CLIENT: LAGOS WATER CORPORATION

Country:  Nigeria

Sector:  Utility/Infrastructure

Service:  Financial Management/Management Consulting

Project:  GIS and Customer Enumeration for parts of Lagos Metropolis 

Project Description:  LWC engaged IBS to carry out a comprehensive “Customer/Household Enumeration” including capture geolocation for the customers and provide updated customer and asset data in a Geo- database format that is compatible with ArcGIS. The general objective of this assignment was to validate and update the “existing” Utility Customer Database and identify all potential and illegal users inside the study area to increase the effectiveness of LWC´s customer management and reduce associated commercial losses. The study area for the engagement covered (17) service areas with an estimated population of 1,647,692 and approximately 118,935 registered customers. The specific deliverables for the project were:

1. Develop protocols for creating, updating, and maintaining the customer and geodatabase. These protocols included: data collection and validation; standardizing customers’ physical and postal addresses in the Geodatabase and in LWC’s customer database; linking the customer and geodatabase with LWC’s customer database; updating LWC’s customer database with data from the enumeration customer and geodatabase; and updating the Geodatabase with data from LWC’s customer database.
2. Produce base maps with appropriate symbols, colors, patterns, legends, and unique identification number for each building as the result of special designed Consultant application to avoid problems with the existing Lagos address system. The enumeration project included capture of the customer and asset geolocation in an appropriately designed base map with standard geographic references.
3. Develop and organize the public awareness campaign considered necessary to overcome the possible resistance of the population and permit access to properties, physical identification of connections and data collection. The public awareness campaign included use of all kinds of media (Radio, TV, and Newspaper) for this successful campaign.
4. Perform a property census by visiting all properties in the Study Area. The field investigations consisting of in person visual inspections and interviews with customers (when necessary) to collect the necessary customer data. Additionally, IBS evaluated and documented the existence of illegal connections discovered during the field investigation. Data captured was put through a rigorous quality control process to ensure completeness and accuracy. The information provided was in the form of geodatabase and digital map with a clear demarcation of the lot area, customer geocode, and customer contract number, and colored code for state of the contract (active, inactive, potential, or illegal). The attributes of customer information were delivered as a database in a format compatible with LWC billing system.
5. Update LWC Customer Information database - the information captured was ultimately migrated into LWC billing system. This process included IBS to present a report with all the anomalies found to activate some operational actions by LWC. The anomalies were then uploaded to the billing system after customer validation/cleanup.
6. Develop Operational and Maintenance Documents and Train Key Staff –This task also required IBS to provide both field and classroom training for LWC staff to ensure that key staff can keep updating the customer database on their own, once the Consultant has completed his job, according to the procedures developed by the Consultant. The purpose is to enable new connections to be properly captured and promote the maintenance of a valid commercial database.

LWC is responsible for water supply services in Lagos State. Lagos State has more than 21 million inhabitants and is experiencing an annual average growth rate of 3 percent to 5 per- cent. By 2030, the population is expected to double. Most inhabitants of Lagos State live in the mega-city of Lagos, the most populous city in sub-Saharan Africa. About two-thirds live in informal settlements. Densely populated, rapidly growing urban and peri-urban areas pose unique challenges for water supply.