Aging infrastructure is a major concern to many Americans and certainly to our elected officials. Of course, the costs to maintain, rehabilitate, replace, or even build new infrastructure is no surprise to civil engineers. However, the general public isn't as well informed, so decisions to spend can be unpopular, and this fact can impede progress toward more dependable, efficient, facilities. Truth be told, many elected officials and governing bodies aren't well informed either, typically because of insufficient data, not unawareness.

Improving asset management can go a long way in aiding the community impediments that plague towns, cities, and states every day. Thankfully, federal rulings, such as the Governmental Accounting Standards Board's Statement 34 and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Capacity, Management, Operations, and Maintenance regulations, as well as decisions at the local level in some states, are supporting such initiatives. But the true impetus should just be logic. Defining priorities and making expenditure decisions based on facts that result from data, analyses, and engineering principles is the only way to go.

Increasingly, civil engineers are providing asset management-related services. For example, subsurface utility engineering, which involves utility designating, locating, and surveying; and structural health monitoring, which involves monitoring infrastructure to determine its condition, are becoming more common. Additionally, project work involving GIS, land surveying, 3-D laser scanning, and GPS for the purpose of asset management continues to grow. Also, information-technology-related services are on the rise. Civil engineering firms are assisting clients with capital program management systems, enterprise management systems, CAD/GIS data integration agendas, and implementation of mobile technology to maximize the efficiency of their asset management programs.

Several articles in this month's issue address asset management and associated tools. The Public Works Series article (page 34), “Improving capital programs with information technology,” was written by Simon Heart, P.E., with TAG | The | Asset| Group, a division of MWH. This article discusses the importance of adopting a management plan early in an asset's lifecycle to maximize the outcomes of an information technology investment.

Additionally, Omar-Pierre Soubra with Trimble contributed, “Managing data from 3-D laser scanners,” which discusses how point-cloud software offers versatile solutions for professionals working with infrastructure that has been scanned (see page 37). Also related is the Project Case Study, “Bringing bridge inspection into the computer age,” which begins on page 42. In this article, Craig Finley, P.E., of Finley Engineering Group, discusses how asset management is being applied in the bridge industry specifically.

The benefits of maintaining assets with the big-picture perspective afforded by asset management systems have distinct advantages to utilities, municipalities, or other owners of public infrastructure. Designating assets, quantifying and locating them, and qualifying their status, as well as sharing such information throughout organizations, can bring vast efficiencies and benefits to the public. If infrastructure owners' goals include extending facility lifecycles and spending wisely (which I think they all should!) then investing in asset management is a necessity. Sure, asset management costs money, but sometimes you have to spend a little to yield a great return.

Shanon Fauerbach, P.E.
editor@cenews.com