“The Power of Communication” – see your world from a new perspective

I am sure you will all agree 2020 has served as a real time experiment in the technology space, accelerating existing trends and disrupting today’s reality in everything that we do. We believe success in the New Decade requires New Perspective in how we Communicate and Engage with people. If you have large volumes of data, looking to improve the quality of information your teams need on a day to day basis or interested in how to make more accurate decisions, please contact us. We will be showcasing the hugely anticipated release of X-Info Connect v6.0, empowering people to identify insights reliably, increase the speed of communicating tasks and outcomes, allowing you to see your world from a new perspective.

Ever wondered how TransLink manage their Bus Stops?

TransLink is a division of the Queensland Department of Transport and Main Roads with management responsibility of adds, moves, maintenance and changes for more than 17,000 active bus stops across the State.

In 2018 TransLink invited Mipela to participate in a proof of concept to replace its existing, end of life Bus Stop Portal with a new Bus Stop Management System (BSMS). This solution required the ability to store, manage and allocate works on bus stop infrastructure and its corresponding components. The new BSMS would also include the additional functionality of being able to receive bus stop infrastructure upgrade funding applications from Councils and assess these applications via workflow with internal users.

Challenges

The incumbent solution was end of life and unsupported, so timing in delivering the new solution was of the essence.

The TransLink project team had existing business based roles to perform whilst also being committed to the project. This coupled with the part time nature of some of their subject matter experts, timing and effective communication was key. The project adopted changes to optimise the engagement opportunities with face to face workshops proving the most effective.

Solution

TransLink’s new BSMS has delivered the required functionality with the flexibility of being able to improve existing processes and adopt a continuous improvement approach to how the team works.

The new system has allowed TransLink’s BSM team to bring on board new Councils and bus companies across the State.

Users can easily access the information they need to perform their jobs in an intuitive, browser based portal.

Interactive mapping functionality allows users to quickly drill down to the area they are interested in and access the relevant information without trolling through lists of irrelevant data.

The mobile data capture app, X-Info Aware has introduced the ability for users to capture information in the field and share in real time with the BSM team in the office. This significantly reduces the maintenance time if there is an issue and improves turnaround times for repairs and installations.

Contractors, bus companies, Councils, and other relevant parties can easily gain access to their relevant data via a browser based portal.

Reporting is automated either through scheduled .pdf files that are emailed to nominated personnel or real time dashboards that show what each user need to see in order to perform their role and meet their targets.

Results

The flexibility of this project was a result of a true ongoing partnership between the TransLink BSM team and the Mipela implementation team. The lines of communications were always open and are still well utilised.

The BSMS project has delivered well and truly above the functional and non functional requirements of the project. Workflows were streamlined as the project progressed, whilst still delivering on the core requirements.

The end product is a highly flexible system that the BSMS will continue to configure to improve their existing processes and workflows.

Managing contaminated land compliance

Mipela recently rolled out a solution to automate and manage contaminated land compliance and reporting using X-Info DBYD suite’s Works Management module to the City of Sydney. This solution adds an additional layer (pardon the GIS joke) of protection to human safety and the environment in and around contaminated sites.

The solution uses spatial data to automatically identify excavation risks near or within known contaminated land sites. Once identified, the respondent automatically receives an email confirming they are within the buffer zone for a known contaminated land site and are provided with a detailed site plan, Environmental Management Plan (EMP) and Site Audit Statement (SAS) – all within just a few minutes of them lodging their Dial Before You Dig enquiry.

This sort of workflow automation that can be used for all types of environmentally sensitive sites like:

• Contaminated land (PFAS, PCBs, etc.)
• Hazardous disused assets (eg. decommissioned asbestos pipes, tanks)
• Ecological regeneration sites
• Natural ecological hazards (eg. acid sulphate soils, toxic weeds, invasive species).

APGA moves Pipeline Engineers Competency System (PECS) to a a new platform

Further to our recent article in the previous newsletter about the Australian Pipeline and Gas Association (APGA) moving its Knowledgebase to X-Info Suite, we are delighted that the Pipeline Engineering Competency System (PECS) is now also available on the same platform.

Now, when APGA Members log on to the X-Info Suite platform where the APGA Knowledgebase moved in July, they will see in the dashboard that the PECS can also be accessed from this location.

All the information on the PECS, including the onshore and offshore competency standards libraries, the tools and resources, information about registering as an Oil and Gas Pipeline Engineer and other supporting information is now available on the new platform.

Access to the new platform will be via a link on the APGA website, either on the Knowledgebase page or the PECS page.

“The PECS platform is now the single source of truth for the PECS,” said APGA CEO Steve Davies in an email to members. “The competency standards in the PECS are reviewed over a five-year cycle, so please check frequently to make sure you have the current version.”

“Another new feature available via the platform is the ability to download the master lists of competency standards. These are downloaded directly from the database so are always up to date.”