ITpipes Launches Its AI Sewer Inspection Coding Solution for Wastewater Agencies and CCTV Contractors Using Any Inspection Software
ITpipes today announced that AiDetect, its AI defect coding solution for sewer CCTV inspections, is now available to wastewater agencies and CCTV contractors that do not use ITpipes software. Teams upload an inspection database with video, AiDetect codes every defect, and the team exports a NASSCO exchange database ready to import into its current inspection software.
Defect coding is one of the most repetitive jobs in a CCTV program. Someone has to watch every foot of video and code it frame by frame, and that work usually falls to an operator who could be collecting inspections or an experienced staff member who could be planning rehabilitation. At the same time, many agencies are losing experienced operators and coders faster than they can replace them. The American Water Works Association estimates that one-third of water utility workers could retire within the next decade. Every new hire brings a learning curve, and coding quality often varies from crew to crew.
“Your pipes have enough problems. Coding shouldn’t be one of them,” said Nick Bruckner, Chief Revenue Officer, ITpipes. “Most agencies and contractors are just starting to learn what AI can do, and they want to trust the results before they rely on them. AiDetect pairs AI defect coding with expert human review and takes the repetitive coding work off their teams. They get more done with the staff they have, operators stay on inspections and maintenance, and experienced staff can focus on rehabilitation and planning.”
How AiDetect works
- Upload: Send a NASSCO exchange database with the inspection videos attached to each pipe segment.
- AI defect coding: AiDetect applies a PACP code, distance and severity to each defect. NASSCO-certified reviewers check the low-confidence items before results are released.
- Review: The agency team can verify observations against the video directly in the AiDetect dashboard.
- Export: A NASSCO exchange database is exported by the agency and is ready to load into any existing inspection software.
Because AiDetect codes every inspection the same way, coding stays consistent across the whole system, regardless of an operator’s experience or training. ITpipes’ AI model is trained on 15 years of underground inspection data from systems all across North America. That means the model has been trained on millions of feet of inspection footage, covering a wide range of pipe materials, ground conditions and defect variations, which supports both the accuracy and the consistency of its coding.
“AI earns its place in a sewer inspection workflow only when your team can see what it found, check it against the video, and stand behind the result in front of a regulator, an engineer or a city council,” said Ned Bebawy, Chief Executive Officer, ITpipes. “With AiDetect, the AI does the first pass, and the agency or contractor keeps the final say on what gets uploaded into the final system of record or shared with the client.”
Availability
AiDetect is available now to agencies and CCTV contractors in the United States and Canada for mainline pipe inspections. To learn more or speak with an AiDetect solutions specialist, visit itpipes.com/aidetect/ai-sewer-inspection or email solutions@itpipes.com.
About ITpipes
ITpipes is a leading provider of pipe inspection software and AI coding solutions for water and wastewater utilities, municipalities and CCTV contractors across the United States and Canada. Built on Esri ArcGIS and aligned with NASSCO PACP, MACP and LACP standards, ITpipes helps agencies collect, manage and act on condition data to keep critical infrastructure running. ITpipes is headquartered in Seattle, Washington. Learn more at www.itpipes.com.