Abstract:
The Water Supplies Department (WSD) of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) Government of the People’s Republic of China has been actively applying innovative technologies and developing smart initiatives for improving operational efficiency and reliability of water supply, including the progressive development of digital twins for waterworks installations and water supply networks. With an aim to investigating the feasibility and its preparedness in developing digital twins for water supply networks, WSD launched two pilot projects in 2021 for developing digital twins at selected distribution mains and trunk feed system as elaborated in this Paper. Study issues include smart sensors, building and calibration of hydraulic models, data transmission, data integration, user interface, etc. The experiences gained in overcoming the various challenges encountered as well as the gaps and limitations identified during the implementation of the above pilot projects are essential for shaping the roadmap for the on-going digital transformation in WSD. © 2023 IAHR – International Association for Hydro-Environment Engineering and Research.
