Challenge

One of the great challenges facing modern society is the deterioration of its infrastructure. Implementing and advancing infrastructure asset management, however, requires a strong workforce with advanced skills in the areas of engineering, business, and economic theory. To address this need, the University of Colorado Boulder offers a graduate course in infrastructure asset management taught by Prof. Cristina Torres-Machi. The goal of the course is to examine the process and techniques for managing civil infrastructure, with an emphasis on transportation. One of the topics covered in this course is the evaluation of investment alternatives and their impact on infrastructure condition. These evaluations often include simulation and what-if scenarios that are data and computationally intensive.

Solution

To address this challenge, Prof. Torres-Machi partnered with Deighton to design and implement a learning activity in which students analyzed the cross-asset allocation of maintenance funding at the network level. The activity was designed in three modules. First, students were introduced to dTIMS, its functionalities, and how these functionalities relate to the concepts introduced in the course. In the second module, students were presented a case study and asked to work in groups to analyze the impact of different budget scenarios on the condition and risk of a road network. Each group analyzed a different scenario with varying funding levels, costs of maintenance activities, deterioration trends, and asset classes under analysis. The third and final module consisted of a discussion session moderated by Prof. Torres-Machi and the Director of Business Development at Deighton, Gary Ruck. In this session, students compared the results obtained from the different scenarios and discussed the possible reasons driving these results.

Results

After this activity, students were asked to provide feedback. Overall, the response from students was highly positive, stating that they truly valued the experience. They appreciated the opportunity to work with a real management system and see how the concepts introduced in the course are implemented to assist decision making. This case study is an excellent example of collaboration between industry and higher education, and how it can enhance the workforce development in the asset management field.