Fully Automated Decision Support System for Assessing the Suitability of Trenchless Technologies

Abstract

Decisions related to the rehabilitation of wastewater and water infrastructure are increasingly more complicated as the number and complexity of technologies in the marketplace increases. Established methods, such as cured-in-place pipe (CIPP), are constantly evolving, and new techniques continue to be developed in North America and abroad. The need to assess the suitability of these constantly changing technologies creates the need for a resource capable of evaluation and selection of appropriate methods through a Web-based source that can be kept up to date. To meet that need, the Trenchless Technology Center (TTC), in collaboration with the National Utility Contractors Association (NUCA), Australasian Society of Trenchless Technology (ASTT), and National Association of Sewer Service Companies (NASSCO), through multiple research initiatives, has developed a comprehensive and interactive software for the evaluation of more than 70 technologies that can be employed in the installation, replacement, and rehabilitation of buried water and wastewater pipes (i.e., gravity driven and pressurized) or manhole structures. The fully automated decision support system (DSS) can be accessed through a Web-portal named the Trenchless Assessment Guide for Rehabilitation (TAG-R) online. This paper presents the Web-based tool TAG-R and three case studies used as part of the validation of the DSS.