The Geospatial Information & Technology Association (GITA) has named Panhandle Energy (Houston, Texas, U.S.) the recipient of the 2010 GITA Innovator Award. The award recognizes the unique and significant contributions of organizations that have used geospatial technology in the innovative development of a technology, service or application.

In 2008, Panhandle Energy initiated a project bringing together its extensive geospatial information system (GIS) map data with the dynamic real-time supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) information. The two data sources are rich and complex, but by identifying a cost-effective method to integrate these, Panhandle Energy would eliminate manual creation of SCADA system schematics, prevent data synchronization problems and eliminate delays in getting data into the GIS as required before first gas flow.

The project plan included a combination of maps and schematics generated from the GIS and delivered to the SCADA system. SCADA users benefit by being able to navigate through a hierarchy of map details and select segments to display their associated schematics with real-time values. GIS users benefit in return by receiving near-real-time data for display/query in the GIS and bulk generation of schematics to be used in other applications such as engineering alignment sheets. All users of the system are looking at the same data segments.

The project was completed in October 2009 and all goals were met.

For more information, visit gita.org or www.panhandleenergy.com.