Monitoring a water network and looking for leaks produces vast amounts of data that needs to be analysed and interpreted quickly.

Having access to the most relevant, easy to understand information at your fingertips will help leakage teams to make evidence-based decisions to reduce Non-Revenue Water (NRW).

At HWM we understand the importance of data, which is why we are consistently looking at ways to improve our data platforms and give customers the tools they need to make informed decisions.

In recent months we have introduced various updates and enhancements to PermaNET Web, our custom-built digital platform for the viewing and analysis of the leak noise data collected by PermaNET and PCorr+.  These developments have sometimes resulted from collaboration with customers around improving our user experience, as this is something we aim to continually invest in.

Electrical Noise Identification

The most recent feature we have added to PermaNET Web is Electrical Noise Identification, which uses AI technology and complex algorithms to identify and categorise electrical noise in leak noise recordings.

Electrical noise identification will indicate (as a percentage) the amount of noise in a single leak audio recording that can be attributed to electrical noise harmonics.

The aim of this feature is to help to reduce the time and cost spent visiting sites to investigate what end up being ‘false positive’ alarms.  The automatic identification of electrical noise can help leakage teams to develop repair schedules more effectively by identifying the alarms that can be deprioritised as a result of electrical noise.

Threshold Modelling

Threshold Modelling is a feature that has been developed to assist leakage teams in identifying leaks that might be more difficult to find using current threshold settings.

By adjusting the detection threshold of the loggers in a chosen DMA, users can visualise how the DMA would look at the adjusted threshold.  The purpose of this is to give leakage teams greater control over challenging DMAs and to identify potential leaks that are slightly quieter.

New Leaks Dashboard

Following consultation with customers, we recently implemented a New Leaks dashboard into PermaNET Web that displays an up-to-date list of PermaNET loggers in leak alarm, as well as loggers that have gone into alarm in the past 24, 48 and 72 hours.

The dashboard, which can be downloaded as a New Leaks report in PDF or CSV format, gathers the key data required to prioritise both leak investigation and repair scheduling into one convenient panel.  The dashboard displays summary graphical information to quickly provide top-level leak data which can be drilled into for site specific information.

Each of these features has been introduced to help leakage teams to prioritise investigations and efficiently manage repair schedules.  By doing so, the time from alarm to pinpointing can be significantly reduced, helping to save time, money and water.

For more information about PermaNET Web and the new features we have added please click here.