TOWARDS A SERVICE ONTOLOGY TO DRIVE REQUIREMENTS FOR PUBLIC INFRASTRUCTURE AND ASSETS

摘要

This paper presents the first steps in developing a service oriented framework to support sustainable investment in community assets and infrastructure, currently estimated to be worth $170b in Australia [1]. The requirement for a service oriented framework is driven by the need for local communities to manage their renewal gap; the disparity that exist between existing services and the cost of maintaining them, against the funds available to do so. In particular, the cost associated with the assets that enable the services outcomes to be achieved. The paper explores the problem space and presents a research map that charts what we believe are the steps necessary to address the problem. We believe that the decision making processes surrounding the ongoing and future investment in assets should be driven by a process of community participation. The focus should be aligning the outcomes and benefits derived from the assets to the vision and goals set by the community. Best practice asset management frameworks frequently espouse the principle that ownership and management of assets should be driven by service needs. However, our research has shown there is very limited support for translating service needs into sustainable asset management. In most authorities responsible for managing community infrastructure there appears to be a disjoint between the service management and the asset management. In this paper we present a service ontology that helps bridge the gap, providing a framework for managing asset investment based on service outcomes that can be used consistently across different services.key Words: service, ontology, investment, asset, management, requirements, community, local government, councils, service logic, renewal gap.