labs@atheron:~/industries/water-utilities/apps$ build app --web --mobile

Water utility apps

Customer portals and field apps for pipes and pumps.

A water utility runs on two kinds of work: what customers see, and what crews do in the ground. We build the portal your customers use for bills and notices, and the field app your crews use for pipes, pumps and service lines, both on the billing system and GIS you already have.

Start a project See the example projects

// what matters here

What is different in this industry.

Notices that reach the street

Customers sign up by address, and a boil-water notice or shutoff goes to the streets it affects, by email and text.

Offline in the valve chamber

Work orders, maps and forms stay on the device and sync when the crew is back in coverage.

Service lines by address

Each service line's material is recorded with how it was found and when, so the inventory fills in as crews work.

On your billing system

Accounts, bills and payments are read through your billing system's API, so there is one record of each account.

// example projects

Priced examples for this service.

Each one is hypothetical, labelled as such, and priced live from our rate card. Open any of them in the estimator and make it yours.

Example projectWeb app

Customer portal with notices

Hypothetical. Not a client, not a result.

// The problem

A water and wastewater utility posts bills by mail, takes payments by cheque and at the counter, and announces boil-water notices and shutoffs by phone and social media, so customers call to ask what is happening.

// What we would build

A customer portal on the utility's own brand where customers see their usage and bills, pay online and sign up for notices by email or text, with an outage and notice map from the utility's GIS. Bills and accounts are read from the billing system through its API; we check yours before we quote. Notice wording is set by the people responsible for it at your utility.

// What is in it

Usage, bills and payments for each account, with a hosted checkout
Boil-water notices, planned shutoffs and main breaks by email and text, by street or zone
A notice map from your GIS, showing the affected area and the latest update
Moving in, moving out and paperless billing requests online
A design system on your brand, in English and French, built for older eyes and small phones

// Stack

Next.js
PostgreSQL
Billing system API
ArcGIS REST API
Payment processor's hosted checkout
AWS Canada

// estimate

Build: ≈ US$102,000 to US$156,000, delivered within 23 weeksCAD 144,900 to 221,700
Hosting: ≈ US$492 a monthCAD 700 a month
Support: ≈ US$2,500 a monthCAD 3,565 a month

Prices in your currency are estimates from today's Bank of Canada rate. All invoicing is in CAD or USD.

Timeline by milestone

Discovery: 2.9 to 3.4 weeks
Design approved: 3.9 to 6.4 weeks
Notice templates approved by the people responsible at your utility: 3.4 to 5.9 weeks
Core features: 2.9 to 4.4 weeks
Full build: 1.9 to 2.9 weeks
Testing and fixes: 0.9 to 1.4 weeks
Launch: 0.9 to 1.4 weeks

Outside our hands, and added to the calendar

Billing system API access from your vendor: 1 to 4 weeks

How it is paid

Deposit 20%: CAD 28,980 to 44,340
Discovery 6.8%: CAD 9,853.20 to 15,075.60
Design approved 6.8%: CAD 9,853.20 to 15,075.60
Notice templates approved by the people responsible at your utility 8.7%: CAD 12,606.30 to 19,287.90
Core features 20.4%: CAD 29,559.60 to 45,226.80
Full build 13.6%: CAD 19,706.40 to 30,151.20
Testing and fixes 6.8%: CAD 9,853.20 to 15,075.60
Launch 6.9%: CAD 9,998.10 to 15,297.30
Holdback, 30 days after launch (10%): CAD 14,490 to 22,170

Start from this example

Example projectWeb appMobile app

Pipes, pumps and lead lines

Hypothetical. Not a client, not a result.

// The problem

Crews take work orders on paper, pump station checks live in a binder, and the lead service line inventory the utility must keep is a spreadsheet with gaps for half the addresses.

// What we would build

A web workspace and an iOS and Android app crews use offline, on the utility's GIS and asset register: work orders for mains, valves, hydrants and pumps, station rounds, and a service line inventory with the material recorded at each address, how it was found, and photos. A public lookup shows a resident what is known about their line.

// What is in it

Work orders for mains, valves, hydrants and pump stations, with photos and time
Station rounds and readings, offline, synced when the truck has coverage
Service line material by address, how it was verified, and when
A public lookup and map of what is known about each service line
Assets and locations from your GIS, kept in step both ways

// Stack

Next.js
React Native
PostgreSQL with PostGIS
ArcGIS REST API
AWS Canada

// estimate

Build: ≈ US$119,000 to US$181,000, delivered within 27 weeksCAD 168,900 to 258,300
Hosting: ≈ US$492 a monthCAD 700 a month
Support: ≈ US$2,500 a monthCAD 3,565 a month

Prices in your currency are estimates from today's Bank of Canada rate. All invoicing is in CAD or USD.

Timeline by milestone

Discovery: 3.5 to 4 weeks
Design approved: 5.5 to 10 weeks
Core features: 2.5 to 3.5 weeks
Full build: 1.5 to 2.5 weeks
First build on devices: 4 to 6.5 weeks
Testing and fixes: 0.5 to 1 weeks
Store submission: 1 to 2 weeks
Launch: 1 to 2 weeks

Outside our hands, and added to the calendar

App store review: 1 week
GIS and asset register access: 1 to 4 weeks

How it is paid

Deposit 20%: CAD 33,780 to 51,660
Discovery 9.2%: CAD 15,538.80 to 23,763.60
Design approved 9.2%: CAD 15,538.80 to 23,763.60
Core features 7.6%: CAD 12,836.40 to 19,630.80
Full build 5%: CAD 8,445 to 12,915
First build on devices 20.1%: CAD 33,948.90 to 51,918.30
Testing and fixes 2.5%: CAD 4,222.50 to 6,457.50
Store submission 6.7%: CAD 11,316.30 to 17,306.10
Launch 9.7%: CAD 16,383.30 to 25,055.10
Holdback, 30 days after launch (10%): CAD 16,890 to 25,830

Start from this example

// questions

Questions we get about this.

Can the portal send boil-water notices by text?

Yes, by email and text to customers who signed up for the affected area. The wording and the decision to send stay with the people responsible at your utility.

Does the field app work with our GIS?

Yes, through your GIS's published API, most often ArcGIS. Assets and locations stay in step both ways.

Can it hold our lead service line inventory?

It holds the records: material, how it was verified, when and by whom, with photos. What the inventory must contain is set by your regulator and your responsible people.

Back to the industry: Water and utilities About the service: Web and mobile apps

// next

Not quite your project?

Tell us what you have in mind. We will come back to you with a range and the questions that would narrow it. Or book a call and talk it through.

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