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Call for papers

The water sector is undergoing a significant transformation driven by digital technologies. Enhanced sensing, networked infrastructure, sophisticated modelling and simulation, and artificial intelligence are increasingly replacing manual practices and intuition with data informed, model based, and automated decision making. At the same time, utilities face mounting pressures from climate variability, infrastructure age, regulatory change, and workforce transition. Digital twins, which integrate different data sources and predictive model results into decision support platforms, are often portrayed as the 'holy grail' of digital transformation.  They promise to bridge these challenges, yet they will succeed only when built on reliable data foundations, transparent decision processes, and clear human oversight frameworks. These ambitions are currently hindered by inconsistent data availability, concerns over data quality and reliability, and a lack of standardised platforms for data sharing and integration across stakeholders. Many water utilities operate in data silos, and legacy systems frequently limit interoperability and scalability. Addressing these barriers will be essential to unlocking the full potential of digitally enabled water systems. The collection will pay particular attention to the full spectrum of digital maturity across the water sector, spanning organisations that have not yet initiated digitalisation, those that are undergoing transition, and those with advanced capabilities. A themed collection that maps the journey from early data initiatives to emerging autonomous systems in water services will therefore be timely and valuable for both academia and industry.

This themed collection aims to advance understanding and practice of digital innovation in water management by capturing the breadth of approaches, tools, and challenges across the sector. It will bring together high-quality contributions that examine how sensing, analytics, artificial intelligence, and digital twin technologies are transforming planning, operations, and decision-making. The objective is to reflect the diversity of digital progress across the sector, including organisations that are just beginning to adopt digital practices, those that are currently undergoing transformation, and those already operating with advanced digital systems. In doing so, the collection will serve as a valuable resource for researchers, practitioners, and policy makers aiming to address challenges related to data use and system compatibility, support responsible innovation, and realise the full potential of digital solutions in water services.

We invite research articles, reviews, perspectives, rapid communications and case studies addressing, but not limited to, the following themes:

• Data generation, quality control, and integration
• Smart sensing and real time monitoring
• Physics based and data driven modelling and simulation and their integration into digital twins
• Artificial intelligence and machine learning for operational insight
• Digital twins and decision support frameworks
• Cybersecurity, trust, and governance
• Challenges and solutions for scaling
• Human factors including workforce capability and knowledge transfer
• Case studies and comparative analyses from stakeholders at various stages of digital adoption

Submission deadline: 15th December 2025

Lead Editors

Dídia Isabel Cameira Covas, University of Lisbon, Portugal, Editorial Board Member of Cambridge Prisms: Water

Saša Tomić, Burns & McDonnell, USA, Industry Advisory Board of Cambridge Prisms: Water

Soroosh Sharifi, University of Birmingham, UK, Editorial Board Member of Cambridge Prisms: Water