Innovative Approach To Asset Management

Media release follows and image attached.

Media Release
18 February 2004

INNOVATIVE APPROACH TO ASSET MANAGEMENT

Infrastructure maintenance company, Transfield Services has developed a new approach to asset management within the roading industry, using global positioning systems (GPS) and a data logger, to locate and assess the condition of highway assets. This is the first time that these technologies have been combined for use in asset management on New Zealand's roads.

As part of Transfield Services' North Auckland long-term maintenance contract to Transit New Zealand, the company is resurveying the contract's entire highway network. This involves locating every highway asset, identifying and rectifying defects as well as monitoring and maintaining their condition to the performance levels specified by Transit.

Mike Manion, Transfield Services' Senior Contract Manager for the North Auckland network, says that given the importance location plays in asset management, an accurate method of location-fixing for highway assets is critical, hence the employment of satellite sensing survey equipment.

"Global positioning systems have been in use for over a decade but are still relatively underutilised in Asset Management," says Mr Manion. "We saw the need for a system that would give us an exact location of each highway asset, enabling us to know the location and condition of the road asset inventory."

The software was developed by Transfield Services and Beca Carter specifically for Transit New Zealand and consists of a GPS unit connected to a field data logger. This enables Transfield Services to locate each asset - be it a sign, manhole, catchpit or light pole - and then input detailed information regarding its description and condition. Once the location is fixed, the asset will remain permanently in the inventory until it is removed and because it is held in coordinate format, it will remain constant during alterations to the linear referencing system such as changes to the road centreline measurement.

Fieldwork commenced in September last year. To date, over 100 km of highway have been surveyed.

"By using GPS, we benefit from more accurate data which results in better measurement, better asset management and hopefully a safer and more efficient road network," concluded Mr Manion.

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