Building a live data solution at speed to battle Beast from the East... and winning.
Our data-led solution secured a continuous service to utility customers throughout the storm. Anglian Water dramatically outperformed all other water companies, elevating it to #1 in an OFWAT survey.
These fluctuations caused pipes to leak and freeze, leading to a disruption in supply and wasted water. In the run-up to the storm, Anglian Water approached the data science team at Aiimi urgently asking for help. Using all the data available, we had to quickly design and implement a tactical solution that would enable Anglian Water to maintain a good level of service through the storm.
We displayed this information in an interactive dashboard that allowed us to understand the risks, historical water levels, and which customers were most likely to be affected by the storm. We also created a predictive model that allowed us to look a few days ahead and know in advance which storage points were most likely to empty first. This tactical solution meant we could create insights that led to action very quickly, as well as use the limited resources we had to help the most urgent areas. The live solution we worked on ensured that there were no interruptions to supply during the storm.
The results were so impressive that they were cited in Parliament as an example for other water companies to follow. This solution was then re-used for the hot weather drought we had over the summer in a separate project.
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In partnership with Aiimi, I can honestly say that the quality of our data strategy – and in particular its foresight and progressive data principles and capabilities – mean that even five years on, the work remains incredibly relevant to Anglian Water and still guides our development and progress.