AI technology for pipe monitoring
05/09/2024
Manila-based Maynilad Water Services Inc is now utilising artificial intelligence (AI) to identify areas in its water distribution system with a high likelihood of leaks, thus enabling the company to detect pipe leaks more quickly and efficiently.
The AI technology that Maynilad has employed for this purpose is called Infrawise, which is owned and developed by Portugal-based Administração e Gestão de Sistemas de Salubridade (AGS), a wholly owned subsidiary of Marubeni Corporation. Infrawise is an AI decision-making software that analyses and identifies critical areas in the pipe network where Maynilad should focus its leak detection and pipe replacement activities.
Maynilad began testing the application of this technology in October 2023 over an area covering 1700 km of water pipelines. After this pilot run, the AI software produced a map that identified vulnerabilities across 750 km of these pipelines, which later resulted in the positive identification of 1525 leaks.
“Through this advanced AI technology, we can proactively identify and address potential leaks in our water distribution system. This not only enables us to respond more swiftly and efficiently to pipe network issues, it also significantly enhances our ability to conserve water resources and improve service reliability for our customers,” said Randolph T Estrellado, Chief Operations Officer, Maynilad.
Following the successful pilot run, Maynilad is expanding Infrawise’s monitoring coverage to another 1500 km of pipelines.
Aside from monitoring and assessing pipe condition, Maynilad also uses AI technology to detect underground pipe leaks. For this particular initiative, Maynilad uses the technology of satellite-based infrastructure intelligence company Asterra, particularly its patented algorithms that track the spectral ‘signature’ of potable water underground captured in a satellite image. The leakage information that the AI algorithms pick up are thereafter captured in a geographic information system report that specifies street locations, enabling Maynilad to fast-track the process of detecting and repairing underground leaks.
Integrating AI in Maynilad operations was driven by the need to maintain efficiency and accelerate the reduction of water losses. The company is continuously exploring other advanced technological solutions that have the potential to augment its existing equipment and leak detection capabilities.
