Bentley MicroStation

Experience of system implementation of automation of workflows by the national operator of water supply and the sewerage of Azerbaijan – Azersu company

The Azersu company possesses the pipeline of a water supply system 5000 km long, and the extent of a sewer water supply system is more than 4000 km.

Azersa takes part in design, construction, operation and maintenance of water intaking constructions, water reservoirs, pump stations, conduits and collecting pipes. It supplies with drinking water 1.061 million consumers through the whole country.

The budget Azersu in 2012 made 4 billion US dollars. It should be noted growth of the state investments into infrastructure in the last two years. So, the amount of capital investments in water management increased by 50%.

Time call

The main issue which faced the company — how to take this advantage and to dispose of investments into water management most effectively.

It was for this purpose necessary to define the development strategy, to provide to group of designers an opportunity for work with maximum capacity, to arrange effective production and to minimize risk of occurrence of extreme situations.

The solution is found

For effective solution of these tasks specialists of Azersu implemented the project on creation of the information system AzersuCIS (Azer — Azerbaijan, su — "water" in Azerbaijani, CIS — GIS). It allows to register and store data on infrastructure, thereby optimizing workflow and simplifying service of objects.

GIS The project worth 3 million US dollars is the advanced solution for management of city infrastructure and state of environment. AzersuCIS provides the comfortable platform for joint work over projects that is crucial in the industry and also provides industrial automation and data management SCADA and important IT systems. Thanks to solutions MicroStation and MicroStation PowerDraft more than 100 remote users can work with the AzersuCIS system on the Internet.

AzersuCIS is the cornerstone of software from Bentley Systems company. Using technology of space databases, the Azersu company in only seven months saved 800 thousand US dollars.

Main advantages of AzersuCIS

The AzersuCIS project is an effective system of collecting and maintaining data and the reporting. Besides, it provides significant cost reduction and also optimizes workflow and raises the service level.

• Openness. All geospatial data and attributes are stored in one database. Also the openness of the solution allows to do without converting of data from one format in another.
• Security. It is provided due to access restriction for a certain number of users on the basis of authorization. For each user it is possible to appoint a configuration of settings, opportunities, cards and functions.
• Integration. Abilities to integrate IT systems allow all departments to use GIS through mobile, desktop and the web interface.
• Convenience of using. A system is intuitively simple in application thanks to the thought-over structure.

As there is a work on projects

Everything begins with the actual study of the project, then there is collecting and data analysis of GIS and a CAD. Information comes to the space database that allows to use further it for the web publication and a business intelligence. All departments work with this database. Effective work of departments of planning, implementation and service of projects has key value.

In the beginning project department carries out researches, considers the system of the pipeline in Baku and carries out approval of local governing bodies of water management. Then the project is sent to contractors who transfer it to department of observation where engineers work with project information.

Further the project comes to department of work with GIS where specialists automatically load data into space base, publish the project for virtual desktops and save information in archive. This system is very important because without receipt of information from contractors it is impossible to achieve successful project implementation.

The company uses the following structure: the database server including both the Web server, and a file server, supports the CAD interface and GIS and also management of geospatial data. Based on this system specialists use the products Bentley for simultaneous support of the CAD and GIS platform.

The MicroStation platform which ensures the most effective functioning of AzersuCIS is the cornerstone of a system. Besides, such products Bentley as PowerDraft, BentleyMap, Descartes are used. Designers and schedulers also apply WaterCAD, SewerCAD. Software of Bentley is the main tool on all architectural and construction projects and projects with use of GIS in Azersu company. The solutions Bentley ensure joint work in real time for more than 100 distributed users of AzersuCIS.

Huge attention is paid to the actual project information which is loaded into AzersuCIS. Here all necessary data are displayed: pipe end, bend, arrangement of a hydrant, photo, coordinate. Data from contractors come as in a paper, and electronic form. It is easy to import information: it is enough to take the file and to load into a system then it will appear in the database. The project can be saved in the PDF format or to let in printing.

Specialists of Azersu carry out numbering of buildings to Baku for a system and enter in the database all information on these buildings and also number of clients in them. In the future the AzersuCIS platform will also be used in department of work with clients, in call center and other trade departments.

Results: saving of time and money

It is the first GIS project of national scale in Azerbaijan. All contractors of Azersu prepare executive projects on the Bentley MicroStation platform. The project showed that effective sharing of GIS and a CAD not only is possible, but also it is necessary.

As a result the Azersu company achieved fast return of investments, and labor productivity significantly increased. First of all expenses on work with paper documentation, including on transportation were cut down. Besides, labor productivity increased. According to the estimates of specialists of Azersu, the general economy for the expired year made 800 thousand dollars of the USA, and saving of time — 6000 man-hours.

In March, 2013 it became known that the "Object Management of Infrastructure on the basis of GIS" project won the tender of the innovation Be Inspired Award projects for 2012 (category "Innovations in the field of Water Supply, Water Disposal and Storm Networks") organized by Bentley Systems company. "It is very pleasant to gain recognition for a successful completion of the project which has such importance for residents of Baku and its neighborhoods" — Samir Ganili, the head of department of IT of Azersu company said.