Small Utilities Improve Network Mapping with GIS

12 May 2009, 9:00am

Redlands, California — May 12, 2009 — Three utilities recently joined ESRI's Small Utility Enterprise License Agreement (SU-ELA) program with plans to expand the use of geographic information system (GIS) technology. Wheatland Electric Cooperative in Kansas, the City of Wauchula in Florida, and Central Alabama Electric Cooperative are now working to increase the accuracy of network data with GIS-based digital mapping capabilities for desktop, server, and mobile devices.

ESRI designed the SU-ELA program to make GIS more affordable for small utilities in the United States with 100,000 meters/connections or fewer. Through the SU-ELA program, utilities are assured unlimited deployments of ESRI's ArcGIS platform over a three-year term. Additional program benefits include maintenance and support for products, staff training, and passes to the ESRI International User Conference.

Mark Dinkel, GIS administrator for Wheatland Electric Cooperative, said, "During the last ice storm, our crews were able to use GIS-based maps to highlight areas with poles down. They could look up construction material, order it, and have it delivered right on-site. The use of GIS significantly improved our response time during that storm. Expanded mobile GIS technology through the SU-ELA program makes it easier for our crews to locate the problem and create an outage report."

John Gibney, network administrator for the City of Wauchula, commented, "With the use of GIS, we have been able to create an accurate pole count and an up-to-date land base map to help with maintenance, customer service, and joint use tracking. The SU-ELA program also enables us to expand GIS into our water and sewer operations."

Mack Wainwright, GIS supervisor for Central Alabama Electric Cooperative, said, "We are using GIS to maintain a digital inventory and visual representation of our equipment. With unlimited deployments of ESRI software, our crews are able to make updates in the field. From a financial standpoint, the ELA saves us money over three years. Plus, we can take advantage of the additional support and training from ESRI."

At the heart of the SU-ELA program is ESRI's ArcGIS software, an open, scalable, and interoperable platform that provides a complete system to create, serve, and use geographic information. An enterprise GIS based on ArcGIS technology benefits designers, analysts, decision makers, field staff, and customers through mobile, Web server, and desktop applications.

ESRI SU-ELA program and podcast

Geo: International