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Autumn 1998
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Long-time Pick user Thames Water relies on its MultiValue-based systems to process the vast amounts of data generated by the analysis of up to 1,000 water samples a day at its Reading laboratory
Since the beginning of the decade, effective hardware and software have provided the backbone of Thames’ IT systems, helping staff carry out their work more effectively - particularly in the area of water quality.
In order to meet the regulatory quality standards water monitoring must be carried out. Up to 1,000 samples are taken every day and once analysed the results are then made available for either operational and statutory regulatory requirements or for use by commercial customers, ranging from local government to commercial retailers. It is an absolutely vital requirement that these results are accurate, up-to-date and available at any time.
The Company’s previous system which handled water sampling was not meeting the demands of the increasing number of tests being carried out. Julian Dennis, Water Quality Centre Manager at Thames Water, comments: "The system was becoming dated and couldn’t cope with the analytical data we were expected to generate.
"We need to respond effectively to changes in the environment. For example, when a main has been damaged and is repaired, specific tests are undertaken immediately. Regulatory bodies need to know where the sample came from, why it was taken, which tests have been conducted on it and the results from the analysis.
"Our existing system didn’t have the capacity to deal with these requirements quickly and efficiently. It wasn’t easy to use and would never be able to integrate with other modern business systems."
What Thames Water wanted most from its IT system was the ability to cope with vast amounts of data using technology which could be integrated with other IT systems. After careful evaluation Thames Water selected the Pick Database Management System, supplied by Trilogy Computers.
"Pick met all the selection criteria in terms of functionality and integration. And it has the ability to handle literally thousands of samples a day." Indeed Thames Water services over 11.5 million customers, including the London area, which requires a total of over 2 million tests to be carried out per year.
The Pick database at Thames’ laboratory in Reading processes data generated by 1,000 water samples each day (8,000 analyses). The system, called LIFE (Laboratory Information for the Environment) is now linked to an electronic sample registration system - TAPS, another Pick-based application.
Seven years since the system went live, the company has made significant advancements in the way it operates. "We now rely on Pick as the centre for data management. Without it we just wouldn’t be able to process the massive volumes of data critical to the water quality monitoring reports," concludes Dennis.
"The move to D3 is now well under way with software testing now nearing completion," said Alex Dare, Managing Director of Trilogy Computer Systems, "and will be very important in opening up the data to industry standard business intelligence tools such as Business Objects."
Trilogy Computers Limited
Last Updated: 31 October 1998