Case study 2.7

North Shore City Council – Good asset management means taking data collection seriously

North Shore City Council's plans are based on good quality information about the Council's assets, and having ongoing condition and performance assessments to further refine the available data. There are planned approaches to data collection, including programmes of "condition surveys".

The Council has adopted the latest data collection methods. For example, the Parks Activity Team has hand-held Global Positioning System (GPS) units enabling direct feed to the Geographical Information System (GIS) from on site inspections. Programmed condition inspections are verified through spreadsheets before entry in the GIS.

The Wastewater Activity Team has a programme of field condition surveys (using closed-circuit television) of the local wastewater pipes. Asset data has also been collected as part of developing Integrated Catchment Management Plans. There is a specific operational expenditure budget for inspecting critical assets.

The Council’s data is held in a variety of systems, but the GIS is the "hub" and the main repository of spatial data. The Council’s systems are integrated, with the asset register being updated in real time, which eliminates the need for periodic reconciliation.

The Council has a comprehensive set of data standards covering all asset areas, commonly known as the "Asset Data Standards Manuals", which set out data requirements for newly constructed and replaced assets. These help the Council to ensure that data quality is maintained as the assets are further developed.