WinCan has continued its innovative approach to sewer inspection by releasing new products and services this year. From powerful AI defect coding to entirely cloud-based inspection workflows, 2021 has been a full year for the development team at WinCan, and we are looking forward to an even better year in 2022.

Pipeline Assessment Certification Program (PACP) is a standardized system for coding sewer pipe inspection footage. At its core, PACP functions as a consistent language for wastewater professionals to use across all assessment activities, and it ensures that maintenance and management are completed quickly and properly. 

From November through April, much of Canada experiences freezing temperatures. During that time, lows frequently reach subzero temperatures. Uni-Jet Industrial Pipe Service Ltd conducts cleaning and inspections for 6" to more than 10' pipes. Much of this work is done in Winnipeg, but they service a territory ranging from Nova Scotia to the Northern Rockies of British Columbia, meaning inspection teams need to be ready for anything. With over 40 years in operation, its crews have learned to navigate wet and icy conditions. And with WinCan VX to support their field work, they’ve developed a workflow designed to keep teams inspecting lines all year-round, in spite of the weather. 

WinCan has released new updates for WinCan VX. In many ways, Version 11 brings out the best in WinCan’s most popular features, including the project merger, manhole wizard and macro toolbar. Additionally, it creates more flexibility for municipalities with unique inspection standards and export needs. The complete list of updates is below.

Geography and climate play a big role in the development of sewer inspection workflows. The changing seasons affect the ground and buried infrastructure: The winter months bring freezing and contraction, while warmer weather thaws and loosens the earth. Some communities have no problem inspecting sewers and conducting rehab year-round, but others are limited by these weather patterns. 

Most real estate agents will tell you laterals can cause problems for home and business owners, such as blockages, wear-and-tear and leaks. But they can also cause trouble for construction and rehab teams if they are left undocumented and unmapped, and they are often major sources of systemwide I&I. For this reason, some municipalities shoulder the burden of inspecting residential sewer laterals, while others leave it to residents to request lateral inspection.

To be successful in these efforts, inspection teams need the right equipment and technology to traverse lateral lines and record inspection data about their location and condition. Without complete and accurate documentation, both property owners and rehab teams could be at risk. In the digital age, more municipalities are turning to Geographic Information System (GIS) mapping as a solution for easily accessible lateral information and historical data. And with an effective digital workflow to map out laterals, inspection teams can add wastewater laterals to their regional records, store lateral pipe data in a digital map, and ultimately make that map and data remotely available to engineers and city officials.

Sewer pipe inspection requires a keen eye and attention to detail, but in today’s industry, teams also need to get their work done fast. The last thing operators want to do is fumble through spreadsheets and windows while on the job, distracted from precision assessment and slowing down the workflow.

As the sewer inspection industry has evolved, the trend has been a shift from slow mechanical methods to automated digital processes. WinCan has pioneered new ways for municipalities and contractors to understand wastewater systems and manage their sewer data, and now we’re streamlining the way users engage with those solutions.

WinCan’s new downloadable quick guide, Mapping With WinCan, is a valuable resource for operators and engineers alike. With helpful descriptions and examples of tiling, layering and analysis tools, this guide introduces users to WinCan’s array of mapping features and workflows.

Sewer inspection reports allow wastewater teams to review and share vital information about a system’s condition, functionality, risks and maintenance plan. They highlight data from sections, inspections, observations or ratings, and they serve as records that can be referenced for future maintenance, planning and trends. And the data they contain ensures more informed decisions are made regarding rehabilitation and inspection.