Gas Utilities. GIS Technology Enabling Utilities ESRI

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1 Gas Utilities ESRI GIS Technology Enabling Utilities Engineering and Design Asset and Facilities Management Planning and Scheduling Crew and Meter Read Routing High Consequence Area Analysis Leak Detection and Valve Isolation Right-of-Way Management Facility Siting and Locating Maintenance and Inspections Pipeline Integrity Management Cathodic Protection Environmental Analysis

2 ESRI Technology GIS for Gas Utilities ESRI s geographic information system (GIS) software enables gas distribution utilities and pipeline operators to meet key performance requirements of operational efficiency, customer service, and regulatory compliance. Building on a strong foundation of an asset information system, gas companies use ESRI s standards-based GIS products across the enterprise for analysis, visualization, and decision support. GIS information and processes are available in the office, across the Internet, and in the field. Case study examples describe a variety of GIS gas solutions that enable organizations to Ensure accurate reporting with improved data management. Speed up decision making with visualization of information from many sources. Reduce overtime travel cost with optimized routing. Improve productivity with streamlined work processes. Mobilize crews with up-to-date information viewing and editing in the field. Jump-start project planning with standard data models. Secure data sharing with outside agencies and contractors. ESRI s GIS is built on IT standards; therefore, your gas company can improve work processes through interoperability with many of its corporate systems such as work management, customer information systems, CAD, and enterprise resource planning systems.

3 Engineering and Design ArcGIS Data Models for the Utility Industry Gas Distribution Land Parcels Electric Distribution Pipeline Electric Transmission Telecommunications Energy Utilities MultiSpeak Water Utilities ArcGIS Pipeline Data Model The ESRI ArcGIS Pipeline Data Model (APDM) is a practical template for implementing a pipeline GIS project. It is useful for migrating a project into ArcGIS. It can also be used to design a pipeline plan prior to construction with standard templates that facilitate interoperability among partners in a given project. Learn more about the development of APDM at Case Study Alagasco Alagasco turned to GIS software to improve its asset management. Providing reliable natural gas service in Alabama for 150 years, the utility serves 463,000 customers in 200 communities. To centralize all accounting and asset management activities, Alagasco initiated two projects: the Enterprise Resource Management Application (ERMA) and the Mapping and Geographic Information System (MAGI). These two integrated systems provide Alagasco with a single facilities repository that can be accessed corporatewide. This improves engineering analysis, supports asset management activities, and streamlines work order processing. The ERMA application works with SAP to handle asset management and project accounting needs, and MAGI works with Miner & Miner s ArcFM and Designer GIS products built on ESRI s GIS technology. Telcordia Technologies acted as the systems integrator for the entire project life cycle. Designer s Work Flow Manager tool was customized to manage the gas utility s extensive design reporting requirements so that engineers can Enter work request information. Perform a geographic design based on SAP stock code data. Create a construction plot. Add both contractor and company labor costs to the design. Generate a cost estimate for the design. Generate a construction package with forms required for design approval. Submit a job for design approval. ArcGIS interoperability supports system integration and database access. GIS supports workflow processes. Some data needs to be accessed by both the MAGI and ERMA systems, such as regulator stations data, which is stored in SAP for inspection tracking and in GIS for location and critical pressure information. Data integrity rules were established that dictated which system owned the data at specified points in the equipment s life cycle. For project management, interfaces were created to take the design specifications from the Work Flow Manager application and create projects and associated job information in SAP. Integrating intelligent technologies leverages the strength of the database to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of work processes throughout the company.

4 Asset and Facilities Management GIS workflow applications simplify and automate many aspects of gas company operations, resulting in improved efficiency and significant time savings. Case Study Public Service Company of New Mexico New Mexico s largest supplier of natural gas services, Public Service Company of New Mexico (PNM), uses its ArcGIS solution, Gas Transmission Application Management Information System (gtamis) to centralize, streamline, and increase its efficiency in managing its gas transmission assets. PNM s system consists of nearly 1,700 miles of transmission pipeline. The gas transmission management system that PNM used prior to gtamis was fairly typical of the industry. Old maps of facility locations and construction drawings remained in various electronic formats, online, and in paper files. Most of the records for the maintenance and inspection of gas transmission facilities were paper based. GIS data was scattered and in various systems and projections, which made it difficult and time consuming to combine data for systemwide analysis and querying. The gtamis application was developed around the company s goal of having one centralized repository for data that allows multiuser access. Designed by POWER Engineers, gtamis provides for consolidation of applications to a standard platform/tool and integrates GIS capabilities with other systems. It allows easy access to information, improves productivity, and supports current and accurate information. It limits redundancy within the utility s internal processes through the centralization of data sources that are accessible online. GIS provides PNM with planning and analytical capabilities through visual mapping of gas transmission system facilities and their selected attribute and operating limits. PNM uses its GIS for planning, scheduling, and verifying regular maintenance and inspection of gas transmission facilities. In addition, the system provides access, routing, right-of-way, and maps to assist field crews in locating and accessing facilities. The GIS application uses a multiuser geodatabase and application that allow queries, viewing, modifying, and adding data associated with the gas transmission system. The ArcGIS Figure 2: Custom user interface, specific tools, and key major gas system components are listed in a window on the screen. platform enables gtamis to create spatial relationships and feature attributes that can be queried and displayed for analysis. Users select specific facilities or data objects to view associated data by querying attributes and historic inspection and maintenance data. Interacting with at least four PNM systems and various other digital documents, gtamis is the interface for using existing maps, databases, applications, images, CAD drawings, and multimedia files to display and analyze gas transmission data. Because gtamis uses Citrix terminal technology, remote field offices can interact with the system. This is particularly helpful to those in distant field offices who appreciate the new system s response time and performance capabilities. Through Citrix, the people in these offices have quick access to gtamis and the database, even if they use a dial-up modem. Figure 1: A table of attributes appears on-screen after selecting a feature with the identify key. The gas transmission application shows various spatial data layers individually or in combination with other data layers to identify spatial relationships (Figure 1). Users can query the attributes of data objects and additional data such as schematics, photos, and historic information integrated from existing inspection and maintenance records (Figure 2). A query and inspection engine allows users to obtain information about a main line or station feature and conduct an inspection (Figure 3).

