Canada - Kuwait - United Kingdom - Australia/New Zealand - Other Links
Canada:
Highway Asset Management Systems
The Transportation Association of Canada released their publication, the Primer on Highway Asset Management Systems. The
goal of this publication is to introduce the concepts of asset management,
outline its potential benefits, and describe how an asset management
system may be successfully planned and implemented.
Canada’s roads, streets and highways are major capital assets
that are essential to achieving their social and economic goals.
Canada’s assets represent billions of dollars in replacement
value alone, and the ongoing cost required to build, maintain and operate
the road network are considerable. Asset
management can provide a business framework for infrastructure and
financial managers to effectively manage their roadway system.
Also see the TAC
Final Report: A National Agenda for Technological Research and Development
in Road and Intermodal Transportation.
Section B addresses the trends, opportunities and needs, as well as
specific priority research and development projects related to Canadian
asset management.
Source: Highway Asset Management Systems: A Primer,
Transportation Association of Canada
Kuwait: Kuwait Infrastructure Maintenance Management System (KIMMS)
Facing
an aging infrastructure system and harsh weather conditions, Kuwait’s
Ministry of Public Works implemented a computerized management system in
1997. The system allows the
Ministry to manage their capital and maintenance planning functions more
cost effectively. The first
steps in this process were to acquire data acquisition equipment and to
initiate organizational changes. The
KIMMS system uses state of the art technology (including GIS) to identify,
prioritize and plan for infrastructure related expenditures.
Source: Kuwait Infrastructure Maintenance
Management System (KIMMS), Ministry of Public Works, State of Kuwait
United Kingdom: Corporate Asset Management Process
United Kingdom’s Department for Transport has developed guidelines for the implementation of best practices in Asset Management.
Also see their Modernizing
Local Government Capital Finance Paper, Chapter 4 – Encouraging Best
Practice in Asset Management. This
chapter describes the Government’s efforts to see local government
authorities make better use of their infrastructure assets.
Source:
United Kingdom, Department of Environment, Transport, and Regions,
Beginning and Developing a Corporate Asset Management Process
The Institute of Asset Management
The management of physical assets (their selection, maintenance, inspection and renewal) plays a key role in determining the operational performance and profitability of industries that operate assets as part of their core business. Asset Management is the art and science of making the right decisions and optimising these processes.
The Institute of Asset Management (IAM) is the independent organisation for professionals dedicated to furthering our knowledge and understanding of Asset Management. In particular, we seek to spread good practice and develop decision support tools and techniques.
Australia
& New Zealand: Road Network Asset Management
The Australian road system:
There are about 750 road controlling agencies in Australia,
with a total road length of 800,000km. Annual spending on operation, maintenance and additions to the
road network is about US $4b. Arterial
roads comprise 16% of the total length, carry 75% of total travel, and
attract 60% of total spending. Per
capita, Australia is the world’s most intensive user of road freight,
with 6,000 tonne-km per capita per annum.
Freight travel in Australia is predicted to double in the next 15
years. The estimated written
down value of the Australian road system is about US$80b (excluding land
under roads), or approximately US$4,000 per capita.
Australian research and development in road network asset
management:
Austroads (the association of Australian and New Zealand road
authorities) has the lead role in Australia in improving asset management
practice in road networks. The
Austroads Asset Management Reference Group (AMRG) plans and manages road
network asset management research and development, in close liaison with
corresponding work on pavement technology.
Current activity:
The 1997 Austroads “Strategy for Improving Asset Management
Practice” lists 38 priority research and development actions for
cooperative effort in Australia and New Zealand.
Current activity includes development of standard guidelines for
road condition measurement, refinement of models to predict road
deterioration, accelerated testing and long term monitoring (LTPPM) to
support the prediction of works effects, and correlation of road condition
measures with community expectations specifically for local roads carrying
low volumes of high mass vehicles. Work
to improve understanding of the interaction between heavy vehicle loading
and pavements is in the early stages.
Status and recent developments:
·
The principles of asset management and pavement management
are widely recognized in Australia, and the use of integrated information,
predictive and optimizing systems is increasing.
·
Major Australian road agencies began reporting the financial
value of their road infrastructure assets in the late 1980s, and since
1997 all major road agencies have recognized road assets in annual
financial statements.
·
A protocol is in place to support harmonized modeling of road
user costs among road agencies across Australia. The protocol recognizes harmonization as dynamic in nature,
and allows for continuous improvement on a coordinated basis.
·
The concept of road hierarchies (fitness for purpose) is
entrenched among the major road agencies, and is spreading among smaller
road agencies.
Austroads publications which may be of interest include:
·
Austroads, 1994, “Road Asset Management Guidelines”
(AP-109/94).
·
Austroads, 1994, “Capitalization of road Infrastructure”
(AP-116/94).
·
Austroads, 1997, “Strategy for Improving Asset Management
Practice” (AP-53/97).
·
Austroads, 1997, “Strategy for Road User Costs”
(AP-47/97).
·
Austroads, 2000, “RoadFacts 2000” (AP-G18/00).
·
Austroads, 2000, “Valuation of Road Infrastructure Assets
in Australia and New Zealand” (AP-144/00).
Source: Laurie B. Dowling, Secretary, Austroads
AMRG
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