Presented by:

Rob Mendel
City of Huntingburg
&
Steve Leatherman
WTH Technology

What is GIS for Utilities?

A Utility Geographic Information System (GIS) combines
digital maps and data to enhance:
Data Collection - Provides a way to convert data from
several sources such as paper maps, AutoCad files,
information stored in peoples heads and new data
collected in the field into a common digital and map
based format.
Data Analysis - Allows us to view, understand, question,
interpret and visualize data in many ways that reveal
relationships data in ways that reveal relationships,
patterns, and trends in the form of maps, reports, and
charts.
Data Sharing - Allows utility data to be seen and shared
with utility administrators, billing staff, and workers in
the field. It also allows utility information to be shared

Gas Utility
Leak Management:
The GIS can used to identify nearest valves or
structures that need to be closed, to separate the
leak area from rest of network to mitigate loss (Key
Valves). After an accident or leak, the network has
to be restored and damaged pipe segments have to
be replaced. GIS applications can help in building
the footage network that will replace failed network
by identifying types of pipes (cast iron or steel),
length of pipes and number of pipe segments.

Water Utility

The GIS system can identify the sizes and types of wat
make up your distribution system. This can be very us
looking at required repairs and for water system expa
Hydrant information is particular important for use in
response.

Electric Utility

The GIS system can help identify how many electric pole
in your electric system and detailed information about e
electric pole.

For example: age of pole, height of pole, if a street

light is on the pole, number of transformers attached to
specific electric pole if any, and the size of the transform

Electric Utility
Collected Electric Pole Attributes and Attached Photograph

Stormwater Utility
The GIS system can help identify how many
miles of stormwater pipe are located within
your system, number of stormwater inlets, size
of pipes within the system, and where possible
upgrades to the system may need to be made.

Wastewater Utility
The GIS system can help identify how many
wastewater manholes are in your system, the
type of system (gravity or force main), the size
of pipes, number of lift stations in the system,
total of amount of area serviced by a particular
lift station, etc.

GIS

Increasing the Use of Your Utility

1)Look for opportunities to gather interest in

your GIS system from people that dont use it
on a daily basis. When they ask questions
about a utility, rather than answering the
question directly, show them how they can use
the GIS system to answer their own questions.
Help them to become familiar with using your
GIS system.
2)Ask users what things that they would like to
see in the GIS system.
3) Building Data Dictionaries Rather than just
going out and collecting GPS data, take a step
back and really think about what utility
information is important to collect, and what

GIS

Increasing the Use of Your Utility

4)Capturing Tribal Knowledge It is very

important to get utility information in your
utility GIS that represents tribal knowledge.
Maybe only one person in the in the utility
department has knowledge that is critical to
operations. A death or retirement may result
in a substantial loss of time and money to
reconstruct this information and some
knowledge may be lost forever.
5)Using Laptops in the Field The use of
laptops in the field has really helped for utility
locates, shut-offs and re-connects.

QUESTIONS
??