**1. Introduction**

In Germany, approx. 6–7 billion EURO is invested every year in the renovation or new construction of buildings and plant technology in the municipal water and sanitation sector [1]. The German water and wastewater infrastructure has developed socially and spatially balanced in the past and has grown over many decades and guarantees today a comprehensive disposal with high drainage safety combined with an extremely long technical and economic service life. In opposite it results in a lack of operational flexibility for sewer network and sewage plant operators, e.g. in the event of extreme weather events as an effect of climate change, changed consumer behavior or the consequences of demographic change. Experts and decision-makers are therefore looking for ways to adapt the dimensioning and calculation of future investments more closely to real usage requirements and to dispense with previous inaccurate estimates. At the same time, the existing systems must be operated more flexibly and thus more efficiently, even under described changed conditions.

Innovative digital developments from industry like autonomous machine controls based on intelligent data acquisition, collection and evaluation, promises better adapting municipal infrastructure systems to changing conditions. When the technology initiative KOMMUNAL 4.0 was developed as an idea in 2015, digitalization was not a central topic in German water management. As Industry 4.0 was present everywhere at these time the idea of transferring suitable parts of the basic idea of Industry 4.0 to municipal water management was born. In particular, it was necessary to implement consistent IT and IoT communication at all levels of water management tasks (**Figure 1**). The aim was not only to create a uniform structure for networking a wide variety of applications, but also to round off KOMMUNAL 4.0's complete range of services with IoT for existing and newly developed products and solutions. Regardless of whether it concerns measurement and data technology applications, smart machines, SCADA or asset management systems, all application

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model?

several objects with each other.

*Smart Water—How to Master the Future Challenges of Water Management*

and also complying with safety and cybersecurity requirements.

**2. Industry 4.0—a model for sustainable water management?**

The digitization offensive of the industry, known since 2013 in Germany as Industry 4.0 and initiated by the Federal Government, is intended to turn simple machines using the Internet into so-called Smart Machines. These are self-regulating production units (they are also called CPS = Cyber-Physical Systems) which leads to significant cost savings. For example, they are fed with orders directly from commercial databases, receive their technical instructions directly from CAD/ EPLAN tools of development engineers, order necessary materials independently from suppliers, coordinate their interdependencies and report the completion of the manufactured products to logistics for dispatch. The entire industrial value chain is recorded in data form, analyzed and controlled or optimized by automatic processes. Can this approach be transferred to the level of water infrastructures as a

In water management, the possible applications of intelligent and smart solutions are being intensively discussed and are already being used (see e.g. at [3–6]). Modern automation technology for water management already has elements in its core that need not fear comparison with Industry 4.0 solutions. Real-time-based control or monitoring solutions are just as much in use as numerous intelligent sensor technologies. They form an important basic framework for future digital strategies. In order to obtain innovative and thus sustainable digitization solutions, such automation and IT systems must be extended by suitable analysis and evaluation tools (Big and Smart Data). Only this enables an intelligent networking of

For the municipal user, the question now arises with whom he can start digitization. There are many specialist providers for individual application solutions, but how will be done a well integration into a future platform solution? Whoever is faced with the procurement of new IT systems, e.g. in the GIS/PLS-SCADA/ERP/ BFS areas, that is not an easy task to master. If there is a high degree of network compatibility due to a close technological relationship between the individual

solutions contain a standardized core that guarantees standard data communication

Another important requirement was (and is) that all applications work as individual and independent solution. This enables the user to go down the path to digitization in individual steps, which are, however, coordinated with each other right from the start. The purchase of a complete system at the beginning of a digital process is not absolutely necessary. The user can start where there is currently the most urgent need at daily work without losing the network compatibility of individual elements that have to be adding later. One of the most important tasks in municipal water management, for example, is an effective and efficient management of the entire infrastructure. Data plays an increasingly important role at this topic. Only where data from different sources can be usefully related to each other real added value can be created. Various IT systems such as GIS, process control (SCADA) or asset and maintenance management systems are used for this purpose in water management. Systems are desirable which, like MS Office, function in both ways as individual solutions and offer high benefits by networking with each other. And just as every printer today communicates perfectly with MS Office smart products, measurement and data technology applications as well as Smart Machines should be integrated in a plug & play manner. Some of the products and solutions belonging to KOMMUNAL 4.0 already offer these require-

*DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.90644*

ments already today.

#### **Figure 1.**

*Consistent IT and IoT communication of digital products and systems [2] (translation: IT-Sicherheit, Asset Management und Digitalisierung, Betriebsführung, Recht = IT security, asset management and digitization, operations management, law; Fernwirkung, Fernüberwachung = remote control, remote view; Automatisierung, software = automation, software; mess-und Datentechnik = measurement and data technology).*

#### *Smart Water—How to Master the Future Challenges of Water Management DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.90644*

*Resources of Water*

Innovative digital developments from industry like autonomous machine controls based on intelligent data acquisition, collection and evaluation, promises better adapting municipal infrastructure systems to changing conditions. When the technology initiative KOMMUNAL 4.0 was developed as an idea in 2015, digitalization was not a central topic in German water management. As Industry 4.0 was present everywhere at these time the idea of transferring suitable parts of the basic idea of Industry 4.0 to municipal water management was born. In particular, it was necessary to implement consistent IT and IoT communication at all levels of water management tasks (**Figure 1**). The aim was not only to create a uniform structure for networking a wide variety of applications, but also to round off KOMMUNAL 4.0's complete range of services with IoT for existing and newly developed products and solutions. Regardless of whether it concerns measurement and data technology applications, smart machines, SCADA or asset management systems, all application

*Consistent IT and IoT communication of digital products and systems [2] (translation: IT-Sicherheit, Asset Management und Digitalisierung, Betriebsführung, Recht = IT security, asset management and digitization, operations management, law; Fernwirkung, Fernüberwachung = remote control, remote view; Automatisierung, software = automation, software; mess-und Datentechnik = measurement and data* 

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**Figure 1.**

*technology).*

solutions contain a standardized core that guarantees standard data communication and also complying with safety and cybersecurity requirements.

Another important requirement was (and is) that all applications work as individual and independent solution. This enables the user to go down the path to digitization in individual steps, which are, however, coordinated with each other right from the start. The purchase of a complete system at the beginning of a digital process is not absolutely necessary. The user can start where there is currently the most urgent need at daily work without losing the network compatibility of individual elements that have to be adding later. One of the most important tasks in municipal water management, for example, is an effective and efficient management of the entire infrastructure. Data plays an increasingly important role at this topic. Only where data from different sources can be usefully related to each other real added value can be created. Various IT systems such as GIS, process control (SCADA) or asset and maintenance management systems are used for this purpose in water management. Systems are desirable which, like MS Office, function in both ways as individual solutions and offer high benefits by networking with each other. And just as every printer today communicates perfectly with MS Office smart products, measurement and data technology applications as well as Smart Machines should be integrated in a plug & play manner. Some of the products and solutions belonging to KOMMUNAL 4.0 already offer these requirements already today.
