"Harnessing Machine Learning for Urban Water Demand: Unveiling Predictive Powers and Key Determinants" by Wenjin Hao (ESR5)

Urban water demand management (UWDM) is increasingly leveraging machine learning (ML) to improve predictive accuracy and identify critical determinants of water use. As urbanization, population growth, and climate change intensify pressures on water resources, ML methods enable precise demand forecasting across multiple spatial and temporal scales. These data-driven approaches enhance strategic decision-making and optimize the efficiency and resilience of water distribution networks. By uncovering complex demand patterns and drivers, ML facilitates more adaptive and sustainable management practices, addressing the evolving challenges of urban water systems.

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About the speaker

Dr. Wenjin Hao is a postdoctoral researcher at Politecnico di Milano with a strong interdisciplinary background in AI, climate science, and environmental engineering. She holds an MSc in Environmental Engineering from ETH Zurich, where she specialized in urban water management, and a PhD in Information Technology from Politecnico di Milano, where her research focused on urban water demand modeling through machine learning for forecasting and key determinant identification. Currently, her research centers on AI-enhanced climate services for drought monitoring in Africa..

Discussants

Andrea Castelletti is Professor of Natural Resources Management and Environmental Systems Analysis at Politecnico di Milano, Italy and a Academic Guest at the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, ETH Zurich, Switzerland. He is the head of the Environmental Intelligence for Global Change Lab at Politecnico di Milano. 

Andrea Cominola is Assistant Professor of Smart Water Networks at the Einstein Center Digital Future and Technische Universität Berlin. He is the Chair of the HS5 subdivision on Water policy, management and control at the European Geosciences Union (EGU). He also serves as Associate Editor for the Journal of Water Resources Planning and Management (American Society of Civil Engineers).

This seminar is part of the “The Next Wave of Water Governance” Diffused Conference Thematic Seminar series. The series includes bi-weekly seminars on the key topics of water governance investigated by the NEWAVE Early Stage Researchers. You can register for learn more and see the full schedule of the upcoming sessions at this link.