Geographic Information Systems in the context of Indian Utilities

The electrical network as we all know is a maze of wires, transformers and many components that extend from the generation station to its various users ranging from households to factories across the city. The utility or the electricity provider has to ensure that its electrical network is fully functional all at times by continuously monitoring the connections.

The above task becomes a simple exercise when the utilities' electrical network is delivering the desired results. What happens if all of a sudden a transformer blows off? The customer service section is loaded with calls from its clients to restore the network and to deliver the results within a limited time.

To restore its network, the utility sends its crew to the field to find out which transformer blew off and the location of the affected houses, its proximity to other transformers and its current load, and the possibility of linking these houses to the nearest ones to restore its network. The restoration relatively takes a longer time, because the crew has to decide on the field by physically visiting and examining the feasibility of alternative connections.

If the network failure has occurred on a major scale, the crew comes back to the office to decide how the alternative connection can be given by looking at its "Age old Topographical Maps". This in effect requires a huge number of engineers to be put to work in studying the existing set up and to study any new additions of connections to restore the network.

The above huge task becomes a very simple task when each component of the electrical network i.e., the transmission line, pole, and transformer is available and tractable in a digital database. The digital database allows the user to attach every information to every object to create a table and refer to this table whenever required enabling the utilities to take quick and efficient solutions. This computer system capable of delivering solutions by linking databases to maps is referred to as Geographic Information Systems - GIS. By using the GIS, the crew has got the information before going to the field helping them to restore the network quickly.

In India, the massive network, the rapid growth in the new connections due to urbanization has restricted to digitize the topographical maps and the frequent updating of even the paper maps to include the newer generation areas and transmission lines. Though the software revolution has made available many software for digitizing and creating computerized maps, the lack of awareness of the utilities in realizing the power of GIS applications and the Government regulations to digitize the maps has so far reduced the pace of GIS applications in the Power Sector.

As a result, the utility is forced to offer short-term temporary solutions in restoring its failed network. The customers were forced to bear the temporary solutions because Electricity Transmission and Distribution has so far been an exclusively Government exercise and the distribution sector was a relatively neglected area.

But the opening up of the Distribution sector for Private participation will change the above scenario in due course. Things are slowly shaping up and the Indian Power Sector is undergoing rapid changes and reforms by a Government of India initiative called Accelerated Power Development Program (APDP). The prime objective of this scheme is to reduce Transmission and Distribution losses, improve customer satisfaction through improved customer service and drive power distribution reforms by using sophisticated systems like Geographic Information Systems to render the distribution business financially more viable.

The pressure from Multilateral Funding Agencies like World Bank, Asian Development Bank, and the Government's initiative have forced the utilities to look for long term high end technology solutions and the use of GIS in the following areas.

• In modeling electric transmission networks

• Track of energy generation units to substations

• In monitoring events like crisis management, service stoppages, main breaks and power outages

• Inventory management

• Distribution analysis

• Interface with electric analysis applications like SCADA

As a part of the above initiative many electricity boards have already called for a consultancy study to survey the distribution network to create Digital Map of network and customer data (GIS Based Information Mapping System).

GeoIT (now called KEMA Consulting, USA) has extensive experience providing integrated solutions for public utilities. GeoIT has worked with several electric, gas and telecommunication companies throughout North America.

• Offered Integration services for the Outage Management to Conectiv Power Delivery, DE

• Has been retained by Baltimore Gas and Electric Company, Baltimore, MD for their full scale implementation of AM/FM/GIS for the next three years

• Acted as a management consultant and prime contractor to General Public Utilities Energy (GPU), PA for replacing its old GIS systems and to implement a new outage management system - Smallworld's Power on

• Advising Sask Power, Saskatchwan to identify issues and make recommendations to integrate Enterprise Resource Planning with GIS systems.

• Worked in association with M.J Harden Associates Inc., to provide inputs for selecting a suitable GIS platform for Southern Natural Gas Company

• Has been contracted by Small World Systems, Denver and SHL System House, Inc, Ottawato lead the GIS application that is fully compliant with GRI/SAT data for their Gas transmission.

• ITTIL in association with GeoIT, is eyeing at the Indian Market to offer the above mentioned services to the Indian Utilities.

ITTIL in association with GeoIT, is eyeing at the Indian Market to offer the above mentioned services to the Indian Utilities.