ABB launches digital tool for water infrastructure

ABB has launched AquaMaster+™, a digital platform for smart water network management, designed to help water utilities monitor, analyse and manage their networks, reducing pipeline losses and improving operational efficiency.

The platform combines hardware, software and cloud-based decision-making tools into a single system, part of a broader industry push toward digitalising water and resource infrastructure that increasingly intersects with the maritime sector’s own supply chains and port cities.

The service works with ABB’s existing AquaMaster4™ flowmeters, or can be deployed as standalone software integrated into a utility’s existing systems, offering a lower barrier to adoption for operators not yet on ABB hardware.

Raghu Kumar NV, Global Product Manager at ABB’s Measurement & Analytics division, said: “With pressure mounting on water resources globally, a great deal of work is done to prevent losses in the distribution system and to help save water through more efficient resource management. AquaMaster+ will enable this work by connecting water utilities to crucial flow measurement insights from their AquaMaster4 or other devices, helping the water sector outrun, leaner and cleaner.”

The platform delivers fleet-level insights, including a fleet overview with GIS mapping, and device-level insights covering flow and pressure shifts, diagnostics and remote configuration.

Remote management is designed to cut response times and travel costs, while real-time monitoring supports early detection of issues before they escalate.

AquaMaster+ also stores device and event logs, letting operators compare flow rate and pressure data over time to spot anomalies early, and supports virtual flowmeters for modelling different scenarios and outcomes, giving operators a clearer basis for decision-making.

ABB built the platform with minimal training requirements in mind, aiming to reduce human error and give users faster access to critical information, a consideration that matters as water utilities, like much of the maritime and logistics sector, contend with tight technical staffing.

The launch builds on ABB’s AquaMaster flowmeter line, which measures water flow in real time with accuracy down to flow velocities below 0.1 m/s and detects leaks faster than many conventional systems.

The AquaMaster4 Mobile Comms, introduced in 2022, was the world’s first electromagnetic flowmeter with bidirectional connectivity.