Field-Based AM/FM Data Access Empowers Illinois Power Staff

Lessons Learned

Consider the failure rate of hardware as a risk factor of deployment. (Custom ruggedized field PC units had a 40’%.to 50% failure rate during initial deployment of the field solution.)
Resist “overbuying” on ruggedized fimctionality and longevity. A $1,500-laptop PC can offer the same or better functionality than a more expensive ruggedized model. For units that are used primarily in the vehicle, the extra cost associated with the unit along with the feature and function tradeoffs that are required for additional durability are rarely cost justified. Ruggedized PCs can often take longer and cost more to repair than an off-the-shelf laptop or pen-based PC.
Consider the work environment and how work is accomplished. Because much of Illinois Power’s territory is rural, there were limitations with mobile electronic data transmission. So, land-line telephone pedestals were installed at substations and outside employees’ homes to provide field-vehicle connection points. This helped reduce “windshield” time and time lost in transmitting information to and from the field.
Be creative and flexible about workspace. One field office was short on office space for its field staff. so three token ring connections were installed under the field-vehicle carport to allow dir~ct hookup and access to the office LAN from the PC mounted in the truck.

Hardware/Software Resources and Users

CD-ROM Remote Mapping Application Users at Illinois Power
The premise behind the field deployment solution and each of the utility field applications was to keep the existing workflow intact and use technology to assist processes rather than re-engineer the workflows to fit the technologies. Under this strategy, the field deployment solution became an enabling technology. That is, the data existed, however the key was developing a technology solution to support the continued use of this data in the field (allowing business as usual). As an example, to accommodate Illinois Power’s legacy Customer Information System (CIS) and Trouble Outage System (TOS) databases, ARM was designed to allow for legacy facility identification numbers (transformer, switch, fhse, valve, regulator station numbers) to be duplicated among Illinois Power’s 12 original engineering service areas. For the field, customized searches were designed to accommodate this situation as well.