Geographic Information System

Phase I (Needs Assessment, Cost/Benefit Analysis, Implementation Plan Development) - Complete.

Phase II (Data Assembly, Data Viewing Application, Field Accessibility Pilot Project) - Complete.

Phase III (Work Management System, Field Accessibility Implementation) - Complete.

Phase IV (Asset Management System) - 

Southgate has planned capital replacements on the basis of facility age and known conditions; and scheduled preventative maintenance on commonly accepted utility practices with adaptions pursuant to known conditions. In combination these are referred to as "Asset Management".

Relying on our previously developed Geographic Information System (GIS) and Work Management System (WMS), Southgate staff and consultants have been developing a more sophisticated approach to asset management.

At the March, 2011 Board meeting, and at a recent Utility Management Conference, the consultant previewed the new Asset Management System (AMS) at a pilot project level. The AMS will rely on the ususal asset features (year installed, asset type/size/materials, probable useful life, and probable rehabilitation/replacement costs), but that data will come from the continuously updated Geographic Information System and will be at a level of refinement not previously available. The AMS will continue to rely on condition assessments, but will draw that data from the Work Management System to ensure more systematic capture of identified field conditions and more systematic consideration of those conditions. The AMS will take consideration of the varying levels of facility criticality and risks associated with failure of those facilities.

There was demonstration of the capability of the system to facilitate decision making in terms of: rehabilitation versus replacement, replacement materials alternatives, capital investment versus enhanced maintenance, capital investment timing, long term fiscal alternatives, and short term packaging for capital projects. Decisions affecting maintenance would flow directly from the Asset Management System into the Work Management System.

The ability to make capital improvement decisions, package capital projects and establish priority for maintenance operations will be substantially improved and superior to that available in other utilities.

The Directors spoke favorably of the system as developed to this point, their expectation for its timely completion, and their enthusiasm for the resulting benefits.

System wide implementation was completed in June, 2011.