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“Traditionally a human might look at the four to five variables that are most available to us, but the computer was able to process 123 variables and look for correlations and the relationships,” Hsia said.

And the result? A map of the city’s network showing areas with the highest probability of future leaky pipes.

The artificial intelligence system dovetails nicely with a new “acoustic” pilot project that listens to the flow of water in downtown during the early morning hours to identify leaks before they become more destructive.

Already, that sound-based equipment has alerted staff to 12 leaks.

“These technologies allow us to leverage massive amounts of information and aid us in everything from predicting how much water Londoners will use next year to preventing another major sink hole in downtown London,” Scott Mathers, city hall’s water boss, said.

And though most of the leaks are minor, water operations engineer Scott Koshowski said it proves “this system is working and is working very well.”

There have been “no major catastrophic breaks,” he said. Quite the opposite. One of the leaks flagged for staff was a teeny, tiny leak coming from a toilet in an empty house.

“It caught us off guard, because technically the system isn’t supposed to be able to find a leak that small,” Koshowski said.

Council approved purchase of that sound-based technology, with a $330,000 price tag, in 2017.

Staff are now looking at expanding that project with the sound technology. It could even marry with the artificial intelligence.

“They could go hand-in-hand down the line somewhere,” Koshowski said.

“There’s definitely potential.”

mstacey@postmedia.com

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