SMALL SYSTEM MAINTENANCE MANAGEMENT USING GIS

A geographic information system (GIS) was developed for maintenance op erations at a small (6,104 customers) utility district. Characteristic s unique to GIS applications, such as the accurate modeling of physica l and environmental processes, data modeling and preparation, and the spatial nature of the data, wee incorporated into the steps used to de velop the system. The steps were problem identification, process model ing, data modeling, developing a data plan, cartographic modeling, dat a entry, and testing. These steps achieved computability-the transitio n from a real-world problem to a computer application. The results giv e an accurate depiction of the water supply processes, including the h ydraulic characteristics of the infrastructure and the service require ments. This low-cost application was implemented rapidly and has the f lexibility to create additional applications.