Network Design and Monitoring
GIS and computer-assisted mapping offer several advantages over manual mapping and record- keeping. Among these advantages is the system’s ability to incorporate a coherent, network-wide geographic reference system. GIS technology supports storage and display of multiple layers of information. These layers are independent, permitting production of maps using any combination of information. This organisation of data permits production of custom-purpose maps and reports for a variety of end-users. In other words, the system supports production of hard-copy maps with user-definable content on an as-needed basis.
GIS technology supports the generation of reports in summary form by operating district and for the company as a whole. For example, a GIS can support cost and capital expenditure analyses and generate reports of those analyses. The reports may contain information on the costs of placement, cost of materials and types of facility. Such reports typically would be tabulated or cross-referenced by project, year of placement or other variable(s). Although terrain and physical environment are major factors in the total cost of a project, the methods used by a particular contractor or engineer may be more cost-effective than other methods. Such efficiencies may be identified and incorporated in standard procedures.
These and other benefits of GIS are common to both local service and corridor-based service companies. However, certain other benefits may be identified as specific to one or the other type of network.
Network design and engineering activities performed by local gas service companies tend to focus on upgrading and maintaining the existing infrastructure. Design tends to focus on upgrades, enhancements and comparatively modest growth, while monitoring and maintenance activities tend to occur within a well-defined local area.
Designers at local service companies tend to live in relatively close proximity to their geographic work area and are very familiar with local conditions and the attributes of the networks, often focusing their attention solely on an even smaller sub-area. The local service companies tend to have maintenance and repair staff located in virtually every corner of their service areas.
As a corollary of this proximity, GIS projects’ design for local service companies tend to be comparatively detailed. They tend to be built using existing maps, existing engineering drawings and multiple data sets. In addition, the local service companies must consider the proximity of assets belonging to other utilities and government entities. The costs of building a GIS reflect the multiplicity of data sources and the need to reconcile these sources.
The benefits of GIS for new design and construction may be quite pronounced in the case of corridor- based companies, particularly for relatively new and growing networks. Here, the GIS database is ‘compiled’ while the underlying software is used to design, build and manage the network. This organic approach to GIS development is economically attractive, particularly in comparison with the expense of cleaning, for example, 100 years or more of accumulated errors embedded in the records of traditional local service companies. This approach also permits the close integration of comparatively new supporting technologies such as the global positioning system (GPS) satellite constellation, mobile GPS and inertial navigation systems, laser range finders, portable computers and voice recognition database engines into the design process. Although these tools are valuable to all system developers, corridor-based companies can justify these necessary expenditures as part of initial network construction. In this sense, GIS provides competitive advantage in network design and deployment by supporting faster, more accurate and more easily managed designs.
Corridor-based service companies tend to have proportionally smaller staff sizes, and the members of staff are dispersed non-uniformly throughout their networks. Initial network design tends to be performed at national or regional headquarters, while maintenance is performed remotely. In a typical network, one individual may have maintenance responsibility for a section of network some 400km in length. It is not practical for this individual to engage in daily route surveillance, so automating responses to outage reports and preventing outages through automated one-call management become significant benefits of GIS technology.
This application and others highlight one important aspect of corridor-based activities: the network is removed from daily, personal oversight, and management would benefit from automation of oversight to achieve competitive advantage. The fundamental differences in the applications for which GIS technology is deployed must be considered during system design and data collection. This generally requires support for a broader range of software applications dedicated to maintenance, which, in turn, prompts differences in database contents (including, for example, contact information for remote site restoration contractors and points of access to private rights of way).
Category:
Transportation
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