TRILITY and VAPAR - Case Study
- 1,000+ pipe inspections analysed
- 52,000m+ of pipeline assessed by AI
- Processing 3-4 times faster than current
About the Network
Located on New Zealand's North Island, 200km south-east of Auckland, Rotorua is well known for its geothermal activity.The network services a population of 75,000 people with a wastewater network of 500 km.
The Challenge & Opportunity
In 2020 TRILITY secured a 10-year contract to manage wastewater services for Rotorua Lakes Council. Part of the services TRILITY is engaged to complete is the inspection and management of Rotorua's gravity sewer network.With the aim of undertaking ~60 km of CCTV inspections each year. This presented a significant amount of data that would need to be verified, accessible, and transferred to their asset management system, InfoAsset Manager. Traditional approaches such as reviewing inspections by watching video footage, spreadsheet adjustments, and formatting to suit uploads for other software would require a significant investment in resources and time to complete the task. TRILITY reached out to VAPAR
Project Snapshot
TRILITY uploaded over 1,000 pipe inspections totalling over 52,000 metres of pipeline for artificial intelligence (AI) processing.More than 20,000 pipe features and defects were identified and categorised using AI in a third of the time it would have taken to do a similar process manually.One of the key advantages for TRILITY is the ability to efficiently review inspections and transfer the results straight into their clients' asset management software; InfoAsset Manager, using a single touch self-serve export format.to find out if there was a smarter way of doing things.With the VAPAR.Solutions platform being able to receive bulk uploads and process multiple files simultaneously, the existing footage was uploaded and rapidly processed by the AI. In addition, user-defined folder structure and projects meant that the data was easily accessible, with the pipe status visible the whole way through the inspection process.
TRILITY and VAPAR - Working Together
Understanding the areas where potential savings could be made in the existing process enabled VAPAR to develop the product to speed up result processing 3-4 times faster than current. In addition, collaborating with TRILITY’s Asset Manager, João Placido, VAPAR looked at reducing the work required to transfer the valuable pipe information collected in the field to their Asset Management software - InfoAsset Manager.The first phase involved confirming the preferred file type and data structure for the transfer; the second stage involved building a one-click export that exports the required data in one easy automated process.
The work TRILITY carried out for CCTV inspection assessments/analysis would usually take months to complete. With the implementation of VAPAR.Solutions, the same task took just weeks. VAPAR allowed us to complete the task at a greater pace, while maintaining the quality of the data and following TRILITY’s Asset Management methodologies.João Placido – Asset Manager
What's Next?
TRILITY has its process defined and tested with a successful first year of inspections completed. João and the team now have the confidence that the next program of inspections will continue to deliver efficient results and work seamlessly with the various systems in place. This frees up more time for the Asset Management team to concentrate on managing the wastewater network for optimised results for the asset owner and the community of Rotorua.
How Vapar is used in other councils
Trusted by councils & engineering teams around the world
“VAPAR has helped us understand the complexity of using AI for CCTV review, and we are now better positioned to start implementing this technology to improve data quality and asset management processes.”
“As this is a true digital solution we were able to complete the first trial despite the current pandemic through true global collaboration. We have had some extremely promising results from the initial work and look forward with the potential expand the trials.”
“VAPAR provides accurate and effective condition rating to council’s stormwater CCTV video, allowing for significant cost and time savings.”
“We’ve discovered so many improvements and efficiencies using VAPAR as opposed to keeping the status quo. We are really setting ourselves up for success well into the future.”
"The work Trility carried out for CCTV inspection assessments / analysis would usually take months to complete. With the implementation of Vapar, the same task took just weeks.”
United Utilities is always on the lookout for ways we can provide world-class services to our customers. We are interested in partnering with companies like Vapar, who stand out because of their agility, technical skill and willingness to work collaboratively.