| Product(s): |
WaterSight |
| Version(s): |
10.00. |
| Area: |
Documentation |
Overview
Entering and editing information about zones balances (inflows, outflows and storage sensors) and zones characteristics.
Zones should correspond to isolated areas of the system, surrounded by closed valves and where all inflows and outflows (if exist) must be measured. Zones can include for example DMA (District Metered Areas), pressure zones or operational zones. The configuration of the inflow and outflow sensors as well as tanks levels are done by editing the Flow In, Flow Our and Storage Columns.
As an important note, the tank levels that should be considered for the zones balance are only those that are inside the zones boundary and serve as storage for the zone - this means that if a zone is supplied by a tank and the inflow sensor is located immediately downstream the tank (and already considered for the zone balance as input), this tank level must NOT be considered.
Zones information can only be inserted/edited after zones are created in WaterSight, and this only happens after a zones shapefile is imported in WaterSight, in the GIS configuration page. After zones are created the user can manually insert/edit information related to each zone:
- click in a zone (table row)
- click in the edit button above the table.
- below the table will appear all the fields the user can edit
Note: System Total zone is always automatically created (this information does not come from GIS shapefile) and represents the all system.
To add more zones, the user needs to upload a new zone shapefile, in the GIS configuration page.
Zones Configuration table
| Column |
Description |
| Name* |
Required field. Zone display name that will appear in the software. This name should be the same used in the shapefiles uploaded in the GIS configuration page. |
| Population served |
Population served by each zone |
| Number of Customers |
Number of customer supplied by each zone |
| Number of Connections |
Number of service connections for each zone |
| Water Losses Method |
Method to use for calculating water losses. The following options are available:
- Real losses calculation based on the zone minimum night flow (MNF)
- Apparent losses (AL) calculation as an user defined percentage of the total zone input volume
- Apparent losses (AL) calculation as an user defined percentage of the total zone revenue volume
- Apparent losses (AL) calculation as an user defined percentage of the total zone water losses volumes
For more information please click here. The default option is the real losses calculation based on the zone minimum night flow.
|
| % to consider |
Percentage that is considered for each water loss method previously defined:
| Method |
% to consider |
| Based on MNF |
Minimum Night Flow consumed (% of total MNF). Corresponds to the percentage of the minimum night flow that is due to consumption. If empty, a zero value will be assumed |
| AL % of Input |
Apparent Losses (% of zone system input volume) |
| AL % of Revenue |
Apparent Losses (% of zone revenue water) |
| AL % of Losses |
Apparent Losses (% of zone water losses) |
|
| Auth. Unbill. % Consumed |
The user defines a percentage of authorized unbilled consumption based on a percentage related to the billed consumption. This will be used to calculate the associated water balance component. If empty, a zero value will be assumed. |
| Priority |
The priority when displaying in the zone overview. Note that a priority of 0 will prevent the zone to display in the Zone Overview |
| Parent Zone |
If there are smaller zones defined inside bigger zones, the user needs to define which is the parent zone. By default System Total is defined. More information about zones hierarchy below. |
| Pattern |
Pattern group assigned to the zone. Pattern groups can be created the the Administration > Settings > Pattern. If Pattern None is selected, then no patterns will be computed and displayed in the zone graph. Patterns are displayed in the zone graphs as grey bands. |
| Flow In* |
Required field. Number of sensors measuring flow into the zone. To define/edit the inflow sensors, just click in a zone (table row) and then click in the edit button above the table. Below the table will appear the "Flow in" sensors to configure. There must be at least one inflow. |
| Flow Out |
Number of sensors measuring flow out of the zone. To define/edit the outflow sensors, just click in a zone (table row) and then click in the edit button above the table. Below the table will appear the "Flow out" sensors to configure. |
| Storage |
Number of sensors measuring tank levels, inside the zone boundaries. To define/edit the storage sensors, just click in a zone (table row) and then click in the edit button above the table. Below the table will appear the "Storage" sensors to configure. |
| Tags |
Tags allow to group zones inside the application, so it is easier to search and find specific zones of interest. |
Tags (User defined groups)
It is possible to insert tags (or user defined groups) for each zone by directly clicking in a row in the Zones table, then clicking Edit 
and then filling the Tags section below the table.
Once tags are defined, those will be available in the Zones Network Monitoring pages, so that is easier to search and find specific Zones of interest. Below some examples of groups that may be relevant:
- grouping zones by towns
- grouping zones by critical an non-critical
- grouping zones by main type of use (mainly residential, mainly industrial, etc)
- grouping zones by seasonal influence (zones which consumption changes significantly during summer VS zones which consumption does not change too much in the summer)
- etc, etc
Zones hierarchy
Most utilities manage their systems based on bigger zones (usually called operational zones or distribution systems), being each operational zone or system composed by several smaller zones (usually called DMA). In WaterSight it is possible to consider these two levels of zones hierarchy, but it is also possible to consider three or more levels of hierarchy (for example a town, that is composed by several distribution systems, being each system composed by several DMA). The highest zones in the hierarchy will have System Total as their parent.
| Distribution system - Oakville Zone |
DMA - Oakville Low Zone |
DMA - Oakville High Zone |
 |
 |
 |
In the example above, it is being considered a bigger zone (Oakville Zone) that is divided in two smaller zones (Oakville Low Zone and Oakville High Zone). In this case, in the zones configuration table, both Oakville Low Zone and Oakville High Zone should have Oakville Zone as their parent (example below).
For more information about WaterSight, please go to OpenFlows WaterSight TechNotes and FAQ's.