Computer game technology helps to spot leaking pipes

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http://www.theengineer.co.uk/sectors/civil-and-structural/news/computer-game-technology-helps-to-spot-leaking-pipes/1009906.article



Researchers at Exeter University are using computer game technology and artificial intelligence to help predict floods and spot leaking pipes.



A team from the university’s Centre for Water Systems is developing software that is better at detecting problems in a water distribution network by learning how to identify false alarms.

It is also using powerful computer processors designed for supporting complex 3D graphics to create models that can predict how rainfall or building work might affect an area’s probability of flooding, much more quickly than existing software.

‘It is important for a water company to get information as soon as possible because then they can intervene before the loss of pressure is felt by the customer,’ Prof Dragan Savic, director of the Centre for Water Systems told The Engineer.

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It is usually up to human operators to identify which anomalies are due to real leaks or to teach the software how to recognise a ghost. Exeter’s software, however, learns how to do this without human intervention within an hour of the leak occurring.

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good news