Water utilities will be using computer programs and data to predict and reduce pipe breakages in the not-too-distant future, an experienced water industry researcher says.
University of South Australia Dean of Research and Innovation Professor Christopher Saint is part of a team from the university undertaking a number of open water data projects – one of the potential applications for which is in the struggle against ageing infrastructure.
As the amount of data collected on water infrastructure grows, so too do the potential uses for it, Saint says. “There are a lot of sensors in the systems now – you can measure pressure differences, you can measure temperature, you can measure flow rates,” he explains. “You can use that to feed algorithms – you can take a whole lot of things like what the pipes are made from, what the water quality is like, the temperature, the surrounding soil structure, and you can build a matrix of where you’re likely to see more pipe breakages.”
See more on IPWEA's Blog at:
http://www.ipwea.org/blogs/intouch/2016/05/23/using-data-in-the-battle-against-ageing-water-infrastructure