Asset systems in mWater allow you to map and track all of your water system assets to the level of detail that works best for you in both the App and the Portal.

This guide covers the key features of asset systems so you can start using them to manage your own assets.

You can organize the hierarchy of your assets freely under a root asset which is a Water System. The assets come with default data fields which you can fill in if you want. You can also collect any other data for any asset by using surveys and site/asset questions.

Assets can best be added through the App where you can map individual assets and pipes. This guide covers a protocol for mapping piped water network assets.

You can also import existing data from spreadsheets, and export asset data from mWater into spreadsheets, and later EPANET.

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You can organize your assets within a system in the ways that work best for you

Each asset system has its own dedicated page in the mWater Portal. This is the best place to review the asset registry, explore the asset registry, and analyze collected data.

You can view an example system here.

But first a water system needs to be created and assets added within it. This is best done in the App.

Asset management in the App

Water systems are now best accessed in the App through the Water Assets tile, or through the Map after selecting Water Assets at the top.

From the Water Assets page you can add new systems, as well as view and edit any systems you have permissions for.

Once you select a system, you are taken to an interface within that system showing all of the related assets with a list and a map view. Any new assets that you add when within this view will be made part of the system, so you can safely and easily work on editing the system.

The app will sync the data you collect with the mWater server where it will be stored, and also be accessible through the Portal.

Use the Water Systems tile or map to view your systems

When creating a system, pay special attention to the first fields: Privacy and Managed By.

Privacy can be set to be Private, Protected or Public. Systems set to be Private can only be seen and edited by those who are part of the Managed By organization of the system.

Systems set to Protected can be seen by users of mWater but only edited by users who are part of the Managed By organization.

And systems set to Public can be seen and edited by any user of the platform.

Therefore you most likely want to choose Private or Protected for your system.

The Managed By field sets the individual user or organization who is allowed to edit the system. In other words, who manages the digital representation of that system in mWater. We recommend creating an organization in mWater to make managing your users' permissions easier.

Learn more about permissions in mWater here.

Learn more about organizations here.

Note that child assets can have different permissions than the system itself. So you can for example make the system's existence a public fact, but keep all the assets within it private.

You can place assets within the system and other assets any way you like as best fits your use case. But note that assets cannot exist outside of a system, they have to be part of the system somewhere. Also keep in mind that if you delete assets, the assets in the hierarchy below the asset, its children, will also be deleted.

When creating water systems or any other assets, you will by default see the set of data fields specified in the standard. Not all of the fields need to be filled in, and later in the guide, we will look at how to activate custom asset systems where you can hide default fields and add new custom fields for yourself.

The data standard informs the default fields of assets, but you do not have to fill them all

Adding assets and pipes

Adding assets in the app is simple. Once you are within a water system, or within an existing asset, you can add a child asset to it.

When adding the asset, choose the correct type from the set of options available (tank, pump, water point, etc), and if possible also set the location.

Then fill in any relevant standard fields and finally click Create to finish adding the asset.

You can come back to an asset and edit it at any point. You can also launch surveys for the asset to collect your own data for it, or open an issue with the asset if there's something wrong, such as a pipe leak or a broken pump.

To add a pipe in the app, you can either draw it waypoint by waypoint, or walk along the pipe and take your location from the phone GPS.

It is easy to edit pipes: You can split existing pipe segments to add new waypoints as well as edit existing points as needed.

Note that you can set the Start node and End node of each pipe by moving the crosshairs to that asset and selecting it from the dropdown at the top. These set the upstream and downstream assets of the pipe.

It is also possible to snap pipes to other pipes. To do this, move your crosshair to the target pipe and set the End node from the top.

Set the asset type to Pipe and then you can choose to draw the pipe

Using asset surveys to collect custom data for assets

For each asset you create, you get a standard set of fields to fill out relevant to that asset type. On top of that, you can also design surveys to collect any additional data. The key step then is to add a Site/Asset question to that survey and select the water asset type for it so that you can connect the asset and the survey.

