In the summer of 2005, Texas Sterling Construction L.P., under contract to the City of Houston, f... more In the summer of 2005, Texas Sterling Construction L.P., under contract to the City of Houston, finished the installation of a 30” Fiberglass Collector line. The Fiberglass pipe was provided by Ameron FCPD and was selected by Lockwood, Andrews & Newnam due to its non-metallic nature, rendering it immune to corrosion. The line failed a series of hydrostatic pressure tests when it was subjected to test pressure. This suggested the presence of high pressure leakage. Attempts were made to locate the leaks utilizing a variety of methods including excavation at ponding areas and other experimental technologies. None of these methods proved universally effective. In a further attempt to locate the leaks, in August 2005 Texas Sterling Construction L.P. contracted with the Pressure Pipe Inspection Company (PPIC) to inspect this line using the Sahara leak location system. The Sahara system was inserted into the pipeline at two separate locations. Because the pipeline had not been placed in service and there was no water flow in it, pulltape was used to pull the inspection equipment through the testing area. The overall inspected distance was 5,083 feet, and was conducted over a 2-day period. Analysis of the data obtained during this inspection revealed two leaks within the areas tested. Texas Sterling Construction, L.P. verified the results through excavation and repaired the affected joints. Consequently, this line passed its pressure test and was handed over to the City of Houston.
In the field of computer analysis of document images, the problems of physical and logical layout... more In the field of computer analysis of document images, the problems of physical and logical layout analysis have been approached through a variety of heuristic, rule-based, and grammar-based techniques. In this paper we investigate the effectiveness of statistical pattern recognition algorithms for solving these two problems. Using a new software environment for manual page image segmentation and labelling, a dataset containing 932 page images from academic journals has been created. Several physical layout analysis algorithms have been implemented, including a new algorithm based on a logistic regression classifier. Three statistical classifiers were applied to the logical layout analysis problem, with encouraging results. A new model for how ink is laid out on a page was used to develop a prototype combined segmentation and labeling system. Finally, several applications have been investiaged, and rudimentary implementations demonstrated. Results indicate that statistical pattern re...
In the field of computer analysis of document images, the problems of physical and logical layout... more In the field of computer analysis of document images, the problems of physical and logical layout analysis have been approached through a variety of heuristic, rule-based, and grammar-based techniques. In this paper we investigate the effectiveness of statistical pattern recognition algorithms for solving these two problems, and report results suggesting that these more complex and powerful techniques are worth pursuing. First, we developed a new software environment for manual page image segmentation and labeling, and used it to create a dataset containing 932 page images from academic journals. Next, a physical layout analysis algorithm based on a logistic regression classifier was developed, and found to outperform existing algorithms of comparable complexity. Finally, three statistical classifiers were applied to the logical layout analysis problem, also with encouraging results. 1. Background Document image understanding is the process of automatically extracting useful informa...
Tacoma Water is a public water utility serving approximately 300,000 people in Tacoma, Washington... more Tacoma Water is a public water utility serving approximately 300,000 people in Tacoma, Washington and neighboring communities. Founded in 1893, Tacoma Water owns and operates over 1,200 miles of distribution water mains with more than 95,000 service connections. Like many water utilities, Tacoma Water faces the challenge of a limited capital budget and aging infrastructure. To compound this challenge, Tacoma Water has acquired multiple smaller water systems beyond its original borders with little known service history, making their useful life more difficult to assess. As a means of bridging the gap between available capital funds and the capital requirements of replacing aging mains, Tacoma Water has conducted two pipeline condition assessment projects to ensure that these limited capital funds are spent where they are most needed. In 2011 and 2013, Tacoma Water assessed 19 and 12 miles of distribution mains using an acoustic method for measuring the average remaining structural wa...
