VUEWorks-InfraMetrix Partner to Provide Infrastructure Aid
VUEWorks, developers of GIS-integrated work order and asset management solutions, and InfraMetrix, providers of Infrastructure Diagnostic Services, have formed a technology partnership aimed at helping local governments prioritize infrastructure maintenance and capital investments for improved performance, according to a Dec. 22 press release.
VUEWorks has also named InfraMetrix a National Channel Partner, authorized to sell and build solutions around VUEWorks® to customers throughout the United States.
InfraMetrix, headquartered in Tampa, Fla., is a leading provider of buried asset inventory and condition assessment data for water, wastewater, sewer, and stormwater systems. The company uses advanced methods and tools, such as zoom camera technology, GIS, and GPS, to help organizations assess operational, structural, and hydraulic conditions. InfraMetrix’ clients can now use that data to prioritize maintenance, assign risk, and assess consequences of asset failure and ultimately, maximize Capital Improvement Planning.
Commented Bill DiTullio, president of InfraMetrix: “Our mission is to deliver data in a usable easily accessible form to help our clients economically prioritize the maintenance and capital investments needed to provide consistent and reliable services. However, the data by itself is only half of the equation -- our clients need an asset management solution like VUEWorks that makes the data readily usable by staff and contractors who need it. VUEWorks is a very intuitive, Web-based, affordable software package that provides point-and-click access to physical characteristic information, operational/service, and structural condition of assets -- all very important to optimize management of the system and maintain service delivery to the customers.”
Approximately 5 years ago, the town of Marblehead, Massachusetts Water and Sewer Commission (MWSC), which serves 20,000 residents, was facing rising insurance claims and repair costs related to system failures and sewer backups of its approximately 87 miles of sewer pipe. By adopting a systematic approach to Infrastructure Asset Management, utilizing both InfraMetrix and VUEWorks, the town has not only eliminated these problems, but has actually improved both the condition of its assets and its allocation of resources and budget.
The town hired InfraMetrix to inspect manholes and pipelines for blockage using the company’ zoom camera technology, and to make recommendations. The inspection data and observations were loaded into VUEWorks, and the town now has the ability to query the inspections and attach videos to an asset directly from the GIS map. Updates to the sewer system inventory are automatically reflected in the VUEWorks software.
According to Chuck McCollum, assistant superintendent of MWSC, the combined solution has delivered significant cost savings. “The InfraMetrix inspection revealed that only 5 percent of the inspected pipelines required more detailed in-line CCTV inspection, providing a significant cost savings had the commission elected to use a traditional in-line CCTV process. Instead, the MWSC could focus its resources in problem areas discovered during the screening process. The MWSC proceeded to clean the manholes and pipelines determined to have immediate potential for blockage issues which could lead to costly environmental clean-up and property damage settlements.”
The MWSC is currently using the condition information to determine the consequence of failure and to calculate risk to prioritize future action.