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HomeHowToMeetARisingTideHeadOn
BusinessStrategiesforSurveyorsHardwareGIS(Geographicinformationsystems)EnvironmentalGovernment

HowToMeetARisingTideHeadOn
Newtrendsinfieldcomputing,softwareandtheInternetofThingsareimprovingwaterutilityoperations

Ruggedfieldhardwarerunningpopularoperatingsystemshashelpedacceleratetheadoptionoffieldcomputing.

Fieldcomputinghasexperiencedrapidgrowthinwaterutilities.Technologicaladvancementswillincreasethefunctionality
andadoptionofmobilesystems.

http://www.pobonline.com/articles/97604howtomeetarisingtideheadon 1/4
6/23/2015 HowToMeetARisingTideHeadOn|20150601|PointofBeginning

CombiningGPSpositioningwithhandheldfieldcomputersenabledtheCityofBozeman.toquicklypopulateitsGISwith
accurateinformationonitsstormwatersystem.PhotocourtesyofCityofBozemanImagecourtesyofCityofBozeman

CombiningGPSpositioningwithhandheldfieldcomputersenabledtheCityofBozeman.toquicklypopulateitsGISwith
accurateinformationonitsstormwatersystem.PhotocourtesyofCityofBozemanImagecourtesyofCityofBozeman

Usingfieldcomputingtechnologies,sanitationworkerscanaccuratelycaptureamanholeslocation,conditionandattributesin
asinglevisit.PhotocourtesyofOrangeCountySanitationDistrict

TrimbleeRespondintegrateswithEsriArcGIStoprovideasingleviewofplannedandunplannedincidentsondistributionand
collectionsystems.ImagecourtesyofLADWP

Fieldcomputingusesgraphicdisplaysandinteractivegraphicstoprovideinformationandguidancetofieldworkers.

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http://www.pobonline.com/articles/97604howtomeetarisingtideheadon 2/4
6/23/2015 HowToMeetARisingTideHeadOn|20150601|PointofBeginning
June8,2015
ChrisStern
KEYWORDSDatacollectionsoftware/Datamanagementsoftware/imagemapping/Pipelinesurveying/Undergroundsurveying
Reprints

NoComments
Itsnotnews.Fieldservicepersonnelandtheiractivitiesaccountforalargepercentageofawaterutilitysoperatingcosts.Byincreasingtheefficiencyoffieldpersonnel
andstreamliningtheexchangeandutilizationofinformationacrossfieldandoffice,waterutilitiescanrealizesignificantbenefitsincostsandquality.

ArticleIndex:

CoreTechnologiesinFieldComputing
TrendsintheField
What'sNext:EmergingFieldTechnologies

Therealnewsliesinhowutilitiesareusingtechnologytocapturethesebenefits,andhowthesetechnologiesarechanging.

In2008,theWaterResearchFoundation(WRF)sponsoredaresearchprojecttoevaluateapplicationsandtrendsinwirelesstechnologiesandfieldcomputingapplications
forwaterutilities.ThestudyexaminedtheuseoffieldcomputingbyaselectedsampleofwaterandwastewaterutilitiesintheUnitedStates.Theresearchshowed
utilitiesusingfieldcomputingtechnologiesrealizedsignificantimprovementinsevenareas:

Improveddataquality,transparencyandcontrol
Enhancedvisibilityintofieldactivities
Moreeffectivemanagementofassetlifecycles
Reducedresponsetimeforunplannedactivities
Improvementsincomplianceandreporting
Timesavingsinmetermanagement
Timesavingsduetooptimizedschedulingandmoreaccuratereporting

Theseimprovementsdirectlytranslateintoreducedoperatingcosts,bettercustomerserviceandimprovedplanning.Thebenefitsresultedfromablendoftechnologiesin
fieldcomputing,includinghardware,communicationsandsoftware.

CoreTechnologiesinFieldComputing
Fieldcomputingisnotanewconceptforwaterutilities.Hardware,softwareandcommunicationstechnologieshaveprogressedtothepointwherepervasivemobile
integrationisnowfeasible,the2008reportstated.Theessentialingredientsforcompelling,realtimefieldcomputingsystemsarenowinplace.

