Management strategy of emergencies and events in the monitoring of water distribution in Paris

For water distributors, management of emergencies and the follow-up of events in real time represent an essential aspect of their work. Proper management of this information makes for optimization of its use and enables one to avoid a large number of problems regarding water supply thanks to improved reactivity and more precisely-focused action. Since 1992, Sagep (Société Anonyme de Gestion de l’Eau de Paris) to whom the City of Paris has entrusted responsibility for its water supply, has equipped itself with a computerized real-time monitoring system. Initially, this system processed 5,000 pieces of real-time information, which permitted monitoring of the 1,600 km of drinking water pipes and made possible distribution of the 650,000 m3 of drinking water consumed daily by Parisians. In 1996, given the enormous progress achieved with regard to information systems and measuring devices installed in the pipe networks, the Scada at Sagep was modernized. This made possible the integration of the fresh information necessitated by developments in the supply system of the City of Paris, plant renovation, new sensors, the traceability of events and water quality follow-up. These developments led to the integration and management of 17,500 pieces of real-time information, over three-quarters of which are made up of emergencies or events. It seems clear that it is impossible to manage such a mass of real-time information in the absence of a rigorous processing strategy. To exploit this set of data in optimal fashion, Sagep has developed a system of management of emergencies based on three thrusts: identification, qualification and processing.