We have similar (above ground, but still labour intensive) aqueducts on the dry side of the Alps, and you can see early beginnings of data processing in the solutions they came up with for the problem of "we want people to take water out of the system in direct proportion to how much labour they contribute to its maintenance" — including medieval one-way functions like broken tallies.

Might be a chance to use AI to refine the search for ancient settlements that has been already done for years using Google Earth.

For example: https://metaldetectingforum.com/index.php?threads/using-goog...

I learned about Qanat reading Desmond Bagley airport thrillers written in the 60s. It's part of a plot line dealing with middle eastern drug trafficking. When I met Persians in Australia 40 years later it was interesting to realise they were still significant in their culture. Keeping on top of the maintenance was a social capital exercise in frustration, endless mañana.

https://archive.is/20240917041034/https://www.newscientist.c...