Presented by: Rob Mendel City of Huntingburg & Steve Leatherman WTH Technology

1. Presented by: Rob Mendel City of Huntingburg & Steve Leatherman WTH Technology

2. What is GIS for Utilities? A Utility Geographic Information System (GIS) combines digital maps and data to enhance: Data Collection - Provides a way to convert data from several sources such as paper maps, AutoCad files, information stored in people’s heads and new data collected in the field into a common digital and map based format. Data Analysis - Allows us to view, understand, question, interpret and visualize data in many ways that reveal relationships data in ways that reveal relationships, patterns, and trends in the form of maps, reports, and charts. Data Sharing - Allows utility data to be seen and shared with utility administrators, billing staff, and workers in the field. It also allows utility information to be shared with other departments such as public safety, planning and street departments, and share utility information with elected officials and the general public.

7. Gas Utility Leak Management: The GIS can used to identify nearest valves or structures that need to be closed, to separate the leak area from rest of network to mitigate loss (Key Valves). After an accident or leak, the network has to be restored and damaged pipe segments have to be replaced. GIS applications can help in building the footage network that will replace failed network by identifying types of pipes (cast iron or steel), length of pipes and number of pipe segments.

8. Water Utility The GIS system can identify the sizes and types of water mains that make up your distribution system. This can be very useful when looking at required repairs and for water system expansion projects. Hydrant information is particular important for use in emergency response.

9. Electric Utility The GIS system can help identify how many electric poles are in your electric system and detailed information about each electric pole. For example: age of pole, height of pole, if a street light is on the pole, number of transformers attached to a specific electric pole if any, and the size of the transformer, etc.

10. Electric Utility Collected Electric Pole Attributes and Attached Photograph

11. Stormwater Utility The GIS system can help identify how many miles of stormwater pipe are located within your system, number of stormwater inlets, size of pipes within the system, and where possible upgrades to the system may need to be made.

12. Wastewater Utility The GIS system can help identify how many wastewater manholes are in your system, the type of system (gravity or force main), the size of pipes, number of lift stations in the system, total of amount of area serviced by a particular lift station, etc.

13. Increasing the Use of Your Utility GIS • Look for opportunities to gather interest in your GIS system from people that don’t use it on a daily basis. When they ask questions about a utility, rather than answering the question directly, show them how they can use the GIS system to answer their own questions. Help them to become familiar with using your GIS system. • Ask users what things that they would like to see in the GIS system. • Building Data Dictionaries – Rather than just going out and collecting GPS data, take a step back and really think about what utility information is important to collect, and what may not be so important. Work on developing data dictionaries before you collect data.

14. Increasing the Use of Your Utility GIS • Capturing Tribal Knowledge – It is very important to get utility information in your utility GIS that represents tribal knowledge. Maybe only one person in the in the utility department has knowledge that is critical to operations. A death or retirement may result in a substantial loss of time and money to reconstruct this information and some knowledge may be lost forever. • Using Laptops in the Field – The use of laptops in the field has really helped for utility locates, shut-offs and re-connects.

15. QUESTIONS ??