I’ve been asked by friends and family recently what impact could IBM’s “Jeopardy” playing computer have on Atlanta’s water woes. For those of you who missed it, the IBM system named Watson competed and won against the game’s best performers, Ken Jennings and Brad Rutter, in a series of matches aired in February.
Watson answered complicated questions filled with literary allusions, puns and wordplay — the sort of things that delight humans but traditionally baffle computers. While IBM has no immediate plans to apply the technology in Atlanta, the question did make me think about the potential of such a system here.
With Atlanta in the middle of implementing the Clean Water Atlanta program, our water system will be awash with data. This information is coming from both commercial and residential meters and sensors in the delivery system. Also, residents providing information on leaks and other water issues to the city also are collected in databases. This data are just the sort of material Watson uses to answer questions.
But while much data are being collected, we must find better ways of using that data to make smarter decisions. Data collection is one thing; finding value in vast amounts of data streaming in real time or near real time from a wide variety of sources is another.
One example of the potential role Watson could play is around analysis of the potable water production (water that is consumable by humans). Electronic information on raw water intake systems can be made available to a Watson-like system for analysis to constantly adjust the formula used to produce water that is consumable and exceeds all Clean Water Act standards. This could help experts operate the water treatment plant at maximum efficiency and lead to less wasted water.
Technology can’t control the weather, but it can help us prepare for it. Using advanced analytics and topographic modeling, we can better anticipate and prepare for floods and droughts. Utilities can use intelligent networks of sensors to provide real-time data about where, when and how water is used.
The big breakthrough from Watson was its ability to take data in natural language forms and in real time provide answers to questions. What all this means is that there are solutions on the horizon that focus on smarter use of water and all sorts of other natural resources. As the technology from Watson becomes more pervasive, it points to data itself becoming a precious commodity to cities facing challenges to their standard of living.
This breakthrough ability in understanding natural language also provides an on-ramp for residents themselves to get engaged and provide critical data on water. For example, IBM created a free iPhone application that is being used by the California’s State Water Control Board. Creek Watch allows community members to snap a photo of a creek or stream and answer three simple questions about the waterway. The data are uploaded in real time to a central database, accessible by water authorities responsible for monitoring local water supplies.
The Watson victory in “Jeopardy” is really a victory for humans and, potentially, smarter use of natural resources. It is human ingenuity, and the innovative work of many intelligent people, that has developed this technology. They can use it just as we use other tools, from calculators to cars, to advance water management. If we embrace these advances and use technology to protect our natural resources, we can avoid potential crisis situations.
Darrell Thomas, a managing consultant with IBM Global Business Services, has lived in the Atlanta area since 1987.
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