5 In the field, crews use mobile GIS software to perform field edits. Files are transferred from the ArcGIS application to an ArcPad application for field devices (e.g., PDA, Tablet PC, laptop) that shows both geodatabase and attribute changes. The field-worker connects to the network and launches gtamis. A seamless application checks for any changes made in the field, processes them, and notes that changes need to be made. The field user receives an notification both when the changes have been logged and when the changes have been incorporated. Field crews see the same information and screens that the in-house workers see. Field editing changes and discrepancies found in the field are automatically sent back to be incorporated into the geodatabase. The gtamis application has changed data management from being disparate and disconnected to being standardized and interoperable. The application s reporting functionality allows tabular reports to be generated for a myriad of purposes such as system analysis, regulatory compliance, and maintenance activities. Figure 3: Query and Inspection Engine Up-to-date electronic data is immediately accessible, reducing the need to dig through paper records to find information that is often outdated. Data quality and access are greatly improved. Case Study Gujarat Gas Company Ltd. Gujarat Gas Company Ltd. (GGCL) is the largest private sector gas distribution company in India. GGCL s pipelines spread over more than 1,800 km. GGCL is implementing GIS in its engineering, operations, planning, and other functions that require the examination, management, and dissemination of geographic data throughout the company. The basic objective is to create a complete GIS-based asset management system that fulfills the objectives. GGCL worked with NIIT-GIS Ltd. (ESRI India) to implement a GIS-based asset management solution system for its natural gas distribution system. The project involves managing migration of legacy data to the Oracle database with ArcSDE coupled with Miner & Miner s ArcFM 8.3 software applications. Using a proven integration approach, the team is developing the key interfaces to legacy systems such as GGCL s customer database. To do this, the gas company is completing a migration plan that includes the following steps: Complete a requirement analysis. Create a software requirement specification list. Perform data modeling and designing. Develop the database. Customize tools and extensions. Execute configuration and deployment. gtamis Capabilities The Isolation tool shows closest valve locations needed for isolating a section of the pipeline. The Maximum Allowable Operating Pressure (MAOP) application provides information about pipeline sections and shows MAOP rating and records. The System Certification application assists the establishment of system certification requirements. Routing applications analyze environmental and right-of-way constraints. Right-of-way applications display information needed for environmental analysis. The Moving Mile application shows pipelines for class location purposes and by buffer and distance increments. Gujarat Gas uses ArcFM Attribute Editor to add valve data.

6 Network Monitoring and Spatial Analysis GIS object-relational models represent features, spatial relationships between features, and other thematic relationships. Gas companies use GIS to model systems both at the macro and micro levels. Models can be used to analyze a closed conduit network of pipes, regulators, valves, and compressors. They also provide an automated means of computing volumetric, thermal, and compositional balances of a gas network. Case Study Saudi Aramco, Saudi Arabia Saudi Aramco, Saudi Arabia, is among the world s leading producers of natural gas. Using ESRI products, Aramco s engineers have designed a Web-based gas leak emergency response system. This system accesses real-time weather information and live gas sensor readings within the company s plants. GIS is used to graphically overlay this data with data layers such as digital aerial photos, buildings, roads, hospital locations, airports, and rescue facilities. Using dynamic maps, emergency responders gain a clear, shared picture of the emergency and its potential impact on people and facilities. The emergency response system predicts the track of a gas leak. Case Study KeySpan New England Serving 2.5 million gas customers, KeySpan New England is the largest distributor of natural gas in the northeastern region of the United States. KeySpan New England migrated to ArcGIS and ArcFM. The migration increased system performance and fostered a productive environment for maintaining and analyzing the company s gas distribution network. The ArcSDE geodatabase model allowed the utility to store all GIS-related data in one central relational database management system. The customized functionality in KeySpan New England s old legacy system was replaced with core tools in the new products. Future enhancements will build on an existing framework, thereby reducing overall costs. The migration also allowed nontraditional users access to the GIS. The marketing group at KeySpan New England can now perform spatial analysis for its business needs without making special requests to the GIS group. The project took eight months to complete and is currently in production with more than 30 editors and 60 viewers.

