Public utilities are under pressure to improve both cost-effectiveness and service delivery. Many have responded with a number of information technology (IT) initiatives, some of which are considered herein.

Infrastructure Management
Infrastructure has a life-cycle: from its initial construction, operation & maintenance (O&M) to its decommissioning and replacement. Budgeting for infrastructure management and renewal is an increasingly important challenge for public utilities. Capital spending and O&M plans require accurate information about the status and priority of infrastructure issues.

As their Geographic Information System (GIS) coverages reach maturity, utilities are turning to EHG to leverage their information investment:

• water demand & sanitary flow forecasts (FLOWGEN) based on population, zoning and seasonal variations.
• two infrastructure information systems: for storm water ponds and stream crossings (for Ontario Ministry of Transportation).

• waterhammer analyses of water or sewer networks to identify areas prone to breaks
• water distribution network growth planning and leakage reduction strategy using WaterGEMS™ linked to ArcView™.

Custom Engineering Software
EHG understands that no two situations are alike: practical solutions must be tailored on a case-by-case basis using a combination of existing software capabilities and external processing by custom engineering programs:

• custom hydraulic models (using PLANT) of Humber and Boulder water treatment plants (WTP) to identify hydraulic constraints and improve process efficiency and reliability.
• HAMMER^TM, now owned and distributed by Haestad Methods Inc., was originally developed by EHG and we continue to use and improve it to solve complex Water Hammer problems.

• Document existing methods, the need for the IT project and the expected costs & benefits

• Sketch-out IT application and/or develop basic prototype(s) for further input

• Write a complete specification of the data or process model to avoid problems later
• Research similar IT projects, commercial software products (if any) and/or source code

• Update rapid application prototype with data model &/or functions and get user input

• Present (partial) results at regular intervals if possible: this is usually mutually beneficial
• Develop the application software until a solid, pre-release beta is achieved

• Load all required parameters, system information (plant model) and/or data (databases)

• Test in-house with several users for reliability, functionality & ease-of-use
• Provide user manual in clear, simple English with a minimum of technical terms & acronyms
• Test on-site to observe the users' learning curves, identify bugs and resolve key issues

• Evaluate the IT project's usefulness and return-on-investment to the client