Water asset management with ESRI products

14 August 2007, 3:23pm

Dŵr Cymru Welsh Water improves asset management with GIS from ESRI (UK)

Dŵr Cymru Welsh Water has selected ESRI (UK) to provide a new Geographic Information System (GIS) to help optimise customer service, operations, asset management, business performance and regulatory compliance. ESRI (UK) will work alongside Capgemini who as a member of Welsh Water’s ICT alliance will take primary responsibility for coordinating the GIS solution into its existing ICT programme.

Welsh Water’s ICT alliance was announced alongside contracts totalling more than £100m in 2006. The GIS project forms part of Welsh Water’s IT Enabled Change (ITEC) programme to implement an integrated IT environment. The new GIS will work within the water company’s IT environment and help share information throughout the organisation and with third parties.

ESRI (UK)’s GIS will assist Welsh Water with planned and unplanned maintenance scheduling under the Traffic Management Act and the StreetWorks Acts, its OFWAT five year Performance Reporting period, as well as the Drinking Water Inspectorate’s (DWI) risk assessment regulatory requirements.

The GIS will integrate with Welsh Water’s existing IT systems including SAP’s Industry Specific Solution for Utilities using web services deployed in a Service Orientated Architecture, which will enable the stream lining of business processes.

ESRI’s ArcGIS Sever will enable GIS intelligence to be embedded into Welsh Water’s business systems and deliver GIS services for all employees including:

1. a desktop environment to maintain network records
2. an intranet GIS for view, query and analysis – offering company-wide access to information, including call centre operators
an extranet GIS – for third party access including a ‘dial before you dig’ service for other partner utility companies
3. a mobile GIS application for field data capture, integrated with SAP mobile
an emergency response solution

Fraser Nairn, Head of IT, Welsh Water, said: “ESRI (UK) was chosen as the market leader in GIS and as lead supplier of software and services to the UK utilities sector in a competitive tender process run by Capgemini. The GIS solution is a significant cornerstone for the ITEC programme and we look forward to working with ESRI (UK) and Capgemini in realising the potential of GIS across the organisation.”

Richard Waite, managing director, ESRI (UK), said: “Welsh Water has a deep understanding of GIS and is putting the technology at the heart of its enterprise to continually improve customer care operations and asset management. The company’s vision for a completely integrated IT environment will demonstrate how GIS can deliver real business benefits across the whole organisation.”

Jon Brooke, Head of Utilities, Capgemini, said “As a member of the ICT Alliance, Welsh Water look to Capgemini for innovative solutions that will deliver tangible business benefits. The ESRI (UK) solution impressed both Capgemini and Welsh Water across a broad range of criteria in what was a very close competition to deliver the GIS solution”.

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