Montana-Dakota Utilities Co. has selected Telvent Miner & Miner’s Fiber Manager Application as its system for viewing and editing fiber optic information. Fiber Manager is a set of tools within the ArcFM product to manage fiber optic networks, so Montana-Dakota was able to leverage its existing enterprise GIS data and solution.
Montana-Dakota Utilities Co., a division of MDU Resources Group, Inc., Bismarck, North Dakota, generates, transmits, and distributes electricity and provides related value-added products and services such as fiber optic connectivity. More than 250 communities in portions of five states enjoy safe, reliable Montana-Dakota service.
Montana-Dakota can now take advantage of the tools to manage its overhead and underground fiber optic plant, including a fiber level Connection Manager that allows editors to graphically drag and drop fiber level connections within splice enclosures, patch panels, and the ports within patch panels. In addition, several traces are available including dark fiber, light path, ownership, and OTDR outage tracing. Users can then generate reports on splices, patch panel connectivity, and fiber paths.
Prior to using the application, the organization tracked fiber assets using multiple spreadsheets, CAD drawings, and manual labor. The users remained constrained by limited functionality and isolated information within the organization. With the new application, they will have the ability to quickly pan, zoom, trace, query, analyze and visualize the different fiber optic features and connections within their system, which will increase cartographic, attribute, and operational accuracy.
