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Delivering GIS to the field
Kurt A. Eggert
Wisconsin Gas Company, 626 E. Wisconsin Ave.
Milwaukee, WI 53202
Kurt A. Eggert
Wisconsin Gas Company, 626 E. Wisconsin Ave.
Milwaukee, WI 53202
Abstract
Since 1988, Wisconsin Gas has been dedicated to converting its paper based mapping information into a GIS system. This conversion was completed in late 1995. The next step has been to develop applications that utilize the GIS and allow access to the information where it can be used best – In the field. The driving force behind the project of using mapping information in the field came from the Marketing Area. As a result of a Marketing re-engineering process the following vision resulted, “TOkeep marketing representatives in the field provide mobile access to information which previously was only available in the office. ” Some of the information that needed to be accessed was facility and land information from the oi%ce based GIS system. To fulfill this vision, a PC-based field mapping application was developed and implemented.
Introduction
Wisconsin Gas Company has over a half of a million customers spread across the state of Wisconsin. Nearly, two-thirds of Wisconsin Gas customers are concentrated in the Southeast area of the state encompassing the metro Milwaukee area. In the mid 1980’s Wisconsin Gas began implementing an AM/FM GIS System. After a small pilot the Company purchased a Mainframe based GIS system and began the process of land base and facility conversion. In 1993 the Mainframe GM vendor announced it would be discontinuing development and support of the product. As result, Wisconsin Gas purchased a new object oriented Client server based GIS in mid 1994 and began the conversion process from the old system to the new. This decision to move to a new GIS system and platform proved to be a key reason why a field based mapping system could be quickly and successfully implemented. By the end of 1995 both the data and application conversion from the old GIS system had been completed. Also, by the end of 1995 the backlog for digitizing existing facility information for the entire Wisconsin Gas service territory was completed.
Startup - Initial Project Requirements
The formal request from Marketing to access facility and land information from the field was formalized in mid 1995. The timing of the request fit in well with the nearing completion of the conversion to new GIS system. A small project team was formed in the Fall of 1995, with a combination of staff from the Marketing area and the Systems area. The team developed the following requirements for the project:
- Provide graphical map viewing access of facility and land information on field PCS,
- Allow the viewable mapping information to be queried to provided additional service pipe information, customer information, and additional facility information. November27, 1996
- The viewable map must be seamless --no map edges.
- The application must be windows based to leverage the use of existing large installed base of laptop PCs.
- The application must integrate with the existing field based new service application process.
- The application must provide some Redlining/Markup features.
- The facility and land information on each laptop would need to be updated quickly and easily.
- The project had to be completed by the start the new construction season of 1996.
Finding a Match
Considering the project requirements, the project team completed a preliminary investigation of field based map viewing products by the end of 1995. As a result of this investigation it was determined that most of the field mapping products could perform the basic map viewing functions required, along with the ability to query attribute information. However, only one field product addressed the problem of the large amount disk space required by graphical map and attribute information. This product first pre-processed and compressed the graphical mapping information as well as the attribute information pulled from the office based GIS. The data is then loaded and displayed on a mobile PC. The products ability to read the compressed data also provides an additional benefit -- speed, in screen draws of the map and returning query results. Due to these benefits a contract was signed with the vendor at the end of January 1996. The implementation date was moved back slightly to June. Essentially this meant that in five months over 50 field employees from the Marketing area would be able to view and query facility and land information for Wisconsin Gas’s entire service territory from their current laptops.
Overcoming Obstacles
The Schedule
The five month time frame for the project was aggressive. During the contract negotiations with the vendor the short time frame was questioned as being realistic. They had not worked with a client using the GIS system Wisconsin Gas had installed. A custom translator would have to be written in Wisconsin Gas’s GIS system to create the input graphical map and attribute information that would be processed and compressed into their field mapping product. Although, not having significant experience with developing applications on the new GIS platform, the Wisconsin Gas Systems staff had begun to see the benefits of the its 723?underlying object oriented technology. For this reason, the systems staff was confident they could write the translator in short period of time. The required translator was written, tested, and in used in less than two weeks. That type of translator could not have been written so quickly or worked as efficiently if Wisconsin Gas was still running its GIS under the old Mainframe system. As mentioned in the Introduction, a key to the success of Wisconsin Gas’s field mapping application is its current ofhce GIS system. All the data was translated and compressed by mid May. Training occurred through the end of May and early June. At the end of June, over 50 people from the Marketing area plus an additional 30 people from the Construction area were using the field mapping application and were able to view Wisconsin Gas’s entire service territory in the field.
