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Web-based Knowledge Management Systems
Diane Humetewa, Daniel Baker
City of Phoenix Water Services Department
5616 S. 91 st Avenue Tolleson, AZ 85353
Diane Humetewa, Daniel Baker
City of Phoenix Water Services Department
5616 S. 91 st Avenue Tolleson, AZ 85353
Introduction
As public water and wastewater utilities move into the 21 st century, the pressure for more efficient operations, enabled by immediate access to supporting information, grows ever greater. Fortunately, the explosion of technologies related to the Internet and World Wide Web have provided us with the capability to access and retrieve information in new and exciting ways. One way to refer to the systems and technologies that exploit this information is to speak of “knowledge management systems”. This paper will attempt to explain the development, application, and use of web-based knowledge management system in public utilities such as the City of Phoenix Water and Wastewater Department.
Overview of Knowledge Management Systems
Knowledge management systems cover a wide range of information gathering and presentation purposes. They can also provide information to the greatest cross-section of an organization, from operations and maintenance staff to the utility director or manager. In all cases, they provide a point of integration for many seemingly disparate information systems and applications.
Some of the systems that are candidates for integration with a knowledge management system include SCADA control systems, computerized maintenance management systems (CMMS), geographic information systems (GIS), electronic document management systems (EDMS), operations and maintenance manuals, and many others. The vision of this integrated knowledge management system, one access point to enterprise-wide information, is presented in the graphic below.
SCADA systems can be integrated with web technology in a couple different ways. One configuration is to customize dynamic links to the SCADA historical and alarm database to view, monitor, and report on specific data. This data can be presented in table, graph, or other customizable views. Other solutions can also be developed, such as an on-line operations log that shows the most current system alarms and allows operator entry of responses. Another, simpler configuration is to use the web-enabled software provided by most control system interfaces and embedding it within a customized web site shell. This typically offers the quickest solution but, often, it is also less flexible for integration with other system data.
The same two configuration options, customized versus packaged web solutions, are available for most major information systems used in utilities. For example, most computerized maintenance management systems (CMMS) are moving towards web-based interfaces and standard relational database back-ends such as Oracle or Microsoft SQL Server. This allows both the packaged web interface solution to be used as well as customized links and reports directly to the CMMS database.
Web-based solutions are ideal for operations and maintenance manuals that once were reserved for 3-inch thick binders sitting on the shelves of many treatment plants. Moving the O&M manual standard procedures, troubleshooting, theory, alarms, and equipment descriptions to an electronic, web-based solution offers many benefits. For one, the information can be updated and kept current much more effectively because it can be changed in one place and instantly updated at all access points.
Geographic information systems have also been moving rapidly to web-based technology. Integrating software web solutions such as ESRI’s ArcIMS and MapObjects provides instant access to all GIS coverage data and permits easy-to-use spatial location of information. By selecting a single point on a map, all data and information associated with the point can be displayed. This might include electronic documents, CAD drawings, operations procedures, actual SCADA data, or water quality data from a LIMS. Without the cost of implementing a full GIS web solution, a simpler graphical location screen can be used to select a plant or area of interest. This link can then be used to access a more detailed map location or detailed information The graphic below shows an example of this approach for access to specific water and wastewater treatment plant information for the City of Phoenix.
Ultimately, the power of the technology lends itself to integrate all of these different capabilities into one single, one-stop access point, for all information. The combination of customized and packaged software solutions can all be integrated in a seamless interface such as the one shown below for the City of Glendale Information Management System (GLIMS). This particular system integrated the following systems under one interface: operations and maintenance manual, on-line operations log with alarms from the SCADA historical database, web-based monitoring of the SCADA system using Intellution’s iFIX web server package, Assetworks CMMS work order and customer requests, and a document management system for scanned files of all vendor manuals. The web page shown allows easy access to any of these systems for two water reclamation facilities, two water treatment plants, and the collections/distribution system. This is only one example of the power of this type of integrated solutions for public utilities or organizations.
Technology
The technology options for developing and implementing knowledge management systems, such as the one examples shown above, are many and varied. The explosion in the number of programs and tools for web development is an indication of the importance part this technology will continue to play in the market.
The basic concept that is needed to understand the technologies and their capabilities is the 3-tier system architecture. Fundamentally, the 3-tier system architecture consists of three technology layers, in order from top to bottom: the user interface layer, the application layer, and the data layer.
The user interface layer is the simplest to see and understand. In a web-based environment it consists solely of the web browser, typically Internet Explorer or Netscape Navigator. It might also consist of wireless, handheld or palm top interfaces such as the mini-browser on cell phones or the modified WAP (wireless access protocol) compliant browsers on Palm OS-based devices.
