Manage Access Points

Field Notes Forms

The Manage Access Points window on the Analytics page shows all access points for the selected project on the Projects panel.

To open the Manage Access Points window, click on the button
Manage Access Points
of the Field Notes Forms toolbar. The window will open showing the information and icons presented in the figure below.
Manage Access Points window.
Manage Access Points window

After selecting the project, the user can see all access points for the project and their related information. To filter the access points by site and groups, click on the select sites dropdown list and choose the desired site. The groups list will automatically update the list of groups based on the selected site.
Site and Group Filterings.
Site and Group Filterings

 Tip

To clear the site and group filterings, select All Sites on the sites dropdown list. To show all access points of a specific site, select All Groups on the groups dropdown list.

Select All Groups of a Site.
Select All Groups of a Site

If the name of an access point is preceded by the icon , it means that the access point is type connection. If the icon is not present, the access point is of type access. The figure below shows the icon for access point type connection, in addition to the information available on the column Point Type.

Connection Icon.
Connection Icon

Add Access Point Form

After selecting a site and a group on the Manage Access Points table, the button will be enabled.
Dropdown selection for site and group.
Dropdown selection for site and group

Click on this button to add a new access point to the selected site and group. The Add Access Point modal window form will open as shown in the figure below.

Add Access Point Modal Window.
Add Access Point Modal Window

The Add Access Point form is divided into five sections:

  • Access Point

  • Access Point Position

  • Lateral

  • Segment - Pipe Specification

Access Point Section

The Access Point section contains the main fields related to the new access point information. It contains the following fields:

Field Notes Forms

Access Point Name

This field is required. It is used to enter the name of the access point. The name of the access point must be unique within the project. If the user tries to create an access point with a name that already exists in the project, an error message will be displayed. Moreover, the name of the access point cannot be empty and only contain letters, numbers, spaces, and the following special characters: dashes (-) and underscores (_).

Field Notes Forms

GPS Location

This field is optional. It is used to enter the GPS location of the access point. The GPS location must be in the format “latitude, longitude” (e.g., “40.7128, -74.0060”). If the user enters an invalid GPS location, or an invalid characater, an error message will be displayed.

 Warning

The characters allowed in the GPS Location field are numbers, a period, and a dash for negative values. If the user enters any other character, the field will not accept it. Negative number may be used for both latitude and longitude values, as they represent the coordinates in the southern and western hemispheres, respectively.

 Tip

If the desired GPS Location is the position of the user device, the user can click on the icon . It automatically fills the GPS Location field with the current location of the user device. The user should allow the web browser to access the location of the device for this functionality to work.

Field Notes Forms

Point Type

The Point Type field is required. It is used to select the type of the access point. The user can select either Access or Connection as the point type. The default value of this field is Access which can be one of the three types below:

  • valve

  • hydrant

  • other access point types that are not valve or hydrant

The figure below shows the dropdown list of the Access point type field with the available options.

Access point type options
Access point type options

If the user selects Connection, an two dropdown lists will be displayed, which allows the user to select an existing access point to connect to:

  • Connection Group: This dropdown list allows the user to select the group of the access point to connect to. It is populated with the groups of the selected site, except the group of the current access point.

  • Connection Access Point: This dropdown list allows the user to select the access point to connect to. It is populated with the access points of the selected group on the Connection Group dropdown list.

The figure below shows the dropdown lists of the Connection point type field with the available options.

Access point type options
Access point type options

Field Notes Forms

Depth

The field Depth is optional, and it is used to enter the depth of the access point in meters or feet. Depth is the vertical distance from ground level to the sensor / wave generator location.

The figure below displays the numeric field to enter the depth value, in addition to the radio buttons meter selected.

Depth value field in meters
Depth value in meters

Automatic conversion of depth value from meters to feet
Automatic conversion of depth value from meters to feet

 Note

The user can enter the Depth value in the numeric field, and select the desired unit from the radio buttons below the field. The default unit is meters. If the user selects feet as the unit, the value entered in the numeric field will be automatically converted to feet and displayed in the field. However, the depth value is always saved in meters in the database, regardless of the selected unit.

