We understand from our experience that keeping data current and accurate is key to its value. Without these two elements, effectively managing compliance and utility operations can be challenging and may lead to misguided operation decisions, fines, and penalties for noncompliance.
A lack of current, accurate data affects all aspects of your utility. Multiple departments leverage the data to make organizational and departmental decisions, from asset forecasting and system monitoring to tax assessment reporting. To consistently update and maintain your utility’s digital assets, it is crucial to have a dedicated team for data maintenance activities. Most utilities have these teams in place but do not account for emergency work, competing projects, one-time initiatives, or paid time off. The result can be a growing backlog of work requests with an understaffed team to handle the workload. This strain placed on the internal GIS team can drive increased turnover rates within the utility.
As an extension of your utility workforce, UDC works together with your data team, providing the level of support that your organization and GIS specialists need. Our data service supplies a reliable team of GIS professionals to help your utility reach and maintain zero-data latency as well as maintain a consistent flow of information to your systems and between your departments.
Achieving Data Currency and Accuracy
What challenges do you face with reaching and/or maintaining steady state? How would reliable data impact your downstream lines of business? What do resource changes cost your organization?
Learn how UDC’s Data Maintenance Service can streamline your business process workflows and help you reach zero-data latency. The following scenarios for roles within a utility demonstrate how additional data maintenance support can positively impact your GIS workforce and enhance day-to-day operations throughout your organization.
GIS / Mapping >
Directing the activities of the GIS production team, projects, and data services that support the utility, GIS managers oversee the effort of mapping digital assets to default within the GIS. Mapping must coordinate between different teams to ensure the data is accurate and reliable for other downstream lines of business to consume.
Due to an increase in weather-related work and resource unavailability, Mapping may have a difficult time managing work within the expected turnaround times. As a result, the department can be faced with a growing backlog of work, placing the utility at risk for noncompliance and unsafe conditions for field crews.
UDC’s Data Maintenance Service provides:
A dedicated data team that can scale to adapt to increases or decreases in workload volume, meeting and maintaining your data needs
Strong working knowledge of the relationship between utility data records interpretation and data capture
Expertise in source and data interpretation, allowing GIS specialists to easily flex between multiple workstreams and projects
Significant decreases in posting turnaround times through increased production
A deep understanding of the flow of data between projects and lines of business
UDC-developed quality management tools and project framework methodology to streamline data workflows and processes through automation
Asset Management >
Asset Management collaborates with other departments in the utility to monitor and manage asset operations across the organization. Using historical and current GIS data, Asset Management forecasts asset performance, leveraging those forecasts to make decisions around preventive maintenance and asset replacements. The outcomes of these decisions are critical in driving customer and crew safety, asset reliability, and compliance. Without reliable data, it can be challenging to make well-informed decisions regarding utility assets.
UDC’s Data Maintenance Service provides:
Zero-data latency for precise asset forecasting
Experience with redline posting for accurate asset updates
Foundational utility asset knowledge and understanding of utility data
Operations >
Monitoring the utility facilities and networks, Operations ensures reliable delivery to utility customers. From the control center, Operations collaborates with other nearby utilities and different divisions within the utility to anticipate and minimize potential issues with the system. When issues do occur, Operations is the first line of response for restoring the system to optimal and safe operating performance.
UDC’s Data Maintenance service provides:
Data entry for regulatory reporting
Zero-data latency to drive inspections and repairs
Tailored quality control for specific reporting needs
Accounting and Finance >
Assisting in the preparation of timely and accurate financial statements, Accounting and Finance analyzes the utility’s financial information and prepares financial reports on a quarterly, monthly, and yearly basis.
To ensure the accuracy of the accounts, it is crucial to have the correct tax assessment measurements, otherwise, the utility can incur steep fines and penalties. With backlogged work, it can be difficult for the reporters to obtain the current measurements before the deadline.
UDC’s Data Maintenance service provides:
Data currency for precise tax assessment measurements
Upkeep of assets and their locations for accurate record keeping and reduced fines
