Hangzhou Water Meter Leads Project Shortlisted for the Metaverse "Golden Apricot Award" – METER MIND Drives Industry Transformation with Vertical Model AI Visual Recognition Technology
Recently, the finalist list for the 2025 Metaverse AI Data Elements "Golden Apricot Award" was announced. METER MIND's camera recognition technology stood out among nearly 300 participating organizations as the only project in the industrial sector targeting civilian utilities (water, electricity, and gas meters). This technology, submitted for competition by Hangzhou Water Meter Co., Ltd., is centered on the deep integration of AI vertical models with metaverse data elements. It provides a more economical and user-friendly comprehensive solution to long-standing challenges in the water industry, such as difficulties in meter reading, verification, and the high costs associated with meter upgrades and replacements.
At the national level, there is a strong emphasis on integrating data elements with cutting-edge technologies. The *Three-Year Action Plan for "Data Element ×" (2024–2026)* explicitly promotes the development and utilization of data in key sectors like energy and water. The Ministry of Industry and Information Technology has also listed "Metaverse + Industry" as one of its primary application directions. Against this backdrop, the "Golden Apricot Award" competition is organized by the China Mobile Communications Association, in collaboration with several institutions including the Blockchain Professional Committee of the China Communications Industry Association. Endorsed by the inaugural certification from the National Data Administration, the competition aims to select and promote the large-scale application of metaverse and data element integration technologies in real-world scenarios, underscoring its significant authority and role as an industry benchmark.
For water utilities, the METER MIND visual recognition technology provides a comprehensive solution centered on cost reduction and efficiency improvement, covering the entire data management process. It offers a more robust data foundation and lower operational costs for smart water management, establishing itself as a significant benchmark for the application of the industrial metaverse in the water sector. By adopting the technical approach of "simple, low-cost retrofitting + multimodal large model recognition," the METER MIND visual recognition technology achieves high-precision identification of mechanical water meter readings with minimal retrofitting costs. Its accuracy rate reaches 99.99%, and it demonstrates exceptional robustness, unaffected by environmental factors. Beyond ensuring precise and stable metering, the multidimensional data collected—such as readings, temperature, and power levels—can gradually form standardized data assets applicable to government decision-making, leakage warnings, and user services. Through the construction of high-quality datasets and the full lifecycle management of water meters, water metering data truly becomes the core driver for water utilities to enhance quality, improve efficiency, and upgrade services.
The METER MIND visual recognition technology is not merely an "AI + meter reading" solution but represents a deep integration and value creation of metaverse data elements in the water sector. In the future, as this technology is promoted across the national water management system, water resource management will advance into a new stage of greater intelligence and efficiency, fully unlocking the data value of every drop of water.
