Managing infrastructure assets is becoming increasingly difficult for maintenance crews as their responsibilities continue to expand. These crews are facing a growing list of infrastructure materials to manage and increased local and federal reporting requirements. With this increased responsibility, maintaining accurate records and tracking asset locations and critical information becomes a complex and arduous task. This challenge is further compounded by time constraints, limited data availability, limited staff resources and lack of training.
A single source of up-to-the-minute accurate records is essential for effective maintenance and management. To better manage assets, crews require a comprehensive system that provides precise information about asset location, condition and inspection reminders.
By combining visual representation and accompanying data about assets’ condition and maintenance history, AR eliminates ambiguity about buried infrastructure. This benefits hidden or buried infrastructure as it provides context about the unseen elements.
Bowman’s augmented reality (AR) solution is reshaping asset management processes. Harnessing the power of AR is enabling crews to tackle challenges and enhancing their ability to manage and maintain critical infrastructure while in the field and at their operation’s base.
Intuitive Integration and Streamlined Operations
An asset management tool should be intuitive and easy to integrate into existing systems. Bowman’s AR solution effortlessly blends with existing GIS frameworks using ESRI ArcGIS Online. The solution offers a user-friendly mobile application that empowers field personnel with on-the-go access to critical asset data, allowing them to make informed decisions and take necessary actions in real time.
Additionally, our solution offers a comprehensive dashboard, providing big-picture views of the entire system or piece of infrastructure. This offers users a detailed overview of asset status, key metrics and valuable maintenance/replacement insight.
Bowman’s AR solution requires no specialized training, equipment or additional software. Users can easily adapt and utilize the tool without the need for extensive training programs or complex installation. Its simplicity contributes to the solution’s widespread accessibility and usability—making it an ideal solution for crews with varying levels of technical experience.
Location Verification and Beyond: Additional Functionality of Bowman’s AR Solution
To save crews time and effort, Bowman’s AR solution automatically identifies assets by simply pointing a mobile device toward the object. Combined with Global Positioning System (GPS) receivers enables real-time plotting and highlighting mapping inaccuracies ensuring precise asset location. This functionality enhances the accuracy and reliability of asset information to empower crews to effectively manage assets and streamline operations.
The AR technology also offers versatile capabilities beyond location verification. It allows users to conveniently review and edit table data, seamlessly add information to inspection and repair reports and easily access operations and maintenance manuals. These additional features enhance the tool’s versatility and usability to provide crews with complete support for asset management tasks.
The animated demonstrations below illustrate how AR can easily identify missing assets (Figure 1 & 2) accurately mark mapping inaccuracies (Figure 3) and enables real-time report viewing and editing (Figure 4).
The need for a versatile and easy-to-use asset management tool has never been more critical. As the number of assets continues to grow, crews are struggling to accurately track and maintain them. Bowman’s AR solution naturally adapts to the evolving needs of asset managers and operators. The easy-to-use interface ensures users of all technical backgrounds can quickly adopt and leverage the technology to their benefit.
Contact Bob Krallinger at rkrallinger@bowman.com or Ryan Belyea at rbelyea@bowman.com to learn more about how Bowman’s AR solutions can benefit your asset management responsibilities. You can also learn more about how Bowman leverages technology to improve project outcomes HERE.