7 Case Study Shenandoah Gas Shenandoah Gas, a division of Washington Gas Light Company, uses ESRI s ArcView software to maintain its facility data. The service territory includes four counties in the Northern Shenandoah Valley in Virginia and serves 15,000 customers with 359 miles of main pipeline. In this era of deregulation, gas companies strive to do more work with fewer resources. Using ArcView, Shenandoah Gas has greatly improved its facility information management. The Shenandoah Gas system consists of three custom tools for querying, adding, and maintaining data. The Query Dog querying tool allows users to zoom to a location according to a selected attribute such as a street or intersection. The ShenGas tool is for adding and maintaining facility data. Its button set includes pipe, proposed pipe, appurtenance, and polygon theme and has an individual menu assigned to each button. For example, to edit pipe attributes, the user selects the pipe tool and drills down within that tool to the edit Tools are customized to meet the specific needs of the work task such as a network trace. menu. A third tool contains a vast set of application tools such as theme, legend, as-built, and map-to-model tools. The focus of the design of all tools was to provide user friendliness that requires very little GIS knowledge to operate. Other applications for Shenandoah Gas GIS include new facility design analysis, miss utility grid selection, leak survey area analysis, leak survey walk sheet generation, safety section and critical valve analysis, pipeline integrity High Consequence Area (HCA) analysis, mains replacement analysis using mapped leak data, and Stoner SynerGEE gas pressure and flow analysis. Shenadoah Gas utility grids indicate pipe location. Actual and proposed assets are depicted with ArcView.

8 Managing the Gas Pipeline Network Pipeline operators use GIS for activities such as site evaluation and facilities management. ESRI products support analysis of data from many sources and access to many users in different ways. Case Study West t African Gas Pipeline West African Gas Pipeline (WAGP) is incorporating GIS to site its gas transport system project. The 600-kilometer-long WAGP project is a partnership of Chevron Nigeria Ltd., Shell Petroleum Development of Nigeria Ltd., the Nigerian National Petroleum Company, Volta River Authority, SoBeGAS of Benin, and SoToGaz of Togo. The project scope incorporates sensitive environmental needs (deltaic marsh area), dense population areas, fluctuating economics and global markets, and the needs of consortium members. The pipeline transports Nigerian natural gas to markets in Benin, Ghana, and Togo. Natural gas is currently used for power generation in the region. Case Study Osaka Gas Osaka Gas pipeline operation manages 55,000 km of pipeline. The Gas Pipe Facility Management System project built on ArcGIS has brought many advantages to the gas company such as effective data management, workflow efficiency, and interoperability. ESRI s technologies have helped Osaka Gas achieve large cost reductions. For example, by using the ESRI gas data model, the gas company was able to quickly initiate its project. These quick start abilities served to minimize the initial cost and development period for its GIS. Another cost saving factor is that the system is able to automate CAD drawing importation (location adjustment), which released specialists to engage in other facility-related work. GIS-enabled Web applications reduced software costs that had been previously charged on a per client basis. The open platform and scalable structure of ArcGIS enabled the company to use its existing hardware and establish a low-cost, flexible system structure for client/server, Web, terminal connections, mobile functions, and so forth. GIS mobile solutions help with field services operations. Construction work orders are transmitted online. ArcPad for PDAs and ArcGIS for Tablet PCs are being added to field-worker tools to improve services. Osaka Gas GIS is primarily designed for pipeline facility management and uses an integrated central control system. The system fulfills the company s added-value goal by providing information to local public sector organizations and supporting Web services for other internal systems. GIS is integrated with the utility s work flow from facility maintenance to data queries. The online system, built with ArcIMS and ArcSDE, is accessed by 3,000 users at more than 70 internal and external sites. From the onset, the WAGP project team has been using ESRI GIS technology to organize and display much of the engineering, geographic, cultural, and environmental data. This map shows alternatives for the onshore distribution system around Lagos, Nigeria, that is being used to help the WAGP team and local authorities establish the best route. The map integrates water depths (from navigation charts) with a georegistered fairway route 15 km from shore as an overlay on a scanned, hand drawn map of Nigeria. The red triangles are GPS-located sites that have been individually inspected by WAGP project engineers as part of the initial survey. Facility maps are available on the Osaka Gas GIS-enabled intranet site. More than 3,000 users access the company s Image various Osaka GIS Web map.bmp sites. caption.

