Ovarro supports a sustainable future for industries and communities around the world by connecting technologies to increase operational efficiency and effectiveness. Their mission is to enrich client’s understanding of their assets and provide them with trusted insights to make business critical decisions for the advancement of productivity, safety and security.
Interview with Barbara Hathaway, Technology Leader, Leakage Solutions at Ovarro.
Easy Engineering: Can you give a brief description of the company and its activities.
Barbara Hathaway: Ovarro is a global technology company that works with customers across water, oil & gas, broadcast and transportation to help monitor, control and manage their assets. A key focus is developing technologies that help water utilities reduce leakage on their networks. As technology leader for leakage solutions, I’m leading and developing our technology strategy and roadmap.
E.E: What are the main areas of activity of the company?
B.H: When it comes to leakage, the world population is increasing and with this, demand for water. Widespread loss through leaking pipes is no longer acceptable in the eyes of the public and regulators and water companies must ensure they get maximum efficiency out of their assets.
This means companies are more willing to consider new ways of working, with many embracing our data-led technologies, such as acoustic fixed network loggers.
Ovarro’s advanced data-led technology tells utilities and municipalities what is happening on their water networks in real-time – insights which help ensure millions of people have access to clean and reliable water supplies. By harnessing and transmitting this wealth of newly available data, companies can carry out strategic operational analysis to drive efficiencies and reduce cost.
We are now looking at how our products and services can advance further to have an even greater impact on leakage targets and environmental performance.
E.E: What’s the news about new products?
B.H: Our newest product is LeakNavigator, an end-to-end leakage reduction service, launched as the water sector moves forward with wider implementation of as-a-service models. The fully-managed, fixed network model comprises advanced acoustic data loggers, cutting-edge cloud-based software and Ovarro’s inhouse leakage expertise.
With all elements combined, the service can accurately identify points of interest (POIs) on behalf of water companies, alerting field technicians directly, so they can head straight to site with high confidence that a leak will be found, thereby reducing the need for inhouse data analysis.
LeakNavigator has undergone successful trials with UK water companies, recording a combined performance increase of 20-25% in total leaks found, plus a 30% reduction in lost field time through false positives and a POI-to-leak conversion rate of over 85%.
As-a-service models are subscription-based applications, with infrastructure that is entirely managed and maintained by an external supplier. These services allow companies to focus on their core responsibility of water system management and leave the data analysis to external specialists.
Barbara Hathaway, Technology Leader, Leakage Solutions at Ovarro.
E.E: What are the ranges of products?
B.H: Our Enigma3m range of correlating noise loggers are market leaders and use advanced data communications to provide remote location of leaks. They include models such as the Enigma3hyQ, which can pinpoint leaks remotely on pipes of any material or diameter and over long distances.
The Enigma3-BB is an adapter that enables loggers to be installed on an operational meter box chamber. Another recently launched product is Eureka5, a tablet-based leakage detection system which will become the basis for Ovarro’s leak detection platform. It displays information on an android tablet and does not require a dedicated processor or laptop, cutting down the number of devices field teams need to have in their vans.
E.E: What are the most innovative products marketed?
B.H: As an innovation-driven technology company, our research and developments teams continually work with water utilities to develop new products that meet market needs, while taking the sector forward.
The Enigma3m range uses our unique patented remote time synchronisation technology to guarantee the best and most consistent results for our customers.
The Enigma3-BB, mentioned above, was developed following feedback from companies and is a first for the industry with this type of technology.
LeakNavigator is the UK’s first fully-managed, fixed network leakage service. These are just some examples of innovation within Ovarro.
E.E: What estimations do you have for 2023?
B.H: The world is waking up to the water crisis and the urgent need to develop and scale-up solutions to tackle it. I hope to see water utilities continue to invest in innovation, support new ideas and share findings.
Globally, more and more utilities are adopting data-powered tools, which are transforming network management, positively impacting leakage targets and environmental performance. Products that apply artificial intelligence and machine learning, as well as cloud-based, as-a-service models, have become portfolio staples for Ovarro.
The last two years have been an incredibly challenging time for industries that rely on electronics, with supply chain shortages impacting the technology sector. Thankfully, these problems are starting to ease and I expect to see an increase in the arrival of disruptive new technologies as a result.
It is a very exciting time for the industry.
