{"id":582329,"date":"2026-03-09T18:42:20","date_gmt":"2026-03-09T18:42:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/en-us\/industries\/blog\/?post_type=blog&p=582329"},"modified":"2026-03-17T17:37:02","modified_gmt":"2026-03-17T17:37:02","slug":"gis-enables-n1-to-outmaneuver-historic-storm-surge","status":"publish","type":"blog","link":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/en-us\/industries\/blog\/articles\/gis-enables-n1-to-outmaneuver-historic-storm-surge","title":{"rendered":"GIS Enables N1 to Outmaneuver Historic Storm Surge"},"content":{"rendered":"

Customer Spotlight Story<\/h2>\n\n

Elnetselskabet N1 is the largest electricity network operator in Jutland, Denmark, employing around 800 people and delivering power to approximately 800,000 homes and businesses every day. The company consistently invests in its grid to ensure high reliability and future readiness for evolving energy demands. In 2026, N1 will invest approximately DKK 2 billion in the electricity grid, marking a record-level investment. In 2025, their customers experienced an average outage time of less than 15 minutes, making it one of the most reliable electricity suppliers in the world.<\/p>\n\n

CHALLENGE<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n

In November of 2023, Denmark experienced one of its most severe storm surges on record. To reduce risk, N1 needed a way to precisely identify which network assets were at risk of inundation and act before the flooding reached critical levels. Traditional monitoring tools alone couldn\u2019t provide the real-time spatial insights needed to proactively manage this threat.<\/p>\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n

The November 2023 storm surge created havoc along the Jutland coast.<\/em><\/p>\n\n

Before and during the storm surge, N1 had many technicians in the area who, before the analysis tool was developed, drove around and physically inspected the installations. This time-consuming process could result in extended customer outage.<\/p>\n\n

SOLUTION<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n

Working with GIS partner and Esri Distributor Geoinfo <\/a>A\/S, N1 developed a data-driven situational awareness and response tool using ArcGIS<\/a> in less than 24 hours. The solution integrated hydrological flood-risk maps showing potential inundation areas at various water levels (publicly available datasets). The GIS team also leveraged ArcGIS Utility Network<\/a> and asset data, which contains the locations of all cable cabinets, transformer stations, and grid equipment. Finally, they crafted a custom dashboard and analytics workflow that visualized risk exposure in real time for N1\u2019s control center.<\/p>\n\n

\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n

ArcGIS Dashboards<\/a> was a key tool for analyzing storm-surge-damaged assets.<\/em><\/p>\n\n

By combining multiple spatial layers, the tool continuously evaluated how rising water levels would affect specific network assets and displayed the results in an intuitive ArcGIS interface. <\/p>\n\n

N1 has invested in building a comprehensive, highly accurate GIS over many years, with data quality a longstanding strategic priority. This commitment meant that when the severe storm surge hit, their GIS environment already provided a robust and dependable foundation for advanced analytics. ArcGIS applications and datasets are embedded throughout N1\u2019s daily operations, supporting everything from planning and engineering calculations to real\u2011time operational processes. Because their GIS data is consistently maintained and trusted across the organization, they were able to deliver precise, actionable insights at a critical moment.<\/p>\n\n

\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n

N1 is one of Denmark\u2019s largest utilities, operating largely in Western Denmark<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n

While the full solution was developed in under 24 hours, most of the effort went into downloading high\u2011volume raster data from \u2018Datafordeleren,\u2019 Denmark\u2019s national geodata distribution platform, and preparing a sufficiently powerful environment for processing. With the data ready, the initial ArcGIS Dashboard was assembled in less than an hour.<\/p>\n\n

RESULTS<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n

The solution indicates which areas are at risk of flooding at different water levels using ArcGIS, which contains location data for N1\u2019s entire network of cables, as well as all cable cabinets and transformer stations. Therefore, N1 could continuously predict which locations and equipment were at risk of flooding and preemptively disconnect the equipment before the water masses reached a critical level. N1 proactively de-energized 410 cable cabinets based on forecasted risk. Only 15 of those shutdowns were due to actual inundation issues, meaning the majority were correctly predicted. Just 3,000 of approximately 800,000 customers experienced power outages, and most had service restored within a day. Financial and reputational risk was dramatically reduced thanks to real-time spatial decision support.<\/p>\n\n