9 Integrating GIS Using Data Sharing Mechanisms The value of GIS grows as more people have access to its GIS applications and databases. GIS provides a platform for shared information and enables utilities to integrate asset management and business processes. ESRI software is built on recognized standards so that it is interoperable with corporate systems. Case Study El Paso Pipeline Group The El Paso Pipeline Group manages El Paso Corporation s network of interstate transmission pipelines spanning the United States, Canada to Mexico, and the Pacific to the Atlantic Oceans. It represents approximately 50,000 miles of pipeline providing natural gas transportation services from natural gas producing regions to industrial customers and local distribution companies. El Paso Corporation required a unifying GIS initiative for its interstate nationwide pipeline system. It selected ESRI business partner GE Energy (formerly M.J. Harden Associates, Inc.) to perform a comprehensive system analysis and data conversion from existing source data into the format of the industry-standard database model ISAT. The ISAT transmission pipeline data model was designed by a team of representatives from several companies and provides support for the centerline and facilities routinely managed by a pipeline company along with some operational data required by federal regulatory agencies. Using ArcSDE to extend the ISAT model to store, manage, and distribute spatial data provided an enterprise repository for spatial data. ESRI s ArcSDE was implemented to act as the enterprise repository for all converted spatial data. By employing ArcSDE, the individual business units of El Paso Corporation can share GIS data in a common format, distribute database development costs, and provide a consistent database maintenance environment. This framework allows El Paso to more easily distribute strategic business information and provides a foundation for the integration of other company units. Safe Software Inc. s data transformation tool, FMEObjects Toolkit, is integrated into GE Energy s PipeView product. The combination of software tools allows data stored as geographic coordinates to be transformed from shapefile to CAD format and then to be projected to the coordinate system of the underlying orthophotographic images. The consolidated GIS provides El Paso Corporation with a solid platform for the creation of integrated pipeline transmission applications such as alignment sheet generation; maximum allowable operating pressure calculations; class location and high consequence area analysis; right-of-way applications; and intranet-based data entry, query, and display functionality. Utility data is overlaid on the Public Land Survey System boundaries. Pipe coating, casing, and valve positions are also shown. Inset: GIS depicts a convergence of pipeline centerlines at a compressor station along with pipeline name, centerline control points, and geographic positioning.

10 Regulatory Compliance Government regulations create demands for gas utilities to comply, evaluate, and report. Compliance may result in thousands upon thousands of response activities. Many gas utility companies are now managing work processes such as regulatory duties through centralized systems that enable employees to locate data quickly and easily for compliance tasks. In addition, GIS simplifies and automates processes for regulatory compliance and documentation. Case Study Devon Energy s Dig Program Independent oil and gas producer Devon Energy Corporation uses GIS to manage its one-call tickets, notifications, and work flow. Devon Energy is the largest U.S.-based independent oil and gas producer and one of the largest independent processors of natural gas and natural gas liquids in North America. In the case of its Texas facilities, Devon Energy is required to comply with Texas Utility Code Underground Facility Damage Prevention and Safety. The mandate includes a positive response rule. When the company receives a call (ticket), the company must either locate and mark the location of pipeline at the site or respond to the excavator that none of the company s pipes are in the area. The majority of ticket requests do not have pipes in the vicinity of the request. In this case, the company is required to notify the excavator that the company has no facilities in the area and digging may proceed. This is called a no-locate. Compliance with the positive response mandate, obviously, demands a lot of work and time from the company. Approximately 75 percent of the requests are determined as no-locates, which adds 40,000 faxes to Devon s annual paper stream for positive response. Furthermore, the company is required to respond to the request within 48 hours of receiving the ticket. ArcInfo shows the number of tickets received for each grid cell being monitored by the dig call center. The dig request is outside the 500-foot buffer zone of the underground pipe, so no location efforts are needed.

