Fundamentals of Infrastructure Management

Reviewed by Atefe Makhmalbaf, Assistant Professor, University of Texas at Arlington on 1/3/20, updated 2/4/20

Comprehensiveness rating: 5 see less

This book does a great job covering different practical and theoretical topics including asset management, analytical tools and informed decision-making methods. Topics and strategies covered are applicable to different infrastructure systems such as buildings and facilities, transportation, water system, and the power grid system. This is very important and useful because infrastructure systems are interconnected and managers should have good understanding of how they are related and know about different types of systems. Everything is written in an easy to understand language and each chapter includes exercises, which are very useful especially for a textbook. They are very well thought out and help both instructors and students better understand the material covered and test their knowledge. Furthermore, issues related to management of each infrastructure system are included towards the end of each chapter, which is helpful to both practitioners and researchers. Each system included is very complex and evolving (e.g., the power system) and its management strategies are also complicated and extensive. As a result topics (e.g., demand response) are left out and the book tries to cover a comprehensive list of topics rather than diving into detailed management of each system because each could be a book by itself.

Content Accuracy rating: 5

The content of each chapter is accurate and I did not find any inaccuracy in the text, images, or equations to the best of my knowledge.

Relevance/Longevity rating: 5

All topics and material included are very relevant to Infrastructure Management. Current concerns of our time such as performance, efficiency, sustainability, and resiliency are considered. Strategies and methods to manage each infrastructure system is discussed in relevance to these objectives. These emerging strategies ensure up-to-date management of infrastructure system, which is evolving.

Clarity rating: 5

The authors make each of the topics very clear and accessible, even for students.

Consistency rating: 5

The text is consistent throughout in terms of terminology and framework.

Modularity rating: 5

This book is modular and very easy to separate into sections and instructors or students could focus on topics relevant to their area. Almost every part of the book could be read separately, Hence the modularity is excellent. This also supports openstax cnx.

Organization/Structure/Flow rating: 5

This book is very well organized and has a clear logical flow. After introductine Infrastructure Management, it covers general infrastructure management methods and strategies in the first 10 chapters and then it goes over each specific infrastructure system.

Interface rating: 5

The interface is very easy to navigate. Each chapter and section is clickable and text is searchable.

Grammatical Errors rating: 5

No grammatical errors found.

Cultural Relevance rating: 4

This book covers some data about other countries but it could probably have more of a global perspective and it would be helpful to supplement with information about how this topic is applicable to other countries.

Comments

This book is a great resource. It is a very well written and organized book. It is a great resource for both instructors and students who are interested in Infrastructure Management. Infrastructure Management is an important topic that should be considered in more schools. Today, designing sustainable and resilient infrastructure is not sufficient if the system is not operated and managed with the same decision objectives and criteria as it was designed. Instructors should take advantage of this freely available book, educate students about Infrastructure Management and use it as textbook for their courses.