Version control repositories contain a wealth of detailed information about the evolution of a co... more Version control repositories contain a wealth of detailed information about the evolution of a codebase. In this paper, we outline our experiences parsing and analyzing data from a large collection of CVS repositories created by many students working on a small set of assignments in a second year undergraduate computer science course. We believe the data to be quite unique because rather than a single team working on a single large project we have many individuals working separatly on identical projects. We describe a system for parsing repositories into a SQL database. From the database and repositories we extract various statistical measures of the code and version histories. Finally, we attempt to correlate the code and repository features with grades. Despite using 166 features derived from the code and repository histories, we find that grade performance cannot be accurately predicted; certainly no predictors stronger than simple lines-of-code were found.
Version control repositories contain a wealth of detailed information about the evolution of a co... more Version control repositories contain a wealth of detailed information about the evolution of a codebase. In this paper, we outline our experiences parsing and analyzing data from a large collection of CVS repositories created by many students working on a small set of assignments in a second year undergraduate computer science course. We believe the data to be quite unique because rather than a single team working on a single large project we have many individuals working separatly on identical projects. We describe a system for parsing repositories into a SQL database. From the database and repositories we extract various statistical measures of the code and version histories. Finally, we attempt to correlate the code and repository features with grades. Despite using 166 features derived from the code and repository histories, we nd that grade performance cannot be accurately predicted; certainly no predictors stronger than simple lines-of-code were found.
Single-step blowouts of pipe walls are quite rare; pinhole leaks, hairline cracks, and leaking ga... more Single-step blowouts of pipe walls are quite rare; pinhole leaks, hairline cracks, and leaking gaskets tend to occur first. Most catastrophic failures are caused by a sudden unexpected stress such as water hammer acting on an existing weak point in the pipe. Makar et al (2001) note the "... widely held belief that the failure process is a simple one, where a pipe corrodes to the point at which it can no longer withstand the applied internal and external forces, resulting in a main break. However, recent work at the National Research Council Canada (NRC) has shown that the failure process is much more complex than expected. Corrosion plays a significant role in gray cast-iron water main failures, but soil-pipe interactions, poor pipecasting techniques and human error are also important factors. Failures also often take place in multiple stages, rather than in a single episode. " Early damage not only weakens portions of the pipe, it also allows water to escape, causing corr...
Building on the success of the Sahara Leak Location system in potable water mains, a new service ... more Building on the success of the Sahara Leak Location system in potable water mains, a new service is now being finalized for use in rising mains and other pressurized wastewater pipelines to pinpoint exfiltration. Failure of wastewater forcemains cause an environmental ...
When facing pipeline replacement decisions, asset managers face a dilemma. Factual information ab... more When facing pipeline replacement decisions, asset managers face a dilemma. Factual information about the condition of the pipelines allows better replacement decisions and capital efficiency gains. On the other hand, gathering this information is costly. Performing a cost-benefit analysis is also challenging, as the benefits are difficult to project. This paper models the financial impact of pipeline condition assessment by considering the financial risk associated with decision making errors. An economic optimization equation using the model is presented. This equation yields the Economic Assessment Level: the amount of condition information needed to minimize the total combined spending on information gathering and incorrect decisions. Case studies and examples of the impact of different levels of information gathering are presented. The results of these programs are compared with the predictions of the model, illustrating how the calculations can be used to improve capital improv...
Version control repositories contain a wealth of detailed information about the evolution of a co... more Version control repositories contain a wealth of detailed information about the evolution of a codebase. In this paper, we outline our experiences parsing and analyzing data from a large collection of CVS repositories created by many students working on a small set of ...
Eighth International Conference on Document Analysis and Recognition (ICDAR'05), 2005
Page 1. A Statistical Learning Approach To Document Image Analysis Kevin Laven Dept of Computer S... more Page 1. A Statistical Learning Approach To Document Image Analysis Kevin Laven Dept of Computer Science University of Toronto klaven@cs.toronto.edu ... The problem can be broken down into a series of sub-problems, with each working from the results of the pre-vious. ...