11 Historic tickets show stake if staking work has been completed. Devon worked with Petris Technology to develop a solution to the problem by devising a One Call GIS application. The application works at all stages of the process. At the state call center level, the application worked with ESRI s software platform to indicate the cells in the Texas grid that are relevant to Devon. If a dig occurs within any one of Devon s grid cells, the call center automatically sends a One Call ticket to Devon s server. At the office level, the application strips the data out of the ticket, codes the data, and then places it in Devon s database field. This makes it possible for an employee to perform a search on the data when needed. Using geocoding on intelligent road data, the data is transformed into a format that ArcGIS can use to locate the information on a map. A server makes the information available to the field-worker. In the field (or the worker s home) the line locator employee uses a laptop to log into the server and pull tickets specific to a given geographic area. The line locator uses the application to determine where the requests to dig are located, which sites the crews need to investigate, and which sites they do not. The GIS field application shows the map of the area. A red dot indicates the location of the proposed excavation. The field-worker can easily determine if those addresses intersect Devon s pipeline and decide on a course of action. The decision to locate is made in the field. If the results require a locate, the crew goes to the site and marks the underground facility with flags and spray paint. If a no-locate situation is determined, then, with a click of a button, the field-worker returns a positive response to the server. A positive response notice is automatically sent by or fax to the excavator that says that a crew does not need to come out to the site because the excavation is not going to interfere with Devon s pipeline. The user selects a ticket in the table and the map zooms to the location. If street data has been used for geocoding, One Call GIS will put a dot on the map at the address. The user can easily see if the excavator s site is near a pipeline area. Maintaining a history of the activity helps the crew to keep an eye on the excavation. The excavation site can be put on monitor status. A message box acts as a reminder that a construction crew is still working in that area and that the field crew should drive by every few days to check on the construction s progress. One Call reports offer ticket histories for daily, weekly, and monthly responses. Reports can also be used for diagnostic purposes. Ticket reports verify that all tickets sent from the state agency were indeed acted upon. The ArcGIS application matches tickets electronically and creates the exception report for any variants. Tickets sent by the call center to the pipeline operator but not acted on will be highlighted on the daily report. A report also shows managers the number of tickets that have been received and what percentage of them were locate tickets. ArcInfo is used to create color-coded choropleth maps that show data by pipeline segment indicating the number of tickets associated with sectors of pipeline. Each ticket is date and time stamped according to the time the ticket was processed. Proof of positive response is also archived with each ticket. The system generates an audit report that can be sent to the call dispatch center operator. The application at the server level will automatically reconcile the audit with the tickets received and report any inconsistencies from the previous day. Daily, weekly, and monthly reports are generated for each of Devon s call dispatch centers. This audit, archive, and report generation process saves the operator an additional one to two hours per day but, more important, the report assists the operator in ensuring full compliance with the various regulatory authorities. In addition, the GIS application provides the operator with the ability to document compliance for any required circumstance. The One Call GIS Map Viewer application was built using ESRI s MapObjects software. The primary benefit is that Devon never loses a ticket, significantly reducing the risk of someone getting hurt. The financial benefit to the company is that it has saved an estimated $90,000 a quarter or nearly $400,000 a year using the GIS software application as opposed to using a paper system.

12 High Consequence Area Analysis High Consequence Area analysis is designed to meet government regulations with regard to the proximity of a sensitive area to a pipeline (water bodies, inhabited area, transportation corridors, etc.). These entail highly complex and iterative calculations and analyses both in space (aerial geography) and time (repeated intervals for monitoring). By creating a GIS model for a pipeline system, operators can manage their pipeline assets, use the infrastructure to perform HCA analysis, and perform a host of other pipeline analyses. The Department of Transportation s Research and Special Programs Administration, Office of Pipeline Safety, has issued new regulations on pipeline integrity management in HCAs. Pipeline integrity management is a regulatory method for assessing pipeline safety; determining risk; and prioritizing natural gas transmission pipeline inspection, repair, prevention, and mitigation for pipelines that traverse HCAs. Processes can be automated in the GIS to manage multiple factors related to natural gas transmission pipeline to maintain a safe and reliable system. Many of these requirements are geographic data related. To comply with pipeline integrity regulations, operators need geographic and attribute data about the pipeline and for the surrounding region. Furthermore, operators need a way to perform a dynamic spatial analysis to determine HCAs. A wealth of third-party applications extend GIS technology. They can address everything from probabilistic risk and HCA analysis to hydraulic modeling. For example, the leak survey reporting system application records, schedules, and reports investigation, inspection, and evaluation of existing aboveground and underground facilities of any gas distribution system. Current GIS technology allows operators to manage, coordinate, and report discovered threats in a standard form to the Department of Transportation. GIS applications are designed that fully automate the process of scheduling inspections and surveys, generating reports, and capturing historical inspection information for pipelines and valves. By capturing and coordinating the data in a GIS and associating scanned documents (such as historic manual inspection reports), operators will be able to comply with new regulations in a cost-effective way. ArcGIS Server makes it possible to serve GIS applications through networks, adding the capability of performing server-based GIS processing. An HCA ArcGIS Server application can entail highly complex and iterative calculations and analysis both in space (aerial geography) and time (at repeated intervals for monitoring). ModelBuilder, the geoprocessing tool in ArcGIS 9, helps lay out calculations and analyses in a logical framework that can be corrected and tuned to provide correct results. Moreover, pipelines that run over hundreds or thousands of miles require substantial levels of monitoring. Server-side implementations allow major iterations to be run reliably and efficiently. GIS can perform volumes of calculations and hazard predictions.

