MWH Soft Releases First-of-Its-Kind InfoWater VCM, The Ultimate Solution for Infrastructure Criticality and Vulnerability Assessment

Revolutionary New Geocentric Modeling Tool Gives Water Utilities Unprecedented Power to Improve Water Infrastructure Maintenance and Operational Effectiveness

Broomfield, Colorado USA, June 21, 2006 - In its ongoing quest to equip the global drinking water industry with the world’s most comprehensive and innovative GIS-centric modeling and management solutions, MWH Soft today announced the worldwide release of InfoWater Valve Criticality Modeling (VCM). The new InfoWater Suite extension gives users expanded power and flexibility in identifying all vulnerabilities affecting their water distribution system reliability, estimating the extent and potential consequences of infrastructure failure on customer service levels, optimizing the allocation of rehabilitation and maintenance resources, and improving knowledge of system operation.

Valve criticality assessment identifies which valves most crucially affect the scale of impact of potential system failures. InfoWater VCM automatically carries out a comprehensive assessment of the hydraulic impact of valve operations on customer service levels, either when the valves are shut or fail to shut, during planned or emergency work. This information is critical in focusing future expenditures (maintenance and replacement) on the valves most critical to maintaining the serviceability of these key infrastructure assets. Pinpointing these critical valves requires an understanding of the risk (probability and consequence) should the valve fail to shut. Consequence is measured in terms of the numbers of properties (and customers) that would be disconnected or experience unacceptable levels of service (e.g., low pressure or loss of supply).

The Infowater geospatial software suite ranks as the fastest, most practical, comprehensive and accurate GIS-based water distribution engineering solution ever created. Unlike competing products, its innovative network modeling technology addresses every facet of utility infrastructure management, optimization and protection - delivering the highest rate of return in the industry. Built atop ArcGIS (ESRI, Redlands, CA) and drawing on the most advanced numerical computation and genetic algorithms optimization technologies, Infowater effortlessly reads GIS datasets; corrects network topology problems and data flaws; extracts pertinent modeling information; and automatically constructs, skeletonizes, loads, calibrates and generates optimized design, rehabilitation and pump scheduling solutions with astounding speed.

The resulting high-performance modeling sets new levels of scalability, reliability, functionality and flexibility within the powerful ArcGIS environment. Using these advanced tools, utilities can easily simulate and evaluate various conditions, pinpoint system deficiencies, and determine the most cost-effective physical and operational improvements to maximize efficiency, achieve optimum performance and regulatory compliance, meet new security challenges, and enable more reliable operations. InfoWater VCM helps water utilities rapidly develop optimal operational strategies that minimize costs while enhancing system reliability, integrity, and performance, thereby forging closer ties with their customers.

“The powerful capabilities of InfoWater Suite are already helping us achieve significant savings in both capital and operational expenditures and increase customer satisfaction with our extensive water distribution system supplying over 8 million people, including the City of London,” commented Rob Casey, Network Analysis Manager for Thames Water and a leading European figure in water distribution hydraulic modeling. “By enabling us to complete the criticality assessment of our tens of thousands of operating valves more accurately and in record time, this technology will help us develop an optimal investment regarding infrastructure maintenance, minimizing the impact on customer levels of service and improving knowledge on the operation of the network. The passion MWH Soft has shown for innovation, the quality of product and their dedication to customer service have been first class.”

“RWE Thames Water is synonymous with quality, innovation and efficiency, and we are pleased that our InfoWater Suite software has become an increasingly indispensable tool for this leading world-class organization,” said Paul F. Boulos, Ph.D, President and COO of MWH Soft. “The fact that customers like RWE Thames Water, with such an advanced engineering organization and accomplished track record, have chosen MWH Soft software to help them meet their corporate and strategic goals gives us the best possible confirmation of the software’s value.”

Pricing and availability
The new InfoWater VCM Suite extension is now available worldwide by subscription to the Platinum Program. Subscription members can immediately download the new extension free of charge directly from www.mwhsoft.com. The MWH Soft Subscription Program is a friendly customer support and software maintenance program that ensures the longevity and usefulness of MWH Soft products. It gives subscribers instant access to new functionality as it is developed, along with automatic software updates and upgrades. MWH Soft product extensions are available only through the Platinum Program. For the latest information on the MWH Soft Subscription Program, visit www.mwhsoft.com or contact your local MWH Soft Certified Representative.

About MWH Soft
MWH Soft is a leading global provider of technical and infrastructure software and professional solutions designed to meet the technological needs of utilities, government industries, and engineering organizations worldwide. Its clients include the majority of the largest North American cities and ENR top design firms. The multifaceted, state-of-the-art CAD and GIS enabled products created by MWH Soft empower thousands of engineers across the globe to competitively manage, design, and operate highly efficient and reliable infrastructure systems. For more information, call MWH Soft at (626) 568-6868, or visit www.mwhsoft.com.

Contact Information

J. Erick Heath, PE

Vice President of Sales and Client Relations

MWH Soft

Contact via E-mail