Once you have deployed this survey, you will be able to fill it out from the app. You can start filling out the survey and select the relevant asset, or you can go to the asset and start the survey from there.

To collect custom data for assets, create a survey and add a site/asset question to it

Mapping piped water network assets using mWater

This protocol describes a recommended step-by-step process for mapping the key assets of a piped water network using the mWater app.

You can print out this protocol and hand it to staff as needed from this link.

1. Getting ready to use the app

1.1 Ensure that your mWater Username has been added to the appropriate organization by an administrator.

1.2 Log into the mWater Surveyor app while you are on a wifi network or have mobile data from the mobile network.

1.3 Make sure that all three “Sync Status” boxes are green and have check marks before leaving the wifi or mobile data network.

2. Visiting a Water System

2.1 Determine if the Water System you are visiting is new or existing:

2.1.1 Check the Map tab in the app to determine if there are systems around you. Make sure you are in the Water Assets view and remember to tap on the locate me button (targete icon) to center the map on your current location.

2.1.2 Type the name or any other identifying information (e.g. Unique ID) into the search box at the top of the map. Wait for the app to complete the search. This will help you locate existing systems that have incorrect or missing GPS coordinates.

2.1.3 If the system cannot be found in the app, create a new water system by clicking on +Add at the top of the map page. Enter the name and other information requested. Set the location to any place that is within the boundaries of the system. Add one or more photos that would help someone to identify the system, such as the main office, reservoir, source, etc.

2.2 Add assets to the Water System

2.2.1 Open the Water System page for the system you are visiting. If you created a new system, you will automatically be taken to this page.

2.2.2 If possible, visit each of the key assets identified in this section to map them. If some assets are too distant or hard to reach, you may choose to record their locations by clicking “Use map” when setting the GPS coordinates. Keep in mind that to use the map you must be online.

2.2.3 Add each new asset by clicking on +Add Asset at the bottom of the water system page.

2.2.4 Create assets for each of the following types of assets:

Sources: infrastructure that captures water for use, including raw water intakes (surface water), protected springs, and boreholes.
Tanks: reservoirs or storage tanks that contain water that is being stored and possibly treated prior to distribution.
Power: any source of electrical or mechanical power, such as a generator, solar array, or connection to the electrical grid.
Pumps: stand-alone pumps that increase the pressure or pump water to a higher elevation. Note that the submersible pump installed in a borehole does not need to be created as a separate asset (although this is possible); the borehole asset type includes questions related to the pump.
Bulk meters: These are meters installed near the outlet of a source, a tank, or anywhere else along a water main. Meters installed at a water point (e.g. household connection or standpipe) do not need to be created as separate assets (although this is possible); you can record the presence of a meter at a water point by ticking the “Meter installed” checkbox on the water point page.
Pipes: includes all transmission mains, primary mains, and secondary mains. You do not need to map service lines, which extend short distances from the main to a single water point. Many small piped systems will only have primary mains. Transmission mains are usually only present when the source of a system is located far away from the reservoir or distribution network. Secondary mains are smaller pipes that branch away from a primary main.

Note: It may be easier to map all of the other assets in the system first, including sources and access points, and then create the pipes last using the map.

2.2.5 Determining asset properties: Since you are mapping already built infrastructure, it may not be possible to determine all the properties that are included in the asset page. Use available resources, including the knowledge of operators or caretakers, drawings or maps of the system, and your observations of the equipment nameplates. If you are uncertain about any property, leave it blank. The asset type is the only property that requires an answer.

3. Syncing data

3.1 Always attempt to sync your data at least once per day. If possible, leave mobile data on while using mWater to ensure that syncing takes place while you are working.

3.2 Note that the app only syncs when it is open on your phone. Sync does not happen in the background when the phone screen is off or you are using other apps.

3.3 Each time you are on a wifi network (or after each water point visit, if mobile data is available), open the Homepage of the app and verify that the three “Sync Status” boxes are green and have check marks in them. You can force the app to sync by pressing “Sync Now."

Asset Management in the Portal

The main page where you can view asset systems in the Portal is here. From this page, you can see which water systems are visible to you and open an individual water system page.