Awidevarietyofwaterutilitiesservicesandactivitiestakeplaceinthefield.Thesefunctionsincludeservicesinassetconstructionandmaintenance,mappinganddata
collection,meterreading,inspectionandrepair,customerserviceandmore.Whiletheactivitiesrequiredifferentskillsandequipment,theyshareseveralcommon
technologicalneeds.Spreadacrossautilitysfunctionalandgeographiccoverage,coretechnologiesserveastheenablingplatformsformanagingandimprovingthe
organizationsqualityandefficiency.

Thetechnologiesconcentrateonthefunctionsofcollecting,protecting,movingandutilizinginformationwiththegoalofoptimizingtheutilizationandperformanceofa
utilityshumanandphysicalresources.Thesecoretechnologiesinclude:

FieldSolutionsforMobileComputing
Thesetechnologiesprovidehardwareandsoftwareplatformstocollectanddeliverinformationanduserguidance.Theycanrangefromsmallhandhelddevicestotablets
andinvehicledisplays.Specializedsoftwareguidesfieldtechniciansthroughworkprocesses,providesrecordsofactivities,andconveysworkordersandinstructions.

SpatialTechnologiesforPositioning,MappingandGeographicInformation

Thelocationofassetsandpersonnelisessentialinformationforutilitymanagement.GPSreceivers,oftenembeddedintofieldcomputingdevices,providebasicdatafor
thegeographicaspectsofoperations.Othertechnologiesgatherandprocessinformationfromaerialandterrestrialsensorstoproducedetailedmapsandcomprehensive
GeographicInformationSystems(GIS).

CommunicationsBetweenFieldandOffice

Anessentialcomponentforfieldcomputing,communicationtechnologiessupporttheflowofinformationandinstructions,aswellasautomatedoperationofphysical
assets.CommunicationstechnologiesincludeSupervisoryControlandDataAcquisition(SCADA)systems,dedicatedradionetworks,andwirelessInternet
communicationsviacellular,BluetoothandWiFitechnologies.

MobileResourceManagementandTelematics

Theproductivityoflargefleetsandmobileworkersislowhangingfruitintheefforttomanagecostsandquality.MobileResourceManagement(MRM)has
demonstrateditseffectivenessincuttingoperatingcostsbyimprovingproductivity,reducingfuelcostsandcarbonemissions,enhancingdriversafety,andproviding
managementvisibilityintofieldactivities.SometimesreferredtoasFieldServiceManagement(FSM),MRMcombinesthetechnologiesofmobilecomputing,
positioningandcommunicationstosupportdispatch,tracking,fleetmanagementandperformancemonitoring.

SensorsforMonitoringandControl

Remotemonitoringandcontrolofprocessesandnetworkspromisesignificantbenefitsinefficiencyandquality.The2008reportcitedflowratesandoperationstatusas
themostcommonlymonitoredparameters,followedbypipelinepressureandchlorinelevels.ThetechnologiesalsoincludeAutomatedMeterReadingandInfrastructure
(AMRandAMI),whicharesomeofthemostpopularapplicationsforwaterutilities.Improvementsincommunicationswithremotesensorsinitiallybasedon
telephoneanddedicatedradiosystemshavesupportedincreasedfunctionalityanddeployment.

Thesetechnologieshavenotstoodstill.InthesevenyearssincetheWRFreport,wehaveseentwomainaspectsofimprovement.First,technologicalmaturationhas
changedandsignificantlyimprovedtheavailability,accessibilityandpackagingoftechnologies.Theresultisreducedcomplexity,easierintegrationandless
confusioninchoosingandimplementingmodernsolutionsintoawaterutility.Second,innovationhasacceleratedandnewtechnologiesareemergingfasterthaneverto
facilitatesmartwaternetworksandimprovementsinenterprisemanagement.

TrendsintheField
Therearefourprominenttrendsinfieldtechnologiesaffectingwaterutilities:Increaseddeploymentofinformationtofieldworkersconsumerizationofcommontools
widespreadadoptionofcloudtechnologyandtheadventofInternetaccessiblesmartsensorsknownasTheInternetofThings.Thesetrendsarenttheresultofanyone
eventorproduct.Rather,theyreflectthecontinuinggrowthandintegrationincoretechnologiesoffieldplatforms,communicationsandsoftware.

