IBM’s Edan Dionne: Water Sustainability & The Cloud
The IBM VP of corporate environmental affairs discusses how cloud computing can help address global water challenges.
How is IBM thinking and leading on corporate water sustainability? And who else does IBM see as leaders in the space? ASU Future H2O Director John Sabo interviewed Edan Dionne, IBM’s vice-president of corporate environmental affairs, to find out more.
John Sabo: Data for good, data for change, data for sustainability — all these imply that data can be persuasive and catalyze shifts in behavior and perspective. How does IBM make that dynamic happen? What are the elements?
Edan Dionne: At IBM, our approach is twofold: we are utilizing data to make our existing products and processes more efficient for both the environment and for business, and we are using data and technology to develop innovative solutions that can help the world become smarter, drive economic and operational improvements and lessen environmental impact.
“We believe in technology for good, and we believe public-private partnerships can play a critical role toward achieving environmental sustainability.”
— Edan Dionne, IBM
Through the IBM Cloud platform, we are changing how the world works by delivering innovative capabilities that support better and more efficient decision making through data analytics, artificial intelligence, Internet of Things (IoT) and blockchain services. Today, the results of our research and our solutions are applied toward advancing the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals, which address a diverse range of challenges.
IBM has a longstanding commitment to environmental leadership. IBM’s corporate environmental programs date back from the 1960sand were formalized under a Corporate Environmental Policy in 1971. IBM’s corporate environmental policy calls for environmental leadership in all of IBM’s business activities. The policy objectives cover workplace safety, pollution prevention, natural resource conservation, product design for the environment as well as a call for continual improvement and utilization of IBM products, services and expertise to assist in the development of solutions to environmental problems.
John Sabo: What are some of your most interesting challenges around data for (water) sustainability? How are you overcoming those challenges?
Edan Dionne: Although IBM’s operational impact upon water resources is relatively modest, the types of technologies IBM develops for digital transformation via hybrid cloud computing can address global environmental challenges such as water quantity and quality. Here are a couple of examples:
- We are leveraging IoT, weather data, analytics and artificial intelligence to develop solutions that help farmers improve crop yield and reduce water consumption.
- Working with like-minded partners, we have built a comprehensive solution to monitor the quality of fresh water within a large lake and to assess threats to the lake’s ecosystem. The solution employs a large network of advanced sensors, data analytics with the aid of artificial intelligence, and sophisticated computer models. It offers a blueprint for managing and protecting important bodies of freshwater around the globe.
Technology alone won’t solve global water problems, but when it is combined with human cooperation and innovation it has the potential to transform the way we manage water resources. We believe in technology for good, and we believe public-private partnerships can play a critical role toward achieving environmental sustainability.
John Sabo: What are the trends we should be looking for over the next 2–3 years in how data science is going to be used to strategize interventions in water systems that have maximum impact for sustainability?
Edan Dionne: Clean water is a necessary resource for human existence and a habitable planet. The global demand for water has been increasing and the places from which more water is sought are expanding. This is due to many factors including population growth, economic development, migration, and changes in weather and climate. This trend is expected to continue for the foreseeable future. At the same time, the availability of clean water and access to it represent challenges in many parts of the world and to a significant portion of the global population. To this end and as an example, IBM is helping developing nations such as Kenya gain access to safe drinking water though use of IBM Cloud technologies. Find more details on our website.
John Sabo: Who else do you look to in the sustainability space as a leader on the ground in using data for change? Why?
Edan Dionne: As mentioned above, IBM believes in partnering with like-minded organizations toward achieving environmental sustainability. Two projects that IBM has recently been part of that relied heavily on data and involved rewarding partnerships are the Jefferson Project at Lake George and a collaboration with Delft University of Technology in the Netherlands.
The partners of the Jefferson Project at Lake George are Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, IBM, and The FUND for Lake George. This project combines IoT technology, data analytics and artificial intelligence, and sophisticated computer models to create a thorough understanding of the key factors that drive the lake’s food web and overall water quality. The monitoring also provides data on the impacts of human activities on the Lake George ecosystem. Scientific insights and technology created from this project will not only help protect Lake George, but it can also be used to provide insight into how to preserve other lakes, rivers and important bodies of fresh water around the world.
Delft University of Technology in the Netherlands is utilizing IBM’s computing capabilities to model rainfall in Africa. In Africa, agriculture relies heavily on localized rainfall, which is difficult to predict. In collaboration with the Trans-African Hydro-Meteorological Observatory, which aims to develop a vast network of weather stations across Africa, researchers work to simulate rainfall on the continent. The hope is that the information will help farmers be more resilient and plan more accordingly based on predicted rainfalls.
Edan Dionne is a VP with IBM’s Corporate Environmental Affairs staff. She leads a team that is charged with defining IBM’s strategy, establishing and maintaining its global environmental management system, and setting requirements and goals for environmental, energy and chemical management. She and her team advise and are responsible for driving environmental leadership performance across IBM’s business operations including research, product development, manufacturing, real estate management, procurement, logistics, services, and solutions. The company’s requirements comprehensively address its activities intersecting the environment including, product stewardship and design-for-environment, chemical management, resource conservation and pollution prevention, energy efficiency, as well as requirements for the supply chain.
For more information about ASU Future H2O’s work and research on creating opportunities for global water abundance, visit our website and subscribe to our newsletter.
