Bentley > Case Studies > Innovative IoT Solution for Gully Cover Theft in Al Ain City

Innovative IoT Solution for Gully Cover Theft in Al Ain City

Technology Category

Sensors - GPS
Sensors - Utility Meters

Applicable Industries

Cities & Municipalities
Life Sciences

Applicable Functions

Maintenance
Product Research & Development

Use Cases

Intelligent Urban Water Supply Management
Smart City Operations

Services

Hardware Design & Engineering Services
System Integration

About The Customer

The customer in this case study is the Al Ain City Municipality, located in Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates. Al Ain is the largest inland city and the fourth-largest city in the Emirates, as well as the second-largest city in Abu Dhabi. The Al Ain City Municipality is responsible for managing tens of thousands of iron-covered gullies used to drain rainwater in the city. The municipality was facing a significant challenge with the theft of these gully covers, which were being stolen and sold to recycling centers. As part of an AED 10 million project, the municipality sought to develop new curbside entry gully covers made of material that is not as easy to recycle, preventing further theft.

The Challenge

The Al Ain City Municipality in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, was facing a significant challenge with the theft of iron-covered gully covers used for draining rainwater. These covers, some of which were installed as far back as the 1960s, were being stolen and sold to recycling centers. The city needed to replace these covers as part of an AED 10 million project. The new covers needed to be made of a material that was not as easy to recycle to prevent further theft. They also needed to comply with BS EN 124 standards for load and deflection, and safely withstand a minimum loading bearing capacity of 25 tons. The covers also had to be less than 5 centimeters thick, weigh less than the previous ones, and withstand the harsh, extremely hot and dry climate of the region, along with near-constant direct sunlight and harsh UV light.

The Solution

The city turned to Bentley’s structural modeling and analysis applications to develop a solution. All information was housed in AssetWise, creating a single repository where project participants could access always-accurate information in real time. The team developed a model of the proposed design using STAAD and OpenFlows. STAAD made it easy to analyze the design, automatically converting the design model into an analytical model to streamline the workflow. With OpenFlows, the team could better visualize the water system that included the new gully covers. The team used OpenFlows, in combination with the AssetWise data, to test the designs by developing simulations of various environmental situations. The STAAD models allowed team members to run design alternatives in parallel, analyzing which ones could better handle the stresses in clear, graphical side-by-side comparisons. These simulations helped the team determine an optimal design.

Operational Impact

The Al Ain City Municipality was able to produce a 5-centimeter-thick gully cover with a minimum load bearing capacity of 25 tons. This new type of cover can withstand the extreme temperatures with the added benefit of being made of material that is not easily recyclable, which will help prevent them from being stolen and sold. The project is now complete, with the city’s tens of thousands of gullies covered with this new product. The most important benefit for the city was having the technology and platform that supported creative thinking, allowing team members to develop an entirely new solution in the Emirate. By using Bentley applications to test the gully cover design and review the analysis, the Al Ain City Municipality created a product that other cities in the region can learn from and use for future projects.

Quantitative Benefit

The city installed thousands of new gully covers in the past four to five years that have worn well in the extreme heat.
The municipality gained a net savings of 8% by turning to the new material composite.
The weight of the new gully covers prevents them from remaining open when they are being cleaned, which limits the amount of debris entering the sewer system, lowering maintenance costs.