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Consortium of Norwegian Electrical UtilitiesGeoNIS Selects ArcFM for Enterprise GISContinuing its growth in both international and United States energy markets, ArcFM software was chosen as the enterprise GIS solution of choice by GeoNIS, a consortium of electrical utilities based in Norway. The ArcFM solution will be used for distribution network planning and management. For Lyse, one of the four GeoNIS utilities, the implementation will include full integration with SAP software. Geodata AS, Esri's distributor in Norway, will act as the prime contractor charged with implementation and consulting services. Miner and Miner, based in Greeley, Colorado, will provide its consulting services as well. GeoNIS selected Esri's ArcFM software to support its distribution Business. The group was established in 1998 to establish a common specification and selection process for acquiring information technology. After a one-year evaluation and testing period, three of the four consortium members entered into a contract with Geodata AS, with the fourth consortium member retaining the option to enter into the contract later. The GeoNIS utilities are Lyse Nett AS, which has 100,000 customers covering the Stavanger area; BKK Distribusjon AS, which has 145,000 customers covering the Bergen area; EAB Nett AS, which has 70,000 customers covering the western suburbs outside Oslo; and TEV Nett AS, which has 80,000 customers covering the area of Trondheim. A key reason for the technology acquisition is the deregulation of the Norwegian electrical market, which took place in 1991. Moving from a regulated environment to a competitive, deregulated market meant that utilities needed to improve technology in order to operate more effectively. Utilities were restructured into separate companies for production, distribution, and sale of electricity. This market deregulation, which has taken place first in Norway, is expected to extend throughout the rest of Europe in the near future as well. At the core of the ArcFM enterprise solution will be ArcInfo 8 software. A key feature of ArcInfo 8 is dramatically improved ease of use. While actually adding to ArcInfo software's already rich functionality, the software's unprecedented usability will spur tremendous growth in GIS applications and the use of geographic information in everyday problem solving. Map data and spatial analysis that were once reserved for complex engineering and operations departments at utilities will more easily find their way into areas such as marketing, customer service, competitive analysis, and more. Also a fundamental component of ArcFM, ArcSDE 8 will allow spatial data to be integrated with relational database management software to support multiple users, provide open access, and allow fast data retrieval. One of the compelling factors in the selection of Esri software is the ability to integrate Esri software with SAP ERP software and other systems as well. For more information, contact Olbjørn Kvernberg, managing director, Geodata AS (e-mail: olbjorn@geodata.no). |
