A systematic review of municipal smart water for climate adaptation and mitigation

Abstract

This study examines how research on smart water is contributing to climate-resilient municipal water systems around the globe. We identify smart water research trends over time, relationships with climate adaptation and mitigation goals, and applicability to places with developed or developing water and electrical infrastructure. To do so, we systematically review the literature, identifying research on Information Communication Technology-enabled technologies related to water supply, wastewater, and stormwater management. We assess the relationship between each study and climate adaptation and mitigation objectives: managing greater variation in water quantity, leading to scarcity and increased stormwater; managing declining water quality; and low-carbon water systems. We find 96 relevant studies and identify five major categories of research addressing climate adaptation and mitigation: monitoring, modeling, system design, system feedbacks, and uptake and implementation. We find there is a recent acceleration in smart water research, with a concentration of studies focused on modeling. There is an emphasis on water efficiency using data from Advanced Metering Infrastructure, which is most applicable to cities with developed water grids and consistent electrical supplies. Secondarily, there is a concentration of work using distributed sensors for early detection of water quality degradation, which is being done in all municipal contexts. There is far less research on uptake and implementation of smart approaches, especially at the institutional level. In addition, there is relatively little work that explicitly relates smart water technologies to reducing greenhouse gas emissions. While smart water approaches are applicable everywhere, there is a need to for expanded focus on areas without developed water grids or consistent electricity for smart water to meaningfully contribute to Sustainable Development Goal 6.