Development of optımızatıon based strategy model for water loss management and control

Reducing and sustainable management of water losses that cause water, energy and financial inefficiency is quite important. However, the methods and tools applied in water loss management (WLM) are time consuming and costly. Therefore, the most appropriate method should be preferred, considering the current status and capacity of the administration (personnel, technical, equipment and financial). Therefore, the current status of the administration should be analyzed based on measurable criteria, and data quality and measurement frequency should be tested for the fundamental components. Moreover, the implementation level of WLM practices and quality of WLM data in the administration should be evaluated. However, this requires an evaluation structure defined according to measurable criteria. In this study, the most appropriate WLM strategy model was developed for an effective and sustainable WLM and control within the framework of measurable, applicable and comparable criteria. The developed model basically consists of four main components that are the current status assessment system, the performance analysis system, the data matrix and the method matrix. The current status assessment system includes a total of 144 components under 8 main headings, including WLM practices. Similarly, the performance evaluation system consists of a total of 144 performance indicators under 8 main headings. Moreover, a method matrix was defined for the improvement of the components in the current assessment and performance evaluation matrices. This method matrix includes a total of 144 components (methods) under 8 main headings to cover WLM practices. A unique scoring system was developed to analyze and evaluate the data quality of WLM data and the current implementation level of WLM practices. Each component of current ststaus assessment system is scored between 0 and 5 according to the current state of the administration using the scoring table. Thus, current status analysis is made for WLM components based on this unique scoring system. The developed model was applied in pilot 4 administrations and tested according to real field data. The data quality and the current implementation level of the WLM components were evaluated in accordance with the dynamic structure of the administrations. Then, a novel artificial intelligence optimization model was developed to improve the current situation evaluation system by considering the current situation and dynamic structure of the administrations. The optimal potential improvement levels for 144 components were optimized according to the current situation of each administration by using this model. This developed model was applied and tested in pilot 4 administrations. In addition, the most appropriate level for the improvement of the indicators in the performance evaluation matrix is defined by the artificial intelligence optimization algorithm developed in this study. Thus, the most appropriate level at which each indicator can be improved is analyzed, considering the current value of the performance indicator in the administration, the dynamic structure and technical capacity of the administration. As a result, the effective and sustainable WLM strategy model, which was originally developed within the scope of this study, provides important contributions to the analysis of the current status of the administration, determining the weakness and strengths in WLM, defining the most appropriate target for each component and recommending the most appropriate method for the improvement of the components. It is thought that the results obtained from this study will be a reference for practitioners and decision makers within the scope of WLM.