Synergi Consulting Project Gives Utility a GIS Roadmap for Future Deployments

The Need

A west-coast utility wanted an assessment on its current GIS environment/technology including its DNV GL solutions such as Synergi and Uptime, and a roadmap to outline multiple options for future deployment patterns for soon-to-be-released Esri software and data modeling updates, such as UPDM, the Utility Network, and APR tools.

The Background

This utility serves nearly three quarters of a million homes and businesses on the west coast.

The Challenge: A GIS Roadmap

In 2016, this utility was using three DNV GL solutions — Synergi, Code Compliance, and Uptime — in an Esri ArcGIS environment. The utility wanted guidance and best practices for shifting to the next generation of Esri and DNV GL tools.

The Solution: A Synergi Consulting Project

SSP participated in a series of remote calls with the utility, Esri and DNV GL. The calls provided a review of upcoming software and database releases from Esri and DNV GL. These included Esri’s newest Utility Pipeline Data Model schema, Utility Network and related workflows, and ArcGIS Pipeline Referencing (APR) tools. In addition, the calls included information on DNV GL’s future release of Uptime for transmission analysis and regulatory support. The DNV GL calls also included a deeper understanding of how its new tools and software would consume published map services from the enterprise GIS and run the appropriate analytics.

Once SSP obtained information relating to the software functionality, architecture, licensing, and technology dependencies, an onsite workshop at the utility began.

During the two-day workshop, SSP performed a high level review of the company’s current technology environment, including:

1. Current GIS Environment

• Esri Versions/SDE
• GDB Schemas
• Transmission vs. Utility Data Management

2. Transmission & Distribution Business Needs

• Data Management
• Integrity
• Regulatory Reporting

3. Esri

• Future Deployment Patterns
• Future Software
• Version and Licensing Dependencies
• Database and Utility Network
• Mobile

4. DNV GL

• Future Deployment Patterns
• Future Software Modules
• Esri and Technology Dependencies

5. Future Gas Distribution and Transmission Workflows

• Transmission Asset Editing
• Distribution Asset Editing
• Field/Data Collection
• Regulatory Support

The Results: Documentation

Immediately following the onsite workshops, SSP created a complete DNV GL Synergi consulting deliverable in the form of a roadmap document. The roadmap provided a high level assessment of the current GIS environment and technology, as well as a roadmap outlining multiple options for future deployment patterns and recommendations.