Methods to detect outliers in network flow measurements that may be due to pipe bursts or unusual consumptions are fundamental to improve water distribution system on-line operation and management, and to ensure reliable historical data for sustainable planning and design of these systems. To detect and classify anomalous events in flow data from district metering areas a four-step methodology was adopted, implemented and tested: i) data acquisition, ii) data validation and normalization, iii) anomalous observation detection, iv) anomalous event detection and characterization. This approach is based on the renewed concept of outlier regions and depends on a reduced number of configuration parameters: the number of past observations, the true positive rate and the false positive rate. Results indicate that this approach is flexible and applicable to the detection of different types of events (e.g., pipe burst, unusual consumption) and to different flow time series (e.g., instantaneous, minimum night flow).

Strategic asset management of urban water infrastructures jointly deals with assets of diverse nature, useful life, cost, age and condition. Service sustainability requires a sound long-term planning, which needs assessing, among other aspects: the value of the infrastructure over time; the need for reinvestments; the impact of long-term re-investment policies. The infrastructure value index (IVI) was proven to be a powerful modelling tool for combined long-term planning of linear and vertical assets. An open-source software enables IVI assessment for both asset-by-asset detailed inventory and for simplified cohort-based infrastructure description. This paper presents the formulation, discusses the underlying assumptions and applicability, and illustrates its use for strategic planning

iGPI, the National Initiative for Infrastructure Asset Management is a Portuguese collaborative project led by LNEC (National Civil Engineering Laboratory, Portugal) through which 19 water utilities develop their own infrastructure asset management (IAM) systems and plans in a joint training and capacitation programme. Technical assistance to the participating utilities is ensured by LNEC, IST (Technical University of Lisbon) and Addition, a software development company. The water utilities get collective as well as one-on-one support and specific training. They benefit from networking with the other utilities in a common and simultaneous process, with similar difficulties and challenges, leading to an effective sharing of solutions. The developed products, including training materials, templates and guidelines for developing strategic and tactical IAM plans, are available to the general public. This project has greatly contributed to the establishment of reference methodologies and standards for IAM planning, in a range of utilities of widely diverse size and context, effectively defining an accepted best practice. This paper discusses the project's format and its advantages, and goes on to describe the main outcomes, including selected cases and final products.Keywords: urban water services; infrastructure asset management; collaborative project; strategic planning; tactical planning CASE 1 LargeFeatures: utility is the result of the recent merger of 10 municipal water and wastewater services; very diverse contexts, challenges, and data availability and quality among the municipalities; certified BSC management system; GIS available, but reflecting the disparity in information availability, depth and quality among the municipalities. † iGPI was seen by the utility as a golden opportunity to help establish sound organizational processes. † One of the challenges for this utility was to prioritize the municipalities with higher rehabilitation needs, in a sound, transparent and accountable way, in a context of local political sensitiveness where consensus-driven negotiation is crucial. The results from iGPI helped respond to this challenge, particularly through a sound IAM metrics system. † The existing BSC implementation did not address the long-term effect of the managerial decisions. Although changes are more difficult to implement given the size and complexity of the organization, several new metrics have been included and a transition process has been devised towards a fully satisfactory BSC implementation. † iGPI also gave rise to multiple new data collection procedures, particularly related to GIS, work orders, and harmonization among information systems. CASE 2 MidsizeFeatures: technologically developed utility; well-trained human resources available; good inventory; full coverage, reliable GIS; good monitoring systems; hydraulic models available for the entire water supply system. † The availability of a large amount of information, mostly reliable, including all-mains calibrated hydraulic models for the e...

A decision support system (DSS) tool for the assessment of intervention strategies in an urban water system (UWS) with an integral simulation model called "WaterMet 2 " is presented. Lists of intervention options and Performance Indicators (PI) are exposed by the DSS for the user to define intervention strategies and metrics for their comparison. The quantitative and risk-based metrics are calculated by WaterMet 2 and risk modules while the qualitative metrics may be quantified by external tools feeding into the DSS. Finally, a Multi-Criteria Decision Analysis (MCDA) approach is employed in the DSS to compare the defined intervention strategies and rank them with respect to a pre-specified weighting scheme for different scenarios. This mechanism provides a useful tool for decision makers to compare different strategies for the planning of UWS with respect to multiple scenarios. The suggested DSS is demonstrated through the application to a northern European real-life case study.

Strategic asset management (AM) of urban water infrastructures faces the challenge of dealing with expensive and long-lasting assets of a very diverse nature and wide-ranging useful lives and costs. Typically, utility managers inherit an infrastructure with assets in assorted conditions and stages in their lifecycle. They are expected to manage their value in order to ensure adequate service, and make sure that what they pass on to their successors is capable of continuing to do so. Long-term vision is needed, and sound transition paths must be sought in order to ensure that urban water services are sustainable, without jeopardizing the quality of the service provided during the transition. Focusing on the transition to more sustainable services, the TRUST project revisited the concept of sustainability, explored pressures and drivers, and developed and tested a roadmapping methodology to cope with the implementation of disruptive solutions. Leading-edge analysis and assessment methods and tools were developed, multiple technologies were tested, scientific and guidance publications were produced. All of this can be explored and absorbed into a coherent management process. This paper describes the TRUST approach for infrastructure AM, addressing strategic, tactical and operational planning, supported by professional-grade software.