The Qatar Public Works Authority 'Ashghal' has awarded IBM the contract to provide a smarter road and drainage infrastructure in the gas-rich country.

The new system will enhance the quality of services, safety and environmental sustainability for citizens in the country.

In line with the Qatar National Vision 2030, Ashghal and IBM will deploy an Enterprise Asset Management Solution (EAMS) to effectively manage the operation and maintenance of the country's roads and drainage networks and multiple effluent and water treatment plants.

The solution will enable Ashghal to rapidly evaluate and respond to defects or incidents reported by citizens and anticipate and prevent problems. Enabled through the use of mobile devices, Ashghal will be able to quickly plan work requirements, determine resource availability and ensure the right crew responds with the right materials and tools.

The system will also gather and analyse millions of discrete pieces of information about the country's road and drainage assets through a Geographic Information System (GIS) to allow the location of assets or work to be determined and tracked in real time.

During the project kick-off meeting Ashghal's president Nasser bin Ali Al Mawlawi said the implementation of EAMS is a pivotal step towards enhancing and streamlining the services of Ashghal's roads and drainage operations and maintenance departments.

"Designed with a focus on customer centricity, the solution will help Ashghal to advance its asset management services with the organisation's overall business goals through a system that will guarantee lower asset failure frequency and ensure timely maintenance. With this advanced software, Ashghal will gain real time visibility into the country's asset usage and, better govern and manage the lifecycle of road and drainage networks to achieve higher returns on national investment," he added.

According to him, the ability to draw from multiple sources across Qatar will also provide better insight into the condition of pipes buried deep underground in specific locations and the road network.

"This will help reduce the frequency of maintenance interventions, which in turn will help reduce traffic congestion and increase public safety. It will ensure the road and drainage systems are safer and environmentally sustainable," he added.

With a total land area of 11,500 sq km and a population of 2.2 million, Qatar has experienced rapid economic growth over the last several years. This economic growth has resulted in increased demand for government entities in Qatar to provide a world-class infrastructure.
 
IBM opened an office in Qatar in April 2012 as part of the company's expansion in the Middle East to meet the growing needs of customers in the region.

"Building a smarter infrastructure is the foundation to establishing a smarter economy. Citizens are also placing increasing demands on their leaders to innovate and progress," remarked Amr Refaat, the general manager, IBM Middle East and Pakistan.

"The roll out of the Enterprise Asset Management Solution is a key demonstration of how Ashghal is already executing on Qatar's journey to a smarter economy leveraging Smart City concepts and enhancing citizen services," he added.

Based on IBM's Maximo Asset Management Software, the solution will transform the way road and drainage asset data, maintenance work, and ultimately customer services are managed within the Authority's Asset Affairs operations.-TradeArabia News Service