ESRI Joins GridWise Alliance

20 December 2007, 5:34pm

Redlands, California—ESRI has become a member of the GridWise Alliance to support developing technologies for the nation’s energy system. ESRI, the world’s leading developer of geographic information system (GIS) software, will work together with other GridWise Alliance members to advocate change and promote new policies.

Founded in 2003, the GridWise Alliance is a consortium of public and private stakeholders who seek to integrate infrastructure, process, and information for more efficient and cost-effective energy systems. GIS is listed among emerging technologies for integrating core business systems. GridWise Alliance members recognize that rising information technologies have the potential to radically improve the efficient use of energy among electric and transmission organizations.

“ESRI has been a strong supporter of integrated infrastructures in both its product design and advocacy efforts for standards and interoperability,” says ESRI president Jack Dangermond. “We believe in the GridWise mission and look forward to working with members to advance technological solutions for the electric industry.”

Providing core technology to many of the nation’s key electric energy providers, ESRI’s ArcGIS products have already brought significant changes to many utilities. Its GIS technology has provided a means for energy companies to blend system operations with business operations to efficiently build and maintain energy networks. Merging these systems drives more effective response to customer needs.

GridWise Alliance chairman Guido Bartels notes, “The GridWise Alliance seeks to help the electric power industry achieve significant progress for developing energy reliability and protection of our nation’s power infrastructure. This will ultimately lead to billions of dollars in cost savings and an increase in national competitiveness.” The GridWise Alliance has developed a comprehensive action plan that “identifies challenges facing the electricity industry and proposes goals and actions to move the industry to the electric power grid of the twenty-first century.”

“ESRI has aligned its GIS products with other core information system technologies, thereby bringing asset management to a whole new level,” says Bill Meehan, ESRI’s utility industry manager. “The system of the twenty-first century has the capability to produce modeling for risk management, customer analytics and behavior analysis, and work processes. Integration scenarios go far beyond traditional asset management. They also include real estate, environmental health and safety, project networks, inventory management, CRM [customer relationship management] and call center advancements, and more. By working with GridWise partners, we hope to revolutionize the way power companies do business, a way that best optimizes the use of power resource and delivery systems.”

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Geo: International