Read the Latest from the SSP Innovations Blog

SSP Innovations offers a variety of blog posts that break down trending industry topics, including how to use the latest tools, what new releases to look for, and development tips specific to the systems you use. Browse for updates on the Esri roadmap, enterprise strategies, and how to get more out of your technology investments. Is there a topic you want to know more about or a question you want our team to answer in depth? Leave us a message in the comment form!

Know Your GIS (And Non-GIS) Abbreviations, Acronyms and Initialisms
December 10, 2019 By: Stephen Hudak

Do you know what TLA stands for? Three Letter Acronym. Then what do you call a four-letter acronym? ETLA—Extended Three Letter Acronym. I’ve heard and read this joke several times…

no comments | SSP Blogs

Improving Data Quality to Be Proactive in Safety
By: Geoffrey Towne

There is a need to modernize data governance practices, identify, establish and maintain systems of record, improve communication between companies and internal business units, accurately represent spatial utility assets, and…

no comments | Gas / Pipeline / Regulatory Compliance / SSP Blogs

Arcane Measurement Systems Part 1
By: Martin Hughes

One of the great things about coming into a new industry is getting to grips with all of the latest technology and applications, and digging into some of the details…

no comments | Maps / SSP Blogs

Migrating from KML to a Centralized GIS
December 4, 2019 By: Justin Rowsell

Sometimes the hardest part about using a centralized GIS is just getting started. When attempting to create a new Enterprise GIS data model, there’s a lot of thought and preparation…

no comments | GIS / Migration / SSP Blogs

Becoming a GIS Software Engineer
November 12, 2019 By: Melissa Mann

This past year, I was presented with the opportunity to transition from the Data Management team to the System Implementation team. The transition went very well, right now I’ve been…

no comments | Career / Esri GIS / GIS / SSP Blogs

We Energies Training Day
By: Valerie Meyer

In the summer of 2019, SSP staff in Mukwonago, WI were invited by We Energies to participate in field training for a firsthand look on how natural gas mains and…

no comments | GIS / SSP Blogs / Training

A Follow-up on Spectral Analysis
November 11, 2019 By: Geoffrey Towne

Calculating fuel moisture stress using vegetation indices is only part of identifying areas of high fire danger. There is another value called the Energy Release Component (ERC) that accounts for…

no comments | Electric / SSP Blogs / Transmission

GIS Modernization: A Unifying Force for Gas Utilities
November 6, 2019 By: Ryan Bechtel

The hard work of moving to this new technology isn’t just about improving the lives of the GIS users, it’s also about creating an infrastructure for teams across a gas…

no comments | Esri GIS / Gas Utility / GIS / SSP Blogs / UPDM / Utility Network

Utilizing Quality Checker for GIS Data Migration Projects
October 30, 2019 By: Dan Prowse

When a utility company conducts a data migration project, quality assurance and quality control is of upmost importance.  These projects can consist of migrating to a different GIS platform, a…

no comments | Data / Gas Utility / GIS / Quality Assurance / SSP Blogs

The Future of GIS: Part 4, To the (Geospatial) Future and Beyond
October 8, 2019 By: Skye Perry

Interestingly, the foundational technology that Esri uses for this connectivity, the Esri geometric network, was introduced to the market all the way back in 1997 and has been implemented by…

no comments | Future of GIS / SSP Blogs

Gas Mega Rule
By: Clarke Wiley

After years of planning and waiting the Gas Mega Rule is officially here.  Looking towards the effective date of this final rule as July 1, 2020, we are providing a…

no comments | Gas / Gas Utility / SSP Blogs

Global IDs – The More You Know
October 2, 2019 By: Stephen Hudak

What about the nature of these Global IDs we work with all the time? The SDE database we use as the foundation for most data in our GIS manages them…

one comment | GIS / SSP Blogs