Our groundbreaking SSP Vision product was released on March 31. It makes previous approaches to field data capture obsolete with its simple and highly automated AI-based approach. Since the product release we have had a number of customers testing the product and doing pilots, and we have continued to get very positive feedback. It generated huge interest at the Esri User conference this summer – we gave 65 demos in two and half days, which I think is a record for me in my 37 years in the geospatial industry! Even Jack Dangermond stopped by for a demo!

The big picture for SSP Vision is that it enables infrastructure companies to reduce their as built update backlog from months to minutes, delivering to a substantial improvement in asset data quality which can deliver significant improvements in network reliability, safety, customer service and more.

Eliminating the as built update backlog is a significant project that involves multiple systems and changing business processes, in conjunction with implementing Vision. However, there are many simpler use cases that Vision can be applied to and implemented very quickly.

One use case that we have been getting significant interest in is capture of service connections (in electric and gas) or drop connections (in telecom). In general the process of connecting customers to the network is separate from the build out of the main distribution network. In many cases, organizations don’t capture the path of the service connection today, because today’s mobile data capture tools are too complex and time consuming for the crews who install the service. But I consistently hear from customers that there is significant business value in capturing this more detailed information about service connections.

This video shows an example of capturing an electric service connection – the process is basically the same for gas or telecom. The data would normally be captured when the underground cable or pipe is still excavated and visible – in this example I am capturing the data after the fact, so I just estimate where the conductor runs. The video shows how quick and simple it is to capture asset data with Vision, and also shows how 3D data can be captured where applicable.

It is very quick and simple to configure and deploy Vision for this type of application, and we are happy to set up a free trial for customers to try it out.

We’ll be attending the Esri IMGIS conference coming up in Palm Springs from October 10-12. If you’re there, I encourage you to stop by the SSP booth and see Vision hands on. You can also download SSP Vision from the Apple app store and sign up for a demo account to try it for yourself.