Date
Tuesday, September 10, 2024
Time
9:15 AM - 9:45 AM
Location Name
KICC M101/102 (Level 1)
Name
ChatGPT Wrote It for Me: Transforming Wastewater Management With AI
Track
Collections
Description

A key challenge in wastewater management is identifying problem areas within the collection system promptly, to prevent or mitigate issues such as infiltration, overflows, and contamination. This paper explores the application of ChatGPT, a powerful large language model developed by OpenAI, as a tool for analyzing data from various sensors and other sources to enhance the monitoring and maintenance of wastewater collection systems. Well-organized, structured data is often taken for granted and overlooked. However, the increasing complexity of urban environments and the proliferation of sensor technologies have generated vast amounts of unstructured data that can be challenging to organize, process, and interpret effectively. ChatGPT, with its natural language processing capabilities, offers a unique solution by enabling human-like interactions with data and generating actionable insights. Our presentation will illustrate the utility of ChatGPT in the context of wastewater collection system analysis by highlighting several key functions: Data Integration and Interpretation: ChatGPT assists in collating and understanding data from a diverse range of sensors, including flow meters and weather data. It can extract meaningful information from unstructured text reports and combine it with sensor data to provide a comprehensive overview of the system's performance. Real-time Monitoring: By continuously conversing with ChatGPT, operators can receive real-time updates on system conditions. The model can analyze incoming data streams, compare them with historical data, and alert operators to potential issues, such as abnormal flow patterns. Anomaly Detection: The model excels in identifying anomalies in data that may signal potential problem areas, such as infiltration, blockages, or deteriorating infrastructure. ChatGPT's ability to contextualize information aids in rapid problem identification. Decision Support: ChatGPT can offer recommendations and solutions when confronted with specific issues or challenges within the wastewater collection system. Operators can engage in a conversation with the model to explore different strategies for resolving problems. User-friendly Interface: The conversational nature of ChatGPT makes it accessible to a wide range of users, including non-technical staff and decision-makers. This democratizes data analysis and empowers a broader group of stakeholders to participate in system monitoring and decision-making. We will demonstrate these features and the value of ChatGPT using a collection system modeling project in Mount Pleasant, Tennessee . This project required careful analysis of a tremendous amount of flow monitoring data. ChatGPT helped relieve a pain point in the project by structuring the data. It also enhanced our analysis by helping to identify trends that may indicate challenges in the collection system. In conclusion, this paper highlights the potential of leveraging ChatGPT for enhanced wastewater collection system analysis. By bridging the gap between complex sensor data and human understanding, ChatGPT offers a valuable tool to improve the efficiency, sustainability, and reliability of wastewater management. The ability to interact with data in natural language opens new avenues for collaboration and knowledge sharing among experts and stakeholders in the field. As the demand for smarter infrastructure solutions continues to grow, large language models such as ChatGPT will help us rise to the challenges of modern wastewater management.