Mapping

Locating your utility’s assets can happen in tandem with building an asset inventory. As you review and log your assets, be sure to include the location by using a street address or GPS coordinates. Ideally, both coordinates and an address for each asset is included in the asset inventory. 

A comprehensive map provides a visual of all your utility’s asset locations, especially the buried/underground assets. An asset map can be a hand-drawn map on paper, an open-source online map, such as Google Maps, or a digital map using a Geographic Information System (GIS) program. Aim for the highest level of detail possible within your utility’s capabilities, including personnel, technology, and system size. The larger the utility’s size, the more important a robust map is. The inventory map helps staff conceptualize the system as a whole and can add spatial analysis to inform capital improvement planning and operations and maintenance decisions. 

The most important considerations in mapping a system’s assets are: 

• • • Ensuring the map is comprehensive and includes all known assets.  

    • Collecting and recording useful data about assets. It is a good idea to collect this data while mapping field assets.  

    • Keeping the map updated over time. 

    • Establishing a process to correct any inaccurate or incorrect data. 

    • Tracking asset failures or other relevant data and events. 

Generally, location data will include the captured GPS coordinates and the street name, street address, or building location such as pump house or treatment building. The addresses should be as specific as possible so staff can group assets together based on their location. It is important to be able to group assets by their category (for example all valves, all hydrants) and by their location (all assets on Main Street).  

In this manner, the system can answer various questions about its assets, such as: “If I replace the pipe on main street, what other assets associated with that pipe will also have to be replaced?” and “If I replace a component in the treatment building, what other assets might be impacted?” 

Another important piece of data to develop (and incorporate into maps, if using digital GIS) is the Asset ID. The Asset ID is a unique identifier for each asset that allows a system to refer to an individual asset by name. Asset IDs often also include other useful information, such as general location. Refer to the Asset ID section for more information. 

Mapping Software

Choose the type of mapping system that best meets your system’s needs, capabilities, and resources. Choosing a more sophisticated digital mapping system, like ArcGIS or QGIS, offers many benefits that a paper map does not, such as: 

• • • GIS allows a system to more easily sort and evaluate data and include asset attribute data such as size, type, condition, date of repair, and more in the map itself.  

    • GIS enables remote use and more accurately represents the data. 

    • GIS empowers systems to use their data to perform useful analyses, such as locating line-break hotspots for repair prioritization and identifying asset criticality. 

    • Some GIS software can be directly integrated with CMMS software, linking the asset inventory and work order system. 

Some GIS programs are expensive to create and maintain, such as ArcGIS. While QGIS is free and open source, it has a steeper learning curve than ArcGIS and might not be as user friendly. In either case, the system will need trained personnel to fully utilize the software.  

Google Earth and Google Maps allow users to place pins and paths that can be used for hydrants, valves, and pipes. The user can also create labels and add descriptions for each pin and path created, while not as accurate or detailed as GIS it is a free user-friendly way of developing a map. 

The more simplistic approach of a hand-drawn map has the advantages of being extremely low cost and easy to generate. A great way to start with a hand drawn map is by using a free base map from an internet site such as Google Maps or others. This type of map is less portable and shareable, less comprehensive in terms of asset data, and less accurate.  

In deciding which system to use, staff must balance the needs of the system, the benefits desired, and the resources available for the task. A system can also start with simpler maps and move to a more sophisticated approach later. 

Haines, AK Water Department

It is important to remember no map will ever be completely accurate, especially in the initial stages. Systems should strive to make a map as accurate as possible, within the limits of the information available, and then improve upon it. A good time to make updates to an existing map is during asset repair, or when new assets are installed. At that time, any inaccuracies in location can be corrected, and useful data such as condition and age can be collected. It is not recommended that assets be dug up for the sole purpose of locating them unless there is a very compelling reason to do so. Instead, systems should take their best guess at locations and revise as they learn more to keep the map as up-to-date and accurate as possible. 

Using maps to better understand system needs – Scot Jaynes, Tucumcari, NM