Today's electric utilities are already well versed in geographic information systems (GIS) architecture and implementation. As they are challenged with aging work forces and shrinking budgets, utility companies are now looking toward the future by investing in GIS 2.0 initiatives.

The convergence of what GIS used to be — platform, schema, scalability, metadata — with what GIS now needs to be — agile, portable, easy-to-use, accurate — is “GIS 2.0.” Gone are the days of protracted vendor selections, discussions on data models and build-outs of applications as vendor neutrality, data model consistency and a bevy of GIS freeware have tempered those needs considerably.

The industry no longer needs the guidance on what GIS is, how it should be used and what platforms bring the best bang for the buck. The utility industry used to be driven entirely by paper documentation and personal experience, and now as accessibility has increased, companies find themselves with a need to resolve several fundamental problems when it comes to their GIS systems.

Tackling Issues

While technology plays a critical role in the utilization of GIS as part of a comprehensive business intelligence architecture, the oft-used mantra of “garbage in, garbage out” rings true, particularly in the electric utility industry.

Utilities' data is often robust and sometimes quite complex, and time-tested methods of ensuring data quality are no longer viable or sustainable. Even with this thinning of resources, a significant chunk of operation and maintenance budgets is now allocated for data-scrubbing activities. With all that effort being poured into data integrity, internal GIS development has waned, which further underscores the negative impact of poor data quality and the trickle-down effect it has on the entire IT infrastructure. Add to that the availability of inexpensive GIS viewers, and the result is a very modular approach to GIS across the company landscape. There may be a work force management system, a project planning utility and a records management system, all GIS-enabled, operated by different groups and supported by different IT personnel. Each has its own data storage and each has its own GIS viewer. To boot, each of these remains quite disconnected from the operational GIS. It becomes very clear very quickly that with all these variables, the possibility for error is at critical mass.

Taking Action

In response, successful companies have shifted their attention from technology solutions to a more thorough review of business processes. It's a simple concept: If a group or individual is naming an asset, then that activity should not repeat itself elsewhere in the life cycle of that asset. Furthermore, electric utilities should apply clear and repeatable rules and standards to those processes to eliminate further redundancies.

This consistency in nomenclature and repeatability of process creates a set of controls that allow for eased restrictions on corporate GIS viewers. More importantly, integration between these applications and the core operational GIS becomes a much more attainable goal, allowing for that core GIS to serve its initial purpose as an authoritative information resource, only on a much grander scale and with accessibility to a far broader audience.

The Pay Off

The overarching effect of improved business processes on decision support can be profound. Traditional communications and data management breakdowns — long considered “business as usual” in the industry — happen with far less frequency.

At times, electric utilities will need to create redundancies throughout project life cycles. Companies can leverage this repeatability and consistency, however, to objectively manage projects from simple equipment maintenance to full-fledged asset construction. On the backend of these projects and activities, utilities can transform GIS from a helpful resource used by a small percentage of an organization to the linchpin of a decision support system available to the masses. In the process, they can create true business intelligence.

While it is hard to predict what the future holds for the electric utility industry, it is certain that GIS will play a critical role in that future. Technology and increased positional awareness have moved decisions from the office to the field and the timing from several days or weeks to real time.

GIS 2.0 — buoyed by a core of strong, efficient business processes — is a concept that will help shape that role further and ultimately could be the difference between failure and success in the next generation of electric utility management.

Matthew G. Thomas (mgthomas21@gmail.com) is chair of the 2010 GITA GIS for Oil & Gas Conference and senior GIS specialist for a major North American pipeline company based out of Houston, Texas, U.S. The conference will be Oct. 25-28, 2010, in Houston and will focus on the theme “GIS 2.0: Potential Maximized.”