“water efficiency first”165) should make best use of new technologies such as digital smart meters and sensors for detecting and managing leaks.166 The Commission also announces the launching of a EU Water Infrastructure & Smart Metering for All initiative.167 Digital transformation in water distribution network (WDN) has been so far enabled by two main techniques, which are digital twins and data-driven solutions.168 The first technique (Digital Twins) may be designed, inter alia, to assist technicians and water utilities in addressing life-cycle management issues169 and to detect and localize anomaly events, such as pipe bursts and unauthorized water usages.170 The solution is tested in selected areas in Singapore171 and in Santa Cruz, Madeira, Portugal.172 Moreover, the European Commission, among the digital models that the Commission will develop by 2030, in its recent 2025 Strategy mentions the Digital Twin of the Ocean (and Destination Earth), an application that will support the assessment longterm water conditions and availability under various climate change or human activities scenarios.173 The second enabling technique for digital transformation in WDN is data-driven application. The adoption of these innovations is currently hindered by a lack of complementary advancements in business models.174 In the light of this, some scholars have proposed the outsourcing of data 165 The principle of “water efficiency first” means “taking all necessary measures to reduce water demand as a priority above the exploitation of additional water resources. In declining order of priority, consumption should be reduced first, followed by measures to increase efficiency, followed by the reuse of wastewater and the expansion of water supply”: see Commission Recommendation on guiding principles of water efficiency first, cit., point 2, p. 5. 166 Commission Recommendation on guiding principles of water efficiency first, cit., point 20. The Commission recommends that, inter alia, Member States apply the principle of water efficiency first, where possible, across all water using sectors, including agriculture, energy, industry, commerce, the public water supply sector, and the digital economy, at all levels of planning and permitting for water management (ibidem, point 6, p. 5). 167 Ibidem, p. 7, and point 3.3, p. 15-16. 168 J.M. Blanco et al., A formal model for reliable digital transformation of water distribution network, in Procedia Computer Science, 225, 2023, p. 2078. 169 See F.G. Ciliberti, L. Berardi, D.B. Laucelli, O. Giustolisi, Digital transformation paradigm for asset management in water distribution networks, in 10th International Conference on ENERGY and ENVIRONMENT (CIEM), 2021, p. 1-5. As pointed out by H.M. Ramos, et al., Are digital twins improving urban-water systems efficiency and sustainable development goals?, in Urban Water Journal, Vol. 21(10), 2024, p. 1164-1175, a digital twin is a tool, which enables a real-time simulation of the water systems and therefore, the water managers can make a decision in the management of the water system over time. 170 J.M. Blanco et al., A formal model, cit., p. 2078. See also H.M. Ramos, et al., New Challenges towards Smart Systems’ Efficiency by Digital Twin in Water Distribution Networks, in Water, Vol. 14(8), 2022. 171 See J.M. Blanco et al., A formal model, cit., p. 2078. 172 H.M. Ramos, et al., Are digital twins, cit., par. 3.1. 173 European Commission, European Water Resilience Strategy, cit., point 3.3, p. 16. 174 See J.M. Blanco et al., A formal model, cit., p. 2078. 460 FRANCESCO GASPARI | LUIGI CAMERIERO
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