The aim of this paper is to present current work to develop a system of performance indicators (PI) for wastewater services undertaken under the auspices of IWA and coordinated by LNEC. Present day wastewater utilities manage their services and systems in an increasingly demanding and complex way. For this reason, it is important to support their work and decision processes with the best available tools in order to deliver services with the most effective and efficient performance. The paper focuses on proposed performance indicators (PIs) for wastewater services and on the main aspects of PI assessment. These are based on data related to: environmental, operational, personnel, physical, quality of service and economic and financial performance. Data are mostly made available through the various common-use information systems in the utilities. This IWA forum has been important not only for the dissemination of the work already developed but also as promotion of a wider discussion to enhance the final draft version of the IWA Manual of Best Practice due for publication in 2003.
Published by IWA Publishing. 2003. ISBN 1-900222-90-6; xii + 174pp; hardback; price €52.50 to IWA Members, €70.00 to non-members.This publication is the third in a series of Manuals of Best Practice dealing with performance indicators and process benchmarking. The aim of the manual is to provide a set of indicators which describe the characteristics and performance of individual features of wastewater systems which are precisely defined and capable of being understood generally and accepted internationally.The publication comprises the text and a CD-ROM with the SIGMA Lite WW software, developed by lnstituto Tecnologico del Agua (ITA), Valencia Polytechnic University, Spain. The software is for use once the selection of the set of performance indicators (to be evaluated) has been made.The manual covers the structure of the wastewater performance indicator system and data reporting based upon a confidence grading scheme. The indicators rely upon a concept of 'Context Information' considered in terms of profiles for (a) the wastewater utility, (b) the systems managed, and (c) the geographical context in which the wastewater utility operates. A total of 182 indicators are included, ranging in number from 12 physical to 56 operations indicators.A set of three comprehensive appendices cover a glossaly of technical terms, specifications of each parameter required to assess the performance indicators, and an introduction to the software with tips for use and an example of application.The level of detail of the performance indicators is preciseperhaps too precise in some instances. One clue which demonstrates that the manual will be understood generally and accepted internationally is the claim in the introduction regarding the contribution of this manual and the water services manual to ISO/TC224 -Service activities relating to drinking water supply and wastewater systemsquality criteria of service and performance indicators. The claim that the IWA manuals are contributing to the work of the IS0 committee can be verified by your reviewer who leads the UK delegation to this IS0 TC.Brian Spark (Water Engineering and Standards Solutions)
The paper presents the requirements and challenges of urban transitions towards sustainability from the perspective of the SAB of the JPI Urban Europe. Critical reflections on the achievements and identification of gaps in the activities of JPI Urban Europe, based on the Strategic Research and Innovation Agenda SRIA (2015–2020), reveal advanced research questions, tasks, and approaches that influenced the development process of the SRIA 2.0 (released in February 2019). The authors emphasize the dilemma approach, the local context and the co-creation concept to pursue urban transitions in real-world context. Considering this frame, they propose specific domains for further research on urban transitions.
A key worldwide challenge in most sectors is to boost the effective adoption of innovation, as underpinned by the new European Union research programme Horizon 2020, which focuses on increasing innovation in Europe from 2014 to 2020. This is particularly relevant in the water sector, often perceived as conservative and averse to change. This paper discusses the role that collaborative knowledge-transfer projects can play in effectively rolling out R&D in the water industry. LNEC (Laboratório Nacional de Engenharia Civil) has designed a structured model based on a phased programme and a network of utilities and researchers. The paper presents the core principles, the rationale, the model and methods used, and the theoretical background, as well as the project's impact, outcomes and products. The discussion highlights the lessons learnt and provides a formal analysis of the advantages of focusing on middle management as an effective entry point, even if innovation is needed across the organization. Making training materials, guidelines, use cases, data and software publicly available after the project's end has proven to have a decisive multiplying effect. The paper also argues in favour of the collaborative model as a basis for R&D sustainability, and details on-going and planned developments.
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