EGUG 2006 Presentations

The 2006 EGUG Presentations is a compilation of professional papers delivered October 9–12, 2006, in Albuquerque, New Mexico. ESRI users contributed a fundamental part to the conference by submitting and presenting their presentations on a diverse collection of GIS applications. The proceeds promote GIS application by stimulating users to share their experiences and knowledge.

ESRI is pleased to provide links to presentations from the 2006 EGUG meeting. Please note that copyright is maintained by authors. Copyright owners have given ESRI permission to publish their papers on this Web site. To re-publish any content please contact the copyright owner directly.

EGUG presentations are in Portable Document Format (PDF). To view and print PDF files, you need to download the free Acrobat Reader from Adobe.

Plenary Session

Welcome [PDF-965 KB, 28 pages]
—Nargis Ladha, EGUG President

Keynote Address [PDF-230 KB, 13 pages]
—Joel Ivy, PNM

Keynote Address [PDF-3.34 MB, 37 pages]
—Fernando Martinez-State of New Mexico

Welcome [PDF-2.05 MB, 13 pages]
—Bill Meehan, ESRI

Maximizing The Value of the User Community [PDF-969 KB, 17 pages]
—Roxanne Cox-Drake, ESRI

Technology Update [PDF-4.81 MB, 110 pages]
—Jeff Rashid, ESRI

Larry’s Top ten Things [PDF-105 KB, 19 pages]
—Larry Young, ESRI

Breakout Sessions

Show/Hide all presentation abstracts

Tuesday

Integrated Delivery Framework: An Integration Tool for Utilities
View Presentation [PDF-1.80 MB, 34 pages]
—Bart Elliott and Tom Helmer, Enspiria Solutions

The Integrated Delivery Framework (IDF) is a robust service orientated architecture (SOA) development framework bringing GIS into executive dashboards. Commercial-Off-The-Shelf (COTS) products are used to develop an integration workbench. The integration workbench supports a heterogeneous set of integration technologies and enterprise application integration vendors. This approach allows organizations to leverage all of their investments in enterprise application integration (EAI) and other integration technologies. And it enables a SOA which is event driven without requiring that 100% of all interfaces use web services. Uses of GIS technology as it relates to four levels of business automation are highlighted: Level 1: Facilities Health/Wealth and Workforce Automation; Level 2: Integration of Energy Delivery Systems for Workforce Optimization; Level 3: Integration of Energy Delivery Data Marts for Asset Optimization; and Level 4: Integration of Near Real-Time Field Automation. Both the operational usage of a GIS and the management/planning/executive dashboard usage of a GIS are covered as appropriate during the discussions of the four levels of automation that organizations go through. The integration architectural requirements for each level of automation are also examined.

Project Sagres—A Novel Approach to Combine ESRI and SAP Enterprise Asset Management
View Presentation [PDF-6.15 MB, 91 pages]
—Oliver Mainka, SAP Labs LLC

Health Check Tips for Ailing Projects
View Presentation [PDF-636 KB, 32 pages]
—Chris Erpelding and Steve Kerr, VELOCITIE

Enterprise Geospatial projects have a large number of moving parts (people, processes, data, technology, etc). Even with expert staffing, clear processes and careful coordination, issues will inevitably arise. One of the key differences between successful and non-successful projects is how fast these issues are detected and corrected. This presentation covers some helpful hints, tips and tricks for checking the health of your project and for prescribing the best “medicine” for common project ailments.

Change Management: Make the Change Rock!
View Presentation [PDF-982 KB, 21 pages]
—Geraldine Flores and Lucy Zuniga, CPS Energy
—Jeff Schick, Miner & Miner

CPS Energy is the largest municipally owned energy company providing both natural gas and electric service. CPS Energy serves over 640,000 electric customers and over 310,000 natural gas customers in and around San Antonio. CPS Energy has taken a creative enthusiastic approach to Change Management for the implementation of their OMS and GIS which includes Network Manager, ArcFM, Designer, ArcGIS, and Mobile GIS/Designer. The system is integrated to other CPS systems like SAP, Logica WMIS, and Mobile Data. This project will impact over 2200 employees from Engineering to Construction. Hear how this Project team implemented the principles of the ADKAR process, along with the high energy, and positive attitude of the “World Famous Pike Place Fish Market” to positively impact the process changes. We will share lessons learned from this first implementation which will be incorporated into the next phase of the project.