13 Generate buffer zones to show at-risk distances from the pipeline. Case Study Questar Regulated Services Questar Regulated Services (QRS) is working with ESRI and GE Energy to develop its industry specific pipeline applications. The comprehensive solution is designed to support the company s Geospatial Pipeline Maintenance and Integrity Management Support project, which is designed to meet specific regulatory and compliance requirements. QRS needed a system with powerful functionality to perform High Consequence Area analysis, risk analysis, class location determination, maximum allowable operating pressure calculations, and other compliance and engineering functions. The initial focus and vision was to move all transmission pipeline data into the ESRI software environment and to consolidate data into one central repository where it can be accessed companywide by the people who need it, when they need it, and from wherever they need it. The project will help QRS respond to the U.S. Department of Transportation s Final Rule for Pipeline Integrity Management in High Consequence Areas and comply with mandates requiring natural gas pipeline operators to develop integrity management plans for all natural gas transmission pipelines that fall under this rule. QRS maintains 2,500 miles of transmission pipeline across six states and 23,000 miles of distribution pipeline, serving more than 770,000 customers within 21,000 square miles of service territory. ESRI s GIS software and applications from GE Energy replace the legacy transmission pipeline automated mapping/facilities management system and other disparate databases and information systems currently used to manage QRS transmission pipeline assets. In subsequent implementation phases, the enterprise GIS platform will integrate with existing information systems such as the company s Customer Information System, Stoner s SynerGEE gas network analysis software, PeopleSoft ERP, and FileNET document management software. During the implementation stage, the enterprise solution deployed ESRI s ArcEditor and ArcSDE software. The geodatabase and, specifically, the ArcGIS Pipeline Data Model provide the basis for the central data repository. In the future, the company may deploy ArcIMS for intranet/internet GIS and ArcPad software for mobile GIS. In addition to the core commercial off-the-shelf ArcGIS software from ESRI, the company will use several industry specific applications from GE Energy including PipeView for ArcGIS, PipeView Risk, HCA Generator, and SheetGen Alignment Sheet Generation.

14 GIS in the Field Combining GIS with mobile technologies, such as global positioning systems, synchronizing technologies, and automated vehicle location systems, provides utilities with mobile solutions that save time, focus resources, and capture accurate data. ESRI s ArcPad supports field data inventory and staking tasks. ArcReader provides a digital field map book that can be updated. ArcLogistics Route is an efficient fleet management tool. ESRI s mobile solutions bring office technology to the field for work processes such as work tickets, inventory management, and even cost application. GIS mobile solutions enable those working in the field to better service the utility s service territory. Tablet PC technology allows users to edit the database while they are in the field. Case Study Consumers Energy The people at Consumers Energy, Michigan s largest electric and natural gas utility, wanted an automated way to put GIS maps and data into the hands of the field crews. ESRI and Tadpole Technology responded to Consumers Energy s request for a field force automation solution. After the organization migrated to an ArcGIS platform, Tadpole Technology suggested using ArcPad as the field application. Tadpole Technology designed an ArcPad extension that reads and writes DGN files. Now Consumers Energy has put task and spatial data into the hands of more than 1,800 field engineers. The mobile solution provides a graphical interface that supports work order construction print viewing and redlining, map viewing and redlining, and service record viewing and redlining. Automating field tasks for work management offers numerous benefits. Therefore, Consumers Energy is also implementing MDSI s Advantex mobile workforce management solution to help manage the work and workday of its field service workers, dispatchers, and supervisors. Advantex schedules work orders and, using complex business rules, assigns them to the best available mobile resources. It dispatches work order details to mobile field crews, who use Advantex to process their work throughout the day, and sends status updates and order completion information back to the office all wirelessly, in real time. This means that a graphical design associated with one of the construction work orders will be viewed and redlined in the ArcPad/Tadpole Technology application. Consumers Energy crews no longer have to carry outdated paper maps into the field. Search times for finding and viewing items of interest have been significantly reduced, and map information is updated electronically on a daily basis. By adding DGN and raster support, Tadpole Technology s ArcPad extension took the product to new levels. Consumers Energy s field force needed view and redlining access to primary information sources while in the field.

15 Case Study Atlanta Gas Light Resources Atlanta Gas Light Resources (AGL Resources) uses GIS for enterprisewide spatial data management that can be used throughout the company. Through the implementation of Miner & Miner s Designer software, AGL Resources has the capability to decentralize its operations and provide a means to update the geodatabase from its district offices. AGL Resources will put the facility data into the hands of the people who need it throughout the organization by providing ArcFM and Designer editing capabilities to approximately 200 users. They will use the GIS for activities such as network monitoring, work sketch design and job cost calculation, corporate data management, and data warehousing. Field services benefit from the GIS. For example, AGL Resources developed an application that exports flow direction information for the Gas Geometric network as a GIS layer. This allows field personnel to view gas flow directions at a particular location although disconnected from the gas network. Mobile GIS solutions are deployed to more than 500 field services representatives. AGL Resources has also developed an interface between ArcFM and Advantica s Stoner SynerGEE software. This interface is designed to export the spatial data from the geodatabase to the SynerGEE gas distribution analysis software. This interaction improves the accuracy of the model, provides accurate data, and increases system productivity for system planners. The integration provides support for planning network expansions and distribution system improvements. Consumers Energy continues to distribute new and additional map types to its field crews. Future plans call for converting the utility s electric facility maps from the CAD environment to ESRI s ArcGIS platform. With the Tadpole Technology/ArcPad field application already deployed, Consumers Energy s field force is positioned to take full advantage of a true GIS. Thanks to Hugh Paterson, CEO, Patcom Media and GeoWorld magazine for providing this case study. Key application areas for Consumers Energy s field information system include land base development, gas distribution management, automated construction and as-built drawings, and outage maintenance. Consumers Energy s Service Information Management System (SIMS) encompasses an extensive database related to 1.7 million underground gas and electric services not associated with electric and gas distribution data. Tadpole Technology developed an ArcPad extension that allows users to access, redline, and query these graphical records (service cards). To be successful, field systems must be deployed as part of an intelligent enterprise strategy. Now Consumers Energy can integrate information into the work flow. By eliminating time-consuming tasks, shortening time cycles, and streamlining work processes, the organization saves time and money. Using the company intranet, employees can view gas assets such as wells, valves, and pipeline. Consumers Energy uses the Gas GIS Map Viewer application for facility map distribution online.