The next layer down, the application layer, can consists of a multitude of different applications which contain the logic and transaction capabilities between the user interface and the data layers. In the case of the examples shown in the previous section, this includes a web server, Microsoft Internet Information Server (IIS), and a dynamic web application server, Allaire Cold Fusion. The web server handles the HTTP requests sent from the browser, while the application server translates data layer information into web pages to present back to the browser. The application server relies on a dynamic web scripting language, in this case Cold Fusion Markup Language (CFML), in order to make the data layer connections and to handle the logic of the web application.
Technology options for web servers typically include Microsoft IIS for Windows platforms and Apache Web Server for Linux or other Unix platforms. Other options for web application servers include Microsoft Active Server Pages (ASP), Java Server Pages (JSP), and PHP. All of these application servers serve the same purpose, to provide fast programming of interfaces and links to databases for the web environment.
The last and bottom layer is the data layer. As the name suggests, this layer contains all the data to be stored and accessed from the user interface layer. Typically, this data is stored in either a database or, if in document format (e.g. graphics, CADD drawings, text documents) they are stored in some type of directory structure. The main requirement for data to be accessed by the web application servers is that the database be relational and ODBC-compliant. The so-called “tier-one” databases that fit into this category include Microsoft SQL Server and Oracle. Microsoft Access is not recommended for production environments because of its lack of scalability and reliability, but is useful for development and testing purposes.
City of Phoenix Information Access System (IAS)
This section presents a detailed example of the implementation process and use of a knowledge management system for the City of Phoenix Water Services Department. This system is known to the City as the Information Access System or IAS.
Overview of Needs and Use
Wastewater Treatment within the City of Phoenix has always been technology oriented. However several situations had to occur before embracing web based technology as a tool was accepted.
First, a majority of operational procedures for the treatment plants were out-dated. Second, there were several volumes of information, all with inaccuracies. Updating meant each volume had to be located and then copies of the updated materials had to be inserted. There was no set method to accomplish this task, nor a means to verify that all manuals had been updated. Due to constant upgrades to the facility and multiple contracts, it was necessary to find some method of updating quickly and ensuring that the materials made it to the manuals.
Fortunately, during one of the several treatment plant expansion contracts, a meeting was held to discuss how the O&M manuals should look. The original request was for a printed pocket guide. The design consultant for the plant expansion, Malcolm Pirnie (MPI), made the suggestion of a windows based help program. At the time, the help-file based system was "state of the art" technology for electronic O&M manuals. The main selling point was that updates could be made at one location and the change would be instantaneous for everyone at the plant. The plant management and evaluation group agreed to proceed with the format and developed of the first electronic O&M manual began. City staff were trained, materials were converted and support was provided by MPI.
Approximately a year later, MPI showed a new and improved version utilizing web-based technology, that would eliminate the problems associated with proprietary software such as Windows help files. The web technology did not use proprietary software and included a powerful search engine, to create a user-friendly environment. After several meetings, the plant staff decided that web technology was definitely the direction of the future. Additional staff training took place, conversions were made and a web based O&M manual was born. A screen capture of a page from the original system for the City of Phoenix 91 st Avenue WWTP is shown below.
Future City of Phoenix Technology
Once the City grasped the power of web based technology, it seemed that there was no limit to what could be done. Why stop at an On-line O&M manual? Looking into the power of this tool, it was found that the technology could be used to do an on-line, up-to-the- minute look at influent flows to the facility. This was found to be very useful for determining meter failures and flow rates from the Sub Regional Operating Group (SROG) Cities that share the ownership of the facility.
Currently the system is being taken one step further and a database function is being implemented for the Information Access System (IAS). By adding this function, the system provides storage and retrieval of data, CADD drawings, photos, and vendor manual information, in a structured environment. It also allows update capabilities to be done by non-technical staff with limited training required. A simple Geographic Information System (GIS) is also being used for graphing location and access into the system. Documentation for service contracts is now being provided in an electronic format. A screen shot of this new database-driven IAS is shown below.
Future development of the Information Access System throughout the Department is anticipated. The City has just scratched the surface of the capabilities of the web-based applications and tools. As more and more changes in the workplace take effect, the ability to access information and data becomes even more critical, and the IAS will serve as the mechanism to support the City for many years to come.
The Future
The future of knowledge management systems is in the hands of web technology and the people who implement and use the systems. The capability of web technology to integrate information across and between enterprise-wide systems will become more powerful and easier to use. Future Internet standards for integration on an application level (e.g. XMl) and a network level (e.g. WAP/WML) will ensure that the technology is consistent and extensible for all systems. Then, it is only a matter of people to formulate and use the integrated information of these systems in a manner that they can honestly be referred to as Knowledge Management Systems.
