{"id":6775,"date":"2016-03-21T15:00:01","date_gmt":"2016-03-21T22:00:01","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.esri.com\/?p=6775"},"modified":"2016-03-21T15:00:01","modified_gmt":"2016-03-21T22:00:01","slug":"whats-going-on-right-now-2","status":"publish","type":"insider","link":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/insider\/whats-going-on-right-now-2","title":{"rendered":"What\u2019s Going On Right Now?"},"content":{"rendered":"

GIS Increases Awareness<\/em><\/strong>
\nThere is a significant shift in how electric utilities use geographic information system (GIS) technology. In the old days and maybe even now, utility staff thought GIS was a system that automates the mapping process. And yes, it could also provide good information to other critical systems, such as outage management systems (OMS) or distribution management systems (DMS). Advanced utilities even used GIS to help in the design and construction of their facilities. That\u2019s all great.
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After a major storm event, one important task is determining the extent of damages to the network. The ArcGIS for Electric Utilities Damage Assessment Collector solution enables field crews to record damages in the field and immediately share the information with the office<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nNow, electric companies are beginning to see GIS as something more, maybe even more strategic. Sure, GIS is capable of replicating old operating maps and keeping comprehensive, authoritative data up to date. Utilities are now seeing GIS as a platform that can connect nearly everyone in the company to help reduce costs, keep customers happy, and help employees stay safe and out of trouble.
\nIn my last post<\/a>, I spoke about how Esri\u2019s ArcGIS platform<\/a> masters three powerful yet simple things\u2014the three As. It provides access\u2014the simple process of serving up all the wonderful data stored in GIS on any device, anytime, and anywhere. So when utility staff update information on their mobile phone, tablet, or smart watch\u2014such as details on a broken pole or a sparking wire\u2014all company staff have access to that information on their devices, at the exact same time, in the form of interactive maps. Take a picture, write a note, record a video, and link it to the map for all to see.
\nThe second A is awareness<\/em>. Not only can people gain access and update geospatial data for others to use with the ArcGIS platform, they can also gain a better understanding of what\u2019s going on right now\u2014in real time.
\nLess Information Is Never Better<\/strong>
\n\u201cMore information is always better than less.\u201d\u2014Simon Sinek<\/a>, author
\nSinek would never agree that \u201cless is more.\u201d The author goes on to describe the value of more information. \u201cWhen people know the reason things are happening, even if it’s bad news, they can adjust their expectations and react accordingly. Keeping people in the dark only serves to stir negative emotions.\u201d
\nWhen I worked for a power company, it was my job to make sure people were not in the dark\u2014literally. When people were out of power, we figured out why: A snowstorm drizzled ice onto power lines; or someone had crashed into a utility pole; or a squirrel climbed onto the lines not knowing that its tail could act as a very nice conductor.
\nYet when people called the power company, the customer service representatives often kept callers in the dark\u2014figuratively and literally. The reason was, and often still is, because the industry can\u2019t always answer the question, when will my lights be back on?
\nWhy is that? It\u2019s because the utilities themselves don\u2019t have enough information.
\nThe problem isn\u2019t an overall lack of data. Lots of people have lots of information. The problem is that not everyone in the power company has complete awareness of what\u2019s going on in real time. Someone might have a pretty good insight into grid damage. Others might know where the crews are deployed. An entirely different group might know if they have material on hand to fix the issue. Eventually the power company will have the answer. But when the customers call, the utility just doesn\u2019t have the right processes in place to gain complete awareness right away.
\nIn cases of widespread power failure, electric utilities need lots of information\u2014and fast. They have some<\/em> information. Advanced metering infrastructure (AMI<\/a> automated meters), for instance, can link to the advanced distribution management system (ADMS<\/a>) to paint a clear picture of how many customers are out of power and where they are located. However, the utility still can\u2019t answer that simple yet profound question, when will my lights be back on?
