Smart and integrated technologies that empower water utility service providers enable a range of digital technologies that are now altering the industry. Companies are using digital technologies to construct more flexible, efficient, and economically feasible networks at every level of the water value chain, from source to utility provider to customer. However, before diving into the mechanics of digital water, it’s essential to explore the many causes that are now driving this shift.
However, the insights generated by these technologies in real-time using IIoT and AI technologies require cutting-edge visualisation tools. Immersive Technologies are being used by an increasing number of organisations and utility suppliers to detect and diagnose problems, optimise network flow, and regulate usage. Therefore, learning more about the perks of leveraging immersive technologies is a piece of knowledge that water utility experts should not overlook.
This article acts as a guide for water and wastewater experts to explore the advantages of utilising immersive technologies like AR (Augmented Reality), MR (Mixed Reality) and VR (Virtual Reality) to make water systems smarter, risk-free and event-driven under a single console.
What Is Immersive Technology?
Immersive technology is any technology that uses 360-degree space to extend or create a new reality. Users can see content in any direction thanks to Immersive Technology’s 360 space/sphere use. Immersive technology extends reality by superimposing digital pictures on a user’s surroundings. Others build a new reality by isolating a person from the outside world and immersing them in a digital environment.
Visualisation is a unique immersive technology capacity that will help the water sector in two ways: improving current processes and giving whole new ways of perceiving things that can only be achieved through immersion.
Types of Immersive Technologies
Extended Reality
Extended Reality is a catch-all word for augmented reality, virtual reality, mixed reality, and everything else. We envision the smartphone, mobile virtual reality headset, and augmented reality glasses combining into a single extended reality wearable in the future. All other screens could be replaced by extended reality.
Virtual Reality
Another well-known kind of immersive technology is virtual reality, which has become quite the buzzword in recent years. While absorbed in the material, a person is shut off from the rest of the world through virtual reality. With a Head Mounted Display, anything the user sees on the headset becomes their “reality,” enabling them to immerse themselves in both actual and imagined worlds.
Augmented Reality
Augmented Reality is a sort of Immersive Technology in which digital pictures are superimposed on top of real-world objects. This implies that Augmented Reality users are not entirely cut off from the rest of the world. Augmented Reality, on the other hand, expands their reality.
Mixed Reality
Mixed reality is a cross between augmented and virtual reality. A head-mounted display is used in mixed reality, as it is in virtual reality. However, unlike virtual reality, a user is not shut off from the rest of the world. Head-Mounted Displays, on the other hand, resemble a pair of spectacles that display computer graphics onto your environment (Similar to Augmented Reality). As a consequence, Mixed Reality is also known as Augmented Reality 2.0.
Advantages of Using Immersive Technologies in The Water Industry
This ability to experience rather than infer helps us to see our assets through the eyes of others, which has several advantages in the design process:
Optimise The Construction Process
Immersive technologies allow designers to view the construction process from the perspective of a construction worker or a crane operator. This can be utilised to speed up the construction process and save money.
Improve Construction Safety
By immersing ourselves in the construction process, we may identify hazards and on-site challenges well before work begins, allowing them to be avoided or minimised.
Bring Stakeholders On Board
Meet User Requirements
Enhance Inspection and Maintenance
Immersive training can build geographical and procedural memory for operators, as well as allow for detailed asset inspection from remote experts by providing a safe environment to interact with digital assets, both as-built and captured during the inspection process.
Cerexio Offers An Immersive Digital Twin For Water Industry
Use Cerexio’s immersive Digital Twin Technology’s potential to stimulate your company’s vital physical components of water infrastructure. Cerexio is a seasoned digital twin solution enabler for the water industry, allowing you to engineer, deploy, manage, revamp, and replace assets using hands-on visualisations using immersive technologies. Water asset decision-makers can edit real-time asset virtual models in both 3D and 4D planes to acquire immediate insights and crystal-clear knowledge before making asset decisions. Allow your asset specialists to use AR and VR technologies to conduct immersive investigations into the present and impending asset issues with the help of Cerexio.
Connect with our team to learn more about why our immersive technologies are unmatched by others in the market.
Immersive Technologies Is The Way Forward Water Industry
Immersive technologies help organisations stay ahead of the competition. Data visualisation can help water utilities manage their operations, engage with stakeholders, and make strategic decisions. It promotes early engagement among stakeholders by providing meaningful project information. It enables the efficient translation of large and complicated data streams. Immersive technologies lower costs by not necessitating the construction or usage of ‘real world’ versions of simulated assets. It increases accessibility compared to limited physical resources, allowing for more and more frequent opportunities to interact with and experience the simulated environment.
Further, it increases safety by creating highly realistic settings and interactions that do not include any physical dangers. It provides all users with a consistent simulation and training experience. Immersive technologies will result in better assets and, as a result, a better-built water environment that facilitates the community and natural resources at large.
