ASM
Asset Management Solutions for Engineering GIS
I recently attended an industry event held specifically for GIS people working in the engineering industry. There were many representatives and a number of technology service providers. We were shown an array of gadgets and a number of asset management solutions that were streamlined and elegant. The problem was choice. There was far too much.
Speaking with other GIS professionals who also work in engineering consultancies, conversation soon turned to the problem of meeting the demands of clients and how to provide the best solution with cost, time and resource constraints.
A consistent theme was the great variety of tasks that have to be dealt with. Not every company has a developer on their team, so solutions have to come from the available skills base, with little time or budget for development. The alternative is to subcontract and have a program written specifically for each project.
We have developed a solution that is flexible, relatively easy to use, and returns a system that can easily plug into a client’s existing infrastructure.
We use a combination of off-the-shelf software, limited database development and rugged hardware that can cope with the many applications we require. Undoubtedly, if each application is treated separately there may be better solutions, but for a variety of tasks it performs very well.
Within our company, the GIS group plays a supporting role to the core business of engineering and environmental services. Our emphasis is to provide spatial solutions to help our engineers and scientists do a better job. We strive to use spatial and mobile technologies to provide a cheaper service, and to deliver a better quality product for our clients. Since we serve a wide range of clients, the systems we develop have to be flexible across many applications.
We have invested in hardware that suits a variety of applications – from site surveillance to asset inspections and dilapidation surveys. The hardware, of which there is a great selection, has been chosen to be flexible, bomb-proof in terms of operation, and relatively easy to use in the field. It is accompanied by software that is easy to customise and use.
The hardware consists of an Xplore iX104C2 Tablet PC that is rugged and performs well in outdoor light.
The stylus-operated tablet has an attached GPS unit that is suitable for general use, but is not as good for detailed work. Handwriting recognition means that even the worst scrawl can be turned into text.
The only complaint so far has been regarding weight. It has been a compromise. A computer that will survive life with a site engineer must be rugged. We use carry straps to overcome this problem.
We also use a Ricoh 500SE wifi rugged camera that can transfer images directly to the tablet up to 100 metres away. This is useful for two-person teams, where one collects images and the other records details. The camera accepts normal AA batteries, also a great help in the field.
An Access database specific to each project records images, observations, issues and condition information. The database can capture co-ordinates from the GPS, and images are referenced and displayed in it without having to load them in as database objects. Care has to be taken when dealing with images in an Access database, but there is plenty of technical support on this subject available online.
The end result is an efficient way of capturing large quantities of photographs with good descriptive data. The reporting process used to be an arduous task. Being able to address this within a database has been a major selling point for our system. Similarly, users find significant value in the use of a free GIS viewer – Arc Reader – to see contextual information and the contents of the database.
Using ESRI ArcView on the tablet, we integrate the database and the GIS by reading the co-ordinates in the database as an event theme. MS Access files are natively read by ESRI. Database tables are loaded into ArcView, recreating the relationships. The contents of the database can then be viewed directly in the GIS through the identify function. This is particularly useful for viewing details recorded at a particular location.
There are advantages and disadvantages in using a program like Access. The greatest advantage is that it is relatively easy to set up a database, though over time, ours have become quite sophisticated. Most organisations use databases to store their data, so the information can be readily uploaded into corporate systems from Access. Replication of the data to tablets is easy. Data loss is possible, but this is mostly due to human error so good procedures can overcome this.
There are some downsides that need to be considered, however. Most important is the issue of versions. Most organisations are using Microsoft Office 2003; some still use the even older 2000 version. These are no longer available and for tasks such as replication, there is no compatability with the current version (Office 2007). In some circumstances this can cause problems.
If you supply a computer to a client as part of a project, you must consider this software issue and resolve it. Access also has limitations with file size, which becomes unstable when it increases.
The shortcomings of Access aside, it is an easy platform to work with, which means less risk to the project if someone leaves. It also means that future development is relatively simple, even if the original developer is no longer around. In our case, clients are able to continue development themselves when the data capture system is delivered at the end of the project.
So the question that has to be answered is: With all the hardware options and development environments available, which is the right one? When is it appropriate to develop something simple in-house? When should one engage additional resources for a specialised system?
Time, cost and skill limitations are always the key factors. In our position we are required to provide the right balance of functionality, technology and innovation. As technical people, the first challenge is deciding whether to offer a technically advanced solution or something more old-fashioned.
Engineers are pragmatic people. If it can be done faster and easier with a pencil and paper, that is exactly what they want. If it needs computerisation, it is often a matter of convincing them that there are flow-on benefits in using digital systems to capture and store information.
The most successful argument will involve tangible cost savings. A significantly reduced effort in reporting will do, but more often the benefits reside in greater efficiency in decision making, or in reduced risk and improved quality.
Finding the balance is sometimes difficult, but the simplest solution is often the best.
