We collected the audience questions following our user presentation with AVANGRID at the Esri User Conference, where we discussed how ArcGIS Network Management continues to support the utility’s gas utility business and operations. We wanted to share these industry questions from attendees and provide answers from the UDC team.
Watch the joint presentation and recording with AVANGRID from the conference.
Q: How many different field maps does the solution have for viewing that UDC published?
A: We developed one viewing map for each operating company. For the leak survey solution, we created around five leak survey maps per operating company due to each leak type requiring its own project.
Q: How many mobile workers are currently using the map solutions? How many editors?
A: There are around one hundred mobile users for the leak survey maps and fourteen editors for AVANGRID operating companies, Southern Connecticut Gas Company (SCG) and Berkshire Gas Company (BGC).
Q: For the leak survey, did you encounter any issues with lackluster cell reception in terms of GPS tracking?
A: Yes, we implemented the ad hoc download offline in order to continue operations in offline areas. The field worker will usually know where these areas of poor reception are and will capture the information using this. The information will then sync back up once the worker returns to the office.
Q: What did you gain/learn from performance tuning?
A: There are a lot of moving parts in the Utility Network model. Performance tuning is very extensive and can make a huge impact on utility operations. It can help ensure your business process workflows are working optimally in areas such as networking, spatial indexing of the database, web services tuning based on users, ArcGIS Pro rendering, server sizing, and process and speed.
Q: For the Gas Outage map, does the map update in real time as the customer gas equipment relights occur and work orders are completed?
A: No, not at this point. Right now, AVANGRID’s outage support includes running the traces to view the outages. Running a trace on an isolation returns a customer list.
The next phase will provide information on customer metric updates for relights and such.
Q: Did the project include a SCADA integration?
A: No, it was in one of the roadmaps, but we have not integrated that yet.
Q: Are the solution’s users all internal to AVANGRID?
A: It’s a mixture. The leak survey work is not just internal; AVANGRID contracts a lot of the work out. AVANGRID is required to have employee numbers and the names of the contractors. During the onboarding process, new users must be made for the contractors.
Q: How is the Utility Network model standard between the commodities?
A: The Utility Network data model is different between commodities and requires different information for each. Even the network tiers will be different between commodities. For instance, gas will have pressure and corrosion protection tiers while electric has secondary, distribution, and transmission tiers.
Q: Does this project include transmission or just distribution?
A: Just distribution.
Q: Are you using the mobile application for redlines/corrections?
A: AVANGRID has the capability but is using this very minimally currently. The workflow for getting the information back to the GIS technicians for updates needs some work.
Q: How is AVANGRID using ArcFM?
A: AVANGRID is using ArcFM for work management from a GIS perspective. For the ArcFM workflow, the technician first edits the GIS. That work is then sent to a quality control technician for review. An approver then reconciles the work and posts the final edits to the default GIS.
Q: How do you monitor the work orders?
A: We use a tracking system for the work orders.
Q: Was one geodatabase used?
A: We had separate enterprise geodatabases for each operating company. However, the server, portal, and architecture are the same.
Got more questions? Ask us!
We invite you to contact UDC for any questions regarding AVANGRID’s Advanced Network Management initiatives or about your own journey to the ArcGIS Utility Network model.
For more information about AVANGRID’s journey, see GIS Implementation and Conversion at AVANGRID and AVANGRID Transitions to WO Posting in UN/UPDM Prod Environment.