Maynilad Water Services, Inc. is expanding the services offered by Portugal-based Administração e Gestão de Sistemas de Salubridade (AGS) that detects pipe leaks more swiftly and effectively.
In a statement, the West Zone concessionaire said that Maynilad is extending the monitoring coverage of Infrawise, an artificial intelligence (AI) software owned and developed by AGS, to an additional 1,500 kilometers of pipelines.
Maynilad stated that this expansion follows the successful pilot run by Infrawise that covered an initial area of 1,700 kilometers of water pipelines.
Infrawise is an AI decision-making software that analyzes and identifies critical areas in the pipe network. This helps Maynilad determine where to concentrate its efforts on leak detection and pipe replacement activities.
During the pilot run that began in October 2023, AI software deployed by Maynilad generated a map pinpointing vulnerabilities across 750 kilometers of pipelines, leading to the discovery of 1,525 leaks.
AGS is a wholly owned subsidiary of Tokyo-based Marubeni Corp.
“Through this advanced AI technology, we can proactively identify and address potential leaks in our water distribution system,” Randolph T. Estrellado, Maynilad chief operations officer, said.
“This not only enables us to respond more swiftly and efficiently to pipe network issues, it also significantly enhances our ability to conserve water resources and improve service reliability for our customers,” he added.
In addition to monitoring and evaluating pipe conditions, Maynilad employed AI technology to detect underground pipe leaks, which tapped Asterra, a satellite-based infrastructure intelligence company.
Maynilad said Asterra utilizes patented algorithms designed to analyze the spectral "signature" of potable water underground, as captured in satellite images.
The leakage information that the AI algorithms pick up is captured in a Geographic Information System report that specifies street locations, enabling Maynilad to fast-track the process of detecting and repairing underground leaks.
Integrating AI in Maynilad operations was driven by the need to maintain efficiency and accelerate the reduction of water losses.
The company is continuously exploring other advanced technological solutions that have the potential to augment its existing equipment and capability for leak detection.