{"id":570422,"date":"2023-02-08T09:05:24","date_gmt":"2023-02-08T17:05:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/?post_type=arcuser&p=570422"},"modified":"2023-02-08T09:12:57","modified_gmt":"2023-02-08T17:12:57","slug":"warren-water","status":"publish","type":"arcuser","link":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/arcuser\/warren-water","title":{"rendered":"Improved Location Accuracy Enables Hydraulic Modeling"},"author":1031,"featured_media":0,"menu_order":0,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"sync_status":"","episode_type":"","audio_file":"","castos_file_data":"","podmotor_file_id":"","cover_image":"","cover_image_id":"","duration":"","filesize":"","filesize_raw":"","date_recorded":"","explicit":"","block":"","itunes_episode_number":"","itunes_title":"","itunes_season_number":"","itunes_episode_type":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[24962,482302,14832],"tags":[465551,1651,483862],"arcuser_issues":[483782],"class_list":["post-570422","arcuser","type-arcuser","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-focus","category-infrastructure","category-water-resources","tag-arcgis-field-maps","tag-wastewater","tag-water-districts","arcuser_issues-au-winter-2023"],"acf":{"short_description":"A Kentuckywater district increased the locational accuracy of assets so that its engineering team could use data for hydraulic modeling.","pdf":{"host_remotely":false,"file":569882,"file_url":""},"flexible_content":[{"acf_fc_layout":"blockquote","content":"A water district in Kentucky increased the locational accuracy of assets in its GIS using mobile mapping so that its engineering team could use the data for hydraulic modeling. GIS also helps the district streamline operations and improve customer service."},{"acf_fc_layout":"content","content":"Warren County Water District (WCWD), based in south central Kentucky, offers water and wastewater services over a 530 square mile area between Nashville and Louisville. Every day, the utility delivers more than 8.1 million gallons of drinking water across 1,194 miles of water lines, while its wastewater system transports 2 million gallons of wastewater across 218 miles of sewer line.\r\n\r\nIn addition to this system, WCWD manages the water systems for Simpson County Water District and Butler County Water System through a joint operations agreement that brings the total length of water main to just over 2,100 miles across 1,200 square miles. Each of the three utilities has a separate board of directors, but their operations are streamlined through GIS and one customer information system (CIS).\r\n\r\nWhen moving from paper map books to web maps, WCWD digitized its original as-built drawings. Now engineers can access the drawings by selecting an asset to open its pop-up and then clicking a hyperlink from the attributes. The hyperlink launches an internal web mapping application where historical data can be viewed.\r\n\r\n "},{"acf_fc_layout":"image","image":570472,"image_position":"left","orientation":"horizontal","hyperlink":""},{"acf_fc_layout":"content","content":"

The Original Move to GIS<\/h3>\r\nIn the past, WCWD used to equip its field crews with 75-pound paper map books to navigate to service order work sites. Although the map books got the job done, they were cumbersome and time-consuming to use\u2014especially for new employees.\r\n\r\nIn 2006, WCWD decided to modernize its operations and hired its first full-time GIS employee along with a contractor to kick-start digital mapping. First, WCWD digitized thousands of paper as-built drawings and georeferenced them to GIS features. The contractor then went to the field to map all the aboveground assets, using subfoot-grade mapping equipment.\r\n\r\nOnce the locations were postprocessed, WCWD IT and GIS manager B. J. Malone uploaded them into the GIS and snapped features to the new accurate locations. Malone and the contractor mapped the WCWD system. Subsequently, Malone brought field mapping in-house to map the Simpson County and Butler County systems.\r\n\r\n\u201cAt that point, we had all of our aboveground assets\u2014every valve, meter, pump station, hydrant, and maintenance hole\u2014mapped with subfoot accuracy,\u201d Malone said.\r\n

Hydraulic Modeling for Wastewater Assets<\/h3>\r\nSubfoot asset accuracy was acceptable for mobile workers, but it was not good enough for the engineering team to use in hydraulic modeling. Hydraulic modeling relies on extremely accurate elevation values that would require centimeter-level accuracy in the GIS.\r\n\r\nExtracting elevation values from paper as-builts was time-consuming and sometimes frustrating for WCWD\u2019s engineers. The drawings often contained inaccurate slope measurements. Malone realized that WCWD could benefit from improving the accuracy of its GIS data even further.\r\n\r\nTo test the idea, Malone hired another contractor to remap the utility\u2019s wastewater assets with centimeter-grade accuracy. In this pilot project, the collected data had to be postprocessed to obtain the desired accuracy, before being imported to update the GIS. When these tasks were completed, Malone had the information at a level of quality that his engineers could use. His next challenge was to find a simpler way to maintain this level of accuracy in-house\u2014and potentially expand it to all assets.\r\n\r\nAdditionally, in 2009 WCWD had begun utilizing GIS data in the field with a Windows-based mapping application on laptops. While the laptops were a great tool, mobility in the field was limited to the truck. Malone believed the new in-house mobile mapping solution could overcome both remaining challenges.\r\n\r\n "},{"acf_fc_layout":"image","image":570492,"image_position":"center","orientation":"horizontal","hyperlink":""},{"acf_fc_layout":"content","content":" \r\n

