Earth-i collaborates with Telepsazio and Alqami to predict and detect water leaks

Earth-i collaborates with Telespazio and Alqami to predict and detect water leaks
12th June 2020 – Earth-i, Telespazio UK and Alqami have been awarded a European Space Agency (ESA) contract for the use of Earth Observation to predict and detect leaks in clean water supply pipelines. The project focuses on the development of three complementary new space-enabled services to support a more robust, repeatable, accurate and independently verifiable performance metric in relation to clean water leakage.
The three space-enabled services to be implemented as a joint solution are:
1. Predictive analysis of water pipeline structural health
2. Early warning related to water pipeline interference
3. Near real-time situational awareness of network water leaks.
Both optical imagery and synthetic aperture radar (SAR), as well as other data such as soil moisture indices, will be collected and analysed to investigate the feasibility and viability of such services. The project is engaging all UK water supply companies, major civil engineering water service companies, regulators, and agencies. Overseas stakeholders will also be engaged in the project.
The proposed services aim to deliver better-informed and effective protective services than are currently available by providing water companies with a service into their operational framework for managing their strategic water leak reduction targets at or above 15% by 2025 (OFWAT), and allowing focused infrastructure upgrades based on greatest needs prioritisation, hence better management of maintenance costs and capital investments.
“The cost of clean water leakage is significant to the consumer, the water companies, their shareholders and the environment. As water security rises up the agenda the ability to predict, detect and prevent clean water leakage becomes an increasing priority. We are pleased to be working with ESA and our project partners on this project and look forward to a successful outcome to this project”, commented Chetan Pradhan, Earth-i’s Head of Institutional Engagement.
This project kicked off in May 2020 and runs for nine months until February 2021. Subject to the project proving the viability and feasibility of the services, the aim will be to run a more comprehensive demonstration project, co-funded by ESA and the project partners, to lead onto a commercial service offering.
About Earth-i
Earth-i provides unique insights and analytics through Earth Observation. It utilises industry leading access to more than thirty multi-sensor / multi-resolution satellites and has developed advanced Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning-led analytics to build on its satellite image processing expertise. Earth-i launched its own prototype Earth Observation satellite in 2018, collecting high definition colour videos from space.
To find out more please visit www.earthi.space.
For more information about this press release, please contact: info@earthi.space.co.uk