Our Journey Towards Up-to-date, Accurate Data – Shared Across the Whole Business

Abstract

If you work in the area of asset management, flood reconstruction works or in any public works discipline that deals with a lot of “things” with different attributes in various locations, then you have probably come across issues that relate to data management, data accuracy and data accessibility. Proterra specialises in data heavy activities such as asset capture and flood reconstruction works that consist of processes driven by the need to manage large quantities of data. At the beginning of last year we had a “lessons learned” meeting where it quickly became clear that the majority of our issues involved data errors, data mishandling, or even data loss. Further investigation identified a single overwhelming issue; we were often working from multiple sources of data, relying purely on our staff to ensure that thousands of lines of data were kept up to date and accurate through the various stages of processing. In the assets department alone, we were performing our inspections across two different applications (depending on the job), we were desktop processing and reporting on the data from another two (different) software packages and finally, preparing data for submission in yet another software package! We were working from different data storage devices in different locations, and often coming up with good ideas that were great for one data set, but not the next. While doing it, it seemed to work, looking back now – it was madness! There had to be a better way. We investigated the options, and it quickly became clear that the answer was buried somewhere in a GIS platform. Jim, our operations manager decided early on to take a punt on the GIS stuff, seeing the potential benefits of systems that I am not too sure he always understood. It took us a lot longer than anticipated, but we eventually found the answer in the ESRI suite and it started a journey of trial and error that eventually led to where are now. The transition is not complete, but we now have a system with a single source of data for all data heavy work. This single source of data is accessible through a live portal that is updated in real time, it can be shared with clients and used by different operators at the same time. Our data is secure, it is accurate, and our outputs are instant. The system can be used in app form on a mobile device or on a desktop from anywhere where there is an internet connection. But most of all, we now provide a superior quality product that can be used as truth in real world applications such as development planning, fault finding and asset valuation. This paper looks at the journey of getting to this point, discusses the pitfalls and celebrates the wins. We also explore where we will go next in our quest to transition our whole business to a single platform for all data requirements.