Pressure

The field Pressure is optional, and it is used to enter the pressure of the access point in pascals or psi, representing the pressure of the fluid in the pipe at or near the access point location.

The figure below displays the numeric field to enter the pressure value, in addition to the radio buttons for the selected unit.

Pressure value field in pascals or psi
Pressure value in pascals or psi

 Note

The user can enter the Pressure value in the numeric field, and select the desired unit from the radio buttons below the field. The default unit is pascals. If the user selects psi as the unit, the value entered in the numeric field will be automatically converted to psi and displayed in the field. However, the pressure value is always saved in pascals in the database, regardless of the selected unit.

Access Point Position Section

The Access Point Position section contains fields related to the position of the access point. It contains the following fields:

  • Distance From

  • Distance

Distance From

To position the new access point, select the reference point from the dropdown list of the field Distance From. The dropdown list contains all access points of the selected site, except the current access point being created.

Access Point Position section fields
Access Point Position section fields

Distance

After selecting the Distance From access point as reference, enter the distance value in meters or feet in the field Distance. The distance value is the distance from the reference point to the new access point.

It’s important to note that, before the creation of the first access point in the group, the fields of the section Access Point Position are disabled. This is because the position of the first access point in the group is considered as the reference point for positioning the other access points in the same group. Therefore, the user can only enter the position information for the access points after creating the first access point in the group.

In the example below, the New group 2 is selected on the groups dropdown list, and the user is creating the first access point in this group. Therefore, the fields of the section Access Point Position are disabled.

Access Point Position section fields
Access Point Position section fields

When creating the first access point in a group, the alert below is displayed, and the section will be disabled. This first access point will have its position as zero.

Alert message when creating the first access point in a group

After creating the first access point in the group, which will have position zero, the section Access Point Position will be enabled for the other access points in the same group, and the user can enter the position information for these access points.

In the example below, the new access point Ap 2 is being created in the same group of the access point Ap 1, which is the first access point created in the group and has position zero. Ap 2 is located at a distance of 100 meters from Ap 1.

New Access Point Position

The figure below shows the form for the creation of Ap 2 at 100 meters from Ap 1.

New Access Point Position filled
New Access Point Position filled

After creating the new access point, the user can check its creation on the Manage Access Points table, and see the position information entered for this access point, like in the example below where Ap 2 is located at a distance of 100 meters from Ap 1.

New Access Point on the Manage Access Points table with position information
New Access Point on the Manage Access Points table with position information

 Tip

The table has a column called Position within group that shows the position of the access points within their group based on the position information entered in the form.

Observe in the table above that the Ap 3 was created at a distance of 100 meters from Ap 2. As a result, its Position within group is 200 meters, which is the distance from the reference point Ap 1 to Ap 3.

This is because Ap 2 is located at a distance of 100 meters from Ap 1, and Ap 3 is located at a distance of 100 meters from Ap 2. Therefore, the total distance from Ap 1 to Ap 3 is 200 meters, which is the value displayed in the column Position within group for Ap 3.

The same happened with Ap 4 and Ap 5, created at the distance of 100 meters from each other. In the case of Ap 6, it was created at a distance of 50 meters from Ap 5, which is located at a distance of 100 meters from Ap 4. Therefore, the total distance from Ap 1 to Ap 6 is 450 meters, which is the value displayed in the column Position within group for Ap 6.

If the user creates access points one after another in a sequence, it may be necessary to refresh the list Distance from in the section Access Point Position to see the newly created access points as options in this list. To refresh the list, click on the refresh iconnext to the section Distance from title to update the list of the access points in the group, including the new ones recently created.

The figure below shows the refresh icon on the Access Point Position section.

