GEOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION SYSTEMS

Nova Scotia Power Enjoys Success With Integrated Solution

The first phase of the customer service plan will focus primarily on outage management, incorporating the Centricity operations resource management suite from CES International. Centricity will tie customer premise data and incoming calls regarding power outages into a real-time, electric network model based on ESRI's new generation of geographic data model -- the ArcGIS Geodatabase, distributed by ESRI Canada. With this information NSPI operations center personnel and dispatchers will have a comprehensive view of power outages in a graphical format. Armed with up-to-date outage information at their fingertips, they can then dispatch and manage fieldwork crews conducting outage repairs in the safest and fastest way.

An additional component of the first phase will see Utility Partners implement MobileUP and a customer appointment-setting system (CAS). MobileUP, a computer-aided dispatching system (CDS), is a feature-rich tool for scheduling and dispatching customer service orders, inspections, and trouble/outage work types to the field. MobileUP's versatile modules will allow NSPI planners to efficiently allocate work to the available field resources. The CAS system is a table-driven application that enables NSPI customer service representatives to set appointments with customers based upon available resources and various pre-defined parameters.

The combination of MobileUP and CAS will provide NSPI with the necessary tools to continue to optimize its work force efficiencies while providing quality customer service. NSPI's business rules will define and drive the parameters used in both MobileUP and CAS for managing field activities. These parameters can be re-configured dynamically to support their business goals and objectives providing the flexibility needed to operate in today's utility market.

ESRI's geographic information systems (GIS) is one of several technologies that NSPI is relying on to lead organizational efficiencies. With links to work management systems and an effective use of the outage management system (OMS), GIS also has the potential to leverage dispatch and mobile data efforts. While GIS is not linked to the CDS, NSPI is looking at GIS to be the mechanism for tracking CDS activities and providing efficient routing analysis. In addition, NSPI is replacing their legacy on-line production system with a more efficient system from ESRI.

ArcFM Energy and ESRI's ArcGIS suite of products is composed of two essential components, a data model and a set of tools. ArcFM allows utility organizations to make use of a single integrated environment to manage and map multiple utilities. It fits into the overall information technology architecture of modern utilities through open databases, industry-standard programming environments, and that utilize the COM architecture. ArcFM provides a complete out-of-the-box solution geared to the needs of energy utility end users.

ESRI's new generation Geodatabase technology improves the way utilities do business by modeling and capturing real-world objects using the ArcGIS Electric Distribution Data Model. Such an "engineering database of record" resides inside a Geodatabase, where rules and behaviors of the Electrical Data Model cause data objects to act like real-world features. Unlike traditional GIS data elements: points, lines, and polygons, these objects are defined and modeled as they exist in the real-world electrical network, for instance, transformers, reclosures, fuses, and breakers, all "understand" their relationships to other features. In addition to simplifying editing and data maintenance, these real-world features can be used by other operational applications such as load management systems, supervisory control and data acquisition systems (SCADA), and OMS. The Geodatabase also supports long transactions, and versioning which allows effective multi-user editing, an important functionality in NSPI's dynamic business environment.

Unexpected benefits surfaced during the data conversion effort. When NSPI developed a means to keep customer addresses current and clean, this provided a mechanism for easily tracking customers. The result was a significant improvement to their collections process, potentially saving the organization a lot of time and money. GIS proves the economic benefit of a single database for all kinds of information, eliminating duplication, and enabling the development of an infrastructure. It provides a single entry point for viewing and querying data.

"From a GIS perspective it is apparent that it will exceed our expectations," comments Hazel. "The functionality is broader than we expected and the positive reaction from internal clients has been phenomenal. One of the long term benefits of GIS will be in capital planning. Understanding where the plant is, how old it is, linking it to the reliability statistics collected on line, and using it to develop a capital program, will make a significant difference. Not just capital, but all planning -- maintenance, replacement planning, even daily workloads in terms of connects/disconnects, and reading meters."

A year after starting to implement their integrated technology system. Nova Scotia Power is well on its way to an enterprise resource management system. The various components -- OMS/GIS/CDS -- make up a large percentage of what NSPI was missing. What remains involves a work management system and the interfaces.

The second phase of the customer service plan will involve populating their GIS with an assortment of data including locations of streetlights, poles, and transformers. Also, to be included in the GIS is right-of-way information such as tree growth, hazard tracking, and allowable chemical vegetation control areas. The second phase of the plan will include a work management system and route analysis capabilities. With the end result being a complete asset management system that will give them the competitive advantage that will benefit both customers and shareholders.

For more information: Nova Scotia Power Inc., www.nspower.ca, 1-800-428-6230. ESRI Canada www.esricanada.com, 1-800-447-9778. ET