Abstract

One of the main concerns of municipal infrastructure management is the long term estimation of capabilities to deliver adequate levels of service while restricted by limited resources. Modeling of such problems requires dynamic optimization techniques to identify an optimal set of decision variables related to interventions at different planning periods and scattered across the territory. Although some municipalities count on such strategic analysis tools, most do not consider measures of coordination resulting in repeated service disruptions and premature infrastructures damage. This thesis develops an integral approach to support decision making by connecting all levels of planning through the adaptation of commercial software from forestry. As such it proposes a hierarchical approach in which results from strategic plans are translated into tactical projects leading to operation programs of works. Such a connection requires the allocation of projects and interventions to private contractors by considering their qualifications and quoted cost within an optimization approach. It was found that commercial forestry software REMSOFT is suitable for hierarchical analysis of municipal infrastructure. Results from the software demonstrated the potential to identify the most optimal set of decisions and then to advance or defer them to form projects along corridors or zones. Projects were then allocated to private contractors by considering their capabilities and quoted cost. A case study illustrates the proposed approach.