Refresh icon on the Access Point Position section
Refresh icon on the Access Point Position section

 Tip

To sort the access points by their position within the group on the Manage Access Points table, click on the column header Position within group. This will sort the access points in ascending order based on their position from the reference point. Click again on the same column header to sort the access points in descending order.

 Warning

Don't forget to select the site and group from the dropdown lists, so only access points of the selected site and group are sorted based on their position from the reference point.

Lateral Section

A Lateral is an additional portion of pipe that is used to reach the pipe under assessment. No DRI results will be provided along the laterals. The Lateral section has the following fields:

  • Lateral Length

  • Lateral Pipe Specifications table, which contains the following columns:
    • Lateral Spec

    • Lateral Spec Start Location

    • Units

The figure below shows the Lateral section.

Lateral section
Lateral section

The user can add laterals pipe specifications to the access point by clicking on the button above the table of the laterals pipe specifications.
 Tip

Initially, the laterals pipe specifications table is empty and the button is disabled. To add lateral pipe specifications to the table, the user should first type a Lateral Length value.

Lateral Length

Type in a positive numeric value in the field Lateral Length to enable the button . This button allows the user to assign pipe specifications to the lateral by selecting a pipe specification from the dropdown list.

After typing the lateral length value, select the unit for the lateral length from the radio buttons below the field. The default unit is meters. If the user selects feet as the unit, the value entered in the numeric field will be automatically converted to feet and displayed in the field.

 Warning

The lateral length value is always saved in meters in the database, regardless of the selected unit.

Lateral Pipe Specifications Table

After clicking on the Assign Pipe Spec to Lateral button, the Add Lateral Pipe Specification window will be displayed with a form to assign a pipe specification to the lateral, as shown in the figure below.

Add Lateral Pipe Specification window
Add Lateral Pipe Specification window

Initially, the table of the lateral pipe specifications is empty. To add a pipe specification to the table, the user should select a pipe specification from the dropdown list on the Lateral Spec dropdown list, type distance in the Distance field, select the unit in meters or feet, and click on the icon to add the selected pipe specification to the lateral.

The user can repeat this process to add more pipe specifications to the lateral. After adding the desired pipe specifications, click on the icon to close the form window, keeping only the added pipe specifications in the table.

The figure below shows an example of the lateral pipe specifications table.

Lateral Pipe Specifications Table
Lateral Pipe Specifications Table

 Error

It's important to point out that the Lateral Spec Start Location value must be less than the lateral length value entered in the field Lateral Length. If the user tries to enter a distance value greater than or equal to the lateral length, an error message will be displayed, and the pipe specification will not be able to be added to the table.

Lateral Spec Start Location greater than Lateral Length error message
Lateral Spec Start Location greater than Lateral Length error message

If you need to exclude a pipe specification from the lateral pipe specifications table, click on the delete icon on the right of the pipe specification to be deleted in the table. This will remove the pipe specification from the lateral and update the table accordingly.
 Warning

The trash icon only delete the pipe specification from the lateral pipe specifications table, but it does not delete the pipe specification from the database. Therefore, the deleted pipe specification can still be assigned to other laterals or access points.

Segment - Pipe Specification Section

The section Segment - Pipe Specification contains fields related to the segment of the pipe under assessment and the pipe specifications assigned to this segment. It contains the following fields:

  • Pipe Spec → A dropdown list to select a pipe specification to assign to the segment of the pipe under assessment related to the access point being created.

  • Pipe Asset ID → A text field to enter the asset ID of the pipe segment under assessment related to the access point being created.

  • Spec Start Location → A numeric field to enter the start location of the pipe specification on the segment of the pipe under assessment related to the access point being created, in meters or feet.

The figure below displays the section Segment - Pipe Specification of the form.

Segment Pipe Specification window
Segment Pipe Specification window

The window allows the user to assign a pipe specification to the segment of the pipe under assessment related to the access point being created.

To start assigning a pipe specification, select a pipe specification from the dropdown list 1. Then, enter the asset ID of the pipe segment under assessment in the field Pipe Asset ID 2.

