Informations et ressources scientifiques
sur le développement des zones arides et semi-arides

Titre : Adaptation of a geographic information system for mapping water supply fault locations

Auteur : Kibas, Faith Chepkisich

Université de soutenance : Moi University

Grade : MASTER OF SCIENCE IN INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY 2020

Résumé
A utility company’s main goal is to plan and manage the use of facilities and deliver a commodity to its clients such as water, electricity or gas. Privatization, deregulation, and the introduction of advanced technology are all having profound impacts on utility company’s’ like the Eldoret Water and Sanitation Company Limited (ELDOWAS). Identifying water supply faults is a tedious process and can waste a lot of time, energy and money and this ultimately leads to wastage of water leading to inefficient services and loss of revenue. The aim of the study was to analyze how water supply faults are presently identified with a view to develop a Geographical Information System that maps water supply faults for Eldoret Water and Sanitation Company Limited. The objectives of this study were to : analyze the current methods of identifying location of faults in the water supply system at ELDOWAS ; determine the challenges of the current system ; assess the capability of the existing ICT infrastructure to support GIS technology and design and develop a GIS for mapping fault location in water supply system in Eldoret. The study was informed by vector data model. The research was carried through the experimental research design where there was a systematic manipulation of some variables and examination of the outcome. The research was guided by the Agile Software Development Methodology which consists of a series of iterations. Data and requirements were gathered and analysed qualitatively. The research targeted a sample of 14 respondents comprising of 1 ICT Manager, 1 technical Manager, 2 GIS staff, 2 Administrative staff, 3 Area Managers and 5 Artisans. Purposive sampling method was used to draw respondents from the study population. The selected respondents had experience in interacting with the current system of identifying water supply fault locations. PHP and HTML was used for developing a mobile phone based SMS application and the web application. JavaScript API was used to embed maps and tasks in the web application. The study established that identifying the exact location of water supply fault is intricate. GIS is not currently used in identifying water supply fault locations but only in survey, design and construction. The study concluded that the designed geographical information system will help in accurately detecting and mapping water supply fault locations for ELDOWAS ; this will help improve on efficiency, time and ultimately water usage. It is recommended that the system be adopted to accurately map fault locations as soon as they are reported. This will enable the company and its employees to make accurate decisions in determining and finding exact locations of water supply faults reported.

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