\u201cThe new analysis tool has proven invaluable in our preventive efforts, enabling us to strategically deploy technicians for patrols and perform network disconnections during the storm surge. As a result, the number of customers affected by power outages was minimized, and the subsequent restoration work turned out to be far less extensive than anticipated.\u201d – Mads Norsted S\u00f8rensen, Senior Manager in N1\u2019s Operations Center.<\/em><\/p>\n\n

This performance exceeded expectations and demonstrated the power of GIS for dynamic risk prediction in critical infrastructure operations.<\/p>\n\n

PARTNER<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n

Geoinfo A\/S, N1\u2019s GIS software and consulting partner, worked closely with N1 to quickly design, build, and deploy the ArcGIS-based analytics solution. Geoinfo contributed its expertise in integrating spatial datasets, configuring hydrological modeling data, and aligning utility network operations to create a real-time dashboard tailored for emergency response. They also supported the technical preparation and ensured the system met N1\u2019s operational needs during the storm surge crisis.<\/p>\n\n

BENEFITS<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n

What took the longest was retrieving the hydrological data and structuring it. Once that was done, the team quickly created a user-friendly dashboard in ArcGIS that the control room used to manage the restoration effort. Instead of manual, time-consuming, and certainly error-prone comparisons across data sources, N1 could follow developments on geographical maps and accurately predict which installations needed to be disconnected, and either carry out the disconnection or switchover centrally, or send a technician specifically to the task.<\/p>\n\n

Benefits included:<\/p>\n\n

    \n
  • Proactive Risk Management: operators could anticipate flood impacts hours before they occurred.<\/li>\n\n
  • Reduced Asset Damage: strategic preventive disconnections kept costly failures to a minimum.<\/li>\n\n
  • Operational Efficiency: a simple, intuitive dashboard replaced manual analysis.<\/li>\n\n
  • Customer Reliability: outages were limited, and recovery times were short.<\/li>\n\n
  • Transferability: other utilities have since expressed interest in adopting the solution.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n

    NEXT STEPS<\/h2>\n\n

    N1 is exploring ways to enhance and expand the GIS-based tool for broader emergency planning and climate risk adaptation. This includes refining integration with live hydrological forecasts and extending analytics to other climate-driven risk scenarios, such as storm wind damage and heat events.<\/p>\n\n

    SUMMARY<\/h2>\n\n

    Challenge:<\/strong>  During the historic November 2023 storm surge in Denmark, N1 needed a faster and more precise way to identify which electricity network assets were at risk of flooding and prevent prolonged outages caused by manual inspections.<\/p>\n\n

    Solution:<\/strong>  N1 and Geoinfo A\/S rapidly built a GIS-based situational awareness tool using ArcGIS that integrated flood-risk maps, utility network asset data, and a real-time dashboard to predict which installations would be affected by rising water levels.<\/p>\n\n

    Results:<\/strong>  Using the system, N1 proactively disconnected 410 cable cabinets before flooding occurred, limiting outages to only 3,000 of approximately 800,000 customers and enabling most service to be restored within a day.<\/p>\n\n