From a single system page you can get overall information about the system, see summary information about its assets, as well as view, edit and add individual assets.

Site/asset questions

You can collect any data you want relating to assets by creating a survey and adding a Site/Asset Question to it.

After you have deployed the survey, enumerators can start the survey and link it to the desired asset. When analysing data, you can set the asset system as a data source and select Related Surveys to pick out the data collected in your survey.

Add an Asset Question to your survey to link it to an asset

Example: Suppose you want to perform a regular inspection of all the pumps in your water system.

You can create a pump inspection survey with all the questions you want the inspection to answer, including a Site/Asset Question. You can also limit the question to be available for certain water systems only.

Once you've deployed the survey, an enumerator can start a survey from the asset itself and fill out the inspection questions.

The asset question links the pump and the survey data

Analysing asset system data

You can access the asset data you have collected when building dashboards by selecting assets as the data source. You can filter the system to your one by point the filter to the Water System field. Then you can add any charts, maps and tables you need.

Start from Assets as a data source and navigate to the related survey

Importing existing asset data

You can import existing asset data into mWater using a spreadsheet as long as you have created a Water System for those assets.

To import asset data, go to the Sites page, then select Import from the top.
Next, select Water Assets as the type.
Download the import template and fill out any columns you want. Note that this is a file with many columns as it contains all possible asset properties. You do not need to fill them all.
Add one row per asset.
Import the filled-out file from the Sites page import view.
Map the columns from the import file as needed, and on the second page select the Water System you are importing assets for.

Importing water assets through the Sites page

For importing pipe data, you can use one of two formats. Either pipe-delimited or Well-Known Text (WKT).

Pipe-delimited example: 0,0 | 1, 2 | 3, 4

WKT example: LINESTRING(0 0, 1 2, 3 4)

You can find an example template with both formats here.

WKT reference: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Well-known_text_representation_of_geometry

Import these using the Sites page and by choosing Water asset as the import type. Map the location column to the Location field.

Exporting asset data

To export asset data, you can create a datagrid and select assets as the data source.

Choose to Add Default Columns to get all the columns, or pick ones individually.

Then filter the datagrid to point to your system by adding a filter and selecting Water System from the options. Then pick your water system.

Give the datagrid a name to save it and then you can download this table of data from the top right of the page.

The Water System Management Standard

Developed by the mWater Foundation with funding in part from the United States Agency for International Development, the Water System Management Standard was developed in response to demand from water authorities, utilities, government agencies, financial institutions, international development organizations, and engineering firms to specify a data structure and useful set of definitions to facilitate the capture, use, and sharing of data about water supply infrastructure.

Water supply infrastructure includes the physical assets and natural assets involved in the abstraction, storage, treatment, and distribution of water. Physical assets of a water system include hydraulic structures and components, electromechanical equipment, and civil engineering works. Natural assets, also known as green infrastructure, are natural landscapes and ecosystems that are strategically managed to provide ecosystem services that may enhance or substitute for physical assets in the production or management of water for human use.

Each asset has some attributes. Attributes are the individual pieces of data about a particular asset that describe important characteristics, such as the equipment manufacturer and model, condition and current operational status, and other technical details that relate to certain types of assets. The standard outlines in detail each of the chosen asset types and the attributes and their meaning.

Learn more about the standard here.

Questions? Please get in touch via info@mwater.co

Note for existing users of water systems (Prior to 2022)

We have overhauled how asset management works in mWater to be more user-friendly and scalable, balancing global standardization and customization. This implements the mWater global water system management standard, which specifies a data structure and useful set of definitions to facilitate the capture, use, and sharing of data about water supply infrastructure.

If you've already used water systems with installations and pipes, you'll notice some changes as we've transitioned all asset data over to the new structure. In other words, all of your installations and pipes have been migrated to assets. However, none of your data is lost, user permissions remain the same, and you can keep building on the systems that already exist. Both the new assets and the old systems exist in parallel, and changes made to one will sync to the other.

Last updated: 5/2025

Map and model piped water systems