Costain have partnered with WSP have been granted funding to develop an AI-powered platform for Northumbrian AMP8 projects
Funding has been granted to Costain and WSP by Northumbrian Water to support Northumbrian AMP8 projects.
The funding will cover the development of a platform, powered by AI, to enhance development of Northumbrian AMP8 projects.
The Northumbrian AMP8 projects platform will be called WISDOM
WISDOM – Wastewater Insights for Standardisation, Delivery, Operation, and Maintenance – will be a platform that utilises generative AI to capture, standardise, and analyse vast quantities of data from different sources.
Northumbrian AMP8 projects are likely to see twice as much investment in the next cycle, as well as an increase in asset interventions, capital delivery, and required operational teams.
WISDOM would optimise and combine large datasets for processing, and provide quicker and richer insights into operational performance for the AMP8 delivery teams. It could potentially save as much as 45% of their time in the working week.
WISDOM could provide teams with information much faster
Gavin Stonard, framework director at Costain, said: “Capital delivery programmes in AMP8 – which will see a doubling of investment on wastewater assets compared with AMP7 – will require enormous volumes of data to be gathered and analysed for design, operational and compliance purposes. This will be a considerable challenge and will not be accomplished using existing techniques.
“Working closely with WSP and Northumbrian Water and using cutting-edge generative AI technology, we will provide teams with the information they need quickly and efficiently. This will be a first-of-a-kind solution for the water sector, and one that could have significant benefits in improving productivity, reducing delivery times and creating better outcomes for Northumbrian Water customers.
“It’s hugely exciting to be taking this idea to proof-of-concept stage. Being at the forefront of innovation is a testament to the enterprising culture that Northumbrian Water has fostered with its suppliers.”
The team explored options such as generative AI
Michelle Johnson, technical director at WSP, said: “We quickly recognised the challenge facing Northumbrian Water and that solving it required new and radical thinking. The Innovation Festival allowed us to stretch the boundaries and consider the adoption of new technologies, such as generative AI, and apply them to a capital delivery setting. We’re looking forward to taking WISDOM to the next level with the hope that, if successful, we can roll it out and make important savings throughout AMP8.”
Richard Seales, head of engineering for Northumbrian Water, said: “Coming up with fresh ways of thinking about the delivery of new and upgraded wastewater assets is not easy, but Costain and WSP have more than risen to the challenge, and their energy and enthusiasm has been plain to see. This was one of the standout ideas from our Innovation Festival and we’re excited to see how its application could solve a big challenge facing the whole of the water sector.”
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