Maintaining Data Quality During a Phased Enterprise GIS Implementation
View Presentation [PDF-287 KB, 25 pages]
—Rich Faglier, Georgia Power Company
—Faye Hall, Enspiria Solutions, Inc.

Southern Company has embarked on an implementation project to bring enterprise GIS to all of its four electric utilities. Southern evaluated “big bang” versus phased implementation options and chose a phased approach. Thus processes, procedures, and tools needed to be developed that would allow for a gradual adoption of the enterprise GIS while maintaining the quality and integrity of the previously migrated data. This presentation discusses the processes and tools developed to import drawing files into the enterprise GIS. The audience will learn first hand of the challenges faced, and resolutions employed, in developing a data migration tool that performs daily updates.

Using Imagery at PNM
View Presentation [PDF-12.39 MB, 38 pages]
—Aaron Allen, PNM

Imagery usage has increased dramatically in the GIS world and PNM has found it valuable to participate in this trend. The company uses imagery such as USGS topos, DOQQs, high-resolution aerial photography, satellite data, digital elevation models, hillshades, and georeferenced scans. Such variety, along with individual needs and experience, combine to create numerous, diverse uses of the data. For instance, topos or aerial photography can help field users identify where they are or where certain features are relative to one another. Back in the office the same imagery can be used to assess and edit vector data. Additionally, rasters can be used for analyses ranging from simple distance measurement to terrain analysis for siting new infrastructure. Cartographers can combine DEMs and hillshades or utilize bump mapping to enhance map aesthetics. Finally, temporal analysis can be undertaken where there is imagery available for specific locations over time.

Spatial Adjustment of GIS Facilitiy Data: Business Justifications & Technical Considerations in a Versioned Environment
View Presentation [PDF-478 KB, 22 pages]
—Dave Magee and Darrell Rhodes, Tier 3, Inc.

Outsourcing GIS Data Services Offshore: A Reality Check
View Presentation [PDF-183 KB, 58 pages]
—Ishu Wadwani, Applied Field Data Systems, Inc.
—Cindi Salas, Centerpoint Energy

A large number of utilities have or considering outsourcing their GIS data services offshore primarily to India. While lower cost is the primary motivator, one needs to consider several other factors when outsourcing your data services work. The presentation will cover other important issues such as communications, cultural, political, security etc issues. Since other such as China, Indonesia, Vietnam etc are also offering these services now, we will cover areas of strengths and weaknesses of these new players.

Geographic and Schematic Representations of the PJM Transmission System
View Presentation [PDF-6.21 MB, 30 pages]
—Patrick Moore and Elaine Marshall, Integral GIS, Inc.

Spatial Load Forecasting
View Presentation [PDF-1.79 MB, 18 pages]
—Jessica Valenti, PacifiCorp
—Michael Buri, Nashville Electric Service

PacifiCorp’s planning organization has adopted GIS based spatial load forecasting for high growth areas of its service territory. Spatial load forecasting moves network planning engineers beyond spreadsheet based trend analysis into the spatial analysis capabilities of GIS. GIS results enable planning engineers to see where, when, and how much load they can expect. The planning department can identify changing end-use patterns, predict future load centers, identify substation property requirements, and ensure the most defendable and cost-effective capital expenditures for substation reinforcement. Spatial load forecasting uses an urban growth model, translating forecasted new development into a grid-based model of future electrical load. This presentation will discuss PacifiCorp’s successes with spatial load forecasting as well as the development of a partnership with ESRI to create a ModelBuilder tool that will be made available to the industry to perform spatial load forecasting.

Using ArcGIS for Clearing Cable Locates
View Presentation [PDF-1.01 MB, 24 pages]
—Kevin Ruggiero, PPL Electric Utilities

The Pennsylvania Undergound Utility Line Protection Law, Act 187 & 287 requires all facility owners to locate their underground facilities within 2 full working days after a receipt of notification of excavation from the PA OneCall system. In June of 2006, PPL responded to this mandate by implementing an extract and upload process to PA OneCall’s PHEONIX mapping system for the creation of PAOneCall call tickets for underground locates. Previously, any locate within PPLs’ service territory required a site visit to identify facilities, even if no underground facilities were present. With the new process implemented, the PA OneCall system only creates tickets for those areas that contain underground facilities, resulting in over 30% fewer locates by underground locators.

