Time has shown that water system managers need reliable tools in the face of new regulations, higher customer expectations, and climate change. As innovations push boundaries, those managers must constantly assess the state of their control systems and decision-making tools, and several case studies in this issue of Journal AWWA highlight some of the ways new ideas are being used in practice.

This month's cover story describes how digital twins offer new insights into understanding and improving water systems. By creating an overarching model that draws together the growing number of data streams from throughout the system, digital twins provide better clarity about what's happening in the moment and supports planning for the future. Successful integration requires thoughtful design and consideration of current and future instrumentation at treatment plants and throughout the distribution system.

Digital twins aren’t the only new tools available to help utility leaders make decisions and allow for better operation and planning. As described in this issue, machine learning models can be trained to recognize patterns to optimize current operations and predict future conditions. These dynamic models continuously adapt to new data, allowing for ongoing refinement and better confidence in their assessments.

Besides improving technologies, managers need to consider how these new systems will affect their current and future workforces. Current staff members may be resistant to change, so they’ll need meaningful opportunities to provide feedback. More importantly, however, another article this month describes the challenges in recruiting and retaining a workforce capable of operating and maintaining the industry's modern sensors and models. Managers need to ensure job descriptions and announcements are updated to include the digital skills required for these various tools as they become more commonplace.

Journal AWWA is a great resource to stay up to date on the latest digital tools and services in the water industry, so please consider sharing your experiences with other water professionals by contacting me at journaleditor@awwa.org.

时间证明，面对新法规、更高的客户期望和气候变化，供水系统管理者需要可靠的工具。随着创新突破界限，这些管理者必须不断评估其控制系统和决策工具的状态，本期AWWA 杂志中的几个案例研究强调了新想法在实践中的一些应用方式。

本月的封面故事描述了数字孪生如何为理解和改善供水系统提供新的见解。通过创建一个总体模型，将整个系统中越来越多的数据流汇集在一起​​，数字孪生可以更清晰地了解当前正在发生的事情，并支持对未来的规划。成功的集成需要对处理厂和整个分配系统当前和未来的仪表进行周密的设计和考虑。

数字孪生并不是唯一可帮助公用事业领导者做出决策并实现更好的运营和规划的新工具。如本期所述，可以训练机器学习模型来识别模式，以优化当前操作并预测未来状况。这些动态模型不断适应新数据，从而不断完善并提高评估的信心。

除了改进技术之外，管理者还需要考虑这些新系统将如何影响他们当前和未来的员工队伍。现任员工可能会抵制变革，因此他们需要有意义的机会来提供反馈。然而，更重要的是，本月的另一篇文章描述了招聘和保留能够操作和维护行业现代传感器和模型的劳动力的挑战。随着这些工具变得越来越普遍，管理人员需要确保更新职位描述和公告，以包含这些工具所需的数字技能。

Journal AWWA是了解水务行业最新数字工具和服务的绝佳资源，因此请考虑通过journaleditor@awwa.org 与我联系，与其他水务专业人士分享您的经验。