The Deployment Challenge: Technology vis-a-vis the Business Case

Identifying the Opportunity
The initial scope and functionality of National Fuel’s automated mapping/facilities management/geographic information system (AM/FM/GIS) was focused on its mapping and work order systems. There was general agreement that the existing maps, while of a high quality, were labor-intensive in terms of maintenance. Ad hoc map product preparation also was labor-intensive, involving the timeless clip-and-tape method. Furthermore, the map products were updated for users on an annual basis; during the period between updates, it was a common practice to post changes to the maps at the respective service centers in order to keep the maps “current”. Additionally, because the maps were hardcopy, they did not lend themselves to spatial queries and analysis which is possible with vector data attribution.

The maps of National Fuel’s facilities were maintained by the respective Engineering Departments in New York and Pennsylvania. Prior to the inception of the project, the maps were routinely re-issued on an annual cycle basis, with mapping changes captured via the work order system. Hardcopy expenditure requests and completion reports (as-builts) as well as a plant accounting front end developed in-house (Capital Expenditure Request Tracking System -- CERTS) were used to provide the information for the mapping updates. Products of the mapping process include system maps, operating maps and age records (also referred to as “strip” maps).

It was a primary objective to eliminate the redundant processing of information necessary to support the company’s various applications in its information infrastructure. This elimination of redundancy was the basis for the productivity improvement envisioned. Because the new system entailed the single-event processing of as-built drawings for updating graphical and other plant records, map updates were available to the Engineering, Gas Dispatch, and Operations Departments on a more frequent basis--- daily, if desired, if viewed electronically, or quarterly while in the transition mode moving away from hardcopy.

From the inception of the project, it was agreed upon, that the maps depicting National Fuel’s facilities, would serve as an excellent graphic reference source once digitally converted and that these maps, once in digital format, could serve as the foundation upon which a host of second phase applications could be built and deployed. Global optimization of replacement, address look-ups, and network flow analyses were some of the applications at the top of the list of potential developments.