infoBridge Spatial

Background

The maintenance of linear assets makes heavy reliance on computer systems and the data that they hold. Typically this data is spread across several systems and databases. Asset information may be stored in one, spatial information (e.g. latitude and longitude) in another, financial information in a third, while documentation is stored in yet another. Compiling a single picture of this disparate data is a time-consuming and difficult thing to do. As a result preventive and opportunity maintenance, the ideal scenario, often goes unrealized.

Problem Definition

Managing Linear Assets requires complex data models

When assets are encoded into an Enterprise Asset Management System, the system demands that that the assets are modeled, according to a hierarchical or systemic view. This is particularly difficult with linear assets because it is very hard to define a parent/child relationship between lengths of railway track or transmission lines, and once defined, it is then difficult to look at the data using a different level of granularity. For example, most organizations, when faced with the challenge of modeling their linear assets, divide the asset base up into kilometer lengths. A typical maintenance work order then specifies the work to be completed between a start and end chainage value. Often, however, the financial systems model assets at a much higher level, for instance between major cities. These two disparate models must then be reconciled in order to make sense of them. This is a simple example but one which is caused by the definition of two models with different levels of granularity. Add spatial coordinates, safety documents, audit reports, defects, non-destructive testing and work scheduling data into the mix and the complexity becomes much harder to manage.

Complex data models are hard to navigate without in-depth understanding of the model

This then leads us to a second problem. If we don't know how the data was modelled, the data is hard to navigate. A direct result of this is that the operational knowledge encoded in an engineer's head becomes extremely valuable to the organisation and when the engineer leaves or retires?that information is lost. Another, but related concern is that new employees take a long time to become productive. Without this knowledge of the model we cannot make sense of the data on its own. Thus the value is tied to the user's prior knowledge and experience and their ability to decode information from the data presented to them, rather than to the system. It is not organisational knowledge, just a collection of data.

Information is harder to access

If the system provides only data, not information?in other words provides no meaning to the user, then it becomes an arduous task to decode it. This can result in increasingly poor data stored in the system, as users effectively feel unrewarded by the system. Poor data makes it harder to decode useful information which leads to less reliance on, or use of, the system as the diagram below shows:

In summary, the disparate data sources, complex data models and hard to access information systems result create a significant problem in managing linear assets.

Solutions to the Problem

 

There are three key areas that must be addressed in order to solve the linear asset problem defined above:

• Link or combine the data sources
• Reduce the impact of the complex data models on the user
• Make the system more intuitive to the untrained user so that better records are kept

Typically the three areas I have defined above would be considered either impossible or too expensive to pursue. Systems integration projects are expensive and often fail to deliver value, re-modelling the data just pushes the problem from one static data model to another, and finally the systems interface is usually part of a third party vendors software product and so out of reach. Lateral Minds have developed a ground-breaking new product, infoBridge® Spatial, that addresses the three issues above, so that organizations can solve these problems immediately in a stable, supported and scalable environment.

 

infoBridge® Spatial

The product acts as a visual portal to your corporate data, dynamically aggregating existing data models and presenting them in a consistent manner to the user.

The Visual Query Engine is capable of presenting the aggregated data through a GeoSpatial (GIS) or Map-based interface. Users accessing the system can visually navigate the asset model and immediately decode information from the data presented to them. In addition queries can be defined that retrieve data from multiple datasources, without being constrained by their existing data models, and overlay the results against the map. For example one query might plot faults occurring near embankments against the map. The worst areas would be immediately visible even to the untrained eye.

A significant problem facing organizations who wish to use Geo-Spatial systems is that most of them require the GPS co-ordinate data to be stored along with the asset information. This is a significant ongoing data collection task. The infoBridge® Spatial software platform simplifies this problem by allowing asset data to be linked to existing GPS co-ordinate data. The software even goes one step further by dynamically translating chainage values to GPS co-ordinates.

What are the benefits?

Even beyond the solution to the problems defined above, deploying infoBridge® Spatial within your organization can bring enormous benefits. Using the system as part of regularly planning and work scheduling can bring the benefits of "opportunity maintenance". For example, when visually identifying the work route for planned work, other nearby work can be easily included thus reducing the number of costly field trips. In addition, through the powerful aggregate querying and intuitive user interface infoBridge® Spatial brings robust diagnostic capabilities which can result in significant gains through "Preventive Maintenance" of your assets.

As well the intangible benefits described above, being able to plan for "opportunity maintenance" and increase "preventive maintenance" can be estimated in a tangible manner. While this is not a complete ROI model it can act as a realistic guide, since it is based on real-world numbers. ROI on infoBridge® Spatial can be realized in as little as 12 months. These tangible benefits can be described as follows:

 

Note: All Costs are in Australian Dollars

Conclusion

Maintaining linear assets is a complex business and systems that are used to support the process are often segmented and disparate. Poor user interfaces, complex data models and poor data collection exacerbate the problem of identifying relevant information from the data in these systems. Lateral Minds have developed a ground-breaking new product, infoBridge® Spatial, that can provide a simple and effective solution to most of these problems. Organisations that deploy infoBridge® Spatial can realize significant cost savings through both "opportunity maintenance" and "preventive maintenance" programs, and these cost savings provide a fast return on investment for the software.