Toward Infrastructure Improvement An Agenda for Research (1994) / Chapter Skim
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Systems Life-Cycle Management
Systems Life-Cycle Management
Pages 37-48
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From page 37... ...
There is no generally accepted definition of good performance that spans the range of infrastructure.i There are few methods for exploring the tradeoffs among ways to meet service demands, through resource distribution among infrastructure modes or by influencing demands rather than service supply. There is little reliable guidance for how best to introduce new technology without unduly adverse social or environmental impacts.
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From page 38... ...
enhancing knowledge of the sources of infrastructure demand and how demand interacts with the system to influence service life to enable development of more effective infrastructure management tools and procedures; (2) data collection and information-analysis tools to support total-system inventory and coordinated management of infrastructure within a metropolitan area; and (3)
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From page 39... ...
Government budgetary deficits that restrict new investment make capacity expansion difficult, increasing the need for management of demand, enhancement of capacity through operations, or both. The benefits to be gained through research in these areas include more effective infrastructure management tools and procedures that can be used to enhance infrastructure performance at lower costs.
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From page 40... ...
, applied to monitoring of operating systems, could enable the methods of statistical inference to be applied more broadly and could yield valuable results. Typical questions for research might include the following examples: · What are the relative life-cycle supply resource efficiencies of alternative infrastructure technologies (e.g., rail transit versus guideway bus versus conventional highway, water supply by greywater4 collection, and recycling versus conventional extraction and treatment)
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From page 41... ...
Increasing incentives for recycling and waste minimization may require new reprocessing technologies and materials selection to facilitate reprocessing. The potential consequences of such changes, for infrastructure service lifetimes, reliability, capacity to meet unexpected high demand, and maintenance practices, could be farreaching and warrant research.
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From page 42... ...
Integrated databases are needed to support development of predictive models, estimations of reliability and risk levels, and in-service performance monitoring. In many cases, compilation of existing data will require assembly of diverse historic documents from several government agencies and jurisdictions particularly at local government levels.
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From page 43... ...
· Can performance of the several infrastructure modes be characterized on common scales to determine whether costs and effectiveness are in balance throughout the system? Deviations-Detection Systems for Public Health and Safety Comprehensive data and benchmarking of performance will facilitate effective monitoring of infrastructure service conditions and, in combination with new detection and communications technologies, enhance ability to respond to deviations that signal threats to public health or safety or to service continuity.
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From page 44... ...
Such research may advance technologies for SCADA.6 Technical innovations (e.g., imbedded sensors linked to a pro-active control center) , innovative cost-sharing methods and other management tools, and new institutional arrangements for infrastructure management would be appropriate to this topic.
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From page 45... ...
The often ideological discussion of private versus public roles and the relationships among private and public elements of the system hinders careful examination of alternative management methods. Research on this topic could include analyses of historic examples and legal reviews, and comparative studies of different subsystems (e.g., solid waste collection, transportation, and fire protection)
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From page 46... ...
Payoffs from research in this area include help for infrastructure developers and managers seeking to mitigate adverse environmental, safety and health, social, and economic impacts, and to avoid unexpected public resistance to infrastructure development and operations. Shifts in Design and Management Objectives Infrastructure design and management objectives change over time as a result of new technical knowledge, new regulations, or other factors, often as a result of shifts in public values and perceptions.
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From page 47... ...
Typical questions for research might include the following examples: . What economies in infrastructure development and operations can be achieved by means of effective public education and participation in decision making?
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From page 48... ...
Such situations give rise to questions for research, such as 'What economies in infrastructure development can be achieved through effective public education and participation in decision making?
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