GIS in Water Utilities

Brian Borg

GIS Technologist16th November 2012

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Agenda

• GIS Overview

• WSC Vision• WSC Vision

• WSC GIS Goals and Implementation

• Practical Examples

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GIS Overview

• Geospatial data represent spatial locations and have

attributes (where? and what?) – points/lines/polygons

• Many Water utilities companies’ data is spatially

related

• Spatial data typically stored within GIS• Spatial data typically stored within GIS

• GIS is used for:

– Spatial data storage,

– Analysis,

– Visualization,

– Reporting,

– Loss Control3

GIS Overview

• Using GIS helps in managing water distribution

more effectively as well as planning and customer

care. – Network represented with spatial features.

• A GIS is more powerful and flexible than a CAD

system.

• GIS stores both attributes and

images of pipes, valves, meters,

manholes, and so forth, as objects

with location coordinates.

Distribution system

Collection system

Population density

Zone boundaries

Urban development

Land features

Hydrographic data

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GIS Overview

• GIS create links (upstream and downstream)

between objects through a strong object-to-object

network connectivity model. (geometric network)

• It is a true model of the network which can be

used to:

– Track and report on assets

– Valve tracing

– Model simulation

– Generate inputs into hydraulic

modelling software

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Core Water Utilities Business Patterns

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WSC Vision

• Reduce data redundancy

• Improve accuracy and integrity of spatial informationspatial information

• Share data efficiently and quickly

• Integrate GIS and non-GIS applications

• Use GIS to analyze data patterns

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WSC Goals

• Ability to manage water networks assets more

efficiently

• Better decision making – Better decisions about a

location or an asset.

– Providing map-based views of assets

– Create work orders / historical work orders

– Trends

• Improve communication

– Maps and visualizations greatly assist in understanding

situations

– “New Language” that improve communication8

WSC Goals

• Empower and improve Planned Maintenance

processes (Promote pro-activeness)

– Assets aging / conditioning

• Support automatic and on the fly Water balances

– AMM Integration

– Step testing analysis

– Customer segmentation

• Lower reaction time to breakdowns by early

detection of network events

– SCADA/AMM Integration

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Integration and Collaboration

• GIS Implementations: – desktop,

– server, and

– Enterprise systems

• Web GIS harnesses the power and reach of

Desktop Server Enterprise

the power and reach of the Web and integrates the rich knowledge resources of GIS

• GIS is rapidly moving toward the vision where it can be used anywhere, anytime by anyone

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WSC GIS Implementation• Provides an open, scalable system that serves geographic knowledge to virtually any client:– Desktop

– Mobile– Mobile

– Smartphone

• GIS Professionals create knowledge maps, and models and easily publish them for anyone to use anywhere.

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Spatially Enabling Business Intelligence

• GIS and BI applications

historically separate

• Users typically enter

information or perform

analysis using separate analysis using separate

applications

• Business applications may contain spatial data, but no way to analyze it

• Integrating both systems will add another dimension to analysis and reporting• Visualize and discover previously unknown trends

• GIS and BI are two converging technologies12

Spatially Enabling Business Intelligence

• Maps as an analysis

tool – Spatial queries

drives BI request

• Maps as visualization • Maps as visualization

tools – BI request

drives spatial queries

and GIS

representations

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Spatially Enabling Business Intelligence• GIS provides significant

advantages in visualisation

of information to show

patterns and trends

• No other reporting format • No other reporting format

can match a map’s ability

to condense information

• “A picture is worth a

thousand words”

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Access and Update Data in the Field• Mobile crews need current information at their fingertips

• Field crews must be provided with accurate, up-to-date maps through GIS computingthrough GIS computing– Map display and navigation

– GIS support querying

– GIS editing

– Valve isolation tracing

– Work Order creation

– GPS location

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GIS/EAM Integration

• GIS-enabled Web-based tools allow field crew to:

– Annotate (redline) work order requests

– Put information directly into the DB from the field

• Data is available anytime, anywhere and to anyone16

GIS/EAM Integration

• Back end Asset Management System fully integrated

with GIS. One single system17

Geometric Network Model

• Geometric Network offers a way to model networks and infrastructures

• It is a set of – connected edges and junctions, (connected assets)

– along with connectivity rules, (asset connection rules)

– represent and model the behaviour of the network infrastructure 18

Geometric Network Model

• Locating issues in network based on customer contacts or other sources of data (e.g. AMM/SCADA)

• Redirecting the flow of water to avoid a burst main

• Tracing upstream, downstream and valve tracing

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Geometric Network – Tracing (Downstream)

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Geometric Network – Tracing (Downstream)

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Geometric Network – Tracing (Upstream)

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Leakage Management –Location?

• Requires a combination

of management tools and

logical processes

• GIS assists in leak

detection locationdetection location

• Addressing the WHERE:– Strategically positioned flow-

meters and pressure sensors

(GIS/SCADA)

– Pipe network subdivided into

zones and sub zones (GIS)

– Methods like Step Testing will

be able to pinpoint the actual

zone (GIS/AMM) 23

Step Testing – GIS/AMM

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Leakage Management – How?

• HOW is the final decision – typical

considerations:

– Length of pipes (GIS)

– Quality of pipes (GIS)– Quality of pipes (GIS)

– Age of pipes (GIS)

– How many interventions (GIS/WO)

• DECISION – Analysis – (Spatial DSS/GIS)

– Replace all the pipes in the zone?

– Locate the leak and replace the small length?25

Asset Aging- Work Order Analysis

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Asset Aging- Work Order Analysis

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Water Balance – GIS/AMM

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GIS – CRM Integration

• Faults immediately

displayed on the central

room’s GIS

• A single dot (Fault) may

in turn grow or change in turn grow or change

shape as additional calls

come in

• In combination with the

geonetwork model, one

can identify a main/asset

as the most likely culprit

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GIS - SCADA - AMM Integration

Feature SCADA AMM GIS

Live system

availability √ √ X

Real time data √ √ XReal time data

management√ √ X

Spatial data

representation

X X √

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GIS Integration Framework

• Automatic Notification Creation

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3.thanks for listening!

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