GIS in Engineering

Truckee Donner Public Utility District implemented a sophisticated design strategy to meet several goals: (1) decrease electrical and fiber-optic design times, (2) improve design cost estimations, (3) provide a more comprehensive design package to developers, (4) aid warehouse staging and inventory control, and (5) facilitate automated design integration with existing accounting systems for plant capitalization.

The district designed and implemented an integrated, enterprise GIS environment using ArcGIS, ArcSDE, and Miner and Miner's Designer software. The district developed advanced reports and data integration with Microsoft Access and MultiSpeak 2 environments to outline cost estimates, material lists, and work location details to district employees and developers. The design process also produces an advanced map package seen here. The goal was to automate the production of the map package. To meet that goal, the district used techniques such as ArcGIS label engine, ArcGIS advanced symbology, Designer documents, and Miner & Miner stored displays. Each map has a specific purpose. This enables more detailed information per map page and concentrates only on the necessary construction by different entities—either the developer or the district's employees. All textual information is produced automatically using the Esri label engine rather than manually placing notes and annotation.

Site Work for Winter Creek

The Site Work map depicts developer-required construction for a specific design. It is the responsibility of developers to prepare the electrical and fiber-optic construction by placing concrete pads, vaults, boxes, and risers in and around the construction site. In addition, developers are responsible for trenching between each of these "work locations." This map shows where each underground structure needs to be constructed, the associated construction detail describing how the structure is to be built, and where each trench must be dug to connect the structures.

Conduit Layout for Winter Creek

Developers use this map for constructing conduits as part of their site work preparations. This map describes three types of information for construction to the developer: (1) the construction path of each conduit required for the design; (2) the length, size, and material of the conduit to be constructed; and (3) the vertical placement of the conduit within the trench based on color. District employees who pull the electrical wire through the conduits also use this map. The map describes which conduits at work locations they need to enter to pull to another distinct work location and the length of conduit they can expect to pull through.

Electrical Layout for Winter Creek

District employees use the Electrical Layout map to identify where in a construction site the district needs to "heat up" the network. Depending on developer resources or construction timelines, heating up a new subdivision may proceed in phases. This map shows employees wire sizes and material required, transformer locations and sizes, and to which phase each portion of the network should be tied.

The response of the developer community has been accepting. Most developers say these maps have improved both the readability of a design and reduced confusion about what each member of the construction team is responsible for.