Empowering Sustainability Through Data and Technology: HCLTech’s AquaSphere
Access to clean, fresh water is a basic necessity that many of us take for granted. However, the reality is that a significant portion of the global population lacks adequate access to clean water, leading to devastating health consequences. In fact, more than 80% of health issues worldwide can be directly attributed to inadequate water supplies and poor sanitation.
The process of delivering clean water to communities is complex and relies on a sophisticated system of infrastructure, purification processes, and organizations working behind the scenes. But as the world faces increasing water scarcity, the role of technology and data analytics in ensuring global water supply and accessibility is becoming ever more crucial. This is where HCLTech’s AquaSphere comes in.
HCLTech, a global technology company and SAP partner, has developed AquaSphere, a solution designed to tackle the problem of water scarcity. By harnessing real-time tracking and data analysis, AquaSphere enables sustainability managers to implement water conservation measures and identify clean water wastage. This, in turn, ensures cost-effective and environmentally responsible water practices.
“With AquaSphere, we want to empower organizations to reach their water sustainability goals,” says Ajay Pasuvula, Vice President and Head of SAP Ecosystem at HCLTech. “Sustainability officers benefit from a comprehensive view of water-related data and insights that can accelerate decision-making and optimize the water value chain.”
One of the key technological foundations of AquaSphere is SAP Datasphere, which provides harmonized access to mission-critical business and sensor data. Additionally, the solution leverages SAP Blockchain Business Connector, a technology that enables secure and compliant collaboration between organizations. This connector serves as a decentralized system of pipes, transforming business flows and facilitating transparent and verifiable collaborations within decentralized ecosystems.
The use of smart contracts within AquaSphere has significantly increased the efficiency of cross-enterprise verification. Now, safety tests can be recorded as tamper-proof, verifiable data that can be easily shared between multiple parties, including governments, utilities, and consumers. This ensures compliance with local legislation and enables faster adaptation to changes in water safety regulations.
Moreover, AquaSphere offers innovative mechanisms for organizations to compensate for water consumption by investing in local water conservation projects. By leveraging a blockchain-based certification system, AquaSphere provides verifiable proof of these offsetting efforts, allowing participating organizations to become water-positive and contribute to the resilience of water systems in the face of climate change.
The modular components of SAP Blockchain Business Connector allow SAP partners like HCLTech to leverage blockchain-enabled features without requiring extensive blockchain knowledge. This user-friendly experience empowers application developers to take advantage of public blockchain networks and smart contracts. Furthermore, users can create actionable insights based on blockchain data through dashboards in SAP Analytics Cloud.
“Blockchain is critical to share trusted information across the ecosystem. This is a prerequisite to manage the water value chains, where typically multiple parties are involved,” explains Pasuvula. “SAP Blockchain Business Connector enables the collaboration between these parties by providing transparent, compliant, automated, and verifiable transactions according to defined business rules.”
Decentralized technologies like SAP Blockchain Business Connector have immense potential to improve cross-company collaboration in various industries. They are particularly beneficial in areas such as supply chain management and life sciences, where verifiable and transparent data along complex value chains plays a crucial role in risk management, compliance, and legal requirements.
HCLTech’s AquaSphere demonstrates the power of data analytics, artificial intelligence, and blockchain technologies in addressing global challenges like water scarcity. By empowering organizations with actionable insights and collaborative tools, AquaSphere is helping to build a more sustainable future for water management. With the increasing adoption of such technologies, we can hope to tackle the water crisis and ensure a better quality of life for everyone.
