5G-Enabled Smart Infrastructure Applications

Canada’s critical infrastructure (e.g., bridges, pipelines, and nuclear power plants) is deteriorating at a rate that far outpaces the ability to replace it. A recent analysis of Ontario’s transportation infrastructure alone indicates over $5.1B is needed to replace assets that have reached the end of their lifecycle. Justifying the finances required for replacement/repair is challenging given the limitations of current inspection practices. This necessitates a quantitative inspection practice that can be deployed at scale for objective measure of existing infrastructure life. This project aims to harness the power of 5G to address unique challenges related to the assessment of state of infrastructure objectively so that maintenance prioritization and replacements can be planned for based on quantitative data. This project will spur an entirely new innovation ecosystems consisting of network providers such as Rogers and vendors and contributes a significant cost reduction and increases reliability in assest inspection and maintenance.

Faculty Supervisor:

Chul Min Yeum

Student:

Partner:

Rogers Communications Inc.;University of Waterloo

Discipline:

Engineering

Sector:

Information and Communications Technology; Artificial Intelligence

University:

University of Waterloo

Program: