Metropole”
Erik Driessen, CEO (Acquaint) “Operationalising Smart Technology at Brabant Water”

11:30 – 12:30 pm Lunch Sponsored by Royal HaskoningDHV and Xylem

12:40 – 1:00 pm Keynote: "From Blueprint to Reality: Digital Twin Case Studies and Best Practices"
Paul Surin, Associate Partner - Global Lead Engineering, Construction, Real Estate & PLM (IBM)

1:00 – 2:00 pm 1st Session: SWAN Digital Twin Challenge Statement Roundtables
Through interactive group collaboration, we we will unpack Challenge Statements and work through thought-provoking exercises led by the SWAN Digital Twin Group leadership:

How do you move from being an experience-led organisation to a data-driven company? How do you create a culture that values and trusts data driven solutions?
What unique selling points do utilities have to attract and retain (young) new staff? How does data and digital contribute to achieving this?
How can the water industry establish a standardized framework for assessing the maturity of digital twin solutions, and ensure their effectiveness in improving operational efficiency, asset management, and decision-making?
How can the water industry effectively integrate and secure ICT, IoT, and OT systems to prevent cyber threats and ensure the safety and reliability of water systems?
Do digital twins provide additional resilience to your company and how do you do this? What are the risks of relying more on digital and data solutions?
Which building blocks from the architecture diagram is relevant for each lifecycle stage?
How can we create a digital thread through the different stages and levels? What does it require and where do we start? How do we consider the accuracy, completeness, and reliability of water data at different stages and levels?

Challenge Statement Facilitators:

Satish Tripathi, Managing Engineer Infrastructure Planning (City of Houston)
Agnethe Pedersen, Digital Twin Lead (VandCenter Syd)
Andy Smith, Head of Smart Water (Anglian Water Services)
Joukje Keuning, Program Manager Infra 2025 (Vitens)
Chengzi Chew, Chief Entrepreneur (Grundfos FutureLab)
Jamie Mills, Global BIM Manager (Xylem)
Martin Currie, Water Quality & Treatment Consultant (Aqueum)
Nele Philips, Program Manager R&D (De Watergroep)

2:00 – 2:30 pm   Networking & Refreshments Break

2:30 – 3:15 pm      2nd Session: SWAN Digital Twin Challenge Statement Roundtables
Based on the first brainstorming session, we will collaboratively design a helpful prototype or concept to overcome the challenges.

3:15 – 4:00 pm Workshop Recaps by Facilitators & Conclusion
Gigi Karmous-Edwards, Founder & Chair of the SWAN Digital Twin Work Group, Satish Tripathi, Managing Engineer Infrastructure Planning (City of Houston), Agnethe Pedersen, Digital Twin Lead (VandCenter Syd), Andy Smith, Head of Smart Water (Anglian Water Services), Joukje Keuning, Program Manager Infra 2025 (Vitens), Chengzi Chew, Chief Entrepreneur (Grundfos FutureLab), Jamie Mills, Global BIM Manager (Xylem)

4:30 – 5:30 pm   Welcome Drinks Sponsored by StormHarverster

Thank You to Our Sponsors!

Need more information? We're here to help so contact us today!

email

shayna@swan-forum.com

phone

+44 (0) 1183 282821

address

Highdown House, Yeoman Way
Worthing, West Sussex BN99 3HH
United Kingdom