It is no secret that the US has a crumbling infrastructure. Years of neglect and cuts in funding have left the country with bridges, roads, and utility systems badly in need of update. There are hopeful recent signs that this problem is being recognised, and that at a state and federal level new funding will be released. This is all good news for small and medium sized cities and townships, but when it comes to finding new ways to manage, track, and analyze their infrastructure assets, cost and complexity remain major barriers. In this article we will discuss new approaches to managing assets which will help small organizations.
Past options: inefficient or expensive
Asset or infrastructure management is often a paper-based task within small organizations. That means work orders, inspections, maintenance all being conducted using paper forms. One coop utility worker recent mentioned to a colleague:
“We rely on paper maps, maintenance forms and local knowledge to get our work done. We know our approach is inefficient, and would like to move to using software and mobile devices. Our problem; all solutions we have found so far are way beyond our budget”.
Most asset management software solutions are complex and expensive. They often provide a large mix of tools to manage infrastructure. Far more than is needed by many small organizations. They can also be expensive, and require in-house technical expertise.
Towards a brighter future
Until now small organizations have been forced to continue with inefficient paper-based methods for asset management. That has finally begun to change as simple, flexible, affordable solutions are being released. Many of these releases rely on newer technologies, they are designed to be easy to use, and most importantly are cost effective.
Simple, Flexible, Affordable Asset Management Solutions
We have spoken in past blog posts about COTS+ apps. These are modular applications which provide only those tools needed to complete tasks. Many of the new asset management solutions are being built taking this light-weight approach. COTS+ apps are very flexible, so can be adjusted for different groups – work orders for maintenance staff, real-time data feeds for managers.
GeoAppSmart for Work Orders
Simple, flexible, affordable
New COTS+ asset management solutions provide a way for small organizations to manage their infrastructure leveraging GIS. That means a digital twin or digital record of all assets. A single database containing all an organizations asset data. From here that data can be mapped, updated from a tablet or smartphone, used to generate reports, viewed in real-time data and much more.
GeoAppSmart on a Smartphone
Having a simple focused app, which can be used on any device provides new capabilities to manage assets for all staff across a small organization. Flexibility means easy to adjust and modify. Adding or removing widgets from these apps changes the tools available and focus. That means an app for those focused on preventative maintenance through work orders, one for those conducting inspections, another for those needing to assess asset criticality.
At last small organizations can replace inefficient methods of managing assets. New COTS+ solutions are now available which provide an entry point to small organizations to adopt new more efficient ways to maintain their infrastructures using the latest technologies.
Contact me directly at [email protected] or call for more information on 801.410.2532.
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