The Need for National Data Standards for Condition Assessment

There is a lack of software interoperability, standard definitions, standard reports, standard codes, standard data storage, and standard information presentation practices. With the advent of GIS databases integrated with enterprise-level Asset Management Systems, there is an opportunity to capture and effectively utilize critical "as built" baseline condition data to obtain actionable information throughout the life-cycle of the asset. But this is only viable with consistent and compatible, "standardized" data collection. Currently, few standards exist for condition assessment data collection with buried pipes, and none are sufficiently comprehensive to enable the development of performance based design or "verifiable" implementation of artificial intelligence based prediction models. With the development and adoption of such standards to ensure data integrity, data collected by various operators, working for various companies, using various types of equipment and software, at different times, and even across multiple utilities, can be scientifically analyzed together.