Value of condition monitoring in infrastructure maintenance

• We propose a model to quantify the value provided by condition monitoring systems for infrastructure maintenance.
• We also examine the factors that influence the benefits of condition monitoring systems.
• Minimum accuracy of information and maximum cost of the system are determined.

As many civil infrastructure assets age over time and often exceed their design life, there is an increasing need to assess and monitor their condition so as to allow improved and effective maintenance decisions. In this regard, there is growing interest in implementing advanced condition monitoring techniques to capture the condition of the infrastructure assets. However, there is a lack of understanding in determining the benefits offered by the various condition monitoring techniques, such that the most appropriate system is implemented to reap the benefits. In this context, this paper proposes a methodology to assess the benefits offered by condition monitoring systems and the factors that affect the value delivered by such systems. The proposed methodology is based on Partially Observable Markov Decision Process (POMDP) and is illustrated with an industrial case example.