ISO 24591-1-2024 PDF

Full title and description

Smart water management — Part 1: General guidelines and governance. This international standard provides high-level principles and practical guidelines to design, implement, operate and govern smart water management systems for drinking water, wastewater and stormwater services, with an emphasis on governance, roles and organisational arrangements for utilities and service providers.

Abstract

The document sets out principles and guidelines for smart water management relating to drinking water, wastewater and stormwater systems and services. It covers design, operation and maintenance of smart water systems and governance arrangements to ensure responsible deployment, data-driven operation and alignment with public- and private-sector utility needs. The guidance is applicable to water services of any size that intend to design, develop, implement, operate or maintain smart water management solutions.

General information

• Status: Published.
• Publication date: January 2024 (published, first edition).
• Publisher: International Organization for Standardization (ISO).
• ICS / categories: 03.100.01; 13.020.20; 13.060.01.
• Edition / version: Edition 1 (2024).
• Number of pages: 22 pages (first edition).

Scope

The standard addresses principles and guidelines for the design, operation, maintenance and governance of smart water management systems for drinking water, wastewater and stormwater services. It is intended for public and private water utilities of all sizes that plan to adopt or scale smart systems and covers organisational governance, high-level system design considerations and operational guidance to support reliable, safe and sustainable water services.

Key topics and requirements

• High-level principles for smart water system design: modularity, scalability, interoperability and alignment with service objectives.
• Guidance on operation and maintenance of smart water systems, including lifecycle considerations for sensors, communications and analytics.
• Governance requirements: roles and responsibilities, accountability, procurement and stakeholder engagement.
• Data stewardship and data-as-an-asset concepts (complemented by Part 2 on data management).
• Risk management, privacy and cybersecurity considerations for water infrastructure digitalisation.
• Recommendations for integration with asset management, performance monitoring and sustainability goals.

Typical use and users

Primary users include water utility managers and engineers, municipal authorities, system integrators, technology vendors, consultants, policy makers and regulators. The standard is used to inform strategic planning, procurement specifications, governance frameworks and organisational change when deploying IoT, telemetry, analytics and other digital capabilities in water services.

Related standards

ISO 24591-2:2024 (Smart water management — Part 2: Data management guidelines) is a direct companion for data lifecycle and governance guidance. Other related ISO/TC 224 standards include ISO 24513 (vocabulary for water service activities), ISO 24511 (guidance for wastewater utilities) and the ISO 24516 series (asset management for water supply and wastewater systems). General management standards often referenced alongside this series include ISO 55001 (asset management) and data/governance guidance such as standards in the ISO/IEC 38500/38505 family.

Keywords

smart water management, water utility governance, drinking water, wastewater, stormwater, IoT, sensors, data governance, interoperability, asset management, cybersecurity, digital twin, scalability, sustainability.

FAQ

Q: What is this standard?

A: ISO 24591-1:2024 is the first part of the Smart Water Management series providing general guidelines and governance recommendations for deploying and operating smart water systems in drinking water, wastewater and stormwater services.

Q: What does it cover?

A: It covers high-level principles for system design, operation and maintenance, and governance arrangements (roles, responsibilities and accountability) for utilities and service providers planning smart water solutions. The standard is deliberately high-level and points to Part 2 for detailed data-management guidance.

Q: Who typically uses it?

A: Water utility leadership and technical teams, municipal program managers, system integrators, technology suppliers, consultants, regulators and standardisation bodies use the standard to shape strategy, governance and procurement for smart water projects.

Q: Is it current or superseded?

A: It is current — published as a first edition in January 2024 and not superseded as of its publication. Organisations adopting the standard should monitor ISO/TC 224 outputs for related updates and companion parts.

Q: Is it part of a series?

A: Yes — ISO 24591 is a multipart series. Part 2 (ISO 24591-2:2024) provides data management guidelines; additional related work under ISO/TC 224 addresses vocabulary, asset management and other guidance for water services.

Q: What are the key keywords?

A: Keywords include smart water management, governance, water utilities, data governance, IoT, interoperability, asset management, drinking water, wastewater and stormwater.