EGUG 2006—A Look Back at the NTUA Project
View Presentation [PDF-4.29 MB, 38 pages]
—Brian Mego, NTUA
—Jim Nelson, GMS

In 2000 the Navajo Tribal Utility Authority (NTUA) in partnership with Global Mapping Solutions (GMS) and Miner and Miner undertook one of the most ambitious GPS/GIS projects that had ever taken place. The NTUA provides electric, water, sanitary sewer, and natural gas services to residence throughout the vast Navajo Reservation in Arizona, New Mexico, and Utah. The field portion of the project was completed in May of 2003.

The challenges of the project included data model development, training and deploying field crews, logistics, implementing an effective QA/QC project, data conversion, and data maintenance. Through hard work of all of the parties the project was a success. However, there were lessons learned. Since the completion of the project, the NTUA has worked hard to keep the data current, and recently has deployed mobile GIS into many of the NTUA’s vehicles.

Mapping My Stuff, Mapping Your Stuff
View Presentation [PDF-4.14 MB, 41 pages]
—John Evaskovich and Larry Rose, PNM

Putting It All Together: An Integrated Solution to Mobile GIS
View Presentation [PDF-2.53 MB, 37 pages]
—Allen Cousins, Avista Utilities
—Ron Riel, Electronic Data Systems

This presentation will discuss Avista’s approach to integrating the “Best of Breed” applications with their existing GIS to provide a mobile solution.

The solution includes not only providing the ability to electronically send work orders to field technicians but includes allowing them to map the location of new facility.

Using Tapole Technologies GO! Sync and Mapbook applications to deploy existing electric and gas facility data, Avista was able to include existing customizations into the Mapbook application to provide locating and inspecting tools. Avista also incorporated MDSI’s Advantex application to manage scheduling, routing, and transporting orders to the mobile work force.

This solution increases productivity of field technicians, reduce back office work, and increases the accuracy of the GIS data.

Spatial Asset Management with ESRI and SAP EAM (PM)
View Presentation [PDF-1.26 MB, 21 pages]
—Dr. Stefan Frank, Impress Software

Multithreading, Multicasting, Multichallenging—GIS-SCADA Interface Project Implementation
View Presentation [PDF-1.14 MB, 27 pages]
—Ranjit Menon and Tom Taber, Telvent Miner & Miner

Reliance Energy Limited (REL) is India’s largest private sector power utility company. ABB’s SCADA DMS was deployed to monitor and control the electrical distribution network. In parallel, an Enterprise ArcGIS/ArcFM Solution was implemented for facilities and asset management. The GIS was integrated with the SCADA system in order to provide location intelligence to SCADA.

The SCADA is deployed as geographically independent systems while the GIS is one geodatabase accessed by local users and other users located a 1000 mile away through Citrix. The integration involved receiving messages from each SCADA system and processing those changes in the single GIS environment. Several technologies were used such as Distributed COM, OLE for Process Control (OPC) as well as multi-threading, multicasting and .NET Remoting.

This paper attempts to present some of the technical as well as non-technical challenges that were overcome “to bridge” the gap in providing a highly functional and integrated interface.

Wednesday

Considerations for SAP/GIS Integration
View Presentation [PDF-449 KB, 37 pages]
—Dr. Stefan Frank, Impress Software

More and more utilities are moving their formerly isolated GIS systems into the enterprise business system landscape. As a result, immediate returns such as optimized operational planning and performance, improved analysis and intuitive access to spatial assets can now be achieved.

Join us for an hour long discussion addressing the fundamental considerations for reaching these goals. Using examples from the SAP facility management and work order modules, this session will address:

• Determining the data quality required for success
• Determining the authoritative system
• Avoiding redundancy in data
• Achieving real-time data integration
• Managing rogue processes and typical errors
• Managing versioning
• Handling the dynamic of linear features in ERP (e.g. pipe segments)

A Business Case Lesson: Diversity is the Key to Quality
View Presentation [PDF-344 KB, 31 pages]
—Mary Adams, Georgia Power Company
—Mark Johnson, Enspiria Solutions, Inc.

Staffing your utility project team with a variety of personalities and people, who make decisions differently, leads to better decisions by providing diverse viewpoints. But what if they do not agree? That’s when it gets hard, especially when the members are passionate in their beliefs. Even though this may be painful to work through, the final result will be much better.

