IT, SCADA AND TELEMETRY
Water data
on tap
Yorkshire Water staff work
in some of Britain’s most
rugged landscapes. That’s
why they need a
notebook computer that
they can use when
dealing with floods and
bursts in the rain, snow,
or even underground
Toughbooks supply the engineers with their work schedule and provide all the data they need
T
he past ten years has been a period of informed. “That’s where the customer service Toughbook’s hard drive, updating whenever the
change for Yorkshire Water, which is impact is coming through,” Harrison says. “By coverage resumes. With a built-in 3G modem,
responsible for over 40,000 miles of getting the data to the guy in the field, he can the Toughbook CF-19 can connect to the
water and sewerage mains in Yorkshire, actually make decisions quickly. Then he can company’s networks and move large amounts of
supplying 1.24bn litres of drinking water every feed back into the system so that everyone can data at immediately. In addition, built-in WiFi
day. Back in 1999 the company was near the see what’s going on.” allows the engineer to pull up at a Yorkshire
bottom of UK regulator Ofwat’s league tables All this information is now shared with Water works, connect to the network, and
and was under pressure to improve efficiency. Yorkshire Water’s contract partners, who may be download updates at even greater speeds.
Now, it stands amongst Ofwat’s highest rated responsible for excavations or replacements to Still, one requirement never changes: the
suppliers. An investment in IT has been crucial the mains network. Yorkshire Water engineers need for a notebook that can handle one of
to this turnaround, and Panasonic Toughbooks can create jobs for these service partners out in Britain’s most rugged landscapes and dramatic
have been there every step of the way. the field, providing all the data they need to climates. “Our guys are obviously out in all
Every Yorkshire Water engineer or water make the repair in one simple process. weathers. Some of the Toughbooks may end up
sampler carries a Toughbook, and since summer This has resulted in Yorkshire Water’s increased in a hole that's full of water, at all hours of the
2007 the company has been replacing its investment in Toughbooks; the number of day and night, in floods, in snow, in rain,” notes
existing CF-18 models with the new CF-19Mk3. deployed units has grown from around 400 to Harrison. With its water resistant, magnesium
These Toughbooks supply the engineers with over 1,000 since 2001. Of these, 540 new alloy casing and heavily protected displays and
their work schedule and provide all the data they CF-19s will be out in the field by the end of hard drives – proof against -20°c temperatures
need to deal with the job in hand. This includes March, and this is merely the first phase of a and 90cm drops – the Toughbook CF-19 is built
details of dialogue with the customer and a three-year replacement programme. to cope. “Some of them will not be things that
history of previous problems, while Geographic Now working with its third generation of you'd like to take into your house in the state
Information Systems software enables the Toughbook, Yorkshire Water needed more than that they might get into,” says Harrison, “but they
engineer to locate Yorkshire Water assets both just an upgrade. “We were looking for support for keep working. They don't break.”
above and below ground. In some cases 3G and WiFi, we wanted devices that processed It’s not just the Toughbook that Yorkshire Water
engineers can actually control specific treatment information faster, we needed more capacity on trusts; the company regards Panasonic as a
works using their Toughbook from inside the van. the disk, and we’re always looking for improved reliable partner. “With the CF-19s they have bent
“We’ve effectively put Yorkshire Water in the van”, screen performance. The CF-19 delivers all of over backwards to get us what we needed to the
IT director, Alan Harrison, explains. that,” Alan Harrison explains. The CF-19’s time-scales that we needed,” Harrison says. He
In addition to receiving information from HQ improved 10.4in XGA display makes it easier to rates the CF-19 as the most reliable Toughbook
in the field, engineers can also update Yorkshire read the screen in bright sunlight, and the yet. It’s the linchpin of Yorkshire Water’s continuing
Water in real-time as a job progresses. In the notebook’s powerful built-in, high-speed wireless quest for better service. “They don’t let our guys
event of a burst pipe, they can use the communications have proved crucial. Parts of down – they’re giving them the right information
Toughbook’s touchscreen to draw a map, Yorkshire have no GPRS or 3G coverage, and we have people who are switched on; they
detailing the impact of remedial action, then feed meaning Yorkshire Water’s engineers move with deliver a great service.” What’s more, he notes,
that data back to keep service centre personnel all the data they need already saved on their “the guys love them.” ■■■
26 Water & Wastewater Treatment November 2009
Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48  |  Page 49  |  Page 50  |  Page 51  |  Page 52  |  Page 53  |  Page 54  |  Page 55  |  Page 56