Utility Network

The Vision of GIS for Utilities Esri Canada White Paper EC5_0364_1805_11A 14 Users will continue to need this client horsepower to perform many tasks, due to the complex data and detail required to capture the electric utility assets. However, this desktop client/server model is evolving, incorporating web services, web maps and cloud technologies. Heavy desktop users now access data from services, while other users are migrating to smart devices. In addition, utilities will eventually no longer manage basemaps themselves. Already published web services with updated land information based on cartographic standards will be stored and available in the cloud. New technologies will help capture data, too. Studies show that utilities have captured only a fraction of real facility data. Consider the accuracy of underground structural data, for instance. The future will bring greater use of light detection and ranging (lidar) to capture three-dimensional features and images for data gathering. In addition, newer technologies will automate data capture from laser scanning and imagery. Gone will be the hordes of people doing field inventory. Facilities Data With all these enhancements, the facilities model will become more frequently viewed as just one component of an enterprise GIS. Other corporate systems (e.g., CRM, ERP, DMS, SCADA) will also be spatially enabled, working as cohort systems, pulling their functionality from web services by using the GIS technology embedded in them. Cloud and Mobile GIS The cloud is initiating change. Security and reliability concerns will always exist, but utilities and solution providers are navigating these just as they always have, even before the use of SCADA systems. Expect to see a progression over the next few years to a point where cloud vendors will host most enterprise tasks—including nearly all spatial technology applications. Mobile technology will complement the cloud. The explosion of smart mobile devices, reliant on the cloud for their intelligence, will eliminate the distinction between in-office applications and apps on phones and tablets. Smartphone GIS is already commonplace, facilitating mobile data additions and event reporting that syncs automatically with the enterprise GIS. External Data Utilities are already becoming more open to external data (e.g., demographics, weather feeds). Access to online spatial content is growing exponentially, with modern GIS more commonly accessing and publishing data for online communities, enhancing communication and collaboration. Big Data Most utilities will move IT infrastructure to a private cloud managed by a third party. Computing will occur largely using web services. Developing apps for focused tasks will take only hours or weeks instead of months or years. Meanwhile, utilities will rely increasingly on high-quality data, accessible anywhere, from the core GIS. Gone are the days of service technicians calling for information on a new customer connection, now that information is easily available via self-service apps on mobile devices.

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