Real-Time, Accurate Mobile Data Collection with ArcGIS<\/h3>\r\nAround this time, Malone noticed Esri\u2019s mobile data-collection apps were becoming not only very popular but also incredibly robust. Originally, Collector for ArcGIS and later ArcGIS Field Maps, combined with ArcGIS Survey123, could enable GPS-supported data collection directly into the GIS, in real time and with the data already in GIS format.\r\n\r\n\u201cWe already had Esri software, so migrating to Esri mobile apps made sense to us,\u201d Malone said. \u201cEverything was native to the GIS format, and it enabled us to give our [staff] in the field something with GPS capabilities on a device they were comfortable using.\u201d The utility gave its field crews both iOS and Android tablets\u2014based on user preference\u2014running Esri apps.\r\n\r\nThe last remaining component was a compatible, centimeter-grade Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) receiver that worked with the ArcGIS apps. After consulting with a nearby water district, Malone chose the Arrow Series GNSS receivers made by Esri partner Eos Positioning Systems. The Arrow Gold receiver provides real-time, centimeter-grade locations through a combination of GNSS positioning and real-time kinematic (RTK) differential correction processing. It could be used with the Kentucky Real Time Reference Network, the local free RTK network. Going this route would eliminate both postprocessing and manual data uploads to the GIS.\r\n\r\n\u201cWhen Eos came along and made that marriage with Esri so that everything works natively in Esri apps, that became a huge time-saver for us with both data collection and postprocessing,\u201d WCWD GIS analyst Josh Smith said. \u201cIt streamlined both office and [mobile]<\/em> workflows by keeping everything in one place and eliminating the need to pass data through multiple applications.\u201d\r\n\r\nThe Arrow Gold receiver also offered a feature for maintaining survey-grade accuracy in remote areas where internet service via the cellular network was spotty.\r\n\r\n\u201cWe went to some of the most remote areas of our system to test out the Arrow GNSS receiver, and it just worked,\u201d Malone said.\r\n

Streamlined Data for Hydraulic Modeling<\/h3>\r\nToday, WCWD has mapped its wastewater assets with centimeter-grade accuracy, and its aboveground assets\u2014for all three systems\u2014with subfoot accuracy. This year WCWD staff have deployed RTK data collection for all newly constructed assets. Meanwhile, engineers have engaged a consultant who will now use RTK elevations to develop a wastewater hydraulic model. The engineers are already using the data for other workflows, such as system-modification planning and historic leak tracking.\r\n\r\nThe field team members have also started to realize gains from having accurate, digital maps with them at all times. They are able to find things faster and can access what they need on one device. It has eased everybody\u2019s mind.\r\n\r\nWCWD has since hired one more full-time GIS employee to support Malone. The district estimates that of the 74 employees at the utility, 65 to 70 use GIS regularly. The meter-reading team members use the maps to navigate to existing meters and aid the installation of 41,000 new smart meters by WCWD. Meter data is stored with locations in the GIS and integrated in the CIS.\r\n\r\nCustomer service representatives (CSRs) use the data to respond faster to customer inquiries, generate service orders for field crews, and respond to contractor requests for asset information in specific areas. \u201cWe save a ton of time for our CSRs,\u201d Malone said.\r\n\r\n "},{"acf_fc_layout":"image","image":570502,"image_position":"center","orientation":"horizontal","hyperlink":""},{"acf_fc_layout":"content","content":"

