2nd International Workshop on Cyber-Physical Systems for Smart Water Networks, CPS Week 2016, Vienna, Austria, 11th April 2016
Keynote Speakers

CySWater 2016 will host a keynote by Christopher Harman, PhD, Norwegian Institute for Water Research (NIVA), NO.

TITLE: The Future of Environmental Diagnostics

Summary: Ever increasing pressures on natural and controlled water resources means the need for effective management including legislative compliance in order to uphold water quality, is also growing. As water issues will continue to be a major challenge in the coming decades, especially in the light of climatic changes, the relevance of smart water systems (SWS) has never been more apparent. To this end the concept of environmental diagnostics which encompasses not just measurement of parameters (symptoms) but automated understanding (diagnosis) and appropriate actions (treatment), will be discussed. Often there is a mismatch between what is expected by the end user and the aims of research, which may result in fragmented solutions which are not fit for purpose, or with poor usability leading to under exploited SWS. This presentation will attempt to approach these challenges from the perspective of the end-users. Furthermore the addition of a novel community health aspect to smart wastewater systems will be suggested as a step to further exploit their potential. Thus as an integrated part of the network, collective sampling of human biomarkers in sewage will allow measurements of whole community response to exogenous influences. For example negative health reactions to air pollution which are detected and subsequently result in targeted traffic restrictions.

Short Bio: Christopher Harman is currently employed as the research manager for the marine contaminants section at the Norwegian Institute for Water Research (NIVA), where he has worked for the last 10 years. He holds undergraduate degrees in environmental and applied marine science, both from the University of Plymouth, UK. He subsequently gained his PhD in environmental and analytical chemistry awarded by the University of Oslo, during which he developed passive monitoring techniques for the offshore oil and gas industry. He continues to advance and apply novel sampling, monitoring, and in situ “sensor” techniques, and promotes their integration into decision making for both industry and the public sector.  For example, smart water management solutions for non-conventional hydrocarbon activities in the US, and implementing nationwide water monitoring standards for the Chinese government.