A Buyer’s Guide
By: Chris McAleenan
Is it time to upgrade your conduit inspection software? Many asset owners and contractors are still using software that was released 10+ years ago and are facing end-of-life notifications from their vendors. Others are evaluating new software to meet the needs of the WSAA’s (Water Services Association of Australia) newly released 2020 v4.1 reporting code. This guide is intended to help you make the most of your software investment.
The good news is that we now have more choices than ever before, including the just-launched PipeTech Auscodes conduit inspection software. PipeTech Auscodes is the result of a collaborative effort between Peter Slingsby, an Australian water-industry veteran, and PipeTech Software, a company that has been creating inspection software for over 20 years. The increased competition in our market will lead directly to better products.
Evaluating software can be a daunting task. In Australia, we have faced limited options and high prices for many years. Now that there are more choices available, what criteria should you consider when making a decision? We surveyed experts who use conduit inspection software daily. More
29 January 2021
A new update of the Conduit Condition Codes of Australia, WSA 05-2020 Ver 4.1, arrived in late 2020. by Peter Slingsby, Auscodes
A lot of effort went into this update, with the code seeing significant revision, updates and testing to address the shortcomings and ambiguity of previous versions, but more importantly to bring scoring into line with practical applications and expectancy.
In 2021, we hope to see widespread adoption of this code.
Problems associated with 2008 and 2013 codes including scoring, descriptions, conduit materials and the general application of codes have been revised.
Some helpful additions have also been added, for example separating main conduit scores from lateral scores, faster input of codes, refined quantification measurements (for quicker identification and descriptions of problem areas etc.).
The new codes are produced in a digital manual that can be purchased and downloaded via the web here.
Whilst the consistency of language, scoring and application has been improved, this does not automatically translate to improved outcomes unless the assessor is adequately skilled and competent to classify and record information to the standard (or any previous versions of WSA05). More