Hydroscope, Inc. and GBA Master Series, Inc. Form Strategic Alliance

GBA Master Series, Inc. (Kansas City, MO) and Hydroscope, Inc., USA (Albuquerque, NM) have formed a strategic partnership resulting in enhanced technologies for waterline condition assessment and asset management. The two firms are joining forces to offer Water Utility Managers the opportunity to proactively manage waterline assets in a cost-effective manner. Patented Hydroscope condition assessment equipment and analysis software is employed to determine the true conditions of cast iron, ductile iron, and steel waterlines. This information, through use of the new Hydroscope Waterline Manager module developed by GBA Master Series, can be directly incorporated into the established GBA Water Master application. GBA Water Master provides a powerful and efficient water distribution system inventory, inspection and testing database that can be used by a Water Utility to identify system trends and assist in planning rehabilitation and replacement activities.

Hydroscope uses condition assessment results with a probability of failure model to predict the remaining useful lives of waterlines. Considering risk assessment factors, a prescriptive restoration plan is developed. When a Water Utility commits to implementation of the restoration plan through contracted asset management program services with Hydroscope, serviceability of waterlines is guaranteed over a 15-year period. The specific goals of the Hydroscope asset management program are to empower the Water Utility to extend the useful lives of waterlines; eliminate guesswork, which results in replacing miles of good waterlines, by pinpointing specific pipe segments for restoration; and providing savings of 30 to 65% of typical full waterline replacement costs.

Teaming with GBA Master Series provides us a nationwide sales network through which we can inform prospects and market our technology," said Dan Cook, CEO with Hydroscope. "We are particularly impressed with the professional engineering qualifications and broad expertise in infrastructure management possessed by GBA Master Series staff. The interface between our proprietary software and GBA Water Master will provide our clients with a practical tool that can be used day-to-day to assist with the proper management of their water distribution system assets."

GBA Master Series is positioned as a total solutions provider regarding infrastructure management products and services for Public Works and Water Resources agencies. GBA Water Master can be combined with a variety of integrated applications that make up the GBA Master Series suite of software products. Water Utilities can take advantage of the extensive functionality, including capabilities for work order management, customer complaint and service request tracking, parts and materials inventory control, preventive maintenance scheduling, and GIS mapping and spatial analysis. Interfaces between GBA Master Series and products from collaborative software developers extend this functionality even further, including capabilities for: hydraulic modeling; financial applications, including GASB.34 compliance; employee data management and payroll requirements; parcel management; utility billing; and, permitting. GBA Master Series can also provide GPS products for GIS data acquisition, and assemble a team of specialty service providers to address a wide range of needs, including asset data collection/conversion, mobile computing and wireless communications, and GIS development.

"We are very excited to promote Hydroscope's offerings to our current and prospective clients," said Jim Graham, P.E., Vice President – Strategic Business Development with GBA Master Series. "A Water Utility can verify the performance and results of this unique technology through a Pilot Project completed over several weeks. Once satisfied the Utility can then progress to a systematic effort of routinely inspecting waterlines, analyzing results and updating restoration plans, and making targeted improvements. With this approach the Utility makes improvements only where there are identified needs, saves money compared to wholesale replacements, and gets peace of mind with serviceability guarantees."

For information on this new technology, contact Jim Graham, GBA Master Series, at 800-492-2468 or info@gbamasterseries.com.