DeploymentofInformationtoFieldWorkers

Thevalueofinformationisnotrealizeduntilitisdeliveredinreadilyuseableformtothepersonwhoneedsit.Dataaboutfieldassetsisoftenkeptinoffice
systems.Butregardlessofhowaccurateortimelyitmaybe,dataintheofficeisoflittleusetoacrewinthefield.Forexample,utilityvehiclesoftencarrymapbooks
thatcontainmapsandinformationaboutassetsandfacilities.Theworktokeepmapbooksuptodateinlargefleetsisadifficultchallenge.Paperbasedmethodsforasset
management,workordersanddispatcharealsodifficult,anddolittletoinstillconfidenceintheaccuracyoftheinformation.Itsanenvironmentripeforfieldaccessible
GISandassetmanagement.

Fieldtechnologiescandeliverinteractivemaps,forms,maintenancerecordsandotherinformationdirectlytothepointofwork.Byprovidingfieldcrewswithaccurate
information,utilitiescanboostproductivityandmorale.Electronicworkorderscanbecrosscheckedwithvehicleinventoriestoensurethecorrecttoolsandpartsare
onboard.Returnstotheofficeforadditionalinformationcanbeeliminated,andfieldcrewscanimmediatelyconveychangesinfieldconditionstosupervisorsand
dispatchers.

Mostorganizationsacknowledgethepowerandvalueoffieldcomputingandenterprisemanagement.Butadoptioninwaterutilitieshaslaggedbehindotherindustries,
dueinparttoconcernsoverdataintegrityandsecurity,aswellastheavailabilityandreliabilityofwirelessInternetaccessacrossdiversegeographicserviceareas.
Advancesinhardwareandsoftware,combinedwithexpansionintelecommunicationsnetworks,havemitigatedmanyconcernsinmovingtocloudsystems.Solutions
developerscontinuetointroducenewtechniquestoprovidestrongersecurityandincreasedreliability.

Theconceptofreliabilitycanbeextendedtosupportingfieldoperationsindifficultconditionsandremotelocations.Forexample,manyutilitiesfocusedsoftware
solutionsprovideofflinemodesthatenablefieldworkerstooperateevenwhencommunicationsarenotavailable,whichiscommonwhenrespondingtoemergencies.

ConsumerizationofCommonTools

Inspiteofthebenefits,manyindustrieslaggedinadoptingfieldcomputingtechnologies.Significantresistancecamefromworkersunfamiliarwiththeconceptsand
devices.ThefloodgatesopenedinJune,2007,whenApplesolditsfirstiPhone.Inthemonthsandyearstofollow,consumerscametoacceptandthendemand
instantandeasyaccesstoinformationandentertainment.Forcommercialapplications,itproducedasociologicalandtechnologicalseaofchangeasworkersand
organizationsrecognizedthevalueoffieldtechnologies.

Theacceptanceofsmartphonesandtabletscarriedintowaterutilitiesandhelpedacceleratetheacceptanceoftechnologiesbyfieldworkers,manyofwhomhadresisted
earliereffortswithfieldcomputing.

Smartphonesillustratehowthematurationofmobiletechnologieshasmadeiteasierandmorecosteffectiveforutilitiestoadoptfieldsolutions.Inmanycases,consumer
productshavefoundtheirwayintotheutilityprocessesfordatacollectionandinformationsharing.Evenwhenutilitiesusecommercialplatformswithruggedhardware
andspecializedapplicationssoftware,thesolutionsdrawonthesuccessoftheirconsumergradecounterparts.Becausetechniciansoftenhavetheirownproductssimilar
tocommercialmobiledevices,theyaremorelikelytoacceptthecommercialdevices.Learningcurvesbecomeshorter,andfieldcrewsaremoreacceptingofthenew
systems.

AdoptionoftheCloud

Challengescanoftenariseinadoptingfieldtechnologies.Acommonconcernistheworkneededtointegratethenewtoolsintoexistinginformationinfrastructure,
systemsandprocesses.Byusingcloudtechnologies,theefforttolinkfieldandofficedecreasesrapidly.Utilitiescanrelyonvendorsandmaturetechnologiesinsteadof
makingtheintegrationthemselves.

