ArcGIS will be used to improve the quality of asset data, network modelling and risk analysis and enable new ways of working in the field.
Replacing a legacy system that had become difficult to update and adapt, ArcGIS will consolidate all users onto a single platform, accelerate the introduction of GIS services and increase collaboration across Scottish Water’s strategy, planning, investment and customer service delivery teams.
Esri UK won the contract following an open tender involving 20 vendors. Phase one of the new project is due to go live in Spring 2017.
Scottish Water head of asset intelligence Robert Murray said: “GIS is core to our business and sits at the very heart of how we manage our vast water and wastewater network, but there’s so much more that can be achieved with it. Esri’s ArcGIS platform will help us to deliver improved levels of service to our customers.
“By driving more value out of our GIS across the company, it will help us to keep the cycle running smoothly while we keep customer prices low.”
Operational dashboards created with ArcGIS will allow Scottish Water to examine its network alongside other data layers, such as assets inspections, water quality testing, customer contact and complaints or work orders, placing them all in geographical context and providing a better picture of what is happening across the network.
Future projects include integrating video from drone surveys into the GIS and automating the analysis of footage to identify features, helping to improve the efficiency of asset investigations and the reliability and resilience of the network. Online maps will also improve how customers interact with Scottish Water by introducing self-serve applications.
Esri UK head of utilities Kevin Doughty said: “Pioneering organisations like Scottish Water are driving increased business value from GIS by making it more available to staff right across the company. New GIS applications are helping to make people’s jobs easier, reveal new insights and introduce more efficient processes. Esri UK is proud to be helping Scottish Water deliver a prestige service that customers across the country can rely on.”
A version of this story first appeared on WWTOnline.