As public water and wastewater utilities move into the 21 st century, the pressure for more efficient operations, enabled by immediate access to supporting information, grows ever greater. Fortunately, the explosion of technologies related to the Internet and World Wide Web have provided us with the capability to access and retrieve information in new and exciting ways. One way to refer to the systems and technologies that exploit this information is to speak of “knowledge management systems”. This paper will attempt to explain the development, application, and use of web-based knowledge management system in public utilities such as the City of Phoenix Water and Wastewater Department.
Overview of Knowledge Management Systems
Knowledge management systems cover a wide range of information gathering and presentation purposes. They can also provide information to the greatest cross-section of an organization, from operations and maintenance staff to the utility director or manager. In all cases, they provide a point of integration for many seemingly disparate information systems and applications.
Some of the systems that are candidates for integration with a knowledge management system include SCADA control systems, computerized maintenance management systems (CMMS), geographic information systems (GIS), electronic document management systems (EDMS), operations and maintenance manuals, and many others. The vision of this integrated knowledge management system, one access point to enterprise-wide information, is presented in the graphic below.
SCADA systems can be integrated with web technology in a couple different ways. One configuration is to customize dynamic links to the SCADA historical and alarm database to view, monitor, and report on specific data. This data can be presented in table, graph, or other customizable views. Other solutions can also be developed, such as an on-line operations log that shows the most current system alarms and allows operator entry of responses. Another, simpler configuration is to use the web-enabled software provided by most control system interfaces and embedding it within a customized web site shell. This typically offers the quickest solution but, often, it is also less flexible for integration with other system data.
The same two configuration options, customized versus packaged web solutions, are available for most major information systems used in utilities. For example, most computerized maintenance management systems (CMMS) are moving towards web-based interfaces and standard relational database back-ends such as Oracle or Microsoft SQL Server. This allows both the packaged web interface solution to be used as well as customized links and reports directly to the CMMS database.
Web-based solutions are ideal for operations and maintenance manuals that once were reserved for 3-inch thick binders sitting on the shelves of many treatment plants. Moving the O&M manual standard procedures, troubleshooting, theory, alarms, and equipment descriptions to an electronic, web-based solution offers many benefits. For one, the information can be updated and kept current much more effectively because it can be changed in one place and instantly updated at all access points.
Geographic information systems have also been moving rapidly to web-based technology. Integrating software web solutions such as ESRI’s ArcIMS and MapObjects provides instant access to all GIS coverage data and permits easy-to-use spatial location of information. By selecting a single point on a map, all data and information associated with the point can be displayed. This might include electronic documents, CAD drawings, operations procedures, actual SCADA data, or water quality data from a LIMS. Without the cost of implementing a full GIS web solution, a simpler graphical location screen can be used to select a plant or area of interest. This link can then be used to access a more detailed map location or detailed information The graphic below shows an example of this approach for access to specific water and wastewater treatment plant information for the City of Phoenix.
Ultimately, the power of the technology lends itself to integrate all of these different capabilities into one single, one-stop access point, for all information. The combination of customized and packaged software solutions can all be integrated in a seamless interface such as the one shown below for the City of Glendale Information Management System (GLIMS). This particular system integrated the following systems under one interface: operations and maintenance manual, on-line operations log with alarms from the SCADA historical database, web-based monitoring of the SCADA system using Intellution’s iFIX web server package, Assetworks CMMS work order and customer requests, and a document management system for scanned files of all vendor manuals. The web page shown allows easy access to any of these systems for two water reclamation facilities, two water treatment plants, and the collections/distribution system. This is only one example of the power of this type of integrated solutions for public utilities or organizations.
Technology
The technology options for developing and implementing knowledge management systems, such as the one examples shown above, are many and varied. The explosion in the number of programs and tools for web development is an indication of the importance part this technology will continue to play in the market.
The basic concept that is needed to understand the technologies and their capabilities is the 3-tier system architecture. Fundamentally, the 3-tier system architecture consists of three technology layers, in order from top to bottom: the user interface layer, the application layer, and the data layer.
The user interface layer is the simplest to see and understand. In a web-based environment it consists solely of the web browser, typically Internet Explorer or Netscape Navigator. It might also consist of wireless, handheld or palm top interfaces such as the mini-browser on cell phones or the modified WAP (wireless access protocol) compliant browsers on Palm OS-based devices.
