Asset Management & GIS Services

SDE helps municipalities, municipal authorities, and utility operators know exactly what infrastructure they own, where it is, and what condition it is in. We combine asset inventory and management practices with Geographic Information Systems (GIS), built on Esri’s ArcGIS Platform, to give clients a single, accurate, up-to-date picture of their sanitary sewer, drinking water, and storm sewer systems.

Our GIS work is built on the same civil, municipal, and water/wastewater engineering experience that supports our design and permitting services, so the systems we map are the same systems we help design, permit, and maintain.

Asset Inventory & Management

Before a system can be managed, it must be located, measured, and recorded. SDE builds and maintains asset inventories with the locational accuracy needed and with attribute data (material, size, install date, condition, ownership) that supports maintenance tracking, work order management, and regulatory reporting.

Sanitary Sewer, Water & Storm Sewer Asset Mapping

SDE maps the three infrastructure systems municipalities manage most:

• Sanitary sewer mains, manholes, laterals, and pump stations
• Water distribution mains, valves, hydrants, and service connections
• Storm sewer pipes, inlets, outfalls, and detention facilities

This mapping directly supports regulatory reporting, including PA DEP Chapter 94 and Act 537 sanitary sewer reporting and MS4 stormwater permit compliance, and gives your engineering, operations, and code enforcement staff a shared, accurate reference for the same infrastructure.

Field Data Collection

SDE offers field data collection in two ways, depending on what fits your staff and budget.

• SDE-led collection. Our field staff uses COTS mobile GIS tools (ArcGIS Quick Capture, ArcGIS Field Maps and ArcGIS Survey123) to collect or verify asset locations and conditions in the field, syncing directly to your ArcGIS Enterprise or ArcGIS Online organization. This is the fastest path to a complete, professionally verified inventory.
• Client-led collection. For municipalities that want to build in-house GIS capability, SDE sets up the mobile data collection forms, workflows, and configures your ArcGIS Platform, then trains your staff to collect and maintain the data themselves. You own the process going forward. SDE remains available for support, QA review, or periodic re-training.

Either way, data flows into the same ArcGIS organization, so a project that starts as SDE-led can transition to client-led (or vice versa) without rebuilding the system.

GIS & Field Data Collection Training

For clients who want to build long-term in-house capability, SDE provides hands-on training on the tools and workflows used to maintain a GIS asset inventory, including:

• ArcGIS field tools for mobile data collection
• Web-based basics for viewing, editing, and querying asset data
• Data entry standards and QA/QC practices, so new data stays consistent with the existing inventory
• Basic map and dashboard configuration for staff who will maintain public-facing tools

Training can be a one-time onboarding session for a new system, or an ongoing arrangement as staff change. This also works well as a lower-cost starting point for municipalities not yet ready for a full SDE-led inventory project.

Geographic Information Systems (GIS) Business System Integration

An asset inventory only pays off if it's usable day-to-day. SDE builds and configures GIS platforms and integrates them with your municipality's existing business systems, including work order/CMMS platforms, permitting software, code enforcement tools, and field data collection apps, so asset data doesn't live in a silo separate from how your staff already work.

Capital Improvement Planning Support

Accurate, integrated asset data is the foundation of a defensible capital plan. SDE uses your GIS inventory, including pipe age, material, condition, and prior maintenance history, to help prioritize and justify replacement and rehabilitation projects, and to support the mapping and exhibits municipalities need for capital budgets, grant applications, and DEP/PENNVEST funding submissions.

Public Engagement Web Maps & Dashboards

For clients who want to extend GIS data beyond internal staff, SDE can configure public-facing tools such as:

• Public viewers (e.g., scheduled work locations, outage notifications)
• Dashboards summarizing asset counts, inspection status, or capital project progress for boards, councils, and the public
• Interactive maps supporting public meetings and outreach on capital projects

GIS Data Migration & Cleanup

Many municipalities already have infrastructure data. Much is scattered across old CAD drawings, PDFs, spreadsheets, or a legacy GIS system that has fallen out of date. SDE can migrate that existing data into a clean, current ArcGIS Online system, resolving duplicate or conflicting records so you are not starting from zero. Positional accuracy can be added later, if needed.

AI-Assisted GIS Workflows

Esri has been building AI capability directly into ArcGIS, and SDE can help you adopt it where it makes sense for your system, without over-committing to tools that are still maturing. Two areas are worth a look for most municipal clients:

• Automated feature extraction and classification. Pre-trained AI models in ArcGIS can help identify and classify infrastructure from imagery. For example, flagging pavement condition, detecting changes to built infrastructure over time, or accelerating a first-pass asset inventory that SDE staff then verify. This can meaningfully cut down the manual field time needed for large or backlogged systems.
• AI assistants for everyday GIS work. Conversational tools can help staff style maps, write basic expressions, and even query data using natural language, lowering the learning curve for staff who are newer to GIS.

SDE stays current on these tools as Esri rolls them out and can advise on when they are ready to save your staff time. If AI-assisted workflows are not a fit for your system yet, we're glad to stick with proven, standard GIS methods.

Why Asset Management & GIS Matter

• Faster emergency response. Locate shutoff valves, manholes, and isolation points quickly during a break or overflow. Or simply know what size storm inlet grate to bring when one is reported missing.
• Better capital planning. Visualize pipe age, material, and condition to prioritize replacement and rehabilitation.
• Simplified compliance reporting. Maintain the asset inventories required for DEP and EPA reporting.
• Reduced field time. Give crews mobile access to as-built and inspection data instead of paper maps.
• One source of truth. Integrated systems mean staff aren't reconciling spreadsheets, paper maps, and GIS separately.

Whether your municipality is starting its first asset inventory or looking to modernize an existing GIS system, SDE can help you build a solution that fits your operations and your budget.

Contact SDE to discuss an asset management or GIS assessment for your sanitary sewer, water, or stormwater system.