Case Study: South West Water achieves fast, accurate biodiversity assessments with AiDASH

South West Water assesses biodiversity across 2,000 sites using satellites and AI

South West Water, a UK water and wastewater utility serving 2.2 million residents across Cornwall, Devon, Dorset, and Somerset, needed a faster, more consistent way to benchmark biodiversity across its 2,000-site estate. With traditional surveys being time-consuming, costly, and difficult to repeat at scale, the company turned to AiDash and its Intelligent Sustainability Management System (ISMS) to support biodiversity assessment and reporting.

AiDash implemented a satellite- and AI-driven approach that combined high-resolution imagery with field studies and public records to map more than 18,500 habitats, create a shared biodiversity data repository, and support ongoing monitoring and regulatory reporting. The result was fast, accurate assessments delivered within a few months at less than 20% of the cost of traditional biodiversity benchmarking, while also improving scalability, collaboration, and planning for future biodiversity progress checks.

South West Water

David Smith

Natural Water Resources Team Manager South West Water