Introduction and background
The genesis of InfoWorks CS was in 1982 with the arrival of the mainframe-based WASSP program. Subsequent versions included WALLRUS in 1987 and the first Windows-based version, HydroWorks in 1994, which marked the start of the solution’s rise to popularity as the new interface enhanced its appearance and ease of use.
InfoWorks CS itself was formally released in 1999 and marked a significant change from HydroWorks. Sales Manager, Andrew Walker, notes, “When a new solution is launched, particularly when it supersedes one as well-regarded as HydroWorks, it has to be what is known as a ‘killer application’ - one that people will understand immediately is absolutely necessary for them.
”The massive advantage of InfoWorks CS was its ability to transfer data seamlessly to and from third-party applications such as GIS, Excel and Word files. This was as revolutionary a concept in its day as HydroWorks had been before it and it is a key part of the reason why the solution has been adopted so widely, particularly in the UK.”
Over the years since its launch, Wallingford Software has added many modeling tools, though the simulation engine - underlining its basic effectiveness -- has not changed dramatically. Mr. Walker notes: “The tools have enabled clients to build the model more effectively and confidently, and to be able to justify their results better. The improvements have revolutionized the way people work, and have provided a real focus to attention to detail. The solution’s ability to provide an audit trail is particularly important in the UK.”
Modeling trends
Mr. Walker explains, “Integrated modeling is definitely the key trend for InfoWorks CS - the combination of more traditional piped networks to include, as part of the model, many of the above-ground minor channels such as streams and brooks, which typically carry stormwater to larger watercourses.
“In recent years the maintenance of such channels has been less than optimum, so blockages due to natural debris and fly-tipping have become commonplace and cause much urban flooding.”
Most integrated modeling is undertaken in response to flooding incidents, in order to find the source of the problem which, in the majority of instances, can be traced to a lack of capacity within the sewer network that leaves it unable to cope with storm flows.
Mr. Walker adds, “As more and more information becomes available from surveys on the state of sewer networks, modelers are increasingly able to use this next-generation data within their models to provide a holistic understanding of the way the network behaves.” Such detailed modeling can in this way become an invaluable aid to strategic decision-making.
Key markets
Mr. Walker notes that “the use of InfoWorks CS has grown in the past two years even in the UK, where it is by far the dominant solution in its field. Water companies, and the consultants who work for them, are still the main clients, but these have been joined by internal drainage boards.” These are independent bodies responsible for land drainage in areas of special drainage need that extends to 1.2 million hectares of lowland England. They have permissive powers to undertake works to secure drainage and water level management in their districts, and may also undertake flood defense works on ordinary watercourses within their district (watercourses other than a ’main river’).
Two drainage boards - Fenlands and Somerset Levels - have bought InfoWorks CS and there is a great deal of interest across the south west and east of England. This has been sparked by the government’s ambitious house building initiative, which requires the building of three million houses by 2020, two million of which must be delivered by 2016. Mr. Walker adds: “One of the key questions is whether the resultant urban runoff can be dealt with when currently rural areas become the planned new towns. Key organizations are feeling a great deal of pressure - drainage boards, water companies, the Environment Agency - to have tangible solutions to this very real problem.”
In other parts of the world the solution’s users are often cities, their water departments or consultancies working on behalf of cities, such as Zaragoza Council in Spain and the city of Utrecht in The Netherlands. This is also true in the US, where a growing number of cities are realizing that the solution can not only be used for ad-hoc projects but as a vital tool for day-to-day operations due to its power, speed and reliability. This makes InfoWorks CS increasingly not just a tool but a partner solution of choice for operational and strategic decision-making.
Popular advantages
“The reaction to the latest version of InfoWorks, v9.0 - has been extraordinary - ‘stunning’ and ‘incredible’ are words that genuinely are being used by clients. Obviously the launch of the 2D engine is a focus for these remarks, but generally the features and functions of the latest release are seen as extremely good. In more general terms clients are also reacting positively to the fact that when projects require features Wallingford Software is able to respond, and also to provide fast, effective support if problems occur. People have nothing but praise for the support team, which is critical as sales to existing clients can be completely ruined by a bad experience with support,” says Mr. Walker.
He explains, “The fact that the solution does everything that it promises to do accounts for a lot of its popularity, plus the fact that on the rare occasions when people are pushing the boundary of what it can do, help is on hand to sort out any difficulties.”
World trends
Mr. Walker notes, “The solution has gone global in a very short period of time, and it is notable that markets in different countries are showing very different trends and have very different levels of expectation and expertise. For instance, in the UK there has been a tremendous uptake of the 2D engine, and modelers are looking to work in a significant amount of detail - a trend that applies even more in the Benelux region, which requires a tremendous amount of detail.”
In the UK, the widespread and damaging flooding last summer brought an intense political and media focus to the subject, which means that even relatively minor incidents now receive much more attention than they would have previously. This raised profile has driven the uptake of InfoWorks CS as the relevant authorities work to find collection and carriage solutions to flash storm runoff.
Mr. Walker concludes,: “There is a similar pattern in other countries around the world - unusually heavy flash flooding is becoming an increasingly common occurrence as the climate warms up, and this is likely to be a universal driver for sales of the solution.”
Another key trend, particularly in the US, is for cities to be seeking total solutions to sanitary sewer overflows. The Clean Water Act of 1977 set out basic aims for eliminating releases of toxic substances and other pollutants to receiving waters, with a series of deadlines, and this legislative framework has been expanded over the decades by the US Environmental Protection Agency in the form of additional Rules, guidance and manuals.
Because of this a large number of cities are now working to meet the ultimate goal of achieving zero sanitary sewer discharges during storm events, a massive task that requires a great deal of network modeling. Major cities including New York, San Francisco, Washington and Chicago have used InfoWorks CS as a key part of their analysis towards ending SSOs.
In the US, because of the nature of the federal and state government system, some states have set higher requirements than are mandated in federal legislation and in some areas this is driving the speed at which improvements are being made to sewer networks.
In addition there are serious concerns, as there are in many developed countries, about the efficiency of an aging sewer network. The American Water Works Association points out that “the costs of compliance with federally mandated regulations, new security concerns, and increasing needs for rehabilitation or replacement combine to drive the need to increase [the] level of investment”.
The recent National Infrastructure Improvement Act mandates a commission to complete a study by 2010 to address the state of the nation’s infrastructure, and this strategy guidance will be a vital boost to both water and wastewater infrastructure renewal and consequently modeling.
Tom Davies, President of Wallingford Software Inc, adds, “Utilizing hydraulic models that are fast, robust and accurate is the most cost-effective exercise an engineer can undertake to determine exactly what is the most logical and efficient approach to solving the problems of today’s over-stressed, sparsely maintained, and inadequate infrastructure operations. This efficiency aligns itself perfectly with the parallel need from the community that sewer systems operate properly and make the environment better not worse.“