As North American water utilities adopt Advanced Meter Infrastructure (AMI), they must manage massive consumption-focused ‘Big Data’ where traditionally there was only a single monthly consumption data point. Municipally operated water utilities have not traditionally operated the kind of IT infrastructure to support and manage this data. Master Meter developed Harmony MDM—a highly intuitive, cloud-hosted, Meter Data Management software solution, to address these imbalances while enabling utilities to best leverage raw data.

The key to improving customer satisfaction and the utility-rate payer relationship is data sharing,” begins Jerry Potter, President/CEO of the firm. Master Meter provides powerful software tools via customized web portals and smartphone apps that provide engaging, insightful data presentation to help water customers become informed, proactive water conservation participants who can create customer budgets supported with real time threshold alerts. “Master Meter’s extensive set of water measurement, leak detection, data network, and data management software tools help both utilities and their customers better manage water,” says Potter.

Master Meter’s ultrasonic Octave Water Management System, designed for commercial and industrial consumers—the largest consumers of water— provides Harmony with precise hourly consumption data. Engineered with solid-state technology, Octave does not experience accuracy loss, which is common with traditional mechanical meters, thereby presenting a formidable conservation ally. “Reflecting the deep technology inside our flagship meter product, the Octave is assembled and tested in an access controlled clean room,” states Greg Land, Octave Product Manager.

Allegro is Master Meter’s flagship AMI solution. Network reliability is essential in ensuring a robust flow of measurement data is available to Harmony MDM. Data granularity brings the clarity necessary to improve consumption behavior understanding and desired change. Water meters traditionally require transmitter wire and/or connections when transitioning to AMI—the majority of these meters are found in a pit-set underground environment. “Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI) end points must be resistant to moisture penetration and the presence of harsh elements that often affect transmitter reliability in pits,” affirms Tim Schwartz, AMI Product Manager.