Advanced IT from Mayrise Systems has been used to prepare for a £1bn project set to transform the Isle of Wight’s highway infrastructure. Following recent approval of the Council’s outline business case for the Highways Private Finance Initiative (PFI), the Government has allocated an initial £364.6 million of grant money to the project.

 A detailed highways asset inventory created using MAYRISE Highways software formed an essential part of the Council’s submission providing detailed and up to date information about the road network and related infrastructure. This information will also assist potential PFI partners to bid for the project.

In 2008 the Isle of Wight Council became one of only three areas nationwide to qualify for a Highways PFI, the first step in a long process that culminated in the approval of the Council’s Outline Business Case. This document set out the scope of the project and included information derived from the Council’s Highway Inventory. Recording the position and condition of more than 140,000 assets associated with the 803 kilometres of highway on the island, this database integrates data captured in the field with Ordnance Survey mapping and the Councils Local Street Gazetteer (LSG).

“Maintaining an up to date and accurate record of the Islands highways infrastructure has been an integral part of the PFI process and Mayrise provides an easy-to-use solution for managing this complex resource,” commented Malcolm Smith, Highways PFI Technical Manager. “Using Mayrise, we can store, retrieve and query the highways asset inventory for day-to-day highways management, customer service enquiries as well as strategic Council initiatives. This resource is also fundamental as we move forward into the procurement stage of the PFI.”

The Isle of Wight Council’s Highways Inventory was created following an extensive data capture exercise that mapped each of the 140,000 unique features recording both the position and condition on handheld computers. Following rigorous quality control procedures, the data was exported into MAYRISE Highways where it is maintained and integrated with the Council’s Geographic Information System (GIS). The Council also uses MAYRISE MapNow to provide a quick and easy way of viewing highway, and other information, on digital maps or photographs.

MAYRISE Highways is a comprehensive system for managing highways assets and maintenance. The centralised system offers a single, real time solution that will operate across multiple sites. Using the National Street Gazetteer as a base, MAYRISE Highways can manage defects, works orders, invoicing, inspections and asset inventory. The product also easily integrates with mobile devices, street works software and can be live-linked to customer contact centres, GIS and e-Government services using advanced web technology.