\nIt\u2019s All about Awareness<\/strong>
\nDuring outage events, power companies have to answer another simple question, what\u2019s going on right now?
\nTo apply Sinek\u2019s philosophy, the more information\u2014about the damage, conditions on the ground, location of hazards and field crews, weather, flooding, downed trees, customers without power\u2014the better. Sinek agrees that the faster the power company gets that information, the better.
\nAutomated vehicle location (AVL) systems tell the utility where all the trucks are at a given time. OMS reports detail about who doesn\u2019t have power and even provide analyses of probable damaged locations. Weather services give forecasts and accurate assessment of weather. Real-time storm gauges provide flood information. Satellite systems deliver real-time imagery. And customers Tweet about the outages faster than Kanye West can type out his latest 140-character Twitter rant.
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\nMaking Sense of the Information<\/strong>
\nThe trick to analyzing a lot of information coming in from many sources is to have a common framework to help you figure out what\u2019s going on. You could get a phone call from a taxi driver saying that she heard a loud bang or saw a flash before the lights went out. Or you could have a customer Tweet about a tree hitting a wire line. Or perhaps someone could use a cell phone to photograph a broken pole. The common denominator for all this information is location.
\nLocation could unlock a critical pattern. For instance, what if all these pieces of information were to have the same location? Then the loud bang and flash, the Tweeted tree, and the photo of the broken pole would point to a single event. You would send one crew to fix the problem. If the information speaks to different events, you could still track and dispatch crews for efficient repairs.
\nThe ArcGIS platform merges information from multiple sources that have a location reference. After organizing information by its location components, the ArcGIS platform provides situational awareness\u2014so you always know what is going on and where. And as situations change\u2014floodwaters rise, lightning strikes, tornadoes shift course\u2014GIS consumes that real-time data along with all kinds of authoritative information to give decision makers the right information at the right time. And since GIS provides access (the first A) and the ability to update data, utilities can make rapid assessments of material, crew, and logistic needs. They can figure out how many crews to deploy or declare or call off an emergency. They can communicate accurately to the media, regulators, and first responders.
\nThrough awareness, utilities can eliminate unnecessary steps; avoid wasted trips; focus on fast decision making about customer restoration; warn crews about hazards; and, at the same time, provide outstanding transparency to the community.
\nAnswers = Awareness<\/strong>
\nMost utilities today deploy GIS, but many limit it to traditional uses. That\u2019s changing. Innovative utilities are figuring out that if they can answer the question (what\u2019s going on right now?) then they can share, communicate, and collaborate faster and more accurately. These utilities are able to provide fieldworkers with critical answers on their mobile devices. And they will have an answer to that question, when will my lights be back on?
\nSure Sinek<\/a> is right\u2014more information is better than less. But it\u2019s not enough to just have more information. Pulling the information into the ArcGIS platform helps utilities connect the dots to answer the other question, what\u2019s going on right now?
\nThat leads to the next step\u2014what to do about it. In my next post, we\u2019ll get into advanced decision making with analytics.
\nFor proven solutions in managing electric operations with GIS, visit esri.com\/electric<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"menu_order":0,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"sync_status":"","episode_type":"","audio_file":"","podmotor_file_id":"","podmotor_episode_id":"","castos_file_data":"","cover_image":"","cover_image_id":"","duration":"","filesize":"","filesize_raw":"","date_recorded":"","explicit":"","block":"","itunes_episode_number":"","itunes_title":"","itunes_season_number":"","itunes_episode_type":"","footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[10862],"tags":[157432,209702,241,160512],"class_list":["post-6775","insider","type-insider","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-esri","tag-arcgis","tag-electric","tag-gis","tag-utilities"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nWhat\u2019s Going On Right Now?<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/insider\/whats-going-on-right-now-2\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"What\u2019s Going On Right Now?\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"GIS Increases Awareness There is a significant shift in how electric utilities use geographic information system (GIS) technology. 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