Water
South East Water digital engagement and interactive mapping
RPS transforms community engagement in the water sector: Digital tools for South East Water
RPS partnered with South East Water to develop innovative digital tools that have enhanced customer interaction, delivering real-time updates and ensuring improved communication about water infrastructure projects across Melbourne’s south east.
Tackling engagement gaps in a digitally driven era
South East Water serves almost 1.8 million people across Melbourne’s southeast, managing a vast network of more than 27,000 kilometres of pipelines and over $5.4 billion in assets. Faced with the dual challenge of upgrading critical water infrastructure while meeting the needs of a growing, culturally diverse population, South East Water sought a modern, cutting-edge approach to customer engagement in the water industry.
South East Water was seeking community engagement tools to give its customers easily accessible, real-time updates and insights on water and sewer projects and potential network interruptions in their area.
RPS was engaged to provide solutions to meet these needs.
RPS’s solution: Using digital tools to revolutionise water management
In response to South East Water’s objectives, RPS’ creative and visualisation team designed and developed integrated bespoke tools: Digital Engagement Space (DES), and Interactive Map (IM), both tailored to meet South East Water’s unique needs.
• Digital Engagement Space (DES): A user-friendly, intuitive online hub providing SEW customers with critical updates and key information about major projects, water main renewals, and alternative water projects. It also includes welcome and information zones, and a link to an interactive map. This tool showcases water industry innovation in creating a positive online customer interaction.
• Interactive Map (IM): A geo-spatial map is integrated into the DES, enabling customers to search for projects in their area and find out their purpose, project timelines, and how they might be disrupted or impacted during construction, and who to contact if needed. This integration showcases the potential of interactive mapping for improved stakeholder engagement.
RPS used collaborative design sprints to align content with user needs, prioritised accessibility for diverse audiences, and ensured the platform remained relevant and useful through frequent updates.
Improved accessibility and informed decision-making for water stakeholders
Since implementing the Digital Engagement Space (DES) and Interactive Map (IM), South East Water has seen significant outcomes:
Enhanced customer experience:
Customers can now easily access real-time updates about their local area, staying informed about water infrastructure projects.
Data-driven insights:
Bi-monthly and annual data reports generated by these tools provide South East water with valuable digital engagement metrics, enabling data-backed decision-making.
Award-winning innovation:
RPS’ digital solutions have set a new benchmark in community engagement tools for water utilities, positioning SEW as a leader in digital transformation in the water industry.
By partnering with RPS to produce these powerful digital tools, South East Water has revolutionised the way it engages with its large and diverse customer base.
Milestones
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Launch of digital tools to support ongoing community engagement and provide transparency about water renewal projects
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Bi-monthly and annual data reports to track performance and user engagement, helping SEW identify the most and least effective assets
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Alternative water implemented in 2023.
Project statistics
2022 - present
project timeline
1,000 visits
in 12 months to the DES and IM platform (up until June 2024, including new and returning visits).
1,400 interactions
with SEW’s Alternative Water Projects Zone in 12 months (up until June 2024).
Watch the Digital Engagement Space
Meet the project team
Lisa Minichiello
Director – Creative and Visualisation
