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Electric Energy T&D - Index

Electric Energy T&D - EEMag May June 2008 - Index

Doherty: Critical infrastructure – involving
both fixed and mobile assets – requires longterm
management that integrates asset and
facilities management, security, and often,
environmental compliance. Infrastructure
management must address not only the
complete life cycle of the assets, but must
also track mobile and static assets in real
time while improving uptime and availability,
supporting rapid decision making, and
reducing management and maintenance
costs.
Sometimes achieving an appropriate level of
integration across these various disciplines
requires interoperability with products and/or
systems provided by others. This will become
even more important in the future as utilities
move toward a more holistic approach to
automated asset management while also
embracing industry standards.
For example, our newest asset management
software now supports Oracle Locator
for storing geospatial data, allowing for
greater interoperability among other
corporate systems and further compliance
with corporate and industry data storage
standards. At the database level, this allows
geospatial data to be easily integrated with
corporate systems such as work management,
outage management and network analysis to
fully support planning, design, construction,
operations, maintenance and emergency
response functions.
EET&D: It appears that the road ahead
for utilities might be a rocky one given the
declining workforce and infrastructure issues
we hear and read about so often today. What
other kinds of tools do you see on the horizon
that might help utilities deal with these
looming problems?
Doherty: This might seem obvious to some,
but there is a growing need for integrated
data analysis and visualization tools. The
tools that a lot of utilities are using today
were developed years – and in some cases
decades – ago. And although they might have
been adequate in the past and are certainly
familiar to the operating personnel, many
of those tools are outdated and outmoded.
Also, the newest versions of design and
asset management software will make it
simpler to take advantage of geo-facilities
data throughout the enterprise by optimizing
the incorporation of geo-referenced data
maintained elsewhere into design and asset
management workflows.
Simply having access to disparate data
that emanates from multiple sources,
either under one central database or easily
incorporated via geospatial and database
tools, creates a huge advantage in both time
and money saved. Although some utilities
have already implemented or are now
implementing an integrated system of design,
asset management and outage/workforce
management technology, most still rely on
a multitude of databases in many different
places. This disjointed approach wastes
time every day when employees try to locate
information – some of which is never found
at all even though it exists in some obscure
location.
French: I think the reality is that with
utilities facing a declining asset base, an
aging workforce and a subsequent loss
of intellectual capital while also getting
constant pressure from regulators and
consumers to operate better, faster and more
efficiently, they will need better, faster and
more efficient automation/IT solutions to
thrive in the future.
EET&D: Is there anything else you can think
of that would allow users to further leverage
existing automation/IT investments?
Doherty: Combining outage and distribution
management features such as trouble
analysis and switching operations with
mobile workforce management technologies
such as computer-aided dispatch and mobile
computing eliminates the need for multiple
systems and allows for more seamless,
intuitive scheduling and outage response
procedures. For example, Intergraph users
can now schedule routine service days or
weeks in advance and also allow mobile users
to rearrange their assigned jobs from the field
so that the operations center knows the order
in which they will be completed.
In addition, managers can also automatically
elevate the priority of work orders for past
due jobs that have not yet been completed,
4 I May-June 2008 Issue
and during storms, can automatically remove
routine work orders from crews’ schedules
in preparation for storm restoration efforts.
Through the use of Intergraph outage
management technology, some customers
have reported that their interruption durations
have dropped below the national average
and that restoration times are significantly
lowered.
EET&D: Reid, is there anything else you’d
like to add to what Mark has said before we
close this out?
French: Yes, I would just like to add that
the advantages of a fully integrated outage
and mobile workforce product and a complete
design and asset management solution that
seamlessly interoperate cannot be overstated.
Until recently, these were merely interesting
concepts, but now the technology has come
together in a viable and readily available
form. With the imminent need for a complete
redesign of the power grid looming over the
heads of utilities owners and operators, this
integration could not have come at a better
time.
EET&D: Well said, and thanks to both of you
for sharing your time and insights with our
readers. j