    Benefits: <\/strong>The GIS-driven approach improved proactive risk management, reduced equipment damage, streamlined operations through a simple dashboard, and strengthened grid reliability during extreme weather events.<\/p>","protected":false},"author":151,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-582329","blog","type-blog","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","industry-electric-and-gas"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nGIS Enables N1 to Outmaneuver Historic Storm Surge<\/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\/en-us\/industries\/blog\/articles\/gis-enables-n1-to-outmaneuver-historic-storm-surge\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"GIS Enables N1 to Outmaneuver Historic Storm Surge\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Customer Spotlight Story Elnetselskabet N1 is the largest electricity network operator in Jutland, Denmark, employing around 800 people and delivering power to approximately 800,000 homes and businesses every day. The company consistently invests in its grid to ensure high reliability and future readiness for evolving energy demands. In 2026, N1 will invest approximately DKK 2 […]\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/en-us\/industries\/blog\/articles\/gis-enables-n1-to-outmaneuver-historic-storm-surge\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Industry Blogs\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-03-17T17:37:02+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/en-us\/industries\/blog\/app\/uploads\/2026\/03\/resized_1920x1080_v2-1.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1920\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1080\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"6 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/en-us\/industries\/blog\/articles\/gis-enables-n1-to-outmaneuver-historic-storm-surge\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/en-us\/industries\/blog\/articles\/gis-enables-n1-to-outmaneuver-historic-storm-surge\",\"name\":\"GIS Enables N1 to Outmaneuver Historic Storm Surge\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/en-us\/industries\/blog\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/en-us\/industries\/blog\/articles\/gis-enables-n1-to-outmaneuver-historic-storm-surge#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/en-us\/industries\/blog\/articles\/gis-enables-n1-to-outmaneuver-historic-storm-surge#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/en-us\/industries\/blog\/app\/uploads\/2026\/03\/resized_1920x1080_v2-1-1024x576.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-03-09T18:42:20+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-03-17T17:37:02+00:00\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/en-us\/industries\/blog\/articles\/gis-enables-n1-to-outmaneuver-historic-storm-surge#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/en-us\/industries\/blog\/articles\/gis-enables-n1-to-outmaneuver-historic-storm-surge\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/en-us\/industries\/blog\/articles\/gis-enables-n1-to-outmaneuver-historic-storm-surge#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/en-us\/industries\/blog\/app\/uploads\/2026\/03\/resized_1920x1080_v2-1.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/en-us\/industries\/blog\/app\/uploads\/2026\/03\/resized_1920x1080_v2-1.jpg\",\"width\":1920,\"height\":1080},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/en-us\/industries\/blog\/articles\/gis-enables-n1-to-outmaneuver-historic-storm-surge#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/en-us\/industries\/blog\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"GIS Enables N1 to Outmaneuver Historic Storm Surge\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/en-us\/industries\/blog\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/en-us\/industries\/blog\/\",\"name\":\"Industry Blogs\",\"description\":\"\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/en-us\/industries\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/en-us\/industries\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/85e5a62834fec85bbc446a12fb05dcd3\",\"name\":\"Bill Meehan\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/en-us\/industries\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/en-us\/industries\/blog\/app\/uploads\/2021\/03\/BillMeehan-150x150.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/en-us\/industries\/blog\/app\/uploads\/2021\/03\/BillMeehan-150x150.jpg\",\"caption\":\"Bill Meehan\"},\"description\":\"Author of four books: GIS for Enhanced Electric Utility Performance, Modeling Electric Distribution with GIS, Empowering Electric and Gas Utilities with GIS and Power System Analysis by Digital Computer, he is a sought-after speaker and thought leader. His blogs have been widely read. He has lectured extensively and taught courses at Northeastern University and the University of Massachusetts. Bill holds a B.S. in Electrical Engineering from Northeastern University and an M.S. in Electric Power Engineering from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. Prior to joining Esri, Bill was the vice president of electric operations for a major electric and gas utility. Bill is a registered engineer in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. He currently is the Director of Electric Utility Solutions at Esri, the world's largest GIS company.\",\"sameAs\":[\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/bimeehan\/\",\"https:\/\/x.com\/Bill_Meehan\"],\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/en-us\/industries\/blog\/author\/bill-meehan\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"GIS Enables N1 to Outmaneuver Historic Storm Surge","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/en-us\/industries\/blog\/articles\/gis-enables-n1-to-outmaneuver-historic-storm-surge","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"GIS Enables N1 to Outmaneuver Historic Storm Surge","og_description":"Customer Spotlight Story Elnetselskabet N1 is the largest electricity network operator in Jutland, Denmark, employing around 800 people and delivering power to approximately 800,000 homes and businesses every day. The company consistently invests in its grid to ensure high reliability and future readiness for evolving energy demands. In 2026, N1 will invest approximately DKK 2 […]","og_url":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/en-us\/industries\/blog\/articles\/gis-enables-n1-to-outmaneuver-historic-storm-surge","og_site_name":"Industry Blogs","article_modified_time":"2026-03-17T17:37:02+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1920,"height":1080,"url":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/en-us\/industries\/blog\/app\/uploads\/2026\/03\/resized_1920x1080_v2-1.