Customer Story

IMPROVING ASSET MAINTENANCE EFFICIENCY

Nearmap imagery within Sydney Water’s customer-focused Spatial Hub is improving asset maintenance efficiencies.

Having that level of information before you actually do that first site visit is really important; it’s just so revealing, it’s like being on site, it takes it to another level

Dino Scotter, Spatial Applications Developer, Sydney Water

Australia’s largest water utility, Sydney Water, provides drinking water, wastewater, recycled water, and some stormwater services across the Greater Sydney region. Through its in-house platform Spatial Hub, Sydney Water is streamlining asset maintenance processes and improving customer outcomes.

The Challenge at a Glance

Complex Water-utility Network Monitoring

Successfully monitoring its complex network of assets comprising thousands of kilometres of water pipes as well as reservoirs, water pumping stations and more, Sydney Water needed a platform that would consolidate multiple data sources into one platform to deliver intelligence and insights that would enhance service delivery and improve customer experience.

NEARMAP AERIAL IMAGERY WITHIN THE SYDNEY WATER SPATIAL HUB

MAINTENANCE LOCATION VIEWED IN SYDNEY WATER SPATIAL HUB

The Solution at a Glance

Integrated Platforms with Up-to-date Insights

In 2017, as part of an initiative to shift Sydney Water from being purely an asset-management-focused company to one with a proactive customer-service focus, the in-house platform Spatial Hub was developed. As the internal source for Sydney Water to monitor, assess, and plan, Spatial Hub informs better asset management decisions. Built on the GE Smallworld GIS platform, it incorporates approximately 150 different data layers, including Nearmap high-resolution aerial imagery. This helps Sydney Water visualise asset data to streamline maintenance and repairs and improve customer service.

Business Impact

More Efficient, Safer Asset Maintenance

Nearmap imagery within Spatial Hub helps Sydney Water allocate work resources more effectively by understanding sites and clarifying requirements. Staff can send the right equipment and vehicles to a site, and provide clearer information to work crews, improving safety and helping reduce carbon emissions generated from unnecessary repeat visits. The ability to understand the status of construction sites with Nearmap aerial imagery can also help Sydney Water understand water use needs. While older aerial imagery in the Sydney Water billing system might show a vacant lot, up-to-date Nearmap imagery can show when construction is underway.