Fall NEARC 2024

The City of Woburn, Massachusetts needed to migrate from a third-party work order management solution that they had been relying on for water and waste waster operations and maintenance (O&M) tracking. The previous provider was divesting, and the City was looking to make better use of the resources already at their disposal in ArcGIS Online. Weston & Sampson was contracted to develop in that environment a comprehensive solution for the full work order lifecycle from generation through assignment and tracking and finishing in summary report generation. This was particularly important to the O&M strategies of their water department which is responsible for weekly and monthly tracking of statistics on their water quality for reporting to state regulatory commissions. Weston & Sampson proposed and implemented a system based in ArcGIS online that synthesized the complementary platform components of ArcGIS Online, Field Maps, Experience Builder, Work Force and Survey123. Bringing all of these together in a single total solution that allowed their water department to create work orders for specific tasks such as daily treatment rounds, sampling, meter changeouts, hydrant flushing, service line installation, meter reads and more and then deliver the assignments electronically to users in the field, track their status collaboratively, and output automatically formatted reports for submissions to the requisite state agencies. The solution was constructed based around the existing schemas of the previous solution to allow for easy porting of historical data and was also designed to accommodate easy expansion to other departments notably the sewer department and to incorporate MS4 compliance through the integration of stormwater O&M forms later.

The NHDOT had a need to map their buried fiber optic system to a high level of accuracy to support fiber system maintenance, development of an accurate asset inventory, and implementation of a GIS environment. NHDOT contracted with CDM Smith to implement a geodatabase design and data collection process for 29 miles of fiber optic cable that runs along the I-93 corridor in southern NH. To support NHDOT requirements, it was clear that a subsurface utility engineering (SUE) approach was required by locating buried lines using geophysical tools such as ground penetrating radar and line tracing equipment. The end result was a highly accurate dataset that primarily meets “Quality Level B” mapping standards as documented by the American Society of Civil Engineering (ASCE) Standards for Subsurface Utility Mapping.
This project took a fresh look at a traditional data collection workflow, and the lessons we’ll share are valuable process and management insights that are applicable to any kind of field collection project. The project involved a variety of data sources coming from several field teams, including fiber optic cabinet component inventories, manhole inspections, subsurface utility location information, and centimeter RTK-GPS measurements of asset locations in ESRI Field Maps, and it was all compiled into a single, integrated GIS workspace. Throughout this presentation, we will detail the approach to the data collection process and share some best practices that were gleaned regarding setting up quality control procedures to ensure accurate capture of assets is achieved. We’ll also dive into the components of the final product, share how it is possible to take advantage of the collection phase to assist in the final data development by using tools like 360-degree GPS-enabled cameras, and show how this process produced a valuable database that will find use in future locating efforts, system overview visualizations, and asset management. Through our example, you’ll take away some experience-based tips about how to plan ahead for your field collection efforts to ensure a smooth turnaround from field to office and set up a successful and thorough a data development process from start to finish.

The accuracy and completeness of utility GIS data are critical as data now plays a key role in utility management, improvement, and maintenance. Today, GIS and asset management data support various functions, including compliance reporting, construction management, complete streets, and utility operations. However, many municipalities and government agencies face challenges with outdated GIS and asset data developed over a decade ago, which often do not meet current needs. This has prompted a trend of reinvesting in data development to achieve higher accuracy and broader usability. Utilities are seeking guidance on improving their GIS and asset data.

To address this need, the municipalities, government agencies, and utilities are enhancing their GIS and asset management capability by increasing the quality and scope of their GIS. Advanced technologies like mobile GIS, subsurface utility location tools, 360-video, and 3D LiDAR are being utilized to accomplish this goal. These tools help map the location and assess the condition of assets, providing higher-quality data to staff through improved web, mobile, and augmented reality applications. Additionally, utilities are unifying their information management systems (GIS, CMMS, models, etc.) to enable better decision-making through integrated technology.

This presentation will overview how the Town of Hudson, NH, the US Navy, and other organizations are enhancing the accuracy of subsurface utility systems using techniques such as ground-penetrating radar, 360 GPS-enabled cameras, and enhanced GPS. These advancements allow utilities to expand their technology environment for various uses, including improved asset management, condition assessment, construction management, 3D augmented reality, and data-driven capital planning. Case studies will demonstrate how utilities are improving the quality and detail of their data, showcasing the processes and benefits of these enhancements.