Instrumentation, control and automation in urban water management – state-of-the-art and future perspectives

Providing safe and sufficient water to the public is a major and also international challenge. To tackle this challenge and to operate our urban water infrastructure in the most efficient way, instrumentation, control and automation (ICA) is a key aspect of process operation and design. In this editorial, the ICA Specialist Group of the International Water Association (IWA) sheds some light on the current practice and limitations of ICA in different sub-domains of the urban water system, followed by some personal perspectives.