Ground-breaking water control system showcased at major European exhibition

A ground-breaking system in Water Control and Management developed at Waterford Institute of Technology (WIT) was showcased at the European Utilities Week 2014 in Amsterdam recently and will be a highlight at the Enterprise Ireland Big Ideas exhibition in the National Convention Centre in Dublin this week.

The Water Control and Management System (WCMS), which was developed by the Convergent Technologies Research Group (CTRG) at WIT, is an innovation in smart water technology, designed to protect and conserve one of our most precious resources.

Speaking about the research group’s success at the Amsterdam exhibition, Dr Austin Coffey said, “Over 10,000 people attended the European Utilities Week and for three days, Amsterdam was the place to be for anyone who was interested in the smart utility sector. The focus was on future sustainable energy and water innovation, where smart technology is enabling utilities and providers to adopt a multi-dimensional role.”

The WCMS project was funded through an Enterprise Ireland Commercialisation and Technology Development grant to oversee its translation into a commercially viable exploitable output.

As a functional product, the market appeal of WCMS is widespread, encompassing both consumers and service provider segments, including domestic users; agricultural, irrigation and horticulture users; industrial and commercial users; water utilities, prepaid utility providers and insurance providers.

The world patented WCMS technology will be showcased at the Enterprise Ireland Big Ideas exhibition in the National Convention Centre in Dublin as one of the top 13 technologies in Ireland which has emerged as a result of funding from Enterprise Ireland. Further details on the Big Ideas event are available at www.innovationshowcase.ie.