When maintaining a physical network over an extensive service area, like utilities, pipelines or telecom, logistical problems are always an issue. However, it is impossible to keep up with large and dynamic systems using spreadsheets or paper records. GIS network mapping has revolutionised the way organisations manage, monitor and optimise their physical assets and make them a visual system of information which can be clearly understood and acted upon.
Real-time visualization of asset locations.
But the first advantage is that you can now precisely track the location of every asset – to geographic coordinates – on a network map. How field teams and planners can access an accurate and real-time visualization of infrastructure throughout an entire service area — without paper maps and disjointed data sources!
This visibility takes the guesswork out of emergency or routine operations and repairs, and provides crews with the ability to pinpoint a specific area quickly as opposed to blindly looking through something or trusting the incomplete or out-dated institutional memory.
Enabling improved Maintenance Planning and Scheduling.
Map accurate asset locations and conditions and maintenance planning becomes much more strategic. The teams will be able to locate clusters of aging infrastructure, prioritise maintenance according to geographic risk factors and can plan and act towards preventive maintenance more effectively than when maintenance is needed after the event.
Taking proactive steps will reduce the need for emergency repairs and resulting downtime, and extend the life of critical infrastructure assets.The Rapid Response option is useful for outages or failures if you need to respond quickly to minimise discomfort for the people affected, and can help save lives.
In the event of failure; a pipeline leak, a power outage or a disruption of the network, the response time is of critical importance. A visual survey map of the impacted infrastructure enables crews to know exactly where the problem is and the quickest path in which to get there.
During this downtime in a crisis, there are many operations and opportunities that are lost, and the end users or customers who’s applications depend on the infrastructure being in good working order will suffer.
More Accurate Data and Consolidation
Even many organizations suffer from having multiple systems and spreadsheets with inconsistent data on their assets, or with multiple departments using different asset management tools. The geographically-referenced platform: This is what combines all this data in a single place, eliminating duplicate and inconsistent data that is characteristic of manually maintained data records.
This integration ensures that there is a single, accurate, and up-to-date data source for the entire organisation, eliminating expensive errors associated with inaccurate and outdated data for all the employees from field techs to the executive planner.
More intelligent Capacity and Expansion Planning
With the expansion of an organization, it is crucial to understand how much capacity is available in place before expanding. Opportunities for visualizing current asset distribution, and demand patterns can help planners determine where they can achieve the biggest bang for their buck when it comes to new infrastructure investments.
Using this spatial planning perspective helps minimize the likelihood of capital overspending in less-desirable areas and capital underspending in growing areas, which will ultimately result in a more efficient use of capital spending.
Better Internal Control and Reimbursement for GMC/WAUS.
Industries dealing with physical infrastructure have regulations which are quite strict when it comes to asset documentation, inspection schedule, and safety compliance. Keeping records accurate and readily available makes reporting much easier and less mundane, particularly during audits or regulatory checks.
Characteristic times capsules of useful information are also available with historical information in detail and georeferenced to asset locations, this can be invaluable in a compliance investigation or as evidence of due diligence in maintenance procedures.
Improved Collaboration of Teams and Departments
Physical infra red is usually owned by multiple teams such as engineering, ops, customer service, planning, and so on that all require consistency and reliability. One shared visualization platform connects these groups to fill in the communication gaps between them, so that all of them are working with a common appreciation of the state of the network. This kind of coordinated GIS network mapping setup minimises miscommunication, shortens decision-making cycles, and provides better responses for organisations during day to day operations and to challenge situations.
Making the Transition
Frequently, organisations begin the journey to the cloud by scanning current paper asset data and adding this information to a cloud-based geographic platform. However, the initial setup costs for the technology and data migrations will mean that upfront costs will have to be invested but the long term operational benefits of the technology usually far outweigh this.
It is also important to train field teams to actively use and update these systems, as the utility and benefit of accurate infrastructure visualization is largely dependent on reliable data inputs from those working day-to-day with the assets.
The Bigger Picture
Infrastructure networks are getting more intricate and old tracking methods are becoming both risky and inefficient. With accurate GIS network mapping in place, organizations can react quicker, plan more efficiently, and handle resources better when compared with those who’ve not yet adopted geographically based tracking that goes beyond separate manual tracking systems.
The present state of organizations.
Geographically-driven GIS network mapping of physical assets is much more than a mere technical improvement, it is a paradigm shift to smarter, more resilient infrastructure management. The benefits span almost every facet of asset management—ranging from quicker emergency response to more strategic long-term planning. It’s no longer just a desirable option for any organization running a large-scale physical network; it’s a requirement for continued operations.
