Addressing the records standardization challenge
Stephen Newman
MidAmerican Energy Company,2811 - 5th Avenue
Rock Island, IL 61201, USA
Midamerican Energy Company
MidAmerican Energy Company is a combination gas and electric utility serving parts of
Iowa, Illinois, South Dakota, and Nebraska. MEC is based in Des Moines, IA and serves
approximately 653,000 electric customers and 622,000 natural gas customers.
Like many of today's energy service providers, MEC was formed from the consolidation
of several utility companies. MEC was formed in 1995 with the merger of Midwest
Resources (MWR) and Iowa-Illinois Gas and Electric Company (IIGE). Midwest
Resources, in turn, had been formed in 1986 with the merger of Iowa Public Service
(IPS) and Iowa Power (IP). In addition to the mergers, MWR acquired the Sioux Falls
area from Minnegasco and also purchased the Fort Madison, Algona, and Perry gas
distribution systems from North Central Public Service.
Project History
The Automated Information and Mapping (AIM) project began in 1988 with a
demonstration of AM/FM technology to senior officers at Iowa-Illinois Gas and Electric
Company, which resulted in a subsequent request for a feasibility study by the officers.
PlanGraphics was hired as a consultant for the project in 1989. The feasibility study was
completed and management approval was received in 1990.
In 1991, a RFP for data conversion was issued, and Intelligraphics International was
selected as the data conversion vendor. IIGE landbase conversion began in 1991 and was
completed in 1993. USGS quadrangles were used as the base map. Electric facility
conversion at IIGE also began in 1991. Field Data Services, Inc. (FDSI) was hired to
perform a field inventory of electric facilities. The IIGE electric facility conversion
project was completed in 1994, while the gas facility data conversion project began that
same year.
While the conversion project was underway, IIGE merged with Midwest Resources to
form MidAmerican Energy Company (MEC) in 1995. Data conversion of former MWR
areas was subsequently approved in 1996. Intelligraphics International was again
retained as the data conversion vendor, and FDSI was brought back to perform electric
field inventory for the former MWR areas.
The merger created many new challenges for the AIM project team. Most significantly,
the emphasis shifted from finding ways to save conversion dollars to an accelerated
schedule. The new sponsors placed a deadline for conversion of December 31, 1999, so
we now had half the amount of time to complete conversion on an area that was twice the
size of IIGE.
The IIGE gas facility data conversion project continued through the merger process and
was completed in 1997, with the exception of gas services that could not be placed using
an automated digitization process. Subsequently, an internal gas service conversion
project began in 1997 to convert the remainder of IIGE services. The landbase, gas
facility, and electric facility data conversion projects for the former MWR areas, as well
as the internal gas service project, were all completed in 1999.
AIM Database Design
The AIM project team knew that the key to standardization was in the design of the new
system. There had to be enough attribution for each piece of equipment to leave no doubt
as to what it really was. Unfortunately, costs associated to memory usage created a
natural conflict with this principle. System architects from operations often found
themselves warring with the computer programmers and AIM project manager over
valuable disc space. In order to move forward, concessions had to be made.
The system architects debated many considerations as they put the information together.
They usually found themselves asking questions like:
- "Will the system satisfy all compliance issues from utility regulators?"
- "Can we easily find faulty equipment in the event of mass failures?"
- "Is there enough attribution to support system (future) interfaces?"
- "Will the users understand the type of equipment used by the description?"
- "Will Plant Accounting have all the information required for their records?"
- "Is there any equipment used during construction that doesn't need to be captured?"
- "Will we be able to cost-effectively maintain the information after conversion?"
Generally, the system architects erred on the side of too much information. A past
sponsor of the AIM project likened the approach used during the system design phase as
"kids in a candy store". Since that time, costs associated with memory have dropped
dramatically due to hardware advances.
It is apparent that one of the best decisions made during the AIM conversion project was
NOT to skimp on database attribution. The AIM system design has had a greater than
anticipated positive effect on everything from system analysis and engineering studies to
ease of map interpretation by facility locators.
