Water and Effluent Treatment Magazine
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22 WET NEWS AUGUST 2014 Keeping up with the latest technologies is essential for contractors to implement new efficiencies and improve health and safety, MUS head of business improvement Andy Carter, explains. The challenge: Keeping ahead of technology real-time A s part of a continual drive to deliver safer, smarter ways of working, Morri- son Utility Services (MUS) is constantly looking for real world applications that can im- prove operational efficiency and customer service delivery. An ongoing challenge for MUS is to identify and imple- ment innovative solutions that can deliver tangible, new effi- ciencies designed to improve day-to-day workflow, safety, and compliance and support cli- ents as they address the chal- lenges of the SIM regulatory framework. For operatives and engineers working out in the field, the ability to capture, retrieve and distribute real-time data and work updates, including pho- tos, barcodes and critical job information, is essential. Over recent years, the transi- tion from pen and paper to mobile solutions such as rugged laptops, tablets and smart- phones has proved something of a game changer. The introduction of mobile and tablet devices, with their built-in cameras and 3G and Wi-Fi functionality, has been hugely successful for MUS, ena- bling access to centralised busi- ness applications and delivery INSIGHT IT & TELEMETRY By connecting wirelessly to a mobile phone, Glass users carry out a range of operations including accessing and sending email of real-time progress updates from out in the field to Isis, the company's Work Management System. However, for all the benefits that the use of mobile technol- ogy in the field has delivered, for operatives working in full PPE in o‰en difficult conditions or confined spaces, inputting data can be problematic. One avenue of opportunity already being explored by MUS is wearable technology – cloth- ing or accessories that incorpo- rate computer technologies and electronic device functionalities. The introduction of wearable technology with the ability to capture and send hands-free, high quality photos and video footage from the field would therefore deliver new levels of operational effectiveness and efficiency. Google Glass is the latest example of wearable technology and the feeling at MUS is that it could prove instrumental in introducing new operational innovations and efficiencies that will enable smarter, safer working practices. The MUS Business Process and Systems team is already exploring a number of possible applications for Glass that could improve operational efficiency and health and safety even further. An interface between Glass and the company's Work Man- agement System (Isis) has already been established and the team is optimistic that the emergence of Glass will make the capture of real-time work updates, including photos, bar- codes and critical job informa- tion even easier. The big question for the util- ity sector is whether Glass has the potential to revolutionise the way we work? MUS' Andy Carter has been looking at Google's latest real-time technology to see if it has a role in the utility sector. A solution: Google Glass connection G oogle is pitching Glass as a hands-free, easy-to-use al- ternative to smartphones and the technology clearly shares an element of its design and function DNA with smartphone devices. Google Glass, however, is a little different. It doesn't sit on your wrist – it sits on your head! By connect- ing wirelessly to a mobile phone, Glass users can access and send email, browse and post online and capture and upload photos and video footage. Glass could emerge as a via- ble alternative to the rugged lap- tops, tablets and smartphones deployed by MUS since 2011. A hands-free solution capable of capturing uploading and send- ing in-field data, including high-quality, point-of-view per- spective photos and video foot- age, from site or within an exca- vation would bring a new level of operational effectiveness and efficiency for field operatives working in full PPE in difficult conditions and confined spaces. Also, Glass could enable the provision of critical data in the field operator's field of view in a hands-free unobtrusive manner to improve safety and situa- tional awareness. Glass also offers a new era in remote collaboration for any business with nationwide geo- graphic coverage and widely dispersed expertise. The ability to stream live footage to subject matter experts (SMEs), includ- ing engineers and planners, regardless of location, would offer instant access to guidance and expertise that could prove vital in averting or solving engi- neering issues in the field. The technology's footage playback functionality is tailor- made for remote training pur- poses - surgeons at UCLA have already used Glass to demon- strate the latest, pioneering sur- gical techniques to their Brazil- ian and Paraguayan counterparts. Glass could pre- sent similar opportunities for utility companies looking to record the deployment of inno- vative operational techniques and solutions from a first-per- son point-of-view. As Augmented Reality (AR) continues to gather momentum, there could also be scope for operatives to use Glass to see and assess utility infrastructure beneath the ground. AR, the system for aiding operatives in the maintenance, planning or surveying of underground infra- structure, superimposes 3D graphics over the field worker's view to provide "X-ray vision" of underground infrastructure. Operative instruction, outage management and network plan- ning are among the areas that could really benefit from AR and a Glass device offering a supe- rior graphical overlay and out- lining the appropriate trench to follow could present a revolu- tionary new way of working. MUS' inventory control sys- tem, launched in 2010, has become an established and key component in managing and tracking inventory on a number of its contracts. A Glass system developed to record inventory / asset management via barcodes or QR codes would provide operatives with an alternative to existing hand-held bar code scanners, acting as a virtual scanner capable of capturing data for incoming parts from suppliers, parts issued to gangs and parts returned by teams. THE CONCEPT • Google Glass is worn as a pair of glasses • An optical head-mounted display (OHMD) sits above the right eye, projecting a transparent display that creates the illusion of a 25in screen floating approximately 8ft in front of the user's right eye • A built-in, hands-free camera enables the capture of 5-megapixel photos and 720p HD video footage, while the device can also play back • Glass is controlled either by voice command or via a thin strip known as the "Touchpad" located on the right hand side of the frame NEED TO KNOW 1 Inputting data can be problematic for operatives working in full PPE in difficult conditions or confined spaces 2 Wearable technology that can capture and send hands-free information would help deliver new levels of operational effectiveness and efficiency 3 The ability to stream live footage would help overcome engineering problems THE VERDICT Inevitably, as with any emerging technology, there are strengths and weaknesses. On the plus side, the design is slick and comfortable to wear and the hands free functionality has the potential to deliver new levels of practicality to our day to day lives. On the downside, battery life is poor and the number of available apps is still relatively limited, although this will change quickly. It's also extremely expensive. Glass could enable the provision of critical data in the field operator's field of view in a hands-free unobtrusive manner to improve safety and situational awareness