Maps Help WCWD Keep Up with Requests to Locate Assets<\/h3>\r\nThe aboveground data has proved so valuable that WCWD has started to also map its underground assets. Today, developers and inspectors are equipped with ArcGIS Field Maps and Arrow Gold receivers to map assets in new subdivisions before they are buried.\r\n\r\nFor call-before-you-dig requests to locate existing assets, WCWD equipped its asset-locating teams with the same technology. The teams now use the maps of aboveground assets (e.g., valves, meters) to more quickly find buried water mains. In places where underground assets are already mapped, the teams navigate right to these assets. Although teams still perform traditional field validation, the time savings using the new system have been huge. Malone estimates that demand for fiber-optic cable installation has caused locate calls to approximately quadruple in the past year alone.\r\n\r\n\u201cWith the increased number of locate requests that we currently have, I don\u2019t think we would have been able to keep up the pace without these maps,\u201d Malone said. \u201cIt has really streamlined that process and helped us locate assets more quickly.\u201d\r\n\r\nSo far, WCWD has mapped more than 68,000 underground points across 51 miles of pipe. The utility has also purchased two ground-penetrating radar (GPR) devices and equipped them with ArcGIS Field Maps on Android and an Arrow Gold receiver. According to WCWD operations supervisor Travis Watt, having the RTK capabilities of the Arrow Gold along with the GPR devices and Field Maps has been amazing.\r\n\r\n\u201cIt provides my team with two methods to locate underground assets,\u201d Watt said. \u201cAt times, [the team]<\/em> can navigate nearly down the exact center of buried water mains.\u201d\r\n\r\nMalone says he is grateful that the utility\u2019s employees and leadership see the value of GIS. \u201cWe really try to be GIS-centric, to build the workflows and applications that enable us to make smarter decisions. When we added accurate locations into the GIS, that\u2019s what really paid off for us. Now our field and office teams are realizing the efficiency gains, and we\u2019re making their lives a little easier. That\u2019s been a win.\u201d\r\n\r\n "}],"references":null},"yoast_head":"\nHydraulic modeling and GIS field mapping<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"A water district in Kentucky increased the locational accuracy of assets in its GIS using mobile mapping so that its engineering team could use the data for hydraulic modeling.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/arcuser\/warren-water\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Improved Location Accuracy Enables Hydraulic Modeling\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"A water district in Kentucky increased the locational accuracy of assets in its GIS using mobile mapping so that its engineering team could use the data for hydraulic modeling.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/arcuser\/warren-water\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Esri\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/esrigis\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2023-02-08T17:12:57+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/app\/uploads\/2023\/01\/warrenwater_banner.jpg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@Esri\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\n\t \"@context\": \"https:\/\/schema.org\",\n\t \"@graph\": [\n\t {\n\t \"@type\": \"WebPage\",\n\t \"@id\": \"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/arcuser\/warren-water\",\n\t \"url\": \"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/arcuser\/warren-water\",\n\t \"name\": \"Hydraulic modeling and GIS field mapping\",\n\t \"isPartOf\": {\n\t \"@id\": \"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/#website\"\n\t },\n\t \"datePublished\": \"2023-02-08T17:05:24+00:00\",\n\t \"dateModified\": \"2023-02-08T17:12:57+00:00\",\n\t \"description\": \"A water district in Kentucky increased the locational accuracy of assets in its GIS using mobile mapping so that its engineering team could use the data for hydraulic modeling.\",\n\t \"breadcrumb\": {\n\t \"@id\": \"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/arcuser\/warren-water#breadcrumb\"\n\t },\n\t \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\",\n\t \"potentialAction\": [\n\t {\n\t \"@type\": \"ReadAction\",\n\t \"target\": [\n\t \"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/arcuser\/warren-water\"\n\t ]\n\t }\n\t ]\n\t },\n\t {\n\t \"@type\": \"BreadcrumbList\",\n\t \"@id\": \"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/arcuser\/warren-water#breadcrumb\",\n\t \"itemListElement\": [\n\t {\n\t \"@type\": \"ListItem\",\n\t \"position\": 1,\n\t \"name\": \"Home\",\n\t \"item\": \"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\"\n\t },\n\t {\n\t \"@type\": \"ListItem\",\n\t \"position\": 2,\n\t \"name\": \"Improved Location Accuracy Enables Hydraulic Modeling\"\n\t }\n\t ]\n\t },\n\t {\n\t \"@type\": \"WebSite\",\n\t \"@id\": \"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/#website\",\n\t \"url\": \"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/\",\n\t \"name\": \"Esri\",\n\t \"description\": \"Esri Newsroom\",\n\t \"potentialAction\": [\n\t {\n\t \"@type\": \"SearchAction\",\n\t \"target\": {\n\t \"@type\": \"EntryPoint\",\n\t \"urlTemplate\": \"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/?s={search_term_string}\"\n\t },\n\t \"query-input\": {\n\t \"@type\": \"PropertyValueSpecification\",\n\t \"valueRequired\": true,\n\t \"valueName\": \"search_term_string\"\n\t }\n\t }\n\t ],\n\t \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\"\n\t },\n\t {\n\t \"@type\": \"Person\",\n\t \"@id\": \"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/#\/schema\/person\/82e5143bcdebadf8fd64d84e503ca468\",\n\t \"name\": \"Monica Pratt\",\n\t \"image\": {\n\t \"@type\": \"ImageObject\",\n\t \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\",\n\t \"@id\": \"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\n\t \"url\": \"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/app\/uploads\/2018\/08\/MonicaMug_agol2.jpg\",\n\t \"contentUrl\": \"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/app\/uploads\/2018\/08\/MonicaMug_agol2.jpg\",\n\t \"caption\": \"Monica Pratt\"\n\t },\n\t \"description\": \"Monica Pratt is the founding and current editor of ArcUser magazine, the executive editor of ArcNews magazine, the editor of Esri Globe and head of the Publications team at Esri. 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