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Est. reading time":"6 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/en-us\/industries\/blog\/articles\/gis-enables-n1-to-outmaneuver-historic-storm-surge","url":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/en-us\/industries\/blog\/articles\/gis-enables-n1-to-outmaneuver-historic-storm-surge","name":"GIS Enables N1 to Outmaneuver Historic Storm Surge","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/en-us\/industries\/blog\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/en-us\/industries\/blog\/articles\/gis-enables-n1-to-outmaneuver-historic-storm-surge#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/en-us\/industries\/blog\/articles\/gis-enables-n1-to-outmaneuver-historic-storm-surge#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/en-us\/industries\/blog\/app\/uploads\/2026\/03\/resized_1920x1080_v2-1-1024x576.jpg","datePublished":"2026-03-09T18:42:20+00:00","dateModified":"2026-03-17T17:37:02+00:00","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/en-us\/industries\/blog\/articles\/gis-enables-n1-to-outmaneuver-historic-storm-surge#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.esri.com\/en-us\/industries\/blog\/articles\/gis-enables-n1-to-outmaneuver-historic-storm-surge"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/en-us\/industries\/blog\/articles\/gis-enables-n1-to-outmaneuver-historic-storm-surge#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/en-us\/industries\/blog\/app\/uploads\/2026\/03\/resized_1920x1080_v2-1.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/en-us\/industries\/blog\/app\/uploads\/2026\/03\/resized_1920x1080_v2-1.jpg","width":1920,"height":1080},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/en-us\/industries\/blog\/articles\/gis-enables-n1-to-outmaneuver-historic-storm-surge#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/en-us\/industries\/blog"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"GIS Enables N1 to Outmaneuver Historic Storm Surge"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/en-us\/industries\/blog\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/en-us\/industries\/blog\/","name":"Industry Blogs","description":"","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/en-us\/industries\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/en-us\/industries\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/85e5a62834fec85bbc446a12fb05dcd3","name":"Bill Meehan","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/en-us\/industries\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/en-us\/industries\/blog\/app\/uploads\/2021\/03\/BillMeehan-150x150.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/en-us\/industries\/blog\/app\/uploads\/2021\/03\/BillMeehan-150x150.jpg","caption":"Bill Meehan"},"description":"Author of four books: GIS for Enhanced Electric Utility Performance, Modeling Electric Distribution with GIS, Empowering Electric and Gas Utilities with GIS and Power System Analysis by Digital Computer, he is a sought-after speaker and thought leader. His blogs have been widely read. He has lectured extensively and taught courses at Northeastern University and the University of Massachusetts. Bill holds a B.S. in Electrical Engineering from Northeastern University and an M.S. in Electric Power Engineering from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. Prior to joining Esri, Bill was the vice president of electric operations for a major electric and gas utility. Bill is a registered engineer in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. He currently is the Director of Electric Utility Solutions at Esri, the world's largest GIS company.","sameAs":["https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/bimeehan\/","https:\/\/x.com\/Bill_Meehan"],"url":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/en-us\/industries\/blog\/author\/bill-meehan"}]}},"text_date":"March 9, 2026","author_name":"Esri Infrastructure","author_page":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/en-us\/industries\/blog\/author\/esri-infrastructure","custom_image":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/en-us\/industries\/blog\/app\/uploads\/2026\/03\/resized_1920x1080.jpg","primary_product":"Electric and Gas","tag_data":[],"category_data":[],"product_data":{"errors":{"invalid_taxonomy":["Invalid taxonomy."]},"error_data":[]},"primary_product_link":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/en-us\/industries\/blog\/industry\/electric-and-gas","short_description":" Geoinfo A\/S and N1 developed a data-driven situational awareness and response tool using ArcGIS in less than 24 hours","image":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/en-us\/industries\/blog\/app\/uploads\/2026\/03\/resized_826x465.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/en-us\/industries\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/article\/582329","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/en-us\/industries\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/article"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/en-us\/industries\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/blog"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/en-us\/industries\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/151"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/en-us\/industries\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/article\/582329\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/en-us\/industries\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=582329"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/en-us\/industries\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=582329"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/en-us\/industries\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=582329"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}