Australia Sydney, Oct. 23, 2008 – Westernport Water’s new Geospatial Asset Decision Support system will manage 700km of pipe reticulation servicing 16,000 properties on Philip Island and the eastern perimeter of Westernport Bay, south of Melbourne (with a population that rises to 75,000 in holiday periods).

Westernport Water chose the Open Spatial solution as an Asset Decision Support System for the water corporation’s water and wastewater infrastructure assets. The solution will provide a platform for the population of GIS data and integration to state of the art real time SCADA property, asset management and seamless access to corporate databases.

Project coordinator Chris Buck explained: “Following research into GIS products currently used by other Victorian water authorities, in addition to a detailed needs analysis for Westernport Water, the decision was made to go to market with a Tender. The successful solution offered by Open Spatial Australia comprises the following ‘commercial off the shelf’ software”:

• Munsys Water & Munsys Sewer data quality management applications (built on AutoCAD Map 3D / AutoCAD Civil 3D)
• Enlighten – enterprise wide web distribution for intranet and Field Force automation (built on Autodesk MapGuide). Spatial enablement of corporate data and corporate applications.
• Network Tracing
• Regulatory reporting requirements

The software installation will be implemented and managed by Open Spatial Australia, and is expected to be completed within a six (6) to nine (9) month timeframe. Following implementation and testing of the system, Chris adds: “We envisage a progressive roll out and integration with Asset Management, Records Management, Risk Management, SCADA and Maintenance Management systems”.

The new technology makes use of existing spatial data captured in other system’s hydraulic models, field books and CAD drawings and will allow field crews to zoom in via screens on GPS enabled laptops and identify the points of isolation necessary to repair a burst pipe. It will also record the properties affected by the outage – which is part of the mandatory reporting requirement to the utility regulator.

Chris said “Open Spatial has shown leadership within the industry by listening and responding to water company’s needs. They have demonstrated more flexibility than other systems on the market. They keep everything open ended by making use of web access. There is nothing worse than working with an upgrade and having to carry out the integration again. We are trying to avoid that scenario”.

The functionality of database links is fundamental to the management of our assets. By incorporating real time data from our SCADA systems and utilising vector graphics, field officers will be able to more effectively implement preventative maintenance programs. The system will be housed at Westernport Water’s Newhaven headquarters. Westernport Water Managing Director Murray Jackson said: “Westernport Water studied similar systems used by other water corporations. We wanted to avoid using a patchwork of systems that did not always talk to each other and have opted for a proven practical solution that meets the requirements of the Corporation”.

The Open Spatial Solution is the fastest growing Geospatial Asset Decision Support System within the Australian Water Infrastructure Asset Management Sector. The Solution is based on Open Standards, Engineering and Geospatial best practices, and is delivering efficiencies and better management of water related assets.

Open Spatial Australia Pty Ltd Managing Director Anthony Jahshan added: “Our focus on our customers’ needs to better manage their businesses is old fashioned and refreshing. The Water Industry specific functionality found in our solutions deliver efficiencies and cost savings to our customers businesses. This is attributed to our responsiveness to the needs of the Water Industry”. Climate change is an added challenge to businesses managing Water Infrastructure Assets and the need to optimally manage these assets is of paramount importance to our sustainable future. We are proud to be associated with great Water Businesses, like Westernport Water.

About Westernport Water
The function of Westernport Water is to provide water, wastewater and gas services wherever economically, environmentally and socially practicable to properties and communities throughout its district. The Corporation services approximately 16,000 properties on Phillip Island and Westernport Bay.
http://www.westernportwater.com.au

About Open Spatial
Open Spatial Australia Pty Ltd is an Australian company delivering geospatial solutions based on Oracle and Autodesk technologies throughout the Asia Pacific region. Recognised for delivering applications to Government and Utilities sectors throughout the region, all our solutions are based on internationally accepted open standards and world-class best practices. Open Spatial offers innovative spatial infrastructure solutions to managing spatial data from Survey through to Design, Construction and Ongoing Spatial Data Management.
http://www.openspatial.com.au

About Munsys
Munsys Technologies (Pty) Ltd is a leading software development company, offering unique spatial solutions that are specifically tailored to the growing needs of worldwide utilities and government.
http://www.munsys.com

Contact: Annie Chamlian, +61 (2) 9449-3222
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