Knowledge base
57 questions about digitising a water utility
The answers are short and open with the verdict, so each can be read on its own without the context of the whole page. If your question is not here, ask it in conversation.
Implementation and getting started
14 questions
How much does a HydroNexis implementation cost?
Pricing is individual, and for early customers the 60-90 day pilot is free. Six things affect the price: the number of assets, the modules selected, the number of users, the integration scope, the deployment model and the scope of implementation work. We prepare a quote within 5-10 business days of the first conversation.
How long does implementation take?
We activate the account in 1-3 business days; a full implementation typically takes 2-6 weeks. The team works in the system from day one, while historical data import, report configuration and training run in parallel.
Do all the modules have to be deployed at once?
No. Each module works on its own. Most often it starts with WMS where documentation and deadlines are the problem, or with Control where pumps are. Further modules are added to the existing contract without starting a new implementation from scratch.
Can the data stay on our own network?
Yes, an on-premise deployment on your own servers is available. The default variant is Google Cloud in the EU region. Both options run the same software; they differ in where the data is stored, the billing model and who is responsible for the infrastructure.
Which regulatory reports does the platform handle?
Polish Waters, the Central Statistical Office, the Sanitary Inspectorate, the waste database, KOBiZE and E-PRTR emissions, and wastewater. Forms are pre-filled with operational data and run through a workflow from draft to confirmation. A non-standard format is prepared as a custom template as part of the implementation.
What happens to the data if we end the relationship?
Data is portable throughout the contract, with export to open formats. The platform source code remains ours, and in the on-premise model the installation runs without our continued involvement.
Do you have references we can speak to?
Not publicly. The first pilot deployment is covered by a confidentiality clause, and we arrange a conversation with that partner for customers considering an implementation, once an NDA is signed. The HydroNexis team has previous projects in the well drilling sector and in enterprise-class systems behind it, but we do not present those as company references.
How does AI document reading work and where are its limits?
The model reads the content of an uploaded document and prepares a draft record with a marked confidence level, which a member of staff then approves. Nothing enters the system automatically. Poor-quality scans and handwriting need more corrections, which is why we estimate the migration scope after looking at a sample of the archive.
How does a cloud deployment differ from on-premise?
They differ in where data is stored, the commercial model and how responsibility for the infrastructure is split. Cloud means a subscription with upkeep on our side; on-premise means a licence, a support agreement and a server on yours. Functionally the two variants are identical.
How does a HydroNexis implementation begin?
With a free consultation and the choice of one district or one module. We do not start by migrating all the documentation, because that is the longest part of the project, not the most important. The first weeks are there so the team sees the value on their own assets.
Can the system be deployed without our IT department being involved?
Yes, in the cloud variant. We set up the configuration, the organisational structure and the reports, and users sign in through a browser. IT is only needed for the on-premise variant or for integration with internal systems.
How many people on our side need to be involved in the project?
Usually one person leading it and one contact from each department the module concerns. The rest of the team only comes in at the training stage, which takes a few hours.
What happens to the data entered during the pilot?
It stays. If you decide on a contract after the pilot, you carry on working with the same data. If not, you receive an export in an open format and we end the engagement with no further obligations.
Can the system be deployed across several group companies at once?
Yes. The platform is multi-company, so one installation serves several entities in separated data spaces. Each company sees only its own assets.
Compliance and reporting
14 questions
How quickly will you get in touch after the form is submitted?
We call back within 24 hours on business days. That first call serves only to agree a time for the conversation and who on your side should take part. We do not sell on it.
What is a digital well operations logbook?
It is an electronically maintained operating log for a single well, covering the asset record sheet, water levels, abstraction, quality test results, maintenance, failures, inspections and pumping tests. In HydroNexis it takes the form of twelve tabs in the well file. It replaces the paper log kept at the asset.
What is K-GESUT and who does it apply to?
K-GESUT is the format for submitting utility network data to the surveying authority, required of network operators. The GIS module generates such an export with completeness validation before submission. It applies to every operator running a water or sewer network.
