Water Data Smackdown Meet The Top 10 Innovators

Imagine H2O recently announced the 10 finalists from more than 90 worldwide entrants to its Water Data Challenge.

The 10 companies have already achieved a milestone in that they are entered into Imagine H2O’s Accelerator Program, which supports burgeoning startups in a mutual quest to bring much-needed, high-impact technologies to the water sector. In particular, data and analytics is becoming an increasingly vital component for water and wastewater management.

"It will be impossible to tackle the global water challenge without basic data about our water resources," asserts Imagine H2O's VP of Programming Tom Ferguson.

While Imagine H2O will name a single overall winner in March, all of the finalists have technologies with disruptive potential, or the ability to replace the status quo, and are thus worthy of attention.

Here’s a brief overview of each company and what they offer, aided by input from Ferguson and cohorts at Imagine H2O.

ANDalyze

Specializing in heavy metals monitoring, ANDalyze has developed an EPA-approved, handheld DNA sensor that runs samples in just two minutes and can measure trace metals (such as lead) to parts per billion. According to the company, testing can be done at the “push of a button … in a fraction of the time and  cost of traditional heavy metals testing methods.” An automated monitoring system is in development, with organic chemical detection potentially on the horizon.

APANA

As drought and water scarcity issues trend alongside global industrialization and population growth, a water-conservation imperative emerges. With APANA’s real-time water management solution, commercial and industrial facilities can immediately pinpoint water waste, whether it’s through bad business practices (misuse) or structural/mechanical failures (e.g., pipe leaks). The ‘complete solution’ is a package of propriety technology, analytics, and software that, according to APANA, saves customers an average of 20 percent on annual water/sewer costs and typically provides return on investment (ROI) within 18 months.

Ayyeka

Any water system can be transformed into a smart, cyber-secure water system with Wavelet from Ayyeka, which offers modular, plug-and-play, remote monitoring to promote optimization and resource efficiency. Wide-ranging capability would seem to be another selling point, as the small, energy-efficient monitoring devices can analyze and communicate water/equipment conditions for virtually any water application.

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Taxonomy

• Technology
• Water Management