South West Water has been shortlisted for an industry award after becoming one of the first UK utility companies to implement AI technology which will enable ecologists and land managers to plan habitat restoration and track improvements over time.
The partnership project between the water company and software company, AiDASH, was shortlisted for a Utility Week Award in the AI Deployment category, the industry-leading benchmark for excellence.
So far, South West Water has mapped 18,500 separate habitat sections across 2,000 sites from reservoirs to heritage landscapes, some of which sit within Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSIs), by using existing satellite imagery to create a database of habitat information.
By understanding where these ecosystems are and what condition they are in, South West Water can prioritise restoration, target specific areas that need attention, meet biodiversity commitments and invest where it matters most.
The software doesn’t just influence the company’s long-term commitments, it also allows for tangible short-term change, making site management more efficient by providing context for thorough planning and risk checks before even visiting the site.
By reducing the need for an initial site visit, operational teams can cut down their travel time to often remote and far distances and reduce carbon emissions in doing so.
The software has reduced costs by over 80% when compared to traditional survey methods. This saves the water company money and time which can be invested back into the network and nature recovery projects set out in its biodiversity commitments.
South West Water recently published an update on these commitments set out for 2035, outlining current progress and what next steps are required to continue meeting legal responsibilities to conserve and enhance biodiversity. These goals support the company’s wider ambitions to deliver management plans which go above and beyond statutory duties and proactively protect wildlife in landholdings, as seen from this innovative collaboration with AiDASH.
Morag Leopoldt, Director of Customer Success at AiDASH, said: "We've been working with South West Water for nearly four years. South West Water was one of the first water utilities to adopt our BNGAI technology, and their pioneering spirit and commitment to biodiversity is commendable. They're a true collaborator: many of the features in our platform started life as a conversation with the South West Water team. We look forward to continuing our work with them and seeing where our 'what if' conversations take the product next."
David Smith, Natural Resources Manager at South West Water, said: “We are really excited to continue our work with AiDASH to help us achieve our biodiversity goals. As well as giving us insightful data so we can target habitat restoration, the software also allows us to redirect funding back into our sustainability projects due to the amount of time and money it will save our operations teams.”
To read more about South West Water’s Biodiversity Strategy, visit Environment | South West Water or our Growing Nature to 2035 document.