BACKGROUND
Compared to most utilities, the City of Waterloo had uniquely limited visibility into their water distribution network when they started working with Qatium’s water management platform. In Waterloo, a regional authority owns and operates all supply and transmission infrastructure in the City’s boundaries, so Waterloo didn’t traditionally have access to the network’s SCADA data or a hydraulic model. Even if they did, they didn’t have the in-house personnel trained to use it.
Meanwhile, the City owns and operates 430 km of water distribution mains, 2,509 fire hydrants, and 3,892 main valves serving 150,000 customers, including 48 hydrant data-logging devices. The data logging devices give Waterloo some insight into pressure, and leakage information, but managers and operators still wanted more actionable information about their network. They wanted to be able to test the outcome of operations before applying them in the real world, so they could make better decisions and ensure uninterrupted service for their customers.
THE CHALLENGE
Waterloo needed a low-cost, easy-to-use solution that would give operators, supervisors, and lead hands working in the field a way to use their live data on a day-to-day basis, without having the complex technical knowledge usually required for hydraulic modeling and testing scenarios.
THE SOLUTION
Just by uploading Waterloo’s open, publicly available GIS data and a month’s worth of historic data (looped to create a mock live data feed), Qatium easily created a working model for partners at the City to see the platform’s potential impact on their daily operations. In Waterloo’s case, Qatium uses an API to interface and integrate the City’s live hydrant and SCADA data into their digital replica.
RESULTS
Waterloo operators can now test scenarios in Qatium using the same controls operators are used to using in the field. For example, you can open and close valves and isolate pipes, just like you would during maintenance, and see which customers will be affected and by how much.
Waterloo’s experience is a great example of how simple it is to create your first model in Qatium and refine it over time to meet your needs. The City looks forward to further improving their model with more data streams. In the future, they would like to be able to simulate and analyse fire flow capacity, unidirectional flushing, and water quality.
– Todd Chapman, Manager of Programs, Water Services, City of WaterlooWe were impressed by the speed and simplicity with which we were able to build a highly accurate digital twin of our water network. With Qatium, we saw results from day one.
