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Track: Water Distribution, Wastewater, Sewer
James Carlson-Jones
South Australian Water Corporation
4th Floor Australis Building
77 Grenfell Street
Adelaide, SA 5000
AUSTRALIA
Telephone: 8-82041688
Fax: 8-82041699
E-mail: jim.jones@sawater.sa.gov.au
The Information Edge
The utility industry sector in Australia has undergone and continues to undergo significant change. Whilst the process of change is not new to our industry, the rate at which it is being implemented is rapidly increasing. We are using Total Quality Management (TQM) to refine and improve existing service provision whilst Business Process Reengineering/Redesign (BPR) is being used to challenge and completely redefine corporate business processes. The fundamental component for any of these business initiatives is information. In order to make these key strategic business decisions, it is vital that corporate information is available when and where required in a cost-effective and efficient manner. The information infrastructure required to achieve this has been the subject of discussion over many years, particularly as it relates to the integration of spatial data into the corporate environment. Historically, spatial information has been hidden away in proprietary data structures outside the traditional
mainstream IT environment. As such, it has tended to be excluded from any serious debate on information infrastructure alternatives. Recent developments in the spatial technology industry are enabling spatial data to be considered an essential element of the corporate information infrastructure. The ability to analyze customers, assets, environment, and investment in a spatial context facilitates improved TQM and BPR activities by providing a far richer information environment with superior analytical functionality. The South Australian Water Corporation (SA Water) is no exception to the rapidly changing environment faced by the utility sector. Recent corporatization, major outsourcing contracts, water industry economic development activities, private sector infrastructure provision, and restructuring of retained functions has significantly changed the face of the organization. We are now an internationally focused organization with a culture and commitment to ensure the high-quality provision of South
Australia's water/wastewater services and the establishment of a world-class water industry in South Australia. This presentation summarizes the manner in which SA Water has embraced spatial information and technology to drive advances in customer service, productivity, asset management, business planning activities, and economic development. Further, it attempts to provide some insight to the future spatial information infrastructure required to maintain the "information edge".
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