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information accessibility is key to designing and maintaining a modern utility network. All staff, including those out in the field should be able to access information about the network without requiring assistance from the GIS department. If there is a broken water main at 3 am, the field worker should be able to look up which valve to turn off by accessing the network remotely on their device. Rolling out a paper map on the hood of a truck in a rainstorm just doesn't cut it in today's always-connected world. Transforming for tomorrow Digital twins are becoming quite popular and utilities have the most to gain from this technology. A digital twin is a virtual model of a network that utilities can use to obtain real-time and predictive insight. The platform can live in the cloud, reducing costs associated with setup and maintenance. Together with a solution such as Esri's Utility Network, utilities can get a complete picture of current systems and processes and identify potential gaps between what they believe they need to plan for versus what is actually required to get ahead in an increasingly complicated world. must plan ahead and consider what this will do to existing electrical infrastructure. More electric vehicles mean more charging stations. Can our current power grids handle a five or 10 per cent increase in the number of electric vehicles on the road? What if these came from the same neighbourhood, plugging in at the same time of day? A solution such as Esri's Utility Network program uses demographic and sociographic information along with an asset model to predict if and where there are likely to be clusters of electric vehicle buyers so a utility can replace aging equipment with larger transformers in that area before the increase in power consumption becomes an issue. Power from the inside From a financial perspective, a utility will incur more costs if it underestimates the size of its transformers, they burn out earlier than planned, and must be replaced or repaired sooner. If these vulnerabilities are identified early enough, they can plan ahead and budget, accordingly, optimizing their asset management plans to account for these challenges. From an operations perspective, With the progression towards smarter networks with more complex equipment and more resiliency, traditional network management tools cannot keep up. To address tomorrow's challenges, utilities will need a more comprehensive network model. They must provide pervasive access to anyone in the organization, especially field workers. Lastly, they must remain vigilant to changing customer expectations and work to maintain and improve customer relationships. It's impossible to be prepared for every possible scenario but investing in new technology and adopting a forward-thinking attitude will help utilities remain at the forefront of innovation within an evolving landscape. Being able to meet the demands of the next generation of customers and staying relevant is essential to this. Brian Bell is the director of the utilities sector at Esri Canada. Energy September/October 2019 ReNew Canada 27 renewcanada.net

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