Oldcastle Infrastructure enters strategic commercial partnership to enhance its CivilSense™ water asset management platform

Oldcastle Infrastructure, A CRH Company, the industry-leading infrastructure products and services company in North America, has entered a commercial agreement with VODA.ai, a global company focused on using AI technology to quickly and accurately identify areas in underground clean water systems that are at high risk of failure. 

The partnership adds proven AI technology for the data analysis and predictive reporting of water system failures to Oldcastle Infrastructure’s market-leading CivilSense™ asset management solution, making it the first to deliver both predictive and real-time leak detection and risk analysis to water utilities. It is estimated that around 2.7 trillion gallons of drinking water are lost annually in the U.S. due to leaks and main breaks, which equates to a staggering $6.4 billion in public and private revenue losses¹. The primary cause of these losses is aging infrastructure. 

CivilSense™ supports utilities with risk mitigation and proactive management of water systems and is the only platform and service that removes the uncertainty of main breaks and water system failures, coupled with the pinpoint accuracy of identifying existing leak locations. The predictive technology accurately assesses and forecasts areas of high failure risk, while the leak detection service uses strategically deployed acoustic sensors in the identified risk areas to locate and analyze the size of water leaks. 

“Our utility customers told us they struggle to mitigate the risk of water main breaks and subsequent loss of service to customers because they don’t have the technology or resources to effectively predict where the next potential break will occur. The partnership with VODA.ai gives CivilSense™ this expanded capability. This means accurately identifying where main breaks are most likely to occur, then using leak detection sensors to determine exactly where, and how large, leaks are now,” said Jeff Petrosky, Senior Vice President, Strategy and Marketing at Oldcastle Infrastructure. 

Petrosky added, “CivilSense™ gives utilities the ability to make data-driven decisions and allocate labor and budget effectively. This means no digging where there are no leaks and prioritizing leaks where the greatest water loss is occurring.”

VODA.ai also highlights the importance of the relationship in support of comprehensive water asset management. “We are thrilled to partner with Oldcastle Infrastructure and provide our powerful, AI-driven predictive analytics as a part of the CivilSense platform. For us, this partnership means expanding our reach to more communities, helping to prevent water loss and making a greater impact on sustainable water management,” said Cory Sides, SVP Sales, VODA.ai.

The predictive technology gives utilities, both public and private, the ability to see their own Geographic Information System (GIS) data across multiple dimensions, such as likelihood of failure, consequence of failure and business risk exposure. This data visualization allows for improved protection of critical infrastructure and prioritization while affording efficient budget and asset management planning. 

This partnership is part of Oldcastle Infrastructure’s long-term commitment to the growth and expansion of the CivilSense™ asset management platform. Jason Jackson, President of Oldcastle Infrastructure, said, “The commercial partnership with VODA.ai speaks to our commitment to help solve our nation’s biggest infrastructure challenges. Water is vital for people, manufacturing, communities and the planet. It is a finite resource we cannot afford to mismanage. I am proud to add this partnership as part of our expanded offering of CivilSense™. We are making a difference in our communities by helping our utility customers solve significant water challenges because, with CivilSense™, we are making the invisible visible.” 

¹Source:  Bluefield Research – https://www.bluefieldresearch.com/tackling-the-trillion-gallon-problem-water-loss-reduction-initiatives-benefit-utilities-and-consumers-alike/

About Oldcastle Infrastructure

Oldcastle Infrastructure, A CRH Company, is a leading provider of infrastructure solutions for the communications, energy and water markets. With an extensive network of manufacturing facilities and a focus on operational excellence, the company delivers innovative and sustainable products and services throughout North America. Utilizing scale, product breadth and more than 50 years of engineering expertise, the company delivers products and services designed for wastewater treatment, stormwater management and drainage, access & cable management, telecom & fiber utilities, security walls, electrical C&I, and smart infrastructure. The Oldcastle Infrastructure team partners with municipalities, utilities, contractors, asset owners and engineers to build and maintain the critical infrastructure that powers and connects our communities. 

For more information, visit www.oldcastleinfrastucture.com.