Water pipes, energy grids, and digital infrastructure are not just technical systems; they are the foundation of a functioning society. Asset management is about planning, maintaining, and investing in socially important resources in a way that provides the greatest possible benefit over time. Through data, collaboration, and long-term decisions, we can create robust infrastructures that can withstand the challenges of the future.
Asset management aims to maintain the desired level of service, manage risks, and keep costs under control throughout the life of the assets. This involves coordinating investments, maintenance, finances, and strategic decision-making in order to maximize the value of the resources for which the organization is responsible.
– By developing asset management as a core competence, we can increase societal resilience. It’s about managing values such as health, climate resilience, security, and access to water, energy, and digital infrastructure. Decisions should be based on long-term value, not just short-term cost, says Emmanuel Okwori, an expert in civil infrastructure and asset management at RISE.
It is about managing values such as health, climate resilience, security, and access to water, energy, and digital infrastructure.
A holistic perspective on infrastructure
A central part of modern asset management is viewing systems as parts of a larger infrastructure ecosystem. Water and sewage systems interact with roads, energy grids, and digital networks.
– By thinking holistically, we can create learning infrastructures that continuously adapt to society's needs and priorities, explains Emmanuel Okwori.
A learning infrastructure system is based on data, analysis, and follow-up. Information from operation and maintenance is used to improve future decisions, and every incident becomes an opportunity to learn.
– Imagine that a water pipe breaks on a street. Instead of just repairing the pipe, the water utility and the municipality also record where it broke, how old the pipe was, the ground and traffic load, and how long the outage lasted. They analyze the pattern and learn that this and similar streets are more prone to faults. The next time the road is paved, they coordinate the work and replace the weak pipes at the same time, preventing future breaks and repeated excavations, says Emmanuel Okwori.
The approach is based on collaboration between energy companies, municipalities, authorities, and citizens. The tools should be transparent and useful in both political and technical discussions. RISE supports this through test beds, models, and methods that allow us to experiment, compare solutions, and scale up what works.
– Transparent tools clearly show what data was used, what assumptions were made, why an action is recommended, and how reliable the recommendation is. This allows both politicians, who need to make defensible decisions, and technical staff, who demand credibility, to understand and question the reasoning, says Emmanuel Okwori.
We need to move from pure data collection to real learning systems. Data should support decisions, not just document events.
Strategic and preventive management
Robert Gladh, manager of the water and climate adaptation unit at RISE, emphasizes the importance of management not being merely a reactive function.
– We need to move from pure data collection to a true learning system. Data should support decisions, not just document events, he says. Standards, governance, and integrated analysis tools are needed to prevent problems and continuously improve systems. This could involve, for example, using an AI model to predict where the next pipe break will occur, or simply ensuring that data collected in one part of the organization can be used in another part of the business.
Management should be linked to societal goals. When investments are evaluated based on reduced health risks, fewer flood damages, and ecosystem benefits, they become strategic. Digital models and so-called digital twins can show the long-term consequences of today's decisions and help organizations plan sustainably.
– At RISE, we translate these insights into practical, learning infrastructure systems with the support of data architectures, algorithms, decision support, and training,” concludes Emmanuel Okwori.
Asset management – more than just technology
As societal challenges grow, asset management is becoming a critical skill for the future. It is about more than just pipes and cables; it is about building resilient societies where every investment makes a real difference to people and the environment.
RISE expertise and support
RISE supports the water and wastewater sector through strategic foresight, demand forecasts and scenario analyses, test beds, models, indicators, and interactive formats that translate technical choices into sustainability results. We build capacity for collaborative, self-learning infrastructure systems and deliver decision support that takes into account economics, the environment, hygiene, social aspects, and technical function.
Contact RISE for support and advice in:
>> Clean water for all – a challenge
>> Ensure a resilient and sustainable water supply – for daily operations and in crises
