Kitchener startup applies artificial intelligence to water management

A startup that has developed artificial intelligence to better manage city water systems is among 10 companies from around the world admitted to a San Francisco accelerator focused on turning drought, leaky pipes and pollution into business opportunities. Emagin, founded in 2016 by Thouheed Abdul Gaffoor and Mohamad Vedut, was among more than 200 applications for the 2017 cohort at the Imagine H2O accelerator in California. After graduating from the University of Waterloo with a degree in environmental engineering, Gaffoor hooked up with Vedut, who graduated from the University of Ontario Institute of Technology with a degree in software engineering. They founded Emagin and moved into the Velocity Garage in the Tannery building in downtown Kitchener while Gaffoor pursues his master's in civil engineering at UW. Two Ontario municipalities are using the startup's artificial intelligence to help operate drinking water and wastewater systems. Emagin's software quickly establishes the normal rates of water use on a system, and alerts operators to problems.