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    • Labormitarbeiter an einem LC-MS-Analysegeräte
      Water analysis Conducting and evaluating physical-chemical and microbiological water testing in accordance with German Drinking Water Ordinance and other regulations.
    • Test centre and product testing
      Testing of products and devices Initial testing of products and materials in contact with drinking water. The test centre is accredited for more than 200 product standards.
    • Two employees in front of a test facility
      Treatment technologies Develop sustainable water supply concepts. Implement, monitor and optimise new technologies. Test and further develop existing treatment methods.
    • Employee next to a bio-analyser
      Micropollutants and microorganisms Development and improvement of determination procedures. Investigating occurrence, behaviour and fate of inorganic and organic trace substances.
    • Flushing the drinking water network, starting from a car
      Network management and drinking water installation Advice on safeguarding the quality of drinking water in the distribution system, support in the development of specific network management strategies.
    • Well for drinking water production
      Risk management Supporting water supply companies in setting up continuous risk management for water supply facilities, based on our comprehensive expertise.
    • Employees in front of screens with graphics
      Drinking water catchments and resources Protection of drinking water resources by assessing potential hazards in water catchment areas, catalogues of measures, monitoring concepts, databases.
    • Employee at test columns
      Environmental biotechnology and contaminated sites Environmental biotechnology to improve water quality. Degradation processes for water purification. Concepts and studies for pollutant contamination.
    • Hände arbeiten an Laptop
      Digitalisation Solving complex questions and problems of water supply companies in digitalisation through technical support or practical research projects.
    • Water pipes
      Practical projects Research and practice, water supply, scientific and technical expertise, technology concepts, resource protection, distribution network, digitalisation.
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    •  Employee measuring field
      Resource protection Sustainable resource protection as an important factor for safe drinking water supply, management of hazards and risks in water catchment areas.
    • Employee works on test columns
      Environmental biotechnology Technical and biological methods for the elimination of microorganisms, microbiological degradation processes, risk assessment of microbial contamination.
    • Sample is placed in a bioanalyser
      Microorganisms Application and development of reliable detection methods for microorganisms in drinking water, evaluation of disinfection and treatment measures.
    •  Employee works on analytical column and liquid chromatograph
      Micropollutants Reliable and sensitive determination of trace substances and microplastics, investigation of the behaviour in the water cycle, qualified risk assessment.
    • Employee fills samples on test columns filled with sand
      Waste water and water cycle Development of integrated water supply and waste water disposal concepts, Utilisation of biodegradation processes to eliminate persistent substances.
    • Employee in front of a computer using a colony counter
      New technologies and products Technologies and products for the treatment, disinfection and post-treatment of drinking water, testing for performance, safety and robustness.
    •  Two employees at a test stand for water distribution
      Asset management and infrastructure Development of asset management strategies to ensure a stable supply of high-quality drinking water, assessment of the condition of pipeline networks.
    • LAN connector with fibre optics
      Digitalisation and Management Digitalisation in the areas of data collection, data management, data-driven applications and AI for the water supply.
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An institution of DVGW
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  • Digitalisation

Digitalisation

Digital transformation is currently taking place in all areas of public drinking water supply. Our expertise at TZW is in solving complex questions and problems of water supply companies. This is done either through direct technical support of companies or within the framework of practice-oriented research projects. In the process, all areas of drinking water supply - starting with resource protection, through water catchment and treatment, to distribution - are taken into account. Today, digitalisation plays a decisive role in all of these process steps. With our digital know-how, we can provide competent support here. This includes

  • Process analysis and optimisation,
  • the processing and evaluation of high-dimensional data using both deterministic and machine learning models
  • technical-scientific expertise regarding the construction and maintenance of data architectures and databases
  • as well as the development of solutions (web applications, software) for employees and customers.

What do we offer?

Water demand forecast

The estimation of future water demand involves the inclusion of a variety of very dynamic components such as weather, urban and land developments in the supplied regions. TZW offers a web service for forecasting short-term water demand based on a transparent machine learning model. The water supply companies can access it directly via web.