What is a drinking water risk assessment?
It is an obligation arising from EU Directive 2020/2184, covering three layers: the intake catchment area, the supply system and internal installations in priority premises. WMS includes a module for preparing the input data, exchanging packs with an assessor and maintaining registers of risk control measures.
How does NIS2 affect water utilities?
The directive treats drinking water operators as essential entities and imposes requirements on monitoring, incident handling and business continuity. In practice this means needing an alarm register, role-based access control and an operation audit log, none of which a spreadsheet provides.
Up to what size of utility is a spreadsheet enough?
With a handful of wells, one person keeping the records and a stable energy bill, a spreadsheet is usually enough and cheaper. The line falls where an audit trail starts to be missing and deadlines are tracked by one employee's memory. The cost then arrives all at once, at an inspection or when they leave.
Does the mobile app work without a signal?
Yes. The crew downloads the day's work orders and then fills in checklists, takes photos and confirms arrival without connectivity. Data syncs once the signal returns, and any discrepancies against the central state go to the dispatcher to resolve.
Is the platform suitable for industry, not just water utilities?
Yes. Production plants, mines and factories operating their own deep wells are subject to the same documentation obligations as municipal utilities. The difference usually lies in the reporting scope and the number of assets, not in how the system is used.
Does the system flag deadlines by itself, or do they have to be entered by hand?
Deadlines arising from documents entered into the system are tracked automatically. Statuses are visible on the dashboard, and alerts go to the people nominated for that asset.
What does a drinking water risk assessment cover?
The three layers named in Directive 2020/2184: the intake catchment area, the supply system and internal installations in priority premises. The module handles the input data, the exchange of packs with an assessor, the import of the completed assessment and the control measure registers.
Does the platform replace the assessor in a risk assessment?
No. It prepares the data and organises the registers, while the assessment itself is carried out by an authorised body. The system shortens the data-gathering part, which usually takes the most time.
What does preparing for an inspection look like?
The asset documentation is in one place, with a change history and dates. Instead of collecting papers from several departments, you generate the complete set for a given well or intake.
Does the system help with the NIS2 directive?
It supports the part of the requirements concerning accountability for actions: roles and permissions, a control operation log, an alarm register and record versioning instead of deletion. It does not replace security policies or an IT risk analysis.
Can data from the system be used in a tariff proceeding?
Yes. Summaries of abstraction, energy costs and asset operation can be exported to a spreadsheet and used as source material for a tariff application.
Security and data
7 questions
Who is responsible for the data under the GDPR?
The water utility remains the data controller, and HydroNexis acts as processor under a data processing agreement. We provide a template of that agreement before anything is signed. In the cloud model the data stays within the European region.
Can several companies be served by one installation?
Yes. One installation serves several organisations in separated data spaces, and a user sees only their own entity's data. The arrangement is used in capital groups and by bodies managing several water companies.
Who on your side has access to our data?
In the cloud variant only the people providing technical support have access, on a least-privilege basis and with operations logged. In the on-premise variant we have no access without your consent and without a connection you provide yourselves.
Can we run our own backups?
In the on-premise variant your team runs the backups according to your own policy. In the cloud they are automatic, and on request we provide a data export to your own repository.
What happens if we lose our internet connection?
The web portal requires connectivity, but the field app works offline and syncs data once it returns. The controllers at the assets operate independently of whether the portal is available.
Does personal data reach the AI models?
No. Before a document is sent for analysis, identifiers and personal data are masked, and only the technical parameters needed for the reading reach the service.
How long do you keep data after the contract ends?
In accordance with the data processing agreement. As standard the data is available for export during an agreed transition period and is then deleted from our infrastructure.
Integrations and technology
8 questions
Do you integrate with our SCADA and telemetry?
Yes, through a REST API and the Modbus, OPC UA and MQTT protocols. Control also has its own measurement layer: Aplisens probes and transmitters, and telemetry controllers from Polish suppliers. We agree the integration scope after reviewing the existing architecture.
What is valve isolation analysis?