In the summer of 2005, Texas Sterling Construction L.P., under contract to the City of Houston, f... more In the summer of 2005, Texas Sterling Construction L.P., under contract to the City of Houston, finished the installation of a 30” Fiberglass Collector line. The Fiberglass pipe was provided by Ameron FCPD and was selected by Lockwood, Andrews & Newnam due to its non-metallic nature, rendering it immune to corrosion. The line failed a series of hydrostatic pressure tests when it was subjected to test pressure. This suggested the presence of high pressure leakage. Attempts were made to locate the leaks utilizing a variety of methods including excavation at ponding areas and other experimental technologies. None of these methods proved universally effective. In a further attempt to locate the leaks, in August 2005 Texas Sterling Construction L.P. contracted with the Pressure Pipe Inspection Company (PPIC) to inspect this line using the Sahara leak location system. The Sahara system was inserted into the pipeline at two separate locations. Because the pipeline had not been placed in service and there was no water flow in it, pulltape was used to pull the inspection equipment through the testing area. The overall inspected distance was 5,083 feet, and was conducted over a 2-day period. Analysis of the data obtained during this inspection revealed two leaks within the areas tested. Texas Sterling Construction, L.P. verified the results through excavation and repaired the affected joints. Consequently, this line passed its pressure test and was handed over to the City of Houston.
In the field of computer analysis of document images, the problems of physical and logical layout... more In the field of computer analysis of document images, the problems of physical and logical layout analysis have been approached through a variety of heuristic, rule-based, and grammar-based techniques. In this paper we investigate the effectiveness of statistical pattern recognition algorithms for solving these two problems. Using a new software environment for manual page image segmentation and labelling, a dataset containing 932 page images from academic journals has been created. Several physical layout analysis algorithms have been implemented, including a new algorithm based on a logistic regression classifier. Three statistical classifiers were applied to the logical layout analysis problem, with encouraging results. A new model for how ink is laid out on a page was used to develop a prototype combined segmentation and labeling system. Finally, several applications have been investiaged, and rudimentary implementations demonstrated. Results indicate that statistical pattern re...
In the field of computer analysis of document images, the problems of physical and logical layout... more In the field of computer analysis of document images, the problems of physical and logical layout analysis have been approached through a variety of heuristic, rule-based, and grammar-based techniques. In this paper we investigate the effectiveness of statistical pattern recognition algorithms for solving these two problems, and report results suggesting that these more complex and powerful techniques are worth pursuing. First, we developed a new software environment for manual page image segmentation and labeling, and used it to create a dataset containing 932 page images from academic journals. Next, a physical layout analysis algorithm based on a logistic regression classifier was developed, and found to outperform existing algorithms of comparable complexity. Finally, three statistical classifiers were applied to the logical layout analysis problem, also with encouraging results. 1. Background Document image understanding is the process of automatically extracting useful informa...
Tacoma Water is a public water utility serving approximately 300,000 people in Tacoma, Washington... more Tacoma Water is a public water utility serving approximately 300,000 people in Tacoma, Washington and neighboring communities. Founded in 1893, Tacoma Water owns and operates over 1,200 miles of distribution water mains with more than 95,000 service connections. Like many water utilities, Tacoma Water faces the challenge of a limited capital budget and aging infrastructure. To compound this challenge, Tacoma Water has acquired multiple smaller water systems beyond its original borders with little known service history, making their useful life more difficult to assess. As a means of bridging the gap between available capital funds and the capital requirements of replacing aging mains, Tacoma Water has conducted two pipeline condition assessment projects to ensure that these limited capital funds are spent where they are most needed. In 2011 and 2013, Tacoma Water assessed 19 and 12 miles of distribution mains using an acoustic method for measuring the average remaining structural wa...
