Taking GIS on the Road Presented by Steven Weber, GISP Northeastern REMC 4901 East Park 30 Dr, Columbia City, IN 46725 S_weber@nremc.com
Who is Northeastern REMC? A Touchstone Energy Electric Cooperative providing service to over 27,000 meters in Northeastern Indiana. We serve a densely populated area of 600 sq. mi. and experience about 3.5% growth annually. About 55% of our electric plant is underground facilities.
GIS at Northeastern REMC Northeastern began our GIS project in 2001. We put our GIS data in a mobile environment in 2003. We currently have approximately 50 mobile users, and 20 desktop users. Before standardizing on our current solution, we tried 2 other map viewers and experimented with several device formats. Currently we have mobile GIS, electronic field staking, electronic field inspection, and AVL. In the near future we will have electronic work orders and job tickets.
Taking GIS on the Road: It s a different world out there! Have an understanding of the task! Computers outdoors vs. computers indoors. Mobile GIS is just one of MANY tools for the field worker. Often dangerous and high pressure situations. Failure is NOT an option.
Taking GIS on the Road: What are your plans? Have a vision! Will you use gps? If so, to what extent? Will you want realtime data exchanges? Will you want to do electronic staking? Will you want to do electronic field inspection? Will you want to handle job tickets electronically? Will it be a department solution or an enterprise solution? Often wants are much more expensive than needs.
Taking GIS on the Road: Getting Started Once the decision is made, involve the field worker. Allow the idea to settle for a few days. Seek volunteers, but don t force involvement. Emphasize that this is an opportunity for the intended users to help shape a product they will be expected to use everyday. Make sure they understand they are not helping decide if, they are helping decide how.
Taking GIS on the Road: The Initial Reaction We haven t needed it for over 50 years, so why do we now? You can put it in my truck, but that doesn t mean I will use it. I guess I better start saving up my paper maps. looks like it is time for me to retire. You better have someone else start your car for you tonight. How do we start???
Taking GIS on the Road: Surviving The Initial Reaction Emphasize this WILL happen. Nearly everyone fears the unknown. Make sure it is absolutely clear that this WILL happen. If personnel senses any hint of doubt from anyone in management, their resistance will become even stronger. Emphasize the good. maps will be updated much more often. up to date maps play a role in safer work environments, and shorter outage times. Digital maps are much easier to customize to user preference. It is an opportunity to redesign the way maps have been done the past 50 years.
Taking GIS on the Road: The Money Wow...this is going to be expensive! Putting software and hardware in every vehicle will be costly. Resist the temptation to cut costs at the expense of the field worker. Don t forget the cost of time spent training. The crews in the field will make or break the success of a field implementation. Northeastern spent approx. $5,300 per vehicle for software and hardware
Taking GIS on the Road: The Hardware Northeastern expected size and weight would be the biggest user concerns. So we actually considered putting maps on a Palm or PocketPC device until the field workers got a look at it! Once we involved the end user in the decision we discovered they wanted the largest PC possible, regardless of weight or cost. Our field workers were very focused on going from a 24 x36 viewing area to a 14 viewing area. The most important factors for the field workers were screen size, screen brightness, and battery time.
Taking GIS on the Road: Rugged hardware or not? Standard laptop option Standard laptops are approximately half the cost of rugged, and therefore somewhat expendable. Are you prepared for laptop failure to be reason for extended outages? Rugged laptop option Industry average laptop failure rate is approx. 24% for standard laptops and 2% for toughbooks. Rugged laptops have better screen visibility outdoors and quicker boot time in extreme temperatures. Do you ever work in dust, dirt, rain, snow, heat, cold, or other outdoor environment? Northeastern selected the Panasonic Toughbook
Taking GIS on the Road: The Software Ease of use! Ease of use! Ease of use! We wanted our GIS MapViewer to put office information in the field, and field information in the office. We wanted a software with minimal administration needs. We wanted the flexibility of automatic and/or manual updates. We wanted flexibility that allowed configuration changes on the fly. We wanted to utilize GPS, orthophotography, and redlining. Northeastern uses Go!Sync Mapbook by TC Technology
Taking GIS on the Road: Wireless or Wired updates? Wireless Network Clients can be updated from anywhere in the building. Often requires more PC experience of the end users. Requires more support. Wired Network Need an area to dock laptops. Easier for administrator to locate pc s for maintenance. More dependable connection than wireless. A missing device will be more obvious. Northeastern tried wireless, but settled with a wired connection.
Taking GIS on the Road: Laptop assignment Laptop assigned to trucks Less time spent looking for your laptop. Company standard configuration and set up. Laptops assigned to people Allows individual user customization. Easier to hold someone responsible for laptop use, content, damage, or even loss. Northeastern assigned laptops to trucks.
Taking GIS on the Road: What information can travel? Expect PC s to be lost or stolen. Be very diligent about what information is stored on mobile devices. Password Protect the PC and all applications. Occasionally make sure all laptops are still making network connections. Limit customer information to nothing more than what could be found in the phone book. What could happen if the device got in the wrong hands?
Taking GIS on the Road: Laptop stands/mounts Disadvantage Driver distraction. Advantage 7 pound projectile now fastened down. Northeastern uses mounts (pointed to passenger position in large trucks).
Taking GIS on the Road: Phased Implementation Option A phased implementation converts a few users at a time to the new system until all users are converted. Phased Implementation Advantages Allows you to work out issues on a small scale. Hopefully freshly converted users can help ease anxieties and provide support for those yet to be converted. More support available to the newbies. Phased Implementation Disadvantages Prolongs the conversion pain for everyone. Allows time to stock pile old maps. Must maintain both systems until conversion is complete.
Taking GIS on the Road: Drop dead Implementation Option A drop dead implementation converts all users at the same time to the new system. Drop Dead Implementation Advantages Everyone works out issues together. Smaller duration of conversion pain. No need to maintain two systems. Drop Dead Implementation Disadvantages Initial issues could effect all pcs. Workforce time required to get proficient more noticeable.
Taking GIS on the Road: Northeastern Implementation Northeastern opted for a phased implementation. Three laptops deployed per month. Users were given full training and support to become proficient. Maintained both systems until full deployment. After full deployment, user proficiency tests. Lessons Learned If paper maps were still available, they were still used. Maintaining both mapping systems was difficult. Users wouldn t offer any encouragement or support to those yet to be convert. Eventually we were forced to a drop dead date on which any paper maps had to be forfeited.
Taking GIS on the Road: Northeastern Implementation Northeastern s implementation was flexible. We experimented with different device formats. We tried three different software options. When we questioneed our training effectiveness, we tested. We made as many user suggested changes as possible. Allow options to the end user. Lessons Learned Strive to make changes, so change becomes commonplace. Make good changes. Integrate user suggestions. Take time to understand user needs. Inform the users of the rate at which things will change.
Taking GIS on the Road: What we have learned Expect very intense resistance! Don t think you know the end user needs.you don t! ask them! Include user input. Implement a flexible system. Highlight the add ons. Never say this is going to be so much better. Deploy the system as quickly as possible. Expect to spend a lot of time training. After training, test user proficiency. Have more than one person for training/support. Lock up all paper maps as soon as laptops are deployed. Do not try to save a penny at the users expense.
Questions? Presented by Steven Weber, GISP Northeastern REMC 4901 East Park 30 Dr, Columbia City, IN 46725 S_weber@nremc.com