Evaluation of water quality and quantity data

In all areas of water supply today, extensive data sets are created on a daily basis. Examples are the monitoring of water quality with online sensors, the time-resolved recording of water discharge quantities and consumption as well as the analysis of water samples with complex methods such as non-target screening or spectroscopy. The increasingly large amounts of data pose new demands to a company. We support our customers in the analysis and evaluation of this data. This includes, for example

  • event detection, i.e. the detection of unusual patterns, e.g. in time series of water quality data. Events can be caused by real changes in water quality or by faulty sensors.
  • Extraction of regular, recurring patterns that describe one or more normal states, e.g. water consumption types. This creates the basis for a better understanding of the system and helps, for example, to analyse the water consumption behaviour of customers or customer groups.
  • the detection of water losses in time series of water delivery or consumption measurements
  • the evaluation of high-dimensional spectroscopic data, e.g. fluorescence spectra, with which organic compounds in water can be detected.

Creation of regression and classification models (machine learning, AI)

When analysing data, relevant information on a wide variety of topics can be obtained. For example, statements about the concentration of a certain substance can be derived from spectral data of a water sample. Another example is the estimation of the condition of a shut-off valve or the estimation of a flushing interval for a section of pipe.

In all the examples mentioned, models are used that provide a certain information (target value) on the basis of input data, e.g. the spectrum of a water sample or the indicators of a pipe section. In the case of a continuous target value, one speaks of regression, e.g. the concentration value. In the case of a categorical target value, it is referred to as a classification, e.g. the specification of a condition as good, medium or bad.

To what extent the creation of such models is possible, we can check for various applications from all areas of water supply within the framework of feasibility studies. This involves checking the data basis and data quality, creating models and evaluating them in terms of performance or accuracy. The models are based, among other things, on machine learning methods. TZW places particular emphasis on the interpretability and transparency of these models. This is achieved by using models that are as transparent as possible and modern analysis methods. This includes Explainable AI, which allows the analysis of complex models, e.g. neural networks.

Databases

We support our customers in managing their data in databases efficiently and securely. TZW has extensive knowledge of the architecture of database systems and develops individual solutions together with our customers within the framework of technical-scientific consulting services. The focus is on PostgreSQL, MariaDB and small, portable database systems such as SQLite.

Web and GIS applications

In an increasingly networked world, access to up-to-date and accurate information is crucial for water utilities. We offer web and GIS solutions to collect, analyse and present relevant data in user-friendly interfaces. With these tools, companies can effectively manage and optimise their drinking water distribution network. Our applications enable users to visualise and analyse important information such as pipeline networks, pumping stations, water quality data, customer data and much more in real time.

Methods and equipment
  • TZW's own computer centre
  • Hardware, software and open source frameworks
  • Machine Learning: all current methods of supervised and unsupervised learning
  • Online water quality sensors (spectrometer, physical/chemical sensors)
  • Databases: PostgreSQL, MariaDB, SQLite, Access

Contact

Dr. Martin Wagner +49 351 85211-56 Send email
Dipl.-Ing. Tobias Martin +49 351 85211-12 Send email
 

Projects

blue pipes
blue pipes, Source: shutterstock
25.02.2025
Development of principles and concepts for the operation of interconnection pipelines - "(Not)Verbundleitungen"

The research project is developing practical recommendations for the operation of interconnection pipelines in order to strengthen the resilience of…

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Plate heat exchanger
Plate heat exchanger Source: shutterstock
25.02.2025
Heat utilisation from drinking water distribution networks (heat extraction)

The "Heat extraction" research project is investigating the utilisation of heat from drinking water distribution networks in order to review the…

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Invertebrates from water distribution - Water isopods
Invertebrates from water distribution - Water isopods
11.02.2025
Invertebrates within drinking water distribution systems

Climate change is altering the operational conditions of drinking water distributions, which will affect reproduction and distribution of inhabiting…

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More projects

 

Solutions
  • Water analysis
  • Testing of products and devices
  • Treatment technologies
  • Micropollutants and microorganisms
  • Network management and drinking water installation
  • Risk management
  • Drinking water catchments and resources
  • Environmental biotechnology and contaminated sites
  • Digitalisation
  • Practical projects
Research
  • Resource protection
  • Environmental biotechnology
  • Microorganisms
  • Micropollutants
  • Waste water and water cycle
  • New technologies and products
  • Asset management and infrastructure
  • Digitalisation and Management
About TZW
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