For its GIS business case team, Georgia Power Company selected staff with diverse personalities, experience, and decision making methods to provide the project with a well rounded decision process. In this presentation, we examine the types of personalities that make up project teams, specific experience/roles that need to be represented, and differences in how team members process new information. We present success factors for utility project teams, and highlight pitfalls to avoid in regards to team dynamics. Finally, we will highlight how we continue to leverage the various personalities of our team as we have progressed to planning, building and deploying our GIS.

Utilizing FME for Utility Mapping at PNM
View Presentation [PDF-2.82 MB, 34 pages]
—Rene Carrillo and Aaron Allen, PNM

GIS data comes to PNM in many formats. In the past, these data would need to be converted, cleaned, and then re-projected through a manual and time consuming process in order to get them into our ESRI geodatabases. PNM is now utilizing Safe Software’s FME (Feature Manipulation Engine) application to automate these processes and reduce the time it takes to get data into the GIS. Additionally, FME allows PNM to create reusable scripts that extract, convert, and/or analyze data in support of various projects and day to day tasks. Examples include One Call monthly extracts, automated attribute transfer mapping, and back-populating SDE attributes via AutoCAD attributes. PNM is also keeping its ESRI and Intergraph GIS’s in sync via an automated FME script for its Gas Compliance application.

Innovative Tools for Data Reconciliation/Production Use
View Presentation [PDF-797 KB, 48 pages]
—Susan Smith-Lee, Wind Lake Solutions, Inc.

This paper discusses the process PSE&G took in moving from their existing WallMap system to that of a GIS system. The approach consisted of a combination of photographing/digitizing their existing WallMap data while at the same time mapping/importing SAP data. The WallMap system provided spatial information on assets while the SAP system provided attribute information. These two primary sources of information were merged using a variety of techniques and tools, the final result being an SDE enabled GDB. This paper discusses the approach, challenges and solutions encountered during this process.

Cookbook for Data Integration Without Spending Money!
View Presentation [PDF-630 KB, 19 pages]
—Ian Fitzgerald, Truckee Donner Public Utility District

Navajo Wind Energy Development Exclusions
View Presentation [PDF-18.74 MB, 105 pages]
—Grant Brummels, Northern Arizona University

Navajo land and wind resource within Arizona were analyzed to determine suitable land for wind energy development and potential wind energy capacity. This presentation will show which areas of land can and cannot be developed on the Navajo Reservation. It will highlight how 30 m, ReGAP, satellite data can be used to identify developed land, wetlands, forests, and other important ecosystems. It will present Topographic Position Index, a method for identifying ridge crests, mesas, and other important landscape features pertinent to wind energy development.

The audience will be engaged through high-quality maps that highlight the relationships between land exclusions and wind resource. These maps show how wetlands are prevalent on the reservation, especially when compared to the rest of Arizona. After removing land that cannot be developed, maps will show the potential wind energy capacity on the Navajo Reservation to be 4562 MW or 79 percent of total potential capacity at 50 m.

Utilizing a Geodatabase for Asset Inventory Tracking
View Presentation [PDF-1.01 MB, 26 pages]
—Larry Wilke, Burbank Water & Power

Deploying COTS Mobile GIS in Support of Field Operations—A Success Story
View Presentation [PDF-1.98 MB, 12 pages]
—David Hollema, United Power
—Marius Rocher, Tadpole Technology Group

This presentation will discuss United Power’s successful deployment of mobile GIS to field personnel by leveraging Commercially-Off-The-Shelf software (COTS).

Presentation highlights include:

• Project goals & success criteria
• Selecting the right COTS package
• Deployment considerations

UPI will also demonstrate the GO! Sync Mapbook & Redline Extension mobile solution highlighting its out-of-the-box functionality built for geodatabases; plus, demonstrate the tailored enhancements UPI built using developer’s help.

United Power, Inc. (UPI), one of the fastest growing electric cooperatives in the United States, is located in Brighton, Colorado. The cooperative serves more than 60.000 customers over 16 cities located across an area of 900 square miles along the north central range of the Colorado Rocky Mountains.

Radio Frequency Interference Application
View Presentation [PDF-1.04 MB, 26 pages]
—Jon Olenski, Patrick Engineering Inc.

Closing Sessions

EGUG 2006 Closing Session [PDF-515 KB, 18 pages]