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How AIM helped a regional drainage authority detect pipe stress and erosion before failure.
Drainage infrastructure is often out of sight, but never out of risk. When pipes collapse, joints fail, or walls erode, the results can be catastrophic: flooding, road damage, property loss, and environmental harm. In 2023, a regional water and drainage authority began searching for a way to monitor a high-risk section of their underground system. AIM was chosen to help.
This particular stretch of the network ran beneath a mix of residential and industrial zones. It was built in the 1970s, included several reinforced concrete segments, and had shown signs of erosion near inspection manholes. Traditional inspection methods were costly, labor-intensive, and often disruptive. The goal was clear: detect early signs of failure before they required emergency action.
AIM deployed a suite of sensors to monitor strain, displacement, and internal pressure at critical junctions. The platform was designed to work with the authority’s existing systems, requiring no replacement hardware or invasive testing. In under a week, the data started flowing—and with it, insights the team had never seen before.
Instead of just recording pipe vibration or water levels, AIM’s AI analyzed behavioral trends. It accounted for seasonal flow, recent rainfall, and daily usage patterns. From this baseline, it was able to detect anomalies—long before traditional red flags would have appeared.
None of these findings had been picked up during standard inspections just months earlier. AIM’s system had provided a second layer of intelligence—quietly identifying developing risks in real time, without disruption to service or operations.
With support from AIM’s dashboard, the utility team created a phased response plan. The high-risk areas received targeted reinforcement, while the remaining stretch was scheduled for scheduled maintenance based on live condition data—not guesswork or past assumptions.
Even better, the team could now communicate their needs to stakeholders with confidence. Graphs, alert histories, and AI forecasts turned into board-ready reports. Budgets were allocated more efficiently. Uncertainty became clarity.
“With AIM, we’re no longer guessing. We can see weak points forming and act early—with precision.”
Operations Manager, Regional Water & Drainage Authority
With AIM, we’re no longer guessing. We can see weak points forming and act early—with precision.
One of the biggest advantages AIM brought to this case was its ability to work with difficult, real-world data. Drainage networks aren’t uniform. They bend, twist, age differently, and react unpredictably to flow and chemical exposure. AIM didn’t require a model to know what “should” happen. It learned from the behavior it saw, and from there, identified anything out of the ordinary.
This made the system ideal for legacy infrastructure. There was no need to retrofit the network or simulate theoretical outcomes. AIM worked with what was there, and it worked fast.
The bridge remained fully operational.
And ongoing extended lifespan. Forecasts allowed engineers to defer costly rehabilitation safely.
Estimated annual savings from avoided traffic restrictions
Thanks to this success, the drainage authority is now expanding AIM to monitor other high-risk zones across their network. These include underground reservoirs, large outfalls, and flow-critical urban intersections. Each deployment adds to the system’s learning, making future insights even stronger.
In an industry where risk is usually addressed after failure, AIM offers something rare—early, accurate, and scalable foresight. And for this team, that means less disruption, fewer repairs, and safer communities.
Before AIM, we were always reacting. Now, we see the problems before they become problems.
AIM’s monitoring system gave us the confidence to keep the bridge open safely—and extend its service life.
