Pipe risks spotted from space

TECHNOLOGY UPDATE

UK geospatial technology company MGISS, has launched a pilot project to identify and locate risks arising from construction works sited close to critical utility assets. The project aims to reduce nationwide disruptions to gas and water supply.

According to MGISS the €1m project: Interruption Prevention Alert Service (IPAS), will use satellite data and services to detect changes to the built environment. It has forecast that the threats that the water sector faces from construction are likely to intensify with the government’s anticipated easing of UK planning laws as part of the Levelling Up and Regeneration Bill, along with proposed additional investment in infrastructure and housebuilding.

IPAS is supported by €500,000 of match funding from European Space Agency (ESA). It will run initially for two years to test its technical and commercial viability, and to develop a market plan.

MGISS is heading up the project in collaboration with data partner, Geospatial Insight; client partners, Northumbrian Water Group and Northern Gas Networks; and funding partners, ESA and the UK Space Agency. The launch of the pilot followed MGISS’s joint workshop with ESA at Northumbrian Water’s 2020 Innovation Festival, and two years of collaboration with the water and gas firms.