16 GIS Applications and Tools for Gas Utilities Gas companies have unique tooling needs. ESRI provides an infrastructure for application customization that allows developers to concentrate on serving the specific needs of users. Case Study Avista Corporation Avista Corporation provides natural gas distribution services to more than 298,000 customers in regions of the Pacific Northwest. Avista s Facilities Management GIS project has developed Construction Design Tools (CDT), models, and applications that make it possible for both gas and electric construction designers to use GIS in their design of construction jobs. Avista is further developing the gas compliance tool to provide the ability to track Department of Transportation requirements spatially. Read-only GIS applications will soon be available to field workers to enhance work processes. The CDT is used by designers to place new facilities on the map. This process produces construction prints to communicate work orders to field crews. It also keeps the GIS data up-to-date with continuous changes occurring on the system. An added benefit is the standardization of designs. Avista s gas network is modeled so that the pipe, emergency operating plan (EOP), and cathodic systems can be analyzed by sharing the same network. During an emergency, EOP valves that need to be closed can be located easily and all affected customers identified. A cathodic protection system is required on steel pipes to prevent corrosion. The gas model facilitates analyzing the system to ensure all pipes are protected correctly.

17 Case Study CenterPoint Energy CenterPoint Energy, headquartered in Houston, Texas, is a domestic energy delivery company (electricity transmission and distribution, natural gas distribution and sales, and interstate pipeline) that delivers gas and electricity to approximately five million customers. As part of the company s enterprise implementation, it has created a central organization that manages the relationship with ESRI as well as all the applications, data models, and workflow processes associated with maintaining data in the GIS. A variety of applications contributes to the strength of the comprehensive GIS. Cathodic protection tracing tools are used for tracking, monitoring, and scheduling maintenance for a cathodically protected system. The tools may be integrated with other systems such as materials management, GIS, and/or work management. They help analysts define the corrosion protection necessary for underground facilities. Analysts use the cathodic protection tracing tools to perform traces between insulated fittings and automatically calculate length of pipe. The tools make it easy to generate reports and eliminate the need for additional queries. Underground Locating and Ticket Research Application (ULTRA) is a GIS application designed by GIS Technology, Inc., that makes the locating process faster and more efficient and provides a historical record for accurate litigation support. Based on ESRI s GIS, ULTRA s automated processes limit the tickets that go to the field to only those that must be located. ULTRA saved CenterPoint Energy $1 million in its first year of implementation. Savings were achieved by using ESRI MapObjects, supported by data from a large ArcSDE geodatabase, to produce digital maps and processes that result in fewer field locate queries being required and increased efficiencies in performing locate tasks. The Gas Outage Analysis application developed by Advantica creates simulations using attribute data from the GIS. Computer pipe flow simulation models use extracted gas pipeline facility data and related attributes that exist in the GIS.

18 ESRI Business Partners More than 1,700 developers and value-added resellers work with ESRI technology to deliver focused applications tools, datasets, and solutions services. ESRI s business partners for the electric and gas industry bring ESRI software users the best applications available. Consultation support, extensions, and customization help you get the most out of GIS. Presented here is a list of business partners featured in the stories in this brochure. Advantica Advantica, featuring Stoner software products, is a premier provider of advanced technology and systems solutions to high-performance energy delivery companies. Advantica can improve an organization s financial performance, operational efficiency, customer service, and regulatory compliance. Visit Advantica at GE Energy GE Energy provides turnkey geospatial data management services. Its GIS implementation services include consulting, field data solutions, data conversion/migration, data and system integration, custom application development, and photogrammetry for the utility and pipeline industries. GE s product offerings include Hardware FDC a field data collection and maintenance application that works directly with a geodatabase; ProjectBinder a Web-based project collaboration tool that provides the project team with data, drawings, and reports; and PipeView a suite of applications for the pipeline industry. Visit GE Energy at GIS Technology, Inc. GIS Technology, Inc. (GTI), has provided a variety of consulting services to gas and electric utility companies around the United States including custom application development, database design and development, and staff augmentation. GTI integrates ESRI GIS with document management systems. GTI has underground asset locating software, ULTRA, that helps gas and electric companies manage locate tickets. Visit GTI at MDSI Mobile Data Solutions MDSI Mobile Data Solutions provides workforce management and mobility solutions for companies that fully integrate mobile resources with the enterprise. MDSI designs, develops, implements, and supports solutions for the utility, telecommunications, cable, field service, insurance, and state and local government markets worldwide. With the Advantex product suite, professional services, and strategic business alliances, MDSI business solutions extend the enterprise to mobile resources and draw mobile resources completely into the enterprise. Visit MDSI at Miner & Miner, Consulting Engineers, Inc. Miner & Miner, Consulting Engineers, Inc. (M&M), a Telvent company, is a world leader in the development and implementation of ESRI s ArcGIS software for utilities. M&M s ArcFM solution is a powerful collection of tools for managing, modeling, and editing facility and land base data for the enterprise. It provides the framework to maintain consistent business rules in a simple, intuitive editing and viewing environment. Visit Miner & Miner at

