The iGPI collaborative project: moving IAM from science to industry

iGPI, the National Initiative for Infrastructure As set Management (April 2012 October 2013), is a Portuguese collaborative projec t led by LNEC (National Civil Engineering Laboratory, Portugal) through which 19 water utilities develop their own IAM systems and plans through a joint training and capacitation programme. Technical assistance to the participating utilities is ensured by LNEC, by a team from IST (Technical University of Lisbon) and by Ad dition, a software development company. The water utilities get collec tiv as well as one-on-one support, specific training, and benefit from networ king with the other utilities in a common and simultaneous process, with similar diffi cult es and challenges, leading to an effective sharing of solutions. The d eveloped products, including training materials, templates and guidelines for de veloping strategic and tactical IAM plans, are available to the general public. This project has greatly contributed to the establi shment of reference methodologies and standards for IAM planning, demon strated in a range of utilities of widely diverse size and context, effec tively defining an accepted best practice. This paper discusses the project’s format and its advantages, and goes on to describe the main outcomes, including selected c ases and final products.