改变现场数据捕获和传输的准确性和精度

作者：AMT-SYBEX, part of Capita plc

英国的天然气网络是世界上最古老的，其历史可以追溯到1800年代初，尽管它的气体电源随着时间的推移升级，但仍有数千英里的管道由铸铁和其他延性金属制成。随着时间的流逝，这些管道会降低并最终断裂，导致瓦斯泄漏，影响环境，降低效率，提高成本并可能对人和建筑物构成危险。

Set up as an independent network in 2005 after previously being part of National Grid, Wales & West Utilities operates35,000 kilometres of gas distribution pipelines that transport gas to 2.5 million homesand businesses throughout Wales and the southwest of England. The company’s priority is to keep its 7.5 million customers safe and warm with gas connections and a gas supply they can rely on, and a level of service they can trust.

As Wales & West Utilities replaces old metal gas mains with new, long-lasting plastic ones across Wales and the southwest of England, it wants to be sure that those new pipes are easy to find and maintain in the future.

As it upgrades its pipes, the company also wants to upgrade its data and gain an even more accurate understanding of where its assets are. Wales & West Utilities has worked withAMT-SYBEX和Leica GeoSystems构建了一种新的移动解决方案，该解决方案使用高精度GNSS设备来测量和绘制铺设每个新管道的确切坐标，并捕获有关阀门，交界处和其他组件的重要元数据。以数字方式捕获信息有许多好处：

• Digital data capture saves time for field engineers and back-office teams
• 高精度GNSS提高了资产数据的准确性并降低了错误的风险
• Asset data can be transmitted from the field to the office in seconds, not days
• Eliminates paper-based processes, cuts costs and reduces environmental impact
• 由于位置数据更好，因此未来的维护工作应更安全，更有效。

Putting safety first

安全是威尔士和西公用事业的重中之重。该公司每周投资140万英镑，以替换建筑物30米以内的所有旧金属燃气管，可减少泄漏并提高安全性。

用更现代的塑料管代替这些金属电源可以显着提高网络的安全性和可靠性，从而减少泄漏的风险和所需的维修数量。因此，健康与安全主管已建议所有天然气分销网络加速替换金属主体，尤其是建筑物30 m以内的金属主管。

威尔士和西部公用事业公司已在船上采取了此建议，并且已经在30年的替代计划中几乎一半。平均而言，公司每年取代超过400公里的管道。

威尔士和西公用事业的数据记录经理贝弗利·罗宾逊（Beverley Robinson）评论：“这是一个巨大的计划，对企业和监管机构非常重要。除了捕获现场信息外，我的团队还负责验证所包含的数据，使我们的资产存储库在我们的SAP ERP业务系统中保持最新状态，并为监管机构提供有关我们的替代计划进度的报告。”

部分努力是确保当新管道铺设新管道时，该公司会更新其资产数据，以跟踪管道，阀门和关节如何结合在一起，它们的制成以及在哪里找到它们。准确记录管道的位置似乎是一项简单的任务，但它可能会产生复杂的问题。

基于纸的过程的问题

Simon Barrett, records officer at Wales & West Utilities, explains:“过去，我们的测量工程师将使用纸质图，剪贴板和测量轮驶出现场，并通过与地上参考点有关的测量值在地图上绘制新管道。例如，管道可能平行于距离柯布斯石（Kerbstone）75厘米的道路平行。

“但是，如果我们铺设管道几年后，道路被扩大并且路缘移动呢？那么我们的参考点不再准确，我们的工作人员很容易最终在错误的位置挖掘。或者，如果我们在附近没有任何方便的参考点的地方放置管道，例如场的中间？”

捕获初始数据后，下游过程也很费力。工程师将扩大其现场草图，并在较大的地图上绘制新管道，并将其发布到总部。然后，总部团队将查看地图并将数据输入公司的中央映射系统ESRI。

“我们不得不等待几天才能从现场到达最新信息，并且处理数据为每个人都耗时。”鲁滨逊补充说。“We also used a lot of paper, which was wasteful and impractical. Our measurement engineers need to be able to work outdoors in any conditions, and when it’s raining or windy, dealing with paper maps can be a big problem.”

Finding a solution

Wales & West Utilities wanted to find a solution that would take the burden of locating assets away from the user, and provide a precise, unambiguous view of where each pipe is laid. It also wanted to digitise the whole workflow and reduce manual effort at every stage.

“For a few years, our leakage teams have been using a mobile solution called Affinity Geofield from AMT-SYBEX, which gives them access to accurate mapping data while they’re working on-site - even if they’re in a remote area where they don’t have a mobile data connection,” says Barrett. “When we saw that Geofield could be used for drawing assets too, we saw its potential to help with some of our paperwork issues.”

为了解决问题的另一半，公司决定使用莉卡·泽诺（Leica Zeno），高精度GNSS设备从Leica GeoSystems，将每个管道的地理坐标定位到一个厘米的精度。但是，将ZENO GNSS硬件与地理场集成在一起将是一个首要项目。

“One of the biggest challenges was to ensure that the system would still work even if our measurement engineers lost their data connection,”解释说巴雷特。“Normally, the system works by using HxGN SmartNet Real-Time Kinematic GNSS services. The engineer holds a receiver, which takes positional data from a constellation of GNSS satellites. These readings are then compared with the readings taken by nearby base stations, whose precise locations are already known. By comparing the two, you can correct any errors in the readings and achieve incredible accuracy.

“但是，如果您没有与基站的移动数据连接，则无法比较读数，因此无法进行更正。由于我们的工程师经常在几乎没有手机信号的偏远地区工作，因此这可能是一个大问题。”

项目团队通过构建后处理功能解决了这一挑战 - 如果Geofield找不到移动数据连接，它将在本地存储所有未校正的读数，直到重新建立连接为止。连接恢复后，它可以处理批处理中的所有读数，并提供准确，校正的地理位置数据。