Voluminous Matming and Attribute Information
The compression process of the extracted data produced better than expected results. The rate of compression averaged approximately 3:1. In addition, the facility and land information was partitioned based upon Wisconsin Gas’s sixteen district office service territories which are spread across the state. However; the southeast service territory which is 20 times the size of the largest district office territory could not be divided. As proof of concept a smaller district office service territory was translated, compressed and then loaded into the field mapping product. The concept proved to be successful. This first service territory being used in the field mapping product meet the majority of the fictional requirements for the application. Surprisingly, internal Wisconsin Gas clients for the field application were also impressed and satisfied with the progress being made and the functionality provided by field mapping product. The next major hurdle would be the translation, compression, and loading of the large southeast service territory. Up to this point only estimates and guesses had been made on the final disk space requirements for the southeast region. The same 3:1 compression rate needed to be achieved on the southeast data for it to be feasible to load the entire southeast service territory on a laptop. The same compression rate was achieved as indicated by the graphs below.
Updatirw the Information
The last obstacle to overcome was the ability to quickly and easily update the mapping information on the laptops. Wisconsin Gas does not have a wide area network in place to connect its southeast operations with it sixteen district office operations. Therefore, using a network as a means for update distribution was not possible. Placing the data on CD-ROM turned out to be the chosen means to distribute updates. This proved to be an economical and successfi.d way to distribute the map updates. Wisconsin Gas purchased the required hardware and software to produce the CD-ROM’s in-house. The majority of field personnel already had access to an external CD drive which could be connected to their laptop. A few additional external CD drives were purchased for those employees who did not have access to a CD drive. The Engineering Systems department wrote an application which then updated the laptop from the CD-ROM. CD-ROM’s proved not only to be good means for update distribution, but also for running the application. As additional Wisconsin Gas employees have begun to use the mapping application some have newer laptops with integrated CD drives. The mapping application can be configured to read the information directly from the CD-ROM, eliminating the need for additional hard drive space for the application. Wisconsin Gas’s entire service territory can be placed on one CD-ROM.
Integration with other Applications
Part of Marketing’s original request was the ability to query the map for additional facility and customer information. The customer information is stored in Wisconsin Gas’s mainframe CIS system; however, through keyed database tables a tie with the GIS system is maintained. As part of the translation process this customer information is extracted in and joined with the GIS data. In the final field application a client can now query any service and retrieve both facility and customer information. This functionality does not exist in the office GIS where only facility information is stored.
Wisconsin Gas’s new field service application is written in poplar workgroup/workflow forms application. The marketing representative fills out the digital service application form in the field. Then through “replication” and an underlying programmed workflow the application is routed to the proper areas to get the service installed; i.e., permitting, engineering, construction, inspection, and record keeping. Part of this process requires the Marketing representative to create a sketch of the proposed service and an exhibit of the existing area. In the past the marketing representative used a simple drawing application to sketch the proposed service, For the exhibit, a survey map or hard copy print from the GIS was scanned and then attached to the application as another digital form. Now, using the mapping application’s markup tools the Marketing representative can sketch the proposed service directly on the map. Then since both the mapping application and the new service application are windows based, this area of the map can be cut and pasted onto the service application form. This cut and pasted map now serves the purpose of the exhibit and the sketch and displays all our existing facilities.
Maintaining a link with the office>
With all this facility and land information out in the field, the systems department recognized the need for field personal to clearly communicate any errors or changes to the information 725?back to the ofllce personal who maintained the information. To solve the problem the systems staff leveraged the infrastructure and software in place for the field new service application process. The new service application process routes information from the field to various different areas of the company using messaging and worktlow software and LAN and dial-up connections. A new application was written using this software to provide a connection between the field and office for the facility and land information. This application is loaded on any laptop or field PC which has the mapping application.
If someone in the field, working with the mapping application, finds an error or a change they do the following. In the new field mapping correctiotichange application they fill out a digital correction/change form. On this form several fields are filled into indicate the location of the problem. A description of the problem or change being requested is also entered. In addition the area of the map in question is cut and pasted onto the correctiotichange form. Then when the field person “replicates” this application either through the LAN or across a telephone line it is automatically routed to a work list which is monitored by the office staff who maintain the company GIS. Using the information on the correction/change form the office staff is able to make the required changes and update the GIS. The next time the field person updates their there field mapping data the correction or change will be visible.
Conclusion
Currently, over 140 people at Wisconsin Gas are using the field mapping application. The application is being used in the following areas of the company:
It also being used by external Wisconsin Gas construction contractors and the Wisconsin Public Service Commission. The field mapping application not only helped stream line the new service application process for Marketing but has provided other areas of the company easy access to facility and land information. In addition in emergency situations the application provides quick, current information to make prudent and informed decisions. 726