Like peas in a pod – how building partnerships helped build the First Ecological Digital Twin

This is a guest blog written by Carly Leonard, Head of Environmental Strategy at Anglian Water, from The World’s First Digital Ecological Twin project, which was awarded funding in Water Breakthrough Challenge 3.

In today’s interconnected world, the success of any project hinges on the strength of its partnerships. At Anglian Water, we have always believed in the power of collaboration, and our recent project, the world’s first Ecological Digital Twin, is a testament to this belief.

The Ecological Digital Twin project focused on the River Stiffkey, one of Norfolk’s iconic chalk streams. This innovative project aimed to create a digital representation of the river system, integrating historical data and advanced data science models to monitor and improve water quality and environmental conditions. The digital twin tested out novel ways to engage stakeholders in ecological management, offering scalable solutions to address river health issues and meet the evolving needs of customers and the environment.

This innovative project, supported by the Ofwat Innovation Fund, was aimed at improving the health of our rivers and the environment. It would not have been possible without the invaluable contributions of our stakeholders. And in fact, building partnerships with our stakeholders led to not only a better innovation, but also deeper relationships in other areas.

Building diverse partnerships can lead to a better innovation

One of the key aspects of this project was the diverse range of partners involved. We were fortunate to work with a variety of organisations, each bringing their unique expertise and perspectives to the table.

Our technology partners, Microsoft and Avanade, played a crucial role in developing the digital twin and AI technology that underpinned the project – this project allowed us to build upon our existing relationship, and our desire to work together on environmental issues.

Environmental and social value partners such as the Norfolk Rivers Trust, National Trust, and the Environment Agency provided essential insights into the ecological and social impacts of our work. Norfolk Rivers Trust are key experts with unique knowledge of the local area, the specific environment of the River Stiffkey and local landowners. The Environment Agency’s involvement has been key to the project, particularly around building an understanding of data availability and gaps. The National Trust hold vast experience and expertise on land management and community engagement activity that they were able to contribute.

The Country Land and Business Association (CLA) represented the interests of agriculture and landowners, while the University of Suffolk offered academic and research support. Additionally, Severn Trent and Wessex Water contributed their extensive sector knowledge and experience.

While the Ofwat Innovation Funding has been instrumental in the success of this project, it was the diversity of our partnerships that meant we were able to develop three distinct products: RiverKeeper, RiverPlanner, and RiverViewer. Each of these products leverages the Ecological Digital Twin to provide tailored experiences for different user groups, from operational users to the general public.

• River Keeper: The River Keeper product creates a dashboard of what is happening now through monitors and using real-time data analytics.
• River Planner: The River Planner product offers strategic scenario planning tools to predict future river conditions and support sustainable water management.
• River Viewer: The River Viewer product provides interactive maps, videos and dashboards to visualise real-time river conditions and health.

Building partnerships can lead to a deeper relationship in other areas

Working with stakeholders has not only helped us achieve our project goals but has also strengthened our relationships with these organisations. By collaborating closely, we have been able to share knowledge, resources, and expertise, leading to more innovative and effective solutions. This collaborative approach has also allowed us to build trust and foster long-term partnerships that will continue to benefit our projects and the environment in the future.  For example, we have recently visited colleagues at Wessex Water to learn more about their approach to nature-based solutions and have hosted visits in the region to share our experiences.

Another standout example of how these partnerships have strengthened our relationships is our collaboration with the National Trust. Together, we have developed a shared role focused on creating new collaboration opportunities. This new role has been part funded by the Anglian Water Get River Positive programme of work.

The focus of the role has been on developing areas of strategic alignment and really getting to the bottom of barriers to collaboration and seeking opportunities to do things differently together. The work includes activity to explore joint working on Water in Gardens, Covenants’ and the Anglian Water Advanced WINEP programme.

In conclusion: begin your innovation journey by building the team to get you there

In conclusion, the importance of working with stakeholders cannot be overstated. Our experience with the Ecological Digital Twin project has shown that by bringing together a diverse range of partners, we can achieve more than we ever could alone.

We would highly recommend investing time at the beginning in understanding the needs of different partners and what barriers there could be to working together. Getting to know each other as individuals really helped to keep the project on track.

We are incredibly grateful for the support of our partners and the Ofwat Innovation funding, and we look forward to continuing our journey of collaboration and growth.