NorthWestern Energy has selected Intergraph Corp.'s InService solution for its multi-state integrated outage and mobile workforce management system. NorthWestern Energy provides electricity and natural gas to the upper midwest and northwest United States, serving approximately 661,000 customers in Montana, South Dakota and Nebraska.

During the 18-month implementation project, NorthWestern Energy will deploy 35 dispatch seats and 360 mobile seats across the multi-state territory. Using Intergraph's InService Outage Management System (OMS) Web Portal, operations, managers and executives can have instant access to outage information. The project includes interfaces to SAP, eCIS and other back-office applications using an IBM MQ Message Bus. With Intergraph's InService solution, NorthWestern Energy can provide estimated restoration times to its customers and provide more efficient and accurate outage statistical reporting.

Intergraph's InService solution for outage management systems and mobile workforce management provide the foundation for improving outage response and restoration times, quickly analyzing and diagnosing trouble and efficiently dispatching and mobilizing field crews. These benefits directly improve overall operational efficiency, increase reliability and provide better information for accurate and timely customer communications. Intergraph's consolidated smart grid command, control and response helps reduce loss of service through improved network monitoring and maintenance, leading to significant cost savings. InService also helps reduce the potential for human error and improves network system efficiency, reliability and coordination between the operations control center and the field.