Manyutilitiestakeadvantageofhostedservicestomanageanddistributeinformation.Bydoingso,theydontneedtoinvestintheirownservers.Whenusing
commercialofftheshelf(COTS)productsdeployedinthecloud,utilitiescanbypasstheITchallengetosetupserversinternallyanddealwithsystemsetup,installation
andmaintenanceofanonpremiseenvironment.Thisapproachfreesupresourcesthatcanbebetterusedelsewhere.Forexample,COTSsolutionssuchastheTrimble
eRespondIncidentManagementSystemcanbeoperatedonlocalhardwareasaninhouseprivatecloudorasavendorcloudbasedservice.

Whenlocalintegrationorcustomizationisneeded,COTSproductsandtheirApplicationProgrammingInterfaces(APIs)provideimportantbenefits.Manycloudsystems
includewellestablished,highlyconfigurableAPIs,whichmakeitpossibletoconnecttoenterprisesystems.Thiscanbedonewithlesseffortthaninthepast,when
integrationrequiredcustomprojectstocreateinterconnectedsystems.Today,manyAPIshavereachedalevelofmaturitythatremovesmuchoftheriskinintegrating
fieldandofficeprocesses.Theeasierintegrationenablestheflowofcriticalinformationfrombackofficesystemstowhereitsneededmostthefieldandjobsite.

Inadditiontoenhancinginternaldataflowandprocesses,cloudbasedsystemscanimproveexternalrelations.ByleveragingexistingGISandvisualizationtechnologies,
waterutilitiescanprovidestakeholderswithincreasedtransparencyintotheirservicesandperformance,aswellasfasterresponsetoincidentsandquestions.

TheInternetofThings

SensortechnologiesandtheInternetofThingsareamongthefastestgrowingareasofinnovation.Thetechnologiesofferutilitiestheopportunitytoproactivelymonitor,
manageandcontrolthetreatmentandsupplyofdrinkingwaterfromsourcetocustomer.

Manyplantfacilities(treatmentplants,pumpingstations,etc.)incorporateautomatedsensorsandcontrolviaSCADA.Thisapproachenablesoperatorstoefficiently
managelargeoperationswithminimalstaffing.Butthereisagapinthelevelofinformationavailablewhencomparingplantfacilitieswithtransmissionanddistribution
networks.Thisgapisnarrowingasutilitiesbegininstallingarraysofsensorsinpipes,manholes,liftstationsandotherstructures.Thesetechnologiesincludeeverything
fromsimplepressureandflowmonitoringtoadvancedwaterqualityanalysis.Thesensorscanproviderealtimevisibilityintothestatusandperformanceoftheassetand
overallsystem.

InsteadofaccessingthesensorsviaSCADA,utilitiescanusesecurewirelessInternetconnectivitytoconnectlargenumbersofsensorstocloudbasedoronpremise
servers.ThisInternetofThingsconceptopensthedoorfordeploymentofsmartmetering,monitoringandcontrol,aswellasotherdevicesthatimproveperformance
whilereducingfieldcosts.Theapproachcanhelpaddressthebroaderchallengesassociatedwithwaterresourceandaginginfrastructuremanagement.

Forexample,onewaterutilityinstalledpressuresensorsinfirehydrantsalonglargetransmissionlines.TheyusedtheTrimbleUnitycloudbasedplatformtocollectand
displaythedatainrealtimeintheofficeandfield.Informationfromthesensorsenabledoperatorstoidentifypressuretransientsthatcouldresultinleakageorbreaks.
Thesensorshelpedidentifytransientsattributedtoactionsofautomatedpressurereducingvalves.Theutilityusedtheinformationtoimplementmethodstoimprove
pressuremanagementandavoidtransients.

TheInternetofThingscanbeappliedtobypassmanualdatacollectionandprovideacontinuousrealtimeviewofawaterorwastewaternetwork.Forexample,atmany
utilities,automatedmeterreadingisevolvingintoacomprehensiveautomatedmeteringinfrastructure.Usingrealtimecommunicationsdirectlytoaserver,thiscanbe
coupledwithwaterdistributionnetworksensorstosupporteffortsindemandmanagementandconservation,whileprovidinginformationneededforproactively
managingawatersystem.Bycontrollingvalves,metersandotherdevices,automatedsystemscanoptimizeoperationsandcosts.

