Nationwide Marine INNS Surveys Across Irish Marinas
APEM Group was commissioned by Irelandās National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) to deliver a nationwide programme of marine invasive...
APEM Group - Case Study
APEM partnered with Yorkshire Water to deliver a large-scale aerial mapping project across key coastal and inland bathing water catchments. Using advanced geospatial technologies and AI-driven analytics, the project created a comprehensive, high-resolution view of wastewater infrastructure and pollution risk points – enabling proactive management of bathing water quality.
Project Context
In 2011, ownership of private sewer networks transferred to UK water companies, significantly expanding operational responsibility without a complete understanding of asset locations. For Yorkshire Water, this meant managing over 26,000 km of additional infrastructure with limited mapping data.
This knowledge gap has historically led to reactive approachesāinvestigating issues only after pollution events or system failures occurred. With increasing regulatory pressure around bathing water quality and environmental performance, Yorkshire Water required a scalable, intelligence-led solution to better understand its wastewater network and mitigate pollution risks.
As well as identifying the previously unknown sewer network, the project aimed to map potential misconnections and other pollution sources within urban and rural environments, to provide a holistic view of factors impacting water quality across the entire catchment.
Key Stats
- Over 80 kmĀ² of coastal and inland bathing water catchments surveyed
- 500,000+ previously unmapped sewer connection points identified
- ~4,000% increase in identified network contact points
- 32,000+ potential misconnections detected
- 2,800 high-priority misconnections directly impacting watercourses
- 178 potential rural pollution sources identified
Project Challenges
The project faced several key challenges, including limited visibility across both legacy assets and newly acquired sewer infrastructure, making it difficult to build a complete picture of the network. Data had historically been collected in a fragmented, reactive way, rather than through a coordinated, strategic approach. This made it particularly challenging to identify pollution sources, such as misconnections. As a result, operational inefficiencies persisted, with teams often carrying out unnecessary site visits and responding later than ideal to emerging issues. Additionally, there was a clear need for scalable, catchment-wide insight to effectively manage large and complex areas and identify pollution risks outside of the urban centres.
APEM Solution
APEM delivered a fully integrated aerial survey and geospatial intelligence solution, combining:
- Fixed-wing aircraft equipped with bespoke high-resolution camera systems to capture detailed imagery at scale
- Creation of accurate 2D and 3D models of the surveyed catchments
- Deployment of AI-enabled feature extraction to rapidly identify sewer assets such as manholes, gullies and drainage entry points
- Advanced analytics to detect potential misconnections and pollution pathways
- A holistic, above-ground perspective to connect visible infrastructure to below-ground networks
This ābirds-eye viewā approach enabled Yorkshire Water to move from reactive investigation to proactive, data-driven decision-making, significantly improving their ability to identify and prioritise pollution risks.
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This overarching view using APEMās technology will improve how we manage andĀ maintain the sewer network, as well as give us the intelligenceĀ requiredĀ to predict and prevent some pollutions and floodings in the future. Plugging this important historical gap will allow Yorkshire Water to confidentlyĀ plan for the future.
– Thomas Ogden, Innovation Technical Specialist, Yorkshire Water
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Additional SupportĀ
Beyond delivery, APEM ensured the projectās outputs were fully actionable by:Ā
- Integrating data into Yorkshire Waterās operational systemsĀ
- Enabling cross-team access to insights to support collaborative decision-makingĀ
- Helping reduce unnecessary field investigations through better targetingĀ
- Supporting prioritisation of high-risk misconnections and pollution sourcesĀ
APEM continues to support water companies with a range of complementary solutions addressing pollution, leakage, droughtĀ resilienceĀ and environmental monitoring.Ā
Ā Building a Smarter Future for WaterĀ
This projectĀ demonstratesĀ the value of combining geospatial intelligence,Ā AIĀ and environmentalĀ expertiseĀ to transform how water companies understand and manage their assets.Ā
By enabling earlier intervention, reducing pollutionĀ riskĀ and improving operational efficiency, APEM is helping shape a more resilient, data-driven water sector.Ā
Explore how APEM is helping water companies tackle pollution, improveĀ resilienceĀ and unlock smarter network insights inĀ APEMāsĀ Future of WaterĀ campaign.Ā
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