Version control repositories contain a wealth of detailed information about the evolution of a co... more Version control repositories contain a wealth of detailed information about the evolution of a codebase. In this paper, we outline our experiences parsing and analyzing data from a large collection of CVS repositories created by many students working on a small set of assignments in a second year undergraduate computer science course. We believe the data to be quite unique because rather than a single team working on a single large project we have many individuals working separatly on identical projects. We describe a system for parsing repositories into a SQL database. From the database and repositories we extract various statistical measures of the code and version histories. Finally, we attempt to correlate the code and repository features with grades. Despite using 166 features derived from the code and repository histories, we find that grade performance cannot be accurately predicted; certainly no predictors stronger than simple lines-of-code were found.
Version control repositories contain a wealth of detailed information about the evolution of a co... more Version control repositories contain a wealth of detailed information about the evolution of a codebase. In this paper, we outline our experiences parsing and analyzing data from a large collection of CVS repositories created by many students working on a small set of assignments in a second year undergraduate computer science course. We believe the data to be quite unique because rather than a single team working on a single large project we have many individuals working separatly on identical projects. We describe a system for parsing repositories into a SQL database. From the database and repositories we extract various statistical measures of the code and version histories. Finally, we attempt to correlate the code and repository features with grades. Despite using 166 features derived from the code and repository histories, we nd that grade performance cannot be accurately predicted; certainly no predictors stronger than simple lines-of-code were found.
Single-step blowouts of pipe walls are quite rare; pinhole leaks, hairline cracks, and leaking ga... more Single-step blowouts of pipe walls are quite rare; pinhole leaks, hairline cracks, and leaking gaskets tend to occur first. Most catastrophic failures are caused by a sudden unexpected stress such as water hammer acting on an existing weak point in the pipe. Makar et al (2001) note the "... widely held belief that the failure process is a simple one, where a pipe corrodes to the point at which it can no longer withstand the applied internal and external forces, resulting in a main break. However, recent work at the National Research Council Canada (NRC) has shown that the failure process is much more complex than expected. Corrosion plays a significant role in gray cast-iron water main failures, but soil-pipe interactions, poor pipecasting techniques and human error are also important factors. Failures also often take place in multiple stages, rather than in a single episode. " Early damage not only weakens portions of the pipe, it also allows water to escape, causing corr...
Building on the success of the Sahara Leak Location system in potable water mains, a new service ... more Building on the success of the Sahara Leak Location system in potable water mains, a new service is now being finalized for use in rising mains and other pressurized wastewater pipelines to pinpoint exfiltration. Failure of wastewater forcemains cause an environmental ...
When facing pipeline replacement decisions, asset managers face a dilemma. Factual information ab... more When facing pipeline replacement decisions, asset managers face a dilemma. Factual information about the condition of the pipelines allows better replacement decisions and capital efficiency gains. On the other hand, gathering this information is costly. Performing a cost-benefit analysis is also challenging, as the benefits are difficult to project. This paper models the financial impact of pipeline condition assessment by considering the financial risk associated with decision making errors. An economic optimization equation using the model is presented. This equation yields the Economic Assessment Level: the amount of condition information needed to minimize the total combined spending on information gathering and incorrect decisions. Case studies and examples of the impact of different levels of information gathering are presented. The results of these programs are compared with the predictions of the model, illustrating how the calculations can be used to improve capital improv...
Version control repositories contain a wealth of detailed information about the evolution of a co... more Version control repositories contain a wealth of detailed information about the evolution of a codebase. In this paper, we outline our experiences parsing and analyzing data from a large collection of CVS repositories created by many students working on a small set of ...
Eighth International Conference on Document Analysis and Recognition (ICDAR'05), 2005
Page 1. A Statistical Learning Approach To Document Image Analysis Kevin Laven Dept of Computer S... more Page 1. A Statistical Learning Approach To Document Image Analysis Kevin Laven Dept of Computer Science University of Toronto klaven@cs.toronto.edu ... The problem can be broken down into a series of sub-problems, with each working from the results of the pre-vious. ...
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