Inadditiontomonitoringusage,flow,leakageandpressure,newtechnologiesareemergingforsamplingandchemicalanalysistoproviderealtimeinformationonwater
quality.Intime,utilitieswilluseInternetconnectivityandsmartsensorstomaintainquality,preventspillsandoverflows,minimizeenvironmentalimpacts,andmaintain
publichealthandsafety.

What'sNext:EmergingFieldTechnologies
Innovationdoesntsitstill.Utilitiesareseekingandadoptingnewapproachesinfieldoperations.Wecanexpectfuturefieldcomputingsystemstoincludeinteractive,
locationbased3Dmapsofwatersystems,aboveandbelowground.Newmobiledevicescandetermineaworkerslocationandpointoutnearbyassets.Tabletsand
wearabletechnologiesthinkGoogleGlasscansuperimposeundergroundassetsintotheimageseenbytheuser.Thistechnologyofaugmentedrealityprovidesa
formofxrayvisioninthefield.Itcanhelpworkersfindburiedassetsandavoidconstructiondisasters.

AsecondconcepttowatchisRadioFrequencyIdentification(RFID)andrelatedsmartassettechnologies.Alreadyprovenindozensofindustries,RFIDconsistsofsmall,
ruggedtagsattachedtoanasset.Thetagscommunicateviaradiowithareaderinamobiledevice.Inadditiontoconfirmingthatpersonnelareworkingonthecorrect
asset,thetagscanstoremaintenancedataandothermanufacturerandoperatinginformation.Forundergroundassets,RFIDcaninformworkersaboutthecontentsof
manholes,depthofanassetandinstructionsforoperation.

Astheseandothertechnologiescontinuetoevolve,itsuptothewaterutilityindustrytorecognizeandgrasptheopportunities.Bytakingadvantageofthetechnologies
availabletodayandstayingengagedwithtechnologicalgrowth,organizationscanrealizeessentialgainsincustomerservice,technicaloperationsandfinancial
performance.

The2008WRFreport,"FieldComputingApplicationsandWirelessTechnologiesforWaterUtilities3178,"isavailableatwww.waterrf.org.

FirstSteps:BuildingtheInformationBase
BozemansstormwatersystemmadefrontpagenewswhentheMontanaDepartment
ofEnvironmentalQuality(DEQ)determinedthecityslackofacomprehensive
stormwatersystemmapwasaviolationofitsfederallyissuedMunicipalSeparate
StormSewerSystemPermit.Asseriousastheinfringementwas,ithelpedlauncha
mappingprojectin2012thatwouldprovideacomprehensivenewviewofthe
undergroundworkhorse.
UsinghandheldTrimbleGeo6000fieldcomputersequippedwithGPS,Bozemans
GISdepartmentsetouttomapthedrains,pipesandmanholesthatcollectandcarry
thecitysstormwater.Injustfourmonths,ateamfromBozemansGISdepartment
inventoriedandmapped95percentofitsentirestormwaternetwork,capturing
locationsandinformationon93milesofpipe,1,276manholesand3,059inlets.The
teamcreatedadetailedknowledgebasetoreadilyunderstandthewhatandwhereof
anygivenassetatanytime.

TheBozemanmappingprojecthasprovidedthefactualplatformtodrivethe
expansionofthestormwaterprogram.Armedwithacompleteinventoryofthe
infrastructureanditscondition,thedepartmentsuccessfullyproposeda15year,$1.2
millionmultifacetedimprovementplandesignedtoregainthesystemshealth.

ABetterWaytoManageManholes
Serving2.6millionpeopleover463squaremiles,theOrangeCountyCalifornia
SanitationDistrict(OCSD)collectsandtreatsroughly207milliongallonsof
wastewaterperday.TheOCSDinspectsits8,000plusmanholeseverysevenyears,
anduntilrecentlytrackedandmanagedthemmanually.Thepaperbasedapproach
wasslow,difficulttomaintainandpronetoerror.OCSDrecognizedthatan
automatedsystemtoleverageitsexistingGISsolutionwouldgreatlyimprovethe
utilitysoveralloperation.

