It would've been nice if municipal officials had advance warning that water mains on 25th Street in the South Side and Bower Hill Road in Mt. Lebanon were going to rupture on Wednesday.

It would've been nice if workers in Downtown office buildings didn't swelter or shiver because air conditioning was malfunctioning or improperly set.

Officials of IBM and Carnegie Mellon University today will announce a partnership aimed at making those and other visions a reality, through technology that uses sophisticated sensors on vital infrastructure, allowing managers to make better and more effective decisions.

The two are creating a Smarter Infrastructure Lab at Carnegie Mellon that will bring together academic, industry and government sectors for advanced research into better monitoring of pipelines and building systems through use of digital sensors.

"The end goal is to try to provide insight that managers can use and act on, and avoid spending on emergencies," said James H. Garrett Jr., chair of the university's Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering.

Better management of infrastructure will produce cost and environmental benefits, said Wayne Balta, IBM vice president of corporate environmental affairs and product safety.

"You have the ability to detect patterns and spot problems before they become problems, and if there are no problems, optimize costs," Mr. Balta said.

For example, sensors on a pipeline might detect variations in flow caused by a leak, or warn of impurities that have infiltrated the system, he said.

In a building, they could monitor heating, ventilation, air conditioning and electrical systems. Sensors might monitor traffic patterns in a building and adjust the movement of elevators accordingly.

There are "huge opportunities" to make buildings more energy efficient, Dr. Garrett said. Heating and cooling systems "are not operated very efficiently. Occupants are either too cold or too warm most of the time."

The new lab will explore ways to collect and analyze the enormous amounts of data that the systems would generate.

"All manner of civil infrastructure is ripe for instrumentation," Mr. Balta said.

IBM is not disclosing the amount of its financial commitment to the project but Mr. Balta said the corporation will provide computer hardware and software and expertise from personnel in its research division.

The company in 2008 launched its Smarter Planet campaign aimed at solving problems through advancements in information technology.

Carnegie Mellon is spending $2.2 million to retrofit two buildings for its emerging Pennsylvania Smart Infrastructure Incubator, which will include the IBM lab, said Matthew Sanfilippo, executive director of the incubator. Much more will ultimately be spent on research.

Hamerschlag Hall and Porter Hall on the Oakland campus will house the facilities.

The university in June announced a partnership with Bombardier, an international transportation company, for research into sensors and monitors for transportation infrastructure, including bridges and transit systems.

The goal is to make Pittsburgh a worldwide leader of advanced research into smarter infrastructure.

The need is compelling, Dr. Garrett said.

"In the press on a daily basis are stories about infrastructure that is in need of major investment," he said.

The American Society of Civil Engineers last year reported that $2.2 trillion in spending is needed over five years to bring American infrastructure into a state of repair. It rated 15 categories, including roads, bridges, waterways, transit and drinking water systems.

"Every one of them is showing major signs of degradation and the need for major investment," Dr. Garrett said. "We can't keep doing business as usual."

Advanced systems will allow better spending of limited budgets in dealing with the daunting problem, he said. "Now's the time for us to be doing the research and development and showing counties and municipalities that this is possible."

Infrastructure is getting older as cities are expected to get more crowded. IBM cites forecasts that population in the world's cities will double by 2050, to 6.4 billion, creating unprecedented challenges for managers.

"Infrastructure underpins the competitiveness of a city," Mr. Balta said. "Efficient infrastructure? You've got an economic advantage."

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