 Tip

The Pipe Asset ID field is optional and can be used to enter the asset ID of the pipe segment under assessment related to the access point being created. Remember to use only letters, numbers, dashes (-), and underscores (_) in the asset ID, and do not use other special characters.

Next, type the start location of the pipe specification on the segment of the pipe under assessment in the field Spec Start Location3, select the unit for the start location in meters or feet, and click on the icon to add the selected pipe specification to the segment table4.

The figure below shows an example of the section Segment - Pipe Specification filled with the pipe specification assigned to the segment of the pipe under assessment related to the access point being created.

Segment Pipe Specification table with pipe specifications assigned to the segment
Segment Pipe Specification table with pipe specifications assigned to the segment

 Note

The Spec Start Location value entered in the form must be greater than zero.

Distance From Label

Beside the field Spec Start Location there is a label that shows the name of the access point selected as reference in the Distance From dropdown list, and its distance from the reference point. This label is updated based on the access point selected as reference in the dropdown list, and it helps the user to know the name and position of the reference access point when entering the position information for the new access point.

The figure below shows the label with the name and distance of the reference access point.

Segment Distance From access point Ap 4
Segment Distance From access point Ap 4

Access Point Graph

The Access Point Graph panel provides a visual representation of the pipe with its access points and pipe specifications (pipe specs) for the selected site and group. It is displayed above the Manage Access Points table and is hidden by default.

The graph is controlled by the button on the Manage Access Points toolbar. The button is enabled only when both the Site and Group selectors have a specific value selected. If either selector is set to All Sites/Groups, the button remains disabled.

When the graph is shown, it is refreshed for the current site and group selection. The panel is rendered in a wide container so the graph can use the available space and keep the access point layout readable.

The graph helps the user inspect the selected group in a visual way:

  • Each access point is shown as a labeled brown circled marker on the pipe line.

  • The distance between access points is displayed directly on the graph.

  • The pipe sections are drawn with colors that match the pipe material family.

  • Any pipe specification added to the graph is displayed as an overlay above the pipe line.

  • It’s possible to create, update, and delete pipe spec sections independently from the pipe sections.

  • A badge legend below the graph shows the pipe materials included in the current view.

The figure below shows an example of a pipe with all its graph components.

Pipe graph with access points and pipe specifications
Pipe graph with access points and pipe specifications

Graph controls

The toolbar above the graph contains the controls used to navigate and work with the diagram.

Pipe graph controls
Pipe graph controls

From left to right and below, the graph controls are:

  • Center graph - restores the graph to its default position and zoom.
  • Zoom in / Zoom out - changes the graph scale. The user can also use the mouse wheel over the graph if it's available.
  • Zoom slider - lets the user adjust the graph scale manually. Double-clicking the slider resets the whole graph to the center.
  • Export image - downloads the current graph as a high-resolution PNG image.
  • Help - opens a short description of the available graph controls.
  • Pipe Specification Controls - opens/closes the panel used to add or update pipe specification sections on the graph.
  • Pipe Specification Table - opens/closes the table with pipe specs information from and to distances, including the user changes.
  • View New Pipe Specs - shows/hides only the pipe specifications added by the user on the graph, hiding the original pipe sections.
  • Reset Pipe Specs - resets the pipe specifications on the graph to the original values, removing any user changes.

The graph canvas also supports keyboard and mouse navigation:

  • Hold the Space bar and drag the mouse to pan the graph.

  • Use the Arrow keys to move the graph.

  • Hovering the graph updates the pointer position on the status bar used by the zoom controls.

The graph canvas also supports keyboard and mouse navigation:

  • Hold the Space bar and drag the mouse to pan the graph.
  • Use the Arrow keys to move the graph.
  • Hovering the graph updates the pointer position on the status bar used by the zoom controls.

To see a brief description of the graph controls, click on the Help button on the graph toolbar. The help panel will be displayed with a short description of the available graph controls.

