LADWP has awarded a Geospatial Information System (GIS) implementation and full-scale data conversion contract to Power Engineers, Inc., reflecting the ongoing deepening of the role of GIS solutions in facilitating smarter grid initiatives and optimizing O&M activities across the utility enterprise.
The integration of GIS data with key enterprise software solutions creates a repository for data about utility assets, and also is the basis for build-outs of complex network models for mission-critical systems such as Outage Management Systems (OMS) and related Distribution Management Systems (DMS) and related capabilities.
For this project, per the June 20, 2016, announcement by Power Engineers Inc., based in Haley, Idaho, will be the prime contractor, managing all aspects of LADWP’s major enterprise GIS and data conversions, to accomplish numerous goals, including:
- Enabling the GIS to be the proverbial “Single Source of Truth” of distributed electric assets
- Replacing the existing FRAMME and mainframe based electric asset management functionality
- Share information with other systems
- Improve functionality, productivity and ease of use
- Standardize on the Esri GIS platform
LADWP evaluated proposal responses and awarded the contract to POWER to provide services to assist with the development, integration, and implementation of a new modern GIS in addition to all required data conversion.
POWER began a full slate of GIS implementation and data conversion services for the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power in 2015.
The end result will be a system that is reliable and supports daily business processes with mobile mapping capabilities, enterprise web-based viewing and faster as-built turnaround time.
Advanced capabilities will include better outage predictions, improved monitoring of demand response and a better underlying platform for AMI and smart grid deployments.
Editor's Insights: LADWP is the largest of the more than 800 municipal electric utilities in the U.S., and its $3.4 billion in annual electric revenue represents 9% of all U.S. municipal utility annual electric revenue (based on data reported by the U.S. Energy Information Administration).
Public records from the LA City Comptroller’s office show that POWER has consistently been doing more than $2 million annually in various services work at LADWP for the last four years.
