Asset management can be defined as managing infrastructure capital assets to minimize the total cost of owning and operating them, while delivering the service levels customer's desire.

It can be effectively use to improve operational, environmental, and financial performance of any system that delivers a significant service. Asset management programs with long-range planning, life-cycle costing, proactive operations and maintenance, and capital replacement plans based on cost-benefit analyses can be the most efficient method of meeting the challenge of providing the best possible service under numerous real-world constraints (e.g. Limited funds, capacity).

While the principals learned will be universally valid for managing of any type of asset, in this module, the prime focus is on the asset management of urban water infrastructure systems, namely, water supply and drainage/sewerage systems. All the examples/case studies will be drawn from these two areas.

Learning objectives

The course approaches the asset management of urban water utilities from an engineering point of view, using quantitative analysis and modeling extensively. Learning objectives include the mastery of the following:

Clear understanding of the concept of Asset Management.
Practical application of asset management principals in water management infrastructure systems.
Introduction to the tools used in the practice of asset management. (e.g. Databases, GIS, Information theory and application)
Modeling in Asset Management. (Modeling the condition of assets – particularly buried assets like pipe systems. Hydraulic water quality modeling to establish the consequence of component failure)
Renewal decision making – how to allocated limited funds for rehabilitation/maintenance effectively.

Advancements in Asset Management. Recent literature on Models, Decision Support Systems, Tools, Software, etc. Relevance of asset management principals under pressures of change (e.g. climate change, urbanization, etc.)

Target group

Mid-career engineers and utility managers involved in the urban water sector.

Additional information

Lecturing Staff & Partners

Kala Vairavamoorthy, PhD, Professor Sustainable Infrastructure Systems at UNESCO-IHE and Chair of Water Engineering, Department of Civil Engineering, School of Engineering, University of Birmingham, The UK.

Assela Pathirana, PhD, Senior Lecturer in Urban Drainage and Sewerage at UNESCO-IHE.
Yehuda Kleiner, PhD, Group Leader, Institute for Research in Construction, National Research Council Canada (NRC)
Edward Akinyemi, PhD, Senior Lecturer in Sustainable Urban Infrastructure Systems
Berry Gersonious, MSc, Lecturer in Substainable Urban Infrastructure Systems.

Partners

National Research Council, Canada, Birmingham University, The UK.

Examination

It is possible to take part in the examination of this short course. If you obtain a passing mark for this examination and return to UNESCO-IHE within four years after completion of the short course to follow a full MSc programme, you will receive exemption for this short course/module. The costs for this exam are €250 extra and should be borne by yourself. Taking part in the examination is not compulsory.