Pipe Specs controls

The Pipe Specs Controls panel allows the user to add, edit, and delete pipe specifications on the graph. The user can also view the pipe specifications table with the from and to distances of the pipe specifications, including any changes made by the user.

Pipe specs controls
Pipe specs controls

The Pipe Specs Controls panel contains the following controls:

  • New pipe spec range - lets the user choose the starting and ending access points and enter the from/to distances, with shift values for each side of the range.
  • Shift - adds or subtracts the value entered in the number field to the From and To distances.
  • Pipe Asset ID - optional field to enter the pipe asset identifier for the selected range.
  • Select the pipe spec - dropdown used to choose the pipe specification to apply to the selected range.
  • Filter pipe specs - filters the pipe specification list before selection.
  • Add pipe spec - applies the selected pipe specification to the chosen range.
  • Close - closes the panel without applying further changes.

The figure below shows a typical pipe graph example and some pipe specifications created using the Pipe Specs Controls panel.

Pipe specs controls and pipe graph
Pipe specs controls and pipe graph

The whole graph has two main sections:

  • Pipe Graph - shows the pipe with its access points and pipe specifications sections, and

  • Pipe specifications - shows the pipe specifications created or edited by the user with the Pipe Specs Controls.

The Pipe Graph section is the main section of the graph, and it shows the pipe with its access points and pipe specifications sections.

The Pipe Specifications section is the section above the Pipe Graph section that shows the pipe specifications created or edited by the user with the Pipe Specs Controls.

The Pipe Specifications section override the pipe specifications of the Pipe Graph section.

 Tip

To temporarily see the original pipe specifications of the pipe graph, on the Graph Control toolbar click on the icon View New Pipe Specs. This will show the original pipe specifications of the pipe graph, and hide the pipe specifications created or edited by the user with the Pipe Specs Controls. To show the pipe specifications created or edited by the user, click again on the icon .

Creating a New Pipe Specification

The Pipe Specs Controls panel allows the user to add, edit, and delete pipe specifications on the graph. The user can also view the pipe specifications table with the from and to distances of the pipe specifications, including any changes made by the user.

To create a new pipe specification, use the controls below in order.

  1. New pipe spec range from - select the starting access point and enter the From distance.
  2. Shift - optional control that adds or subtracts the value in the number field to shift the range left or right.
  3. To - select the ending access point and enter the To distance.
  4. Shift - optional control that adds or subtracts the value in the number field to shift the range left or right.
  5. Pipe Asset ID - optional field to enter the pipe asset identifier for the selected pipe specification.
  6. Select the pipe spec - choose the pipe specification to apply to the selected range.
  7. Filter pipe specs - filters the available pipe specifications before selection.
  8. Add pipe spec - applies the selected pipe specification to the new range.

Close - closes the panel without adding a new pipe specification.

 Warning

The pipe specifications created or edited by the user with the Pipe Specs Controls panel are not saved directly in the database. They are only saved in the Stage tab. The Analytics team will decide their migration into the database later.

Updating a Pipe Specification

To update an already created new pipe specification, click on one of the pipe specification sections on the graph and select the option Update from the context menu.

The pipe specification will populate the Pipe Specs Controls panel for editing.

Make the changes and click again on the icon Add pipe spec to update the pipe specification on the graph.

Update Pipe specs context menu
Update Pipe specs context menu

After clicking on the Add Pipe Spec button, the pipe spec will be added to the Pipe Specification Sections of the graph. If there were affected pipe specifications, they will be updated accordingly. The user can see the changes in the Pipe Specification Sections of the graph.

Deleting a Pipe Specification

To delete an already created new pipe specification on the graph, click on one of the pipe specification sections on the graph and select the option Delete from the context menu.

A confirmation window will be presented to the user to confirm or cancel the action.

After deleting the pipe spec section, the pipe section(s) will be updated with the original pipe specifications.

Field Notes Forms