Data Acquisition

Close the gaps in your asset inventory. UDC’s experience in enterprise data, technology, and field verification holistically supports your data enrichment programs for more complete asset management and reporting.

The need for high-fidelity asset data to power modernization and compliance initiatives can become critical for your gas or electric utility organization, especially if there is a disconnect between the digital representations within your enterprise systems and the real-world assets. To help close these information gaps, many utilities are launching Data Acquisition projects to collect asset data and compliance or condition-based information through field inspections and imagery analysis.

UDC’s Data Acquisition services comprehensively support your utility’s enterprise data programs – whether you need help in the field, back-office, or both. We can assist with collecting, verifying, and inspecting your asset data and information in addition to providing imagery analysis and updates to GIS or other systems.

Services Overview

• Applications of Data Acquisition
• Featured Data Acquisition Services
  1. Hybrid Imagery/Field Asset Inventory
  2. Back-office Imagery Review and Data Collection
  3. Field Collections for Compliance Reporting

Applications of Data Acquisition

Data Acquisition projects can support many utility business initiatives throughout the enterprise with targeted asset field collections and data updates:

Featured Data Acquisition Services

UDC’s Data Acquisition Services include collecting asset data, compliance, and condition information via field inspections, imagery analysis, or both to address gaps for the purpose of optimizing enterprise data. These services empower utilities to enhance their processes for better efficiency, reliability, safety, and long-term sustainability. Our focus is on serving the asset management, engineering, compliance or maintenance, and operations within electric and gas utility organizations.

Hybrid Imagery/Field Asset Inventory

UDC’s approach to field collection is based on our understanding of the data and the integrated systems that leverage this data, including GIS and its integrations. This understanding, combined with our field experience, enables us to effectively extract the needed information directly from the asset, aggregate it, and translate the information into a compatible format for upload to your database, such as GIS, SAP, or tabular. We can also provide tools for digital collection and progress reporting views if needed as well as Quality Acceptance/Quality Control services for imagery asset verification.

UDC can conduct focused asset collections using the following two approaches.

1. We have the experience and understanding of utility assets to effectively lead the asset collection effort by identifying and partnering with an imagery vendor. Through this approach, UDC directs the vendor on which pieces of asset information to collect. We review the collected imagery for any gaps or ambiguities and acquire the remaining asset information from places that the data collection technologies can’t reach or capture in the appropriate level of detail, such as underground structures and equipment tags. This solution supports a comprehensive approach to asset management by ensuring all required asset information is collected in one go, either by imagery or boots on the ground, for a complete view of asset health.
2. UDC augments your established imagery collection efforts with boots on the ground field collection by working with your preferred imagery vendor and/or leveraging your imagery repository. We can collect the gaps or ambiguities in your asset information to enable more complete asset management.

With either approach, UDC field collection experts can help train local crews in an efficient and more cost-effective manner versus building the full inventory workforce from scratch. We vet the applicants to fit our customer-focused culture to represent your utility in a professional manner. Our level of professionalism and vehicle branding together with our high standards of conduct ensures that your customers feel secure and satisfied with our services.

Back-office Imagery Review and Data Collection

UDC can provide support to your imagery collection activities as a standalone service. Digitally reviewing utility assets in the back-office can significantly reduce the need for field asset verification, making the inspection process more efficient, cost-effective, and safer.

Referencing supporting imagery, field collection reports, and/or other information about your assets, UDC can aggregate, analyze, and update the asset data directly in your GIS or other systems or input them into a compatible format for upload. Our team’s experience around enterprise data management and maintenance and field asset lifecycle helps us accurately interpret asset information from a variety of sources and correctly enter it back into your database system. We have the knowledge to accurately build, manage, and enhance your asset data using the provided imagery.

We can provide back-office review for initiatives related to:

• Underbuild
• Pole Loading Analysis
• Measurement Easement Review

Field Collections for Compliance Reporting

Utilities perform periodic safety and compliance field inspections to stay in alignment with evolving state and regulatory reporting requirements. Components of compliance field inspections for reporting can include stray voltage, pad mounted and ground mounted equipment, asset condition assessments, clearance, remediation, and phasing.

UDC is geared towards providing these types of targeted field engagements due to our past experiences with compliance-related field and data collection projects. We have the skills to record and capture the needed asset information to support your compliance reporting activities. Our team can input the gathered information into a digestible format for easier reporting. We can also provide tools for digital collection and compliance reporting views if needed.

Like our other field service, our field collection experts can help train local crews in an efficient and more cost-effective manner rather than your utility building the full inventory from the ground up. We vet the applicants to fit our customer-focused culture to represent your utility in a professional manner. Our culture, professionalism, and vehicle branding help make your customers feel comfortable and secure with our services for a better customer experience.

SMECO’s Stray Voltage Inspections

To remain compliant with Maryland state regulations, Southern Maryland Electric Cooperative (SMECO) engages UDC for field collection work which consists of verifying the utility’s electric distribution lines for any stray voltages. UDC is providing all supervision and qualified field resources, transportation, test equipment, and required software and hardware to measure the contact voltage for about 59,000 structures. Additionally, UDC is supplying a dashboard reporting deliverable using our Digital Utility Gas Compliance Manager® to SMECO along with a hardcopy format.

This is UDC’s second engagement with SMECO for stray voltage compliance field collection work.

WE-Energies GME Inspection and Maintenance

UDC has partnered with WE-Energies to inspect and perform routine maintenance on the utility’s ground mounted equipment (GME). These tasks included performing work on transformers, pedestals, junction boxes, and switch fuses; internally inspecting and taking pictures of GME transformers; and recording transformer information from the manufacturer tag located inside each unit.