The next layer down, the application layer, can consists of a multitude of different applications which contain the logic and transaction capabilities between the user interface and the data layers. In the case of the examples shown in the previous section, this includes a web server, Microsoft Internet Information Server (IIS), and a dynamic web application server, Allaire Cold Fusion. The web server handles the HTTP requests sent from the browser, while the application server translates data layer information into web pages to present back to the browser. The application server relies on a dynamic web scripting language, in this case Cold Fusion Markup Language (CFML), in order to make the data layer connections and to handle the logic of the web application.
Technology options for web servers typically include Microsoft IIS for Windows platforms and Apache Web Server for Linux or other Unix platforms. Other options for web application servers include Microsoft Active Server Pages (ASP), Java Server Pages (JSP), and PHP. All of these application servers serve the same purpose, to provide fast programming of interfaces and links to databases for the web environment.
The last and bottom layer is the data layer. As the name suggests, this layer contains all the data to be stored and accessed from the user interface layer. Typically, this data is stored in either a database or, if in document format (e.g. graphics, CADD drawings, text documents) they are stored in some type of directory structure. The main requirement for data to be accessed by the web application servers is that the database be relational and ODBC-compliant. The so-called “tier-one” databases that fit into this category include Microsoft SQL Server and Oracle. Microsoft Access is not recommended for production environments because of its lack of scalability and reliability, but is useful for development and testing purposes.
City of Phoenix Information Access System (IAS)
This section presents a detailed example of the implementation process and use of a knowledge management system for the City of Phoenix Water Services Department. This system is known to the City as the Information Access System or IAS.
Overview of Needs and Use
Wastewater Treatment within the City of Phoenix has always been technology oriented. However several situations had to occur before embracing web based technology as a tool was accepted.
First, a majority of operational procedures for the treatment plants were out-dated. Second, there were several volumes of information, all with inaccuracies. Updating meant each volume had to be located and then copies of the updated materials had to be inserted. There was no set method to accomplish this task, nor a means to verify that all manuals had been updated. Due to constant upgrades to the facility and multiple contracts, it was necessary to find some method of updating quickly and ensuring that the materials made it to the manuals.
Fortunately, during one of the several treatment plant expansion contracts, a meeting was held to discuss how the O&M manuals should look. The original request was for a printed pocket guide. The design consultant for the plant expansion, Malcolm Pirnie (MPI), made the suggestion of a windows based help program. At the time, the help-file based system was "state of the art" technology for electronic O&M manuals. The main selling point was that updates could be made at one location and the change would be instantaneous for everyone at the plant. The plant management and evaluation group agreed to proceed with the format and developed of the first electronic O&M manual began. City staff were trained, materials were converted and support was provided by MPI.
Approximately a year later, MPI showed a new and improved version utilizing web-based technology, that would eliminate the problems associated with proprietary software such as Windows help files. The web technology did not use proprietary software and included a powerful search engine, to create a user-friendly environment. After several meetings, the plant staff decided that web technology was definitely the direction of the future. Additional staff training took place, conversions were made and a web based O&M manual was born. A screen capture of a page from the original system for the City of Phoenix 91 st Avenue WWTP is shown below.
Future City of Phoenix Technology
Once the City grasped the power of web based technology, it seemed that there was no limit to what could be done. Why stop at an On-line O&M manual? Looking into the power of this tool, it was found that the technology could be used to do an on-line, up-to-the- minute look at influent flows to the facility. This was found to be very useful for determining meter failures and flow rates from the Sub Regional Operating Group (SROG) Cities that share the ownership of the facility.
Currently the system is being taken one step further and a database function is being implemented for the Information Access System (IAS). By adding this function, the system provides storage and retrieval of data, CADD drawings, photos, and vendor manual information, in a structured environment. It also allows update capabilities to be done by non-technical staff with limited training required. A simple Geographic Information System (GIS) is also being used for graphing location and access into the system. Documentation for service contracts is now being provided in an electronic format. A screen shot of this new database-driven IAS is shown below.
Future development of the Information Access System throughout the Department is anticipated. The City has just scratched the surface of the capabilities of the web-based applications and tools. As more and more changes in the workplace take effect, the ability to access information and data becomes even more critical, and the IAS will serve as the mechanism to support the City for many years to come.
The Future
The future of knowledge management systems is in the hands of web technology and the people who implement and use the systems. The capability of web technology to integrate information across and between enterprise-wide systems will become more powerful and easier to use. Future Internet standards for integration on an application level (e.g. XMl) and a network level (e.g. WAP/WML) will ensure that the technology is consistent and extensible for all systems. Then, it is only a matter of people to formulate and use the integrated information of these systems in a manner that they can honestly be referred to as Knowledge Management Systems.