EXTON, PA, Oct. 4, 2011 -- Westernport Water, a utility in the state of Victoria, Australia, is using WaterGEMS water distribution modeling software from Bentley Systems, Incorporated to cost-effectively operate and manage more than $43 million in water assets.
The software is integrated with Open Spatial's geographic information system (GIS) and Control Microsystems' supervisory control and data acquisition system (SCADA). The SCADA system allows field-measured data to be brought directly into WaterGEMS using the modeling software's SCADAConnect and Darwin Calibrator modules. The SCADAConnect technology with real-time updates will save Westernport Water approximately $80,000 in calibration costs. Prior to deploying this system, Westernport Water annually engaged the services of external contractors to manually upgrade and calibrate the water model.
Steven Porter, general manager - operations, Westernport Water, said, "Westernport Water's outlook on its ability to effectively develop and sustain our water distribution infrastructure has never been so positive. The integration of GIS, SCADA, and the water modeling technologies in WaterGEMS will provide unprecedented scope for managers, engineers, and operational and maintenance personnel at Westernport Water to understand, on a real-time basis, how the water network is performing. The level of integration being achieved is expected to set a 'high watermark' in informed decision-making for our organization."
Added Richard Zambuni, Bentley global marketing director, "The WaterGEMS water model will help deliver additional savings to Westernport Water through effective leak detection by measuring and identifying nonrevenue water. As a result, Westernport Water is aiming to achieve a 25 percent reduction in water losses. In addition, reducing water losses means that less water will need to be pumped to customers to achieve the same level of service, limiting the utility's carbon emissions."
The Open Spatial GIS, in conjunction with WaterGEMS, enables simple and easy updates of the system. Since SCADAConnect can use both historical and real-time data, the model is not only up to date, but also has tables of previous values for trending and projections. Therefore flow, pressure, and tank-level data for each demand zone can be fed on a real-time basis, enabling the system to model real-world conditions.
Using the imported SCADA values, Darwin Calibrator, and the demand inversing tool in WaterGEMS, Westernport Water engineers can proportionally change the demand values assigned to those nodes within each demand zone. As a result, all calculated values in the water model are more accurate, since the exact flow from the SCADA system is used to calculate velocity, losses, and system curves. This up-to-date and accurate model gives engineering design and operational personnel the best possible platform for decision making.
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