vialytics Spotlight: Infrastructure Perspectives with USI Consultants

Smarter infrastructure planning starts with better conversations. 

Municipalities are being asked to manage more with less. Aging roads, bridges, utilities, and public facilities continue to demand attention, while limited budgets and staffing shortages make it increasing difficult to keep pace. 

Ahead of PWX, vialytics connected with USI Consultants to discuss how municipalities can navigate these challenges, make better use of infrastructure data, and prepare for a future where technology plays an increasingly important role in public works. 

Sharing their perspectives were Beth Johnson, Jazmyne Johnson, Katie Richert from USI Consultants' Business Development team. Together, they shared what they are seeing across the communities they work with, from changing funding realities and workforce constraints to preventive maintenance, data-driven decision-making, and the responsible use of AI. 

Doing More With Limited Resources 

For many municipalities, infrastructure needs are only one side of the equation. Agencies also need the funding and people necessary to address them.

USI sees the two pressures converging, particularly for smaller communities. 

"The biggest challenge we're seeing from our clients is finding sustainable ways to fund infrastructure while retaining enough qualified staff to manage it." 

In Indiana, recent property tax changes are adding another layer of uncertainty to local government revenues. While the impact will vary by community, smaller cities, towns, and rural areas may have fewer alternative revenue sources available to offset reductions.

That makes prioritization increasingly important. Rather than waiting until infrastructure reaches the point of replacement, municipalities can look for opportunities to pursue outside funding, prioritize the most critical improvements, and use preventive maintenance to extend the useful life of existing assets.

Data Is Only the Beginning 

Municipalities have access to more infrastructure data than ever before, but having information does not automatically lead to better decisions.

According to USI, one of the biggest differentiators starts with leadership. Organizations that successfully adopt new technology give their teams opportunities to learn and are willing to reconsider how things have traditionally been done.

From there, data needs to connect to real decisions. Condition information can help municipalities establish priorities, support budgets, compare infrastructure needs with actual costs, and communicate those decisions more objectively to elected officials and residents.

Pavement management offers a practical example. Data can help identify roads where a lower-cost preservation treatment today could extend useful life and delay a much more expensive reconstruction project.

"Collecting data is only the first step. The real value comes from using it to establish priorities, support budgets, and make better long-term decisions."

That is the point where infrastructure data becomes more than an assessment. It becomes a planning tool. 

Giving Engineers Better Information, Sooner

Technology and AI are also changing how quickly municipalities can understand what is happening across their infrastructure networks. More frequent and easier-to-interpret information can allow engineers and public works professionals to evaluate systems more consistently, identify concerns earlier, and make decisions based on current conditions rather than outdated assessments.

AI-supported technologies can also help identify patterns, defects, or conditions that may be difficult to recognize through traditional assessment methods alone.

The opportunity, however, is not to remove people from the process. USI emphasized that professional judgment, local knowledge, and field experience remain essential for determining what the data means and what action should follow. 

"Technology should strengthen engineering expertise, not replace it, giving professionals better and more timely information to help make those decisions."

When technology makes information available sooner, agencies can spend more time determining the appropriate response and potentially address smaller issues before they become larger and more expensive problems.

Preparing for Technology Means Preparing People

When looking five to ten years ahead, it can be tempting to focus entirely on what new technology municipalities should adopt. USI sees adaptability as just as important.

As community needs, funding environments, and technology continue to evolve, municipal teams will need stronger skills in data interpretation, critical thinking, and communicating how decisions are made.

The increasing use of AI also introduces questions that go beyond technology itself. Municipalities will need to establish clear policies around what information can be shared, how data is stored, what should remain confidential, and when AI-generated information requires professional review.

Beginning those conversations today can help agencies adopt emerging tools thoughtfully while maintaining appropriate human oversight.

Bringing Real-World Lessons to PWX 

At PWX, USI Consultants will join vialytics at Booth #1838, bringing firsthand perspectives from Indiana communities that are already putting infrastructure data to work.

USI Consultants has seen agencies use the vialytics platform to identify urgent areas within roadway networks, compare improvement options, develop budgets using local costs, coordinate priorities across departments, and document maintenance activities through work-order management.

Those practical applications will be at the center of the conversations in Houston.

For USI, PWX is also an opportunity to learn how other communities are approaching similar challenges and exchange ideas about how technology can help public works professionals make limited funding and staffing resources go further.

Attending PWX? Visit vialytics and USI Consultants at Booth #1838 to continue the conversation.