Thames Water trials AI dam monitor

Thames Water is trialling an artificial intelligence-based dam monitoring system that its creator, Binnies, claims will enable users to monitor an entire dam for movement and possible causes of seepage. Binnies forecasts the system will boost the reservoir industry’s understanding of normal and potentially detrimental observations.

Thames is trialling Binnies’ dam monitoring system, iDMS, at the Queen Elizabeth II Reservoir in London. The system combines Binnies’ reservoir expertise and digital ecosystem services with geospatial technology developer, Rezatec’s artificial intelligence techniques. According to Binnies, iDMS identifies the unique basal rhythm of a dam by combining historical satellite data with advanced analytics. It monitors future movement of the dam and reports any anomalous changes that could indicate issues.

Binnies claimed the data generated by the system “will be used to provide a more detailed risk profile for the reservoir and could help to prioritise future investment and enable focused operational activity to improve reservoir safety.”

Binnies' reservoir delivery director, Matthew Coombs, said that the Thames trial “will give the reservoir industry valuable information and a much enhanced understanding of both routine dam movement and potentially anomalous movement, which may be the precursor of a future dam safety incident.”