The Open Ecosystem and Marketplace Vision
Creating a collaborative platform where water utilities share innovation and accelerate sector-wide advancement
The Challenge of Siloed Innovation
Across the country and around the world, water utilities are often working to solve the same complex operational problems. From optimizing nutrient removal to managing chemical inventories and enhancing biosolids dewatering, these challenges are common throughout the sector. However, utilities typically tackle these issues in isolation, leading to redundant effort, repeated trial-and-error, and significant costs that are borne individually by each organization. This siloed approach to innovation is inefficient and slows the progress of the entire industry.
A Vision for Collaborative, Sector-Wide Advancement
MAIA's open ecosystem model is designed to fundamentally change this dynamic. We believe that the future of the water sector lies in collaborative innovation, where expertise and solutions can be shared for the benefit of all. Our platform is architected not just as a tool for a single utility, but as a foundation for a community of practice.
The iAsset Marketplace: Turning Investment into Shared Value
The cornerstone of this vision is the iAsset Marketplace. This is a collaborative platform designed to foster contributions from the entire water community.
┌──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ iAsset Marketplace Layer │
│ ┌──────────────────────┐ ┌──────────────────────┐ │
│ │ Utility-Created │ │ Consultant-Created │ │
│ │ Modules │ │ Modules │ │
│ └──────────────────────┘ └──────────────────────┘ │
│ ┌──────────────────────┐ ┌──────────────────────┐ │
│ │ Academic Research │ │ Vendor/Third-Party │ │
│ │ Modules │ │ Modules │ │
│ └──────────────────────┘ └──────────────────────┘ │
│ ↑ Shared, Reviewed, Improved Collaboratively │
└────────────┼─────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
↓
┌──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ Local Utility Deployments & Adaptation Layer │
│ (Utilities adopt, refine, and compose modules locally) │
└──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
↓
┌──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ Network Learning & Feedback Loop Layer │
│ (Shared improvements, usage signals, version updates) │
└──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘An Open Contributor Model: The marketplace is not limited to solutions built solely in partnership with MAIA Water. Modules can be developed and published by a utility's internal innovation team, a trusted engineering consultant, an academic research partner, or a third-party technology vendor. This open model ensures a rich and diverse library of solutions.
Shared, Reusable Solutions: When a high-performing iAsset is published to the marketplace—for example, one that optimizes aeration for a specific BNR process—other utilities can then adopt, refine, or build upon that work, leveraging a proven solution instead of starting from scratch.
Economic Incentives for Collaboration: This model extends to the economics of innovation. When another utility adopts a module that your team built or co-developed, your organization can recover a significant portion of its initial development investment. This transforms a capital or operational expenditure into a shareable, value-generating asset, creating a powerful and sustainable financial incentive for collaboration.
Accelerated Innovation: By sharing proven modules, the entire sector can learn and adapt much faster. Best practices are no longer locked away within a single utility but become part of a growing, collective intelligence. The marketplace will feature transparent versioning, community validation, and insights to guide continuous improvement.
This approach creates a future where water utilities learn faster together. It fosters an ecosystem of continuous improvement driven not by a single vendor, but through a platform that the community helps build, shape, and co-own.