Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC) is the largest city in Viet Nam and one of the largest and most dynamic in Southeast Asia. The whole project is located within the administrative limits of HCMC. The present population of HCMC is around 9 million people, and expected population for 2025 is 13.9 million people. Nowadays, the tertiary distribution network (pipes below 350 mm diameter) is divided into 8 zones, managed by 6 Joint Stock Companies partly owned by SAWACO, and 2 branches (fully owned by SAWACO). There is a specific Company, the Transmission Enterprise, to manage the primary and secondary networks, which includes around 250 km of pipes with diameter larger than 350 mm.

HCMC’s water supply operations are managed by SAWACO, with a staff of about 4,700 people, 800 working directly for SAWACO, and another 3900 people working in subsidiary companies. The Company manages around 740.000 connections and serves some 1.34 million cubic meters of treated water per day, mainly from river sources.

The general framework of this project is to apply Information and Communication Technology (ICT) to improve the quality of the public water supply service in HCMC.

The ICT Package comprises the following activities:

• Design, supply and implement Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) system (hardware, software and communication equipment).
• Design, supply (software and hardware) and implement a Geographic Information System (GIS).
• Design, supply (software and hardware) and implement hydraulic modelling.
• Design, supply (software and hardware) and implement an asset management systems (AMS).
• Design, supply and install hydraulic equipment and measurement devices on the transmission and distribution networks and at the water production plants to connect to the SCADA.
• Design, supply and implement a customer management system (CMS).
• Commission and integrate SCADA, GIS, Hydraulic model, AMS and CMS and Project Management.
• Operational assistance for Reviewing the Master Planand Training of SAWACO Staff.

VidaGIS’s components:

1. Design, supply (software and hardware) and implement a Geographic Information System (GIS).
2. Design, supply (software and hardware) and implement an asset management systems (AMS).

Overview of GIS component:

1. Implement a survey on SAWACO, units and companies about GIS data and GIS needs. Collect all data from not only primary sources such as thematic data, base map but also secondary sources if needed like as-built drawing, CAD design documents, Data/information on SCADA systems, hydraulic indicators, etc. for integration phase.
2. Migrate all network data to ArcGIS.
3. On-site GPS survey
4. Design, build a new GIS platform, and integrate this newly built platform with SCADA, AMS and Hydraulic system. The new platform can provide GIS and water supply network information for the JSCs, Water Transmission Enterprise, Water Plants and SAWACO’s department/divisions in order to support SAWACO’s business activities.

Overview of AMS component:

The benefit of dedicated AMS for SAWACO units are the following:

1. Increase performance
2. Support making short-term decisions (jobs) and long-term decisions (management and planning).
3. Support asset evaluation.
4. Support operation and maintenance, backup maintenance, replacement accessory/inventory management.
5. Improve the data sharing, quality of master reports based on GIS.
6. Enhance performance for more reliable assets.
7. Job-process management
8. Reserve supply warehouse management
9. Management of network replacement-repair plans