4Q 2021

Analyst Insight: Smart Water Trends

Smart City Tracker Insights

The confluence of urbanization, population and economic growth, and climate change provides strong economic and societal drivers for the adoption of smart water technologies. The focus on public health issues during the COVID-19 pandemic has also demonstrated the value of smart water solutions, namely in wastewater epidemiology. However, smart water projects continue to be relatively underrepresented among smart city projects, where the limited deployment of smart water technologies stands in contrast to the growing need for safe and efficient resource use. Of the 798 smart city projects across 370 cities tracked by Guidehouse Insights, only 35 tracked projects, that is around 4.4% of the overall total, include a water-focused initiative.

City or municipal-level water-focused projects have consistently seen low numbers of deployments in the Guidehouse Insights’ Smart City Tracker, although there are notable private-sector initiatives around the world. Flood management systems, smart water meters, and smart water treatment initiatives are expected to be the focus going forward, though factors such as the availability of funding, the strength of public policymaking, and the severity of need, will likely inform the scale and depth of rollout.

This Analyst Insight provides an overview of the deployment of smart water projects as informed by the latest Smart City Tracker update, 3Q 2021. The report focuses on climate change, energy demands, and public health issues as drivers for smart water applications.

Pages 15
Tables | Charts | Figures 5
  • What are the key trends in smart water deployments?
  • What are the key applications of smart water applications in relation to climate change?
  • How is the regional outlook for smart water projects expected to develop?
  • Which smart water applications are anticipated to grow in popularity?
  • What are successful applications of smart water systems?
  • What are challenges facing the smart water sector?
  • How has the funding landscape changed, if at all, for smart water projects?
  • Smart city policy planners
  • Smart water meter manufacturers, vendors, and procurers
  • Flood management IoT service providers, procurers
  • Utilities
  • Public health planners
  • Development NGOs
  • IoT infrastructure and service providers
  • Investor community

Introduction

Scope

Executive Summary

Overview: Trends in Smart City Projects

Smart Water and Climate Change

Smart Water and Energy

Smart Water and Public Health

Market Inflection Trends and Investment Overview

Market Drivers and Barriers

Key Recommendations

Acronyms and Abbreviations

Additional Resources and Contacts

  • Cumulative Tracked Smart City Projects by Region, World Markets: 2012-2021
  • Cumulative Smart City Projects vs. Cumulative Smart Water Projects by Project Count, World Markets: 2012-2021
  • Cumulative Tracked Smart Water Project Investment by Region and Investment Type, World Markets: 2012-2021
  • Smart Water Solutions, Industry Growth Potential by Region, World Markets: 2021-2030
  • Market Drivers and Barriers
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