Leveraging AI Technology to Assess Maintenance Holes in the Town of Ajax

With Capital Sewer Services at the helm and the sophisticated capabilities of Pioneer by SewerAI, the Town of Ajax, Ontario has set a new standard in municipal infrastructure management, reflecting their commitment to leveraging technology for enhancing public services and asset longevity.

Ajax, with a population of over 125,000, is located 40 km northeast of downtown Toronto. Ajax lies within the Regional Municipality of Durham, a special utility district serving a population of more than 700,000, managing more than 2,000 km of sanitary sewer pipes and more than 20,000 maintenance holes (MHs).

Within Durham Region’s Integrated Asset Management System, the Town of Ajax has made significant strides in wastewater and sewer infrastructure maintenance by involving CSS in a comprehensive assessment project, including the inspection of more than 550 MHs. 

If performed using conventional tools, CSS would have had to mobilize a specialized camera system for 360 optical scanning, which incurs a purchase cost of approximately $300,000. To provide the highest level of accuracy and quality at the lowest possible cost to rate-payers, CSS partnered with SewerAI, utilizing affordable action camera hardware paired with advanced cloud-based software powered by AI, including NASSCO MACP deliverables. Importantly, SewerAI’s technologies eliminated the need for this type of initial overhead cost to stand-up its MH inspection crew.

The National Association of Sewer Service Companies (NASSCO) sets industry guidelines for the assessment and rehabilitation of underground infrastructure, focusing on the advancement of trenchless technologies in North America. 

The Manhole Assessment and Certification Program (MACP) guidelines provide a standardized framework for inspecting and documenting the condition of MHs. These guidelines ensure consistent, reliable data collection and, along with MACP-certified software from SewerAI, provide objective ratings of the structural and maintenance condition of MHs on a five-point scale, which is critical for informed maintenance, repair or replacement decisions.

The Town of Ajax assessment project has significantly enhanced accuracy and efficiency through the use of Pioneer by SewerAI because the cloud-based platform leverages Sewer3D, which incorporates photogrammetry-based tools. 

For those new to the term photogrammetry, it’s a method that derives accurate spatial measurements from photographic images, often involving automated analysis of multiple overlapping photographs of objects from different viewpoints. These images are processed through specialized software to create a detailed 3D model by triangulating the digital pixels for representation as points in 3D space.

 “Sewer3D creates digital twins of MHs from data captured with very affordable and easy to operate 360 cameras that cost hundreds of dollars to buy, not hundreds of thousands,” says Billy Gilmartin, SewerAI’s co-founder and CRO.

With these advanced photogrammetry tools, users can capture precise measurements and download 3D models of underground structures for use in computer-aided drafting (CAD) software. These tools also enable the generation of unfolded 2D views and interactive 360 “pan & tilt,” allowing users to experience being “inside” the sewer and facilitates NASSCO MACP reporting.

CSS, the cornerstone operation of the Capital Infrastructure Group located in Vaughan, Ontario, brought a wealth of in-house expertise to the project. “The integration of Pioneer by SewerAI allowed us to deliver unparalleled inspection accuracy and efficiency, ultimately leading to better maintenance decisions and extended asset life,” said Ryan Maloney, division manager – CCTV & Inspection at CSS. 

Data analyst Adam Alzein added, “With the advanced data analytics, we could identify potential issues much earlier, allowing for proactive maintenance and reducing the risk of unexpected failures.” 

Aggregating hundreds of thousands of inspections stored in the Pioneer platform has been insightful for evaluating the magnitude of North America’s deteriorating sewer infrastructure. In an analysis conducted by SewerAI of 34,565 NASSCO MACP Level II surveys completed through its AI-assisted process, 9,119 MHs contained Grade 4 and Grade 5 structural defects, and 1,810 MHs contained Grade 4 and Grade 5 Operation and Maintenance (O&M) defects, representing 31.6 per cent of the total MHs assessed. This underscores the critical need for accurate assessment tools in maintaining sewer infrastructure, and the need for cash-strapped utilities to adopt cost-effective solutions.

Additionally, Sewer3D data and deliverables can be reviewed and analyzed without the need to download or install specialized software on users’ machines. Because the datasets are hosted in a cloud platform optimized for both Google Chrome and Microsoft Edge browsers, commonly used software programs, the ability for project stakeholders to leverage the deliverables and collaborate increases immensely compared to legacy systems, which require the download and installation of proprietary software programs to view the data.

Economic analysis of MH inspection methods shows that adopting cloud-based photogrammetry such as Sewer3D significantly reduces initial capital expenditures. By using affordable, consumer-available 360 action cameras, the per MH cost of inspections is drastically reduced. Compared to conventional methods, such as confined space entry and legacy MH scanning systems, the cost savings exceed 85 per cent and 40 per cent, respectively. 

With CSS at the helm and the sophisticated capabilities of Pioneer by SewerAI, the Town of Ajax has set a new standard in municipal infrastructure management, reflecting their commitment to leveraging technology for enhancing public services and asset longevity.

This approach not only improves accuracy and efficiency but also significantly reduces costs, demonstrating the transformative impact of new technologies on sewer infrastructure management.

Eric Sullivan is director of business development at SewerAI. John Medeiros is the business development manager for Capital Infrastructure Group.