It determines the valves that must be closed to isolate a damaged section of the network, together with a list of the customers who will lose water. The GIS module computes this from the network topology once a section is indicated on the map. Without such a tool a dispatcher picks the valves by hand from a paper map.
Does HydroNexis replace a SCADA system?
No. SCADA handles real-time process control, while Control adds an analytical layer: pump diagnostics against its curve, energy intensity indicators per asset, and history and reporting. The two systems work together through a REST API and Modbus, OPC UA and MQTT.
Does HydroNexis work on a phone?
The portal is available in a browser on mobile devices too, and field work is done in a dedicated Android app designed to work without a signal.
Which protocols do you support when integrating with automation?
Modbus, OPC UA and MQTT, plus integrations through a REST API. We agree the scope after reviewing the existing architecture, because the differences between installations are often greater than the similarities.
Can data be pulled from the system into our own analytics tools?
Yes, through file exports and the API. Network data from the GIS module can also be published over WFS, to QGIS for example.
Do we need new meters and probes?
Not always. If you have working instrumentation, we connect to it. We fill the gaps with hardware matched to the asset, billed separately by the suppliers.
How often do you update the system?
In the cloud variant updates are released regularly and are included in the subscription. On-premise we agree the timing with your IT department so it does not clash with asset operations.
Price, contract and public procurement
6 questions
Do you meet public procurement requirements?
Yes. We provide a functional description, technical documentation, declarations, a cost estimate in the required format and the documents for the data processing agreement. We also help prepare the technical specification for procedures planned by your procurement department.
Can we get a ballpark figure before a demo?
Yes. Three pieces of information are enough: the number of assets, the number of users and the choice between cloud and an installation on your own server. We give a range in the first conversation.
Do we pay for each user separately?
The number of users affects the price, but we do not bill each account as a separate line. Read-only accounts for management are not counted the same way as operational ones.
What is not included in the subscription?
Measurement hardware, data transmission, installation work, the server in the on-premise variant and custom report templates outside the standard list.
For what term do you sign contracts?
Typically twelve or twenty-four months. The rate is fixed for the whole term, and indexation, where it applies, is written into the contract and capped at the inflation rate.
Do you help prepare a tender procedure?
Yes. We provide a functional description, technical documentation, declarations and a cost estimate in the required format, and we help prepare the technical specification.
Modules and functional scope
8 questions
What does the kWh/m³ indicator mean and why calculate it?
It is unit energy intensity - how much energy it takes to produce one cubic metre of water. It lets you compare assets with one another and pick out the one consuming disproportionately much. An aggregate invoice makes no such comparison possible, because it shows only a total.
Who is behind HydroNexis?
A company based in Bełchatów, Poland, court register number 0001231251, founded by four partners combining hands-on experience in the well drilling sector, building a B2B business, enterprise systems engineering and machine learning. The company is young; the team has worked in this sector for years.
Which module should be deployed first?
The one that describes your most expensive problem. For documentation and deadlines you start with WMS, for pumps and energy with Control, for network failures with GIS, and for organising crews with FSM.
Can the modules be bought separately?
Yes. Each works on its own, and further modules are added to the existing contract without a new implementation from scratch.
Does the system keep a fixed asset register?
It keeps an operational asset register across six levels, from the branch down to the device. It does not replace the fixed asset module in an accounting system, but the data can be exchanged.
Can work subcontracted to external firms be managed in the system?
Yes. A work order can be assigned to an external contractor, with the same checklist and the same acceptance workflow as work by your own crews.
Does the system calculate a water balance?
It compares abstraction, sales and the differences at asset and zone level, based on data entered or taken from instrumentation. The scope depends on which measurements are available.
Can an inspection schedule be maintained in it?
Yes, through recurring work. A recurrence rule generates work orders over a chosen horizon, so periodic inspections do not have to be raised by hand.
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WSP - a statutory obligation
The module sheet and the risk assessment rollout path
hydronexis.pl/pbw
Platform catalogue 2026
PDF: five modules, implementation, data security
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