071744 Ranking Maping and Flow Path

POWER & UTILITIES Ranking, Mapping, and Flow Path Ontario

Project Summary

Ranking, Mapping, and Flow Path Ontario

Key Project Elements  Ranking  Mapping  Flow Path  GIS

Utility assets can damage the environment when equipment failures occur. When a large number of assets are considered over a vast geographic area, a Geographic Information System (GIS) can assist the process of ranking assets for maintenance or replacement. In this study, approximately 1,400 sites were examined and site characteristics summarised including:     

Topography (slope) Proximity to and quantity of domestic water wells in vicinity Soil type and hydrologic class Surficial geology Proximity to surface water receptors (streams, lakes, wetlands)

Additional considerations such as the equipment age, anticipated lifespan, and others were examined. The environmental data obtained via GIS was coupled with this data and analysed in a Microsoft Access database. These site characteristics were also mapped for site generating approximately 10,000 maps in an automated fashion.

A surface water flow path was generated based on topography in addition to the site characteristics. This can be extended to estimate the rate of spill migration and distance covered per unit time for local conditions.

Ref: 071744