Complete digitization through GIS in water supply-sewerage

The digitization through GIS technologies of the water supply and sewerage services in EYATH has reached 100%, while the interconnection with the entire customer service sector is in the final stage. Thus, the company’s digital transition to provide optimal automated services in the water supply and sewerage sector in Thessaloniki is gradually being completed.

With the use of Geographical Information Systems (GIS), for which EYATH has international recognition, the company has created a central digital “warehouse” of technical data (data warehouse), which includes the water supply and sewage networks, their facilities, but also all the technical information that was scattered – and therefore unused – within the company. From this digital database, information is distributed to employees for business, daily use through specialized applications.

For example, through their tablet or mobile, repair crews have the ability to instantly and precisely know where the fault is located, what network is involved in it, what specific materials are needed, where they are, etc. (note, the repair of 98.4% of faults in EYATH is done within the day). Correspondingly, the EYATH Chemistry has the ability to take daily water samples with their exact geographical distribution in the city and in relation to the origin of the water at each sampling point, thus gaining in reliability, operational time and productivity.

With the use of Geographical Information Systems, EYATH has succeeded in reducing the response time for dealing with damage to the water supply and sewerage networks, reducing operational costs and ultimately optimizing its services. At the same time, it invests in human, social and environmental capital, contributing to the high ESG goals it has set.

In order to reduce the processing time of its customers’ requests, the company is now focusing on the completion of the digitization and the customer service area (either online, through MyEyathPortal, or at the physical service points). In this area, GIS services ensure the validity of the geographical location of the customer or the reported damage (electronically through the MyEyathPortal or physically through a call center) and automate the correct geographical registration of each location, with all the benefits of immediate response that this implies.

“At EYATH, we utilize innovative processes and automations, in order to vertically digitize all our operational functions. We are proud of the GIS systems we have, they recognize us internationally for the progress we have made, which is why our technologies are also fertile ground for cooperation and the transfer of know-how to similar companies abroad. We are now a body of innovation and research in matters of water supply and drainage in the wider region, primarily of course we aim to offer high quality services every day to our fellow citizens”, points out the managing director of EYATH, Anthimos Amanatidis.

The head of Geoinformatics – Topography & Hydraulic Modeling of EYATH, Yannis Kavouras, emphasizes that “EYATH S.A., after two decades of successful in-house implementation of GIS technology, has managed to integrate the geographical dimension into the majority of its processes, transforming data into information and information systems into integrated business processes’. “We thus create the basis for a comprehensive digital twin approach”, he concludes.

With GIS systems, the company also supports daily the simulation of the operation of its networks in computer models, optimizing their management and increasing their efficiency. It also automatically controls its fleet of vehicles actively involved in operational operations, linking vehicle traffic with real-time network and fault management.

EYATH S.A., investing over time in innovation and new technologies, now has many years of know-how and experience pioneering nationwide and internationally in Geographical Information Systems (GIS). Among other things, it has been awarded among 100,000 companies worldwide (SAG Award – ESRI UC 2015) and is presented as a best practice in this field at international GIS conferences for network management.