t4 Spatial
Intuitive Cloud-based System that Unlocks Hardto- Access Asset Information

Ed Richards is a mechanical environmental engineer with a keen eye for detail. Spending most of his professional life in the engineering and construction industries, Richards recognized the need for convergence of technology in business and management for the infrastructure industry. His vision to bring advanced internet technologies, cloud, stacks and GIS to city infrastructure assets inspired him to lead t4 Spatial. t4 Spatial uses technology to bring a new level of data visibility, knowledge and information to the collaborative management of infrastructure asset networks, assets that are typically underground and “out of sight, out of mind,” such as wastewater, natural gas and other transmission-sized pipelines and conduits.

“The wastewater industry is at a critical juncture for change,” says Ed Richards President and CEO, t4 Spatial. “Critical challenges are hampering the wastewater industry–the lack of standards, the lack of quality and integrated data and the increase in compliance and regulation,” he notes. “By leveraging the internet and other networking technologies, owners (city, county, district, and agencies) can now make previously siloed wastewater data, instantly and universally searchable, visible and actionable in ways never before possible.”

With t4 Spatial’s flagship product, t4 Underground, any city can afford to harness NASSCO/PACP-compliant sewer video inspections and data for proactive maintenance and management of their wastewater network. “t4 Underground is specifically focused on the wastewater industry, including sanitary sewage lines and storm water lines. We offer a Softwareas- a-Service (SaaS) cloud architecture and web-based platform that integrates wastewater inspections, asset conditions and history, and maintenance and management information into a common geo-spatial GIS centric visualization application,” says Richards. Requiring no capital expense, information that has been locked away in antiquated storage systems can now be harnessed into a powerful analytics and planning tool for collaborative maintenance, management, and regulatory compliance.

The company understands the infrastructure space and its current state of dismay. “Infrastructure assets are ageing, broken and failing. State waterboard and EPA regulations and compliance requirements are dramatically increasing. Something needs be done now to mitigate damages caused by sewer spills and allow network owners and service providers the ability to most effectively and proactively maintain these assets,” says Richards.

Out of many success stories t4 Spatial has under their belt, the company’s association with Hickory Hills, stands out from the rest. The city of 15,000 people had over 25 miles of mainline sewer and it reached a stage where it needed ongoing evaluation to determine the most effective strategies for repair, maintenance and rehabilitation.

Our strategy is to scale against the wastewater industry and bring new application to other industries within the infrastructure space

It also required $2.5 million to bring the entire network up to the standard. They found an alternative to cope it up with NASSCO standards—t4 Underground. The solution enabled Hickory Hills to target their evaluation by creating color-coded maps of collapsed or near collapse pipes overlapped with GIS map layers. These enabled all three entities; repair, maintenance and rehabilitation to quickly hone in on problem areas, pinpoint the precise problems, and recommend methods for remediation. The city saved $1.5 million through accurately targeting remediation.

Going forward, the company will continue to work with various agencies and partners in the wastewater industry. “Our strategy is to deliver our technology and value proposition to customers and scale across the broad North American wastewater industry while bringing new applications to other industries within the infrastructure space,” concludes Richards.