The City of Vernon manages a diverse portfolio of infrastructure assets. The City has been using Excel spreadsheets to model and plan for infrastructure renewal. Managing and maintaining numerous spreadsheets proved to be problematic and hindered the City’s efforts to develop more advanced risk-based optimization models to optimize project selections and investment strategies, and meet organizational objectives and performance metrics. The City also needed to implement advanced asset management processes across all asset types using a consistent and generic methodology and a single integrated solution. The desired solution was also required to support cross-asset analysis and be seamlessly integrated with ArcGIS.

“What the City of Vernon wanted was a tool that could take the results of complex spreadsheet-based asset management plans and plug them into modeling tools that could help the City make better risk-based decisions and to help illustrate the consequences of certain funding scenarios, treatment interventions, and levels of service. What appeals to me about IDS software from a technical aspect is that the functionality is tailored to apply against a wide range of asset classes (from airports to pipes to park assets). It also offers the flexibility to either utilize the results of consultant-led asset management plans or to build similar logic within the software. I’ve been very impressed with the level of service IDS has provided and am looking forward to working with them further.”

– Geoff Mulligan, City of Vernon

IDS Asset Optimizer^TM GIS-centered cloud-based software was used to support lifecycle modeling and asset management planning of the City’s parks and sanitary, stormwater, and roads networks. Assets data were directly imported from ArcGIS feature services and Excel. Asset Optimizer^TM was then used to perform in-depth data analysis and develop data-driven deterioration and risk models for different asset classes. Costs and benefits models for various asset intervention actions (e.g., repair, rehabilitation, preservation, and replacement) were developed. Multiple budget and performance target scenarios were defined and used to generate optimal annual project lists that maximize assets performance, minimize the risk, and minimize lifecycle costs. Scenario analysis helped to quantify relationships between funding levels and assets condition and risk metrics, and to develop optimized and defensible 20-year asset management plans. Cross-asset analysis helped identify possible coordination of projects across different asset classes (roads, sanitary and storm sewers) as well as to align these projects with the water program developed by the Regional District of North Okanagan. Integration with ArcGIS enabled the City to leverage ArcGIS web tools such as Story maps and Operations Dashboards. The City is planning to use Asset Optimizer^TM to develop capital plans for more asset classes including wastewater treatment plant, airport, and facilities.

Serving a population of approximately 100,000, the City of Lethbridge is managing over $2 Billion stock of infrastructure assets. Since 2005, the City has been implementing asset management best practices and software systems to support a corporate-wide Community Asset Management Program (CAMP) initiative. To extend this effort, the City needed a solution to develop advanced risk-based optimization models to optimize project selections and investment strategies across all asset types. The City required the solution to support the entire asset management cycle: from data analytics, lifecycle modeling, and capital planning to program development and project management. Since the City has been using Cityworks for work management, the desired capital planning solution was required to interface with the City’s Cityworks and to support integration between capital programs and project delivery and management processes, and to enable seamless data exchange between the two systems.

“Asset Optimizer has functional tools that provide valuable information about our assets. Customized dashboards provide insight into the current state of our infrastructure and reports can summarize this information and share with others as needed. The interactive mapping functionality makes it easy for non-GIS users to easily query the data and display it visually for better understanding. The renewal planning tool allows the entry of different budgets and helps predict the future condition and risk of our assets. One of the most impressive functions of this system is its ability to determine capital renewal strategies across multiple asset classes and identify the most optimal scenario. IDS staff has been very helpful and efficient throughout this project with quick turnaround of information and system training. Staff have been very accommodating throughout this project and are very knowledgeable in deterioration model calculations for different asset classes.”

– Blair Ritchre, City of Lethbridge

IDS Asset Optimizer^TM GIS-centered cloud-based software was used to support lifecycle modeling and asset management planning of the City’s linear assets: roads, sanitary, stormwater, and roads networks. Assets data were imported from ArcGIS geodatabases and Excel sheets. Asset Optimizer^TM was then used to perform in-depth data analysis and develop data-driven deterioration and risk models for different asset classes. Costs and benefits models for various asset intervention actions were developed, along with constraints or rules governing their applicability.

Optimal annual project lists for multiple planning scenarios were generated and analyzed to assess the impact of various funding levels on assets performance and risks, and to determine funding needs to meet specific performance and risk targets. Subsequently, a 10-year optimized capital improvement plan was generated for each asset class. Cross-asset analysis helped identify possible coordination of projects across different asset classes.

Working closely with Esri Canada, an interface between Cityworks and Asset Optimizer^TM was developed. Asset Optimizer^TM automatically created work orders associated with planned projects using pre-defined templates. As projects execution progress, status updates and actual project time and expenditure logged in Cityworks are tracked in Asset Optimizer^TM, enabling the creation of accurate up-to-date program status and budget reports, thus creating full visibility of programs and projects across different departments in the City.