OCSDdecideditneededtomaintain,mapandinspectthemanholesonitssewer
networkautomatically,withallmanholedatatobestoredelectronicallyinitscentral
GIS.Toachievetheseobjectives,theutilityimplementedTrimbleConnectsoftware
runningontheTrimbleJunoT41handheld.TrimbleConnectissupportedonAndroid,
iOS,WindowsandWindowsMobileplatforms.

Thesolutiongivesinspectorsthetoolstheyneedtocompletemanholeassessment
quicklyandefficientlyincludinglocationsensitivemapsoftheassetstheyare
workingon,theformstheyneedtocompleteandworkflowstoguidethemthroughthe
process.Inspectorscanalsomapthelocationofmanholesmoreaccuratelyfortheir
recordsandtakephotographstorecordamanholesappearanceandcondition.

Byautomatingitsmanholemanagement,theOCSDhassavedmorethantrees.Ithas
greatlyimprovedefficiencyandreducederrorswhileimprovingtheoverallqualityof
itsGIS.TheTrimbleConnectsolutionhasalsofacilitatedcommunicationbetween
officeandfield,greatlydecreasingtheneedforadditionaltripsbetweenthetwo.

ANewToolforRapidResponse
Fordecades,theLosAngelesDepartmentofWaterandPower(LADWP)utilized
separatesystemsforwaterincidentmanagement.Onesystemhandledincidentssuch
asoutages,pressurevariationsorleaks.Asecondsystemtrackedissuesrelatedto
waterquality.Athirdsystemmanageddailyplannedmaintenanceandrepairactivities
performedbyLADWPfieldcrews.

Tomergethethreesystemsandimproveoverallincidentmanagementandcustomer
relations,LADWPimplementedtheTrimbleeRespondIncidentManagementsolution
in2013.ThesolutionalsoallowedLADWPtoleverageanexistingEsriGISandtieto
itsnewOracleCustomerCareandBillingsoftware.

Inadditiontousingcustomercallsforincidentmanagement,LADWPsnewsystem
canblendtelemetrydatafromsystempumpsandfacilities.Thisinformationoften
providesimportantinputintotheefforttolocateandresolvealeak,pressureconcern
orwaterqualityincident.Overtime,improvedassetmanagementwillhelpLADWP
achievelongerassetlifeandimproveoverallsystemoperations.

Akeyaspectofwaterincidentmanagementisitsabilitytoutilizeincomingcallsand
messagestoproduceactionableinformation.Oneincidentmaytriggeralargenumber
ofreportsfromcustomersormunicipalagencies.Bycollectingandanalyzing
incomingreports,thesystemscanquicklydeterminethelikelylocationoftrouble
sources.

ThesystemreceivedarigoroustestinJuly,2014,whena30inchwatermainruptured
ontheUCLAcampus.UsingeRespond,LADWPteamswereabletoidentifythe
problemareaandbegintheprocessofshuttingdownthemain.Callingoninformation
fromtheGIS,LADWPdispatchedcrewstooperatewatervalvesandisolatethepipe
thatnormallycarries75,000gallonsofwaterperminute.Althoughcrewsreportedthat
heavytrafficcauseddifficultyindrivingtothevariousvalves,waterflowingtothe
massivepipewasfullystoppedinroughlythreehoursasolidperformancegiven
thescopeoftheincident.

Didyouenjoythisarticle?ClickheretosubscribetoPOB.

ChrisSternisdirectorofstrategyandportfoliodevelopmentforTrimblesglobalwaterbusiness.Hehasmorethan20yearsexperienceintechnologyandutility
industries,andwastheprincipalinvestigatorontheWaterResearchFoundationsFieldComputingApplicationsandWirelessTechnologiesforWaterUtilitiesreport
publishedin2008.PriortojoiningTrimble,SternwasfounderandchiefexecutiveofficerofanindustrysoftwarecompanylateracquiredbyTrimble,andservedasthe
LosAngelesDepartmentofWaterandPowerswaterresearchandtechnologyofficer.Hecanbereachedatchris_stern@trimble.com.

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