19 Petris Technology Petris Technology, through its combination of industry-based consulting services, works for oil and gas companies to reduce costs and create new value through better utilization of data, knowledge, and information. Petris products and services include application hosting and services, data conversion and quality assurance, data management, geospatial information systems, information technology consulting and services, and processbased workflow development. Visit Petris Technology at POWER Engineers, Inc. POWER Engineers, Inc., provides a range of services that helps utilities design, build, operate, and maintain their facilities. Its services include data migration to the ArcGIS environment, application development, custom programming, needs assessment, field inventory, cadastral mapping, data compilation and analysis, database design, and training. POWER currently implements asset management solutions using its Transmission Asset Management Information System (Tamis ) software application for electric and gas transmission facilities. Visit POWER Engineers at Safe Software Inc. Safe Software Inc. provides spatial data transformation solutions and professional services. The company s products and services allow organizations to translate, share, and enhance their data between more than 100 GIS, CAD, and database formats. Electric and gas utility companies working with multiple data formats will benefit from Safe Software s data transformation software and professional services. Visit Safe Software at Tadpole Technology Tadpole Technology provides enterprise field information systems to utilities, telecommunications, and public service industries and deploys ESRI-based technology in the field. Tadpole Technology s ESRI software-based offerings include CAD, raster, and redline extensions to ArcPad; ArcPad project and application services; GeoSync an embeddable synchronization engine built in ArcObjects for ESRI; ArcReader, ArcView, ArcEditor, and Miner & Miner s ArcFM Viewer and Designer; and CAD and raster extensions to ArcGIS. Visit Tadpole Technology at Telcordia Technologies Telcordia Technologies provides geospatial network management products, services, and solutions to electric, gas, water and wastewater, and UTelco companies. Partnering with Miner & Miner, Telcordia Technologies resells the ArcFM solution and provides best practices in project management, systems integration, and consulting services. Visit Telcordia Technologies at Visit the electric and gas industry Web site to learn more about ESRI s GIS solutions at

20 For more than 35 years ESRI has been helping people manage and analyze geographic information. ESRI offers a framework for implementing GIS technology in any organization with a seamless link from personal GIS on the desktop to enterprisewide GIS client/server and data management systems. ESRI GIS solutions are flexible and can be customized to meet the needs of our users. ESRI is a full-service GIS company, ready to help you begin, grow, and build success with GIS. Corporate Regional Offices ESRI 380 New York Street Redlands, California , USA Telephone: Fax: For more information ESRI Olympia ESRI Minneapolis ESRI St. Louis ESRI Philadelphia ESRI Boston ESRI New York City on ESRI, call (1-800-GIS-XPRT) ESRI Washington, D.C or contact an ESRI value-added reseller near you. Send inquiries to ESRI California ext ESRI Charlotte info@esri.com Visit ESRI s Web page at ESRI Denver ESRI San Antonio International Offices Outside the United States, contact your local ESRI distributor. For the number of your distributor, call ESRI at , ext. 1235, Australia Belgium/Luxembourg Finland France Italy Japan Romania Singapore or visit our Web site at Bulgaria Canada China (Beijing) China (Hong Kong) Germany/Switzerland Hungary India Indonesia/Malaysia Korea Netherlands Poland Portugal Spain Sweden Thailand United Kingdom Venezuela Place ESRI business partner or distributor address here. Copyright 2005 ESRI. All rights reserved. ESRI, the ESRI globe logo, ArcGIS, ArcPad, ArcSDE, ArcIMS, ArcMap, ModelBuilder, ArcEditor, ArcReader, ArcLogistics, MapObjects, ArcFM, ArcInfo, ArcView, and are trademarks, registered trademarks, or service marks of ESRI in the United States, the European Community, or certain other jurisdictions. Other companies and products mentioned herein are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective trademark owners. No. GS-35F-5086H XXX5M5/05sf Printed in USA