October 6, 2009

New Distribution Integrity Management Requirements to Be Tackled at ESRI Electric & Gas User Group Conference

Images for Publication With GIS, gas distribution companies display, query, report, and graph data for DIMP. View larger image Download HiRes Image

Redlands, California—The upcoming ESRI Electric & Gas User Group (EGUG) Conference will feature sessions to prepare gas utilities for new distribution integrity management program (DIMP) requirements from the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA). The 2009 EGUG Conference will be held October 11–14 in Atlanta, Georgia.

"EGUG attendees will learn how to satisfy DIMP requirements," said Robert Brook, ESRI’s pipeline and gas industry manager. "DIMP requirements can be easily satisfied with a good enterprise GIS [geographic information system]. We will continue to work with gas distribution companies to show how an enterprise GIS allows utilities to identify threats, evaluate and prioritize risks, and implement preventive measures."

In addition to discussions on DIMP, the following workshops will be held at the EGUG Conference:

• Utilizing ESRI Small Utility Enterprise License Agreement (ELA) to Aid in Gas Operations and DIMP: Based on recent implementations, this presentation will demonstrate methodologies for utilizing ESRI software for small utilities to aid in capturing the correct asset information, as well as how to best use this information to meet these new industry requirements.
• Using GIS to Address DIMP: Proposed DIMP rules specify seven elements that an operator’s program must encompass. This presentation will cover how GIS fulfills a key role in each of those elements and provides the foundation required for an effective integrity management program.

For more information about the EGUG Conference, visit www.esri.com/egug. To listen to the podcast on GIS for risk assessment in gas distribution, and for more information, visit www.esri.com/dimp.

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