Katherine Xie, Graduate Engineer in WSP’s Asset Management team says that digital technologies and information systems can change the way organisations make decisions, helping them to be more effective, and better service the needs of communities. Katherine shares how she and her team are making an impact on future decision making using emerging technologies.

What motivates you in your career? 

I was motivated to pursue engineering because I love seeing the tangible impact of the work we do on the built environment. It is always exciting to work on projects that you are able to see and touch, and can so easily be translated to benefitting society as a whole. Within strategic asset management, I have the opportunity support clients from various industries, from cultural institutions to transport infrastructure. There is always something new to learn and to deep dive into.

What is something you would like to see change in your industry or area of expertise?

A shift I am seeing within the strategic asset management space, and across all services, is the use of technology to make processes more efficient and effective. Many clients that we work with now are seeing the benefits of having integrated asset information management systems. Growing up in an era of such rapid technological advancements, the possibilities of technology and digital systems seem endless. I believe that organisations with the right data and a clear picture of what assets they own are able to make better decisions, backed by data-driven evidence.

How would this change impact people or society?

Using technology, digital systems and data will provide people with more useful information to help make the right decisions. There is so much information you can gather from using innovative technology such as digital twins and advanced forecasting and modelling software. Together, this can drive better service delivery and more sustainable use of organisational assets.

I see technology as an enabler to allow us to consider all the trends that WSP has identified as part of Future Ready. With the right information, and using technological solutions, organisations can be more informed about future changes, such as those related to society, resources and climate, and plan and adapt their processes accordingly.

What are some of the barriers to this change? 

The biggest barrier to this change is currently the scale of works needed for organisations to begin adopting new digital solutions, or in more specific cases, in collecting the data required to input into their asset management systems. There is still an element of newness to implementing digital solutions where organisations need to figure out how it can be adapted to service their specific needs. In many cases, helping organisations identify their business requirements and what outcomes they want to see out of a digital system is a key starting step. They must be aware of the expected outcome before they can start implementing and integrating.