Making the switch to new software
Anyone who wants to switch their organisation to new software cannot proceed overnight. First, needs must be identified and how best to support the working methods within the company. At Waterleidingmaatschappij Drenthe (WMD), after careful consideration, the choice has now been made and the employees are ready for the start.
WMD supplies drinking water to about half a million people in Drenthe. To do so, WMD produces 30 billion litres of pure drinking water annually in twelve drinking water production plants that distribute the water over a main pipeline network five thousand kilometres long. Shareholders of WMD are the municipalities and province. Among other things, these shareholders determine tariffs and conditions. The shareholders also support WMD's social objectives and a sustainable society with concern for the protection of nature and the environment. WMD scores well in the efficiency comparison of Dutch water companies (2009 study). Both in terms of service, water quality and cost control, WMD is in the leading group.
Transfer
There are many business units that contribute to the quality of service at WMD, but pipeline network management obviously plays a crucial role. To properly support operations in this area, a process was started in 2009 to switch to a new management environment.
Before then, the design was maintained in Smallworld, but this no longer proved to be very practical. For instance, it was not possible to deliver a digital file from this system to contractors, so they always had to make do with a printed overview. During their search for new software, WMD staff came across the combination of Autodesk Civil 3D and NedInfra Drawing, which proved to meet the water company's needs.
Joop Suelmann, staff member Staff Office Distribution at WMD, explains the choice of this software. "Initially, we analysed our entire work process. We saw that besides Smallworld, we mainly used AutoCAD for the design work. Moreover, we received a lot of information in the form of AutoCAD files, which were then used as a substrate in Smallworld. Using AutoCAD would make it possible to copy the information one-to-one."
We were supplied with a lot of information in the form of AutoCAD files, which were then used as a substrate in Smallworld. Using AutoCAD would make it possible to copy the information one-to-one."
Joop Suelmann
Staff officer Distribution Staff Office - WMD
Need for NLCS connection
"Another reason for switching to the CAD format is that, as a water company, we have a lot to do with the Underground Networks Information Exchange Act (WIBON). The files provided by the Land Registry for this purpose are geo-referenced under CAD drawings, making it immediately clear whether there is space in the subsurface. We also needed the connection to the Dutch working method as laid down in the NLCS, the 2D CAD Standard of the Dutch civil engineering sector.
Autodesk does not provide that connection with Autodesk Civil 3D, but it is available within NedInfra Drawing from NedGraphics. That package more or less guides the user and ensures that, for example, the right lines and layers are used. Maintaining the standard is very useful, because municipalities will also switch to the NLCS, so the exchange will then be optimal," Suelmann explained.
Getting started
The switch to new software was led by Giga, the automation department working for both WMD and Waterbedrijf Groningen. Within the framework of this cooperation, the Groningen branch was additionally advised to also start using Autodesk Civil 3D. This had the advantage that both companies could then use the links that will be made between Autodesk Civil 3D and Smallworld, the specifications and the programmes for capacity calculations and hydraulic analyses.
The entire organisation is now ready for the switch: the six designers of WMD, the three designers of the Groningen sister company and the four project managers who write the plans and manage the projects. Suelmann: "The employees have now completed the corresponding training courses and can start working with the software. That does not mean that we have already converted everything; we are doing the transition step by step. For instance, we still have to adapt our library. It contains 780 structures that are suitable for AutoCAD Mechanical and these still need to be converted to separate DWG files. We also still have to make the link with the software for hydraulic calculations, but that is in no hurry. Just like the geoviewer we want to have for Smallworld. The most important thing is that we can work with the new software and exchange our files properly with third parties."