In this PowerSession, the panelists will discuss how the utility’s use of GIS systems is maturing, what this means for utilities, and the steps utilities should be taking today to prepare for the future.
Moderator:
Bill Meehan, Director Electric Utilities Industry Solutions, ESRI
Bill is responsible for business development and marketing Esri’s geospatial technology to global electric and gas utilities. He has advised and directed hundreds of projects that integrated GIS into electric operations. An experienced writer, he has authored the definitive books on gas and electric utility GIS–GIS for Enhanced Electric Utility Performance, Empowering Electric and Gas Utilities with GIS and Modeling Electric Distribution with GIS–in addition to hundreds of articles, papers, and blog posts. Meehan is known for his charismatic storytelling style and ability to make complex subjects easy to understand.
Panelists:
Pat Hohl, Director Electric Industry Solutions, ESRI
Pat Hohl, PE, is Esri’s director of electric industry solutions. He was a pioneer in the use of GIS for electric utilities. He has over 35 years of experience in utility engineering, technology, operations, and executive management. In addition, Hohl is an accomplished author, university professor, and a registered professional engineer in California.
Tom Helmer, Executive Solution Architect, UDC
A SAFe® 4 Certified Agilist (SA), Tom has 30+ years of experience designing and integrating utility solutions around enterprise GIS and related technologies, including advanced metering infrastructure and smart grid solutions. Tom’s background encompasses both electric and gas transmission and distribution. He has been the lead architect for numerous significant utility projects spanning Smart Grid, Pipeline Integrity, and integrated spatial solutions. His expertise spans strategic planning, system architecture, utility business processes, and software engineering.
Angela Marra, Supervisor GIS & Mapping Services, TECO Peoples Gas
Results-oriented business analyst skilled in achieving operational efficiency and increasing revenue through process analysis and improvement in the utility industry for the past 15 years. Helps build company reputation and lives its values. Concentration in and successful implementation of business process improvement, vendor management, project implementation, data analysis, change management, resource planning, and asset management. Employs root cause analysis to identify issues and develop process improvements using Lean Six Sigma methods that lead to cost savings.
Peter Batty, CRO, SSP Innovations
Peter Batty has been an innovator in the GIS industry for 35 years. He has served as Chief Technology Officer at GE Smallworld, Intergraph (now Hexagon), and IQGeo. He has created multiple successful products, including the IQGeo myWorld platform and the GE PowerOn electric outage management application. His focus at SSP is on researching new technologies and building out innovative new product offerings, as well as providing guidance to the Executive Leadership Team and the company’s overall strategic direction.