Water Day 2025: sustainable water management

On 19 June 2025, Siemens organised the second edition of Water Day, a day full of presentations and demonstrations focusing on the future of water management. Attendees discussed themes such as data-driven steering, AI applications, cybersecurity, and innovative technologies for sustainable water management in detail

Highlights from the programme included:

• Inspiring keynotes on digital transformation in the water sector.
• Panel discussions focused on AI, cybersecurity and smart infrastructure.
• Live demonstrations of advanced water solutions and digital tools.

Solution Partner PCS neo

We were present as a solution partner. We are keen to expand our involvement in the water sector further and are ready to develop innovative, data-driven solutions with partners and customers. Prospact is currently working on a project at Waterschap Vechtstromen to replace the existing system.

Sandor Hoogveld and Colin Huisman represented us at the event. Sandor, the technical specialist and driving force behind the five-strong PCS neo team of certified professionals, participated in the Siemens Water Day for the second time. Compared to the first edition, growth was particularly striking: more visitors, more substantive presentations, and an excellent atmosphere and location once again.

Colin has carried out several projects at water boards. At Waterschap Vechtstromen, for example, he standardised the SCADA layer and data access to higher layers. At Waterschap Zuiderzeeland, he contributed to migrating obsolete systems to a modern SCADA platform. At the municipality of Deventer, he realised a project whereby precipitation and overflow measurements from across the entire working area, originating from remote low-voltage and battery supply points, were made available to Waterschap Groot Salland via XML messages. Following the 2016 merger, this area came under the remit of the current Drents Overijsselse Delta Water Board.

It started with a presentation by René van de Ren from Waterschap Brabantse Delta. He discussed the ‘clash’ between IT and OT, and how cooperation can be achieved. In his role at the Research & Development lab, he works with a sewage treatment plant and tests the latest techniques. This ranges from purchasing a party tent, to realising a new building: a professional space for colleagues and students.

Next up were Mario Willaert, Product Manager for Process Control Systems, and Aart Tromp, who talked a bit more about the ‘Digital Enterprise’ from Siemens. The classic automation triangle is changing. The OT layer is becoming more flexible, with more and more IT activities returning to it. Think intelligent field devices and cloud-based solutions. PCS neo, the web-based process management system, is ready to adapt to these changes.

Aart talked about field I/O, which is also undergoing changes. Central I/O was later replaced by decentralised I/O, but it is now becoming increasingly localised. This means that sensors communicate directly with smart software.

Adam Cartwright, Industrial Strategy Director, demonstrated that AI is no longer a futuristic dream. Through a live demonstration, he showed how AI can be used for predictive maintenance. The moment an anomaly is detected, AI can be used to ask critical questions and provide solutions. Based on user cases and trained models, the AI provides answers. According to him, it is important to properly determine where AI can be deployed. Not everything has to be done by AI.

Hamza Boulakhrif of Waterschap Limburg and Ruud Welschen of Siemens spoke about their collaboration on cybersecurity at the water board. During a workshop, they discussed issues such as preventing cyber attacks, managing assets, identifying vulnerabilities and anomalies, and detecting cyber attacks. SINEC Security Monitor, developed by Siemens, is the software tool used for this purpose. It is NIS2 compliant and has been developed for OT systems. It runs on-site and does not affect production systems.

Finally, Rutger Schrijer of Vislift and Timo Sijbesma of Siemens took to the stage. Timo talked about reducing the carbon footprint and how energy-saving regulations evolve from ‘nice to have’ to ‘right to exist’. Then Rutger took the floor and turned out to be the surprise of the day. What started as a simple design to encourage fish migration, has evolved into a smart design packed with sensors and AI, providing all kinds of information. This includes information on water quality, which species of fish are swimming past and the times when fish migration is most active. The AI can recognise fish species, providing ecologists with valuable insights. The key phrase was therefore: ‘Where ecology meets technology’.

Siemens Water Day 2025 was an inspiring and substantive event, demonstrating the rapid pace of development in the water sector. With themes such as AI, cybersecurity and data-driven management, the event looked to the future while demonstrating what is already possible today. The day brought together professionals who each contribute to innovation in water management in their own way. Examples range from smart SCADA solutions to fish migration with AI. As a Solution Partner, PCS neo is proud to have been part of this successful event and is more motivated than ever to continue working with customers and partners to drive sustainable technological progress in the sector.