{"id":587855,"date":"2026-09-22T23:43:38","date_gmt":"2026-09-22T23:43:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/en-us\/industries\/blog\/?post_type=blog&p=587855"},"modified":"2026-09-22T23:56:50","modified_gmt":"2026-09-22T23:56:50","slug":"development-and-impact-of-an-in-house-esri-based-meter-reading-system","status":"publish","type":"blog","link":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/en-us\/industries\/blog\/articles\/development-and-impact-of-an-in-house-esri-based-meter-reading-system","title":{"rendered":"Development and Impact of an In-House Esri-Based Meter Reading System"},"content":{"rendered":"

Authored by: Greg Resz<\/a>, GIS Manager, GISP, City of Fayetteville<\/em><\/p>\n\n

The City of Fayetteville, Arkansas, Water Department went live with an unproven, barely tested, meter reading application created by the GIS Office using Esri\u2019s ArcGIS Experience Builder. Over 1.3 million reads later, we feel like we can call it a success.<\/p>\n\n

Challenges with Outdated Equipment<\/h2>\n\n

The City of Fayetteville, Arkansas, has over 50,000 water customers and is in one of the fastest-growing areas in the country. Of those 50,000 water meters, 20,000 are still read by hand monthly. The rest are a mix of cell- and radio-based reading technology. The city is moving to all cell-based meters and endpoints, but budget issues, staffing turnover, and dying radio meters have slowed the replacement of our entire meter infrastructure.<\/p>\n\n

The issue we were facing was that we had a fleet of 15 Trimble Ranger 3 data loggers for those hand reads. These units were hefty at 2.1 lbs. and measured 10.5″ x 5.2″ x 2.5″. These units had long lost their rugged waterproof capabilities. A two-gallon Ziploc bag was issued to each meter reader for those rainy days. The meter staff disliked these units. They were big, heavy, and unwieldy.<\/p>\n\n

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Example of our aging equipment, a 2011 Trimble Ranger with numbers worn off from years of use.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n

As for maintenance, the units were breaking down constantly, and replacement parts were extremely difficult to find. Our Water Department had been reduced to going from one entity to another, hat in hand, hoping someone might have a spare unit to loan us. We were operating under the constant threat of equipment failure, which highlighted the urgent need for an updated solution.<\/p>\n\n

The Three Pitches<\/h2>\n\n

Since the data collectors were dying at an alarming rate, and there were no longer any backups, the Water Department found themselves at a crossroads and were presented with three options to consider:<\/p>\n\n

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  1. Buy new data collectors and updated meter software.-<\/strong> The first option was to replace the existing equipment with new Trimble collectors running the latest meter software. This was the most straightforward path but also the most expensive. Each unit cost between $11,000 and $13,000, and the department needed 15 of them. <\/li>\n\n
  2. Use a third-party smartphone-based system.-<\/strong> The second option was to move to software that ran on Android phones. The cost was estimated at $23,000 for the first year, with an ongoing annual fee of $16,500 after that. Even so, this option had a major drawback: The City\u2019s IT Department did not support Android devices.<\/li>\n\n
  3. Collaboration with the GIS Office. –<\/strong> The third option was to collaborate with the GIS Office. We told them that we could help. Using the GIS Office was less about immediate costs and more about long-term investment in skills and technology. This was the GIS Office\u2019s first Experience Builder app. It involved soft costs tied to training and adjustment, but it also created an opportunity to learn new tools and techniques while developing a solution internally.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n

    Our GIS Office has outstanding customer service and has created several products for them that were all great successes. Products such as: an ArcGIS Field Maps software-based work order system that bridged our nonspatial utility billing system and replaced paper in the field; an ArcGIS Survey123 software-based meter change-out system which again connected the Utility Billing Office and the Meter Operations field crews; and our standard utility general reference field maps. It did not come as a surprise when the Water Department placed its trust in the GIS Office, selecting our group as its path forward.<\/p>\n\n

    The GIS Office Approach<\/h2>\n\n

    The solution was not just a singular tool but a comprehensive system, designed with a three-pronged approach to tackle the problem. Here\u2019s what we built:<\/p>\n\n

    Custom ArcGIS Pro Tools<\/strong><\/p>\n\n

    The initiative to streamline our meter reading and data management process led to the creation of a custom toolbox within ArcGIS Pro, specifically tailored to our team\u2019s needs. This toolbox comprises four precisely designed tools, simply numbered from 1 to 4 to align with the sequence of its operation. This not only simplifies the workflow but also makes it straightforward for the meter staff to remember and execute the process efficiently.<\/p>\n\n

    To keep from overwhelming the Meter Operations supervisors, we simply set the ArcGIS Pro project to the catalog view, opening directly to the toolbox they use daily. By keeping the ArcGIS Pro interface as clean looking as possible, we minimized confusion and streamlined operations.<\/p>\n\n

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    Screenshot of the toolbox tools created for Water Operations.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n

    Here\u2019s a breakdown of how each tool functions within our system:<\/p>\n\n