Abstract :
The challenges in managing asset information systems arise largely from three factors: first is simply the order of magnitude, the vast amount of data that needs to be collected, manipulated and translated into meaningful information; second is the variety of purposes that the data needs to serve; and third is the absolute criticality of getting it right. This latter point in particularly weighs heavily on the shoulders of asset managers when often there are very significant consequences of failure, whether regulatory, commercial, operational performance, health and safety or environmental. Many of the challenges of managing an asset information system can be eased if the system is ergonomically designed, if the data is treated as an asset and if the objective of the system is borne firmly in mind, namely to better inform decisions towards achieving the corporate objectives