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Amalgamation/”Business as Usual”, it Can be Done!
Ken Burford
Toronto Hydro-Electric System Ltd.
500 Commissioners St.
Toronto, Ontario
M4M 3N7
David F. Ridderikhoff
IPID Services Inc.
Dept. 242, 1389 US 127S, Suite C
Frankfort, Kentucky
40601-4385
Ken Burford
Toronto Hydro-Electric System Ltd.
500 Commissioners St.
Toronto, Ontario
M4M 3N7
David F. Ridderikhoff
IPID Services Inc.
Dept. 242, 1389 US 127S, Suite C
Frankfort, Kentucky
40601-4385
Background
The new Toronto Hydro is a municipal electric distribution utility located in southern Ontario, Canada on the north west shore of Lake Ontario. It was legislated into being on January 1, 1998 by the Ontario provincial government. It is the amalgamation of six former municipal electric utilities. Here are some facts about the new utility.
Throughout 1998 a new organization structure was created and populated. During this transition, staff in the new sections that used Geospatial systems had to adjust from servicing the six former areas to servicing four new areas.
Each of the former six AM/FM implementations had been developed differently. Each was at a different point in their data conversion programs and none had converted the same data. There were three different AM/FM software vendors’ products being used. Four of the former electric utilities’ AM/FM systems had been developed differently from the same vendor’s software. No standard symbology was used.
Figure 1. shows the boundaries/service areas of the former six municipal electric utilities.
Figure 2. shows the division of the four new operations areas or districts in relation to the old boundaries.
Figure 1. - Former Municipal Utility Boundaries
Figure 2. - New District Divisions and Former Utility Boundaries
Referring to Figure 1., the six former electric utilities were Etobicoke, North York, York, Toronto, East York and Scarborough.
Referring to Figure 2., the new districts are Northwest, Northeast, Southwest and Southeast.
With the new structure and service areas, a user of the AM/FM systems in a new District was faced with the need to work with two or three different systems and have viewing access to one or two other. It was not feasible to set up a workstation to run four different systems and train an individual to use all four. Another solution had to be found. A common viewer was recognized as a feasible option until an integrated system could be developed.
Common Viewer Solution
With some of the former utilities maintaining the different system platforms and each in utility in different stages of completion, a common view and data platform was required. One of the original AM/FM/GIS platforms required an extensive data migration and a conversion vendor performed this task. The other platform required a minor migration and geo-indexing. This was done internally.
Before any migration or development was performed, several design documents and design matrixes were developed to document each feature, its classification, levels, symbology, attributes and what was originally displayed to the users. To create these, each system platform’s design documents, data dictionaries and symbology tables were dissected. The common viewer had to provide the same or more information that what the users where used to while being efficient and cost effective, and maintaining business-as-usual.
During this process, a challenge was finding or interpreting information from some of the original utilities where staff had taken the early retirement packages. Fortunately, through documentation, third-party contractors and internal staff the information was acquired to complete the design documents.
Once this common viewing system was completed, tested and implemented it paid for itself very quickly. The application software was inexpensive and could be loaded on every user’s workstation, and laptop. The tool, with a user-friendly GUI (see figure 3), on-line help, and on-line symbol/attribute matrix, assisted the users in getting up to speed. The tool has the Microsoft look and feel and, using predefined location queries, the users can access any location, display attribution and field measurements, and print within Toronto Hydro’s service territory. The common viewer proved very beneficial when Toronto Hydro’s union staff went on strike one month after implementation. The non-bargaining unit staff was required to perform critical union employees duties. Since the system was easy to use, the non-bargaining unit office staff where able to support the field staff and customers by being able to view, query and print any facility information of the former six utilities from any workstation.
Figure 3. The common viewer front-end GUI displays the overall Toronto Hydro service territory.
As noted before, this common viewer was implemented as a temporary solution but Toronto Hydro still needed to develop one corporate AM/FM/GIS platform that will meet the needs of the coming changing business environment, and ensure full compatibility with an ERP initiative.
Intergration Plans
Landbase
As part of the monumental integration task, one of the first steps was to develop a single corporate landbase. Each of the utilities received and maintained their own landbase information that they received from various agencies, but there were no common specifications. A landbase team representing users from each region along with a consultant was formed to source and implement a single landbase.
The initial task was developing a user requirement document. This document primarily identified the data classifications and feature priorities, and their data layering. A RFI (Request for Information) was sent out to data providers within the area. This RFI identified Toronto Hydro’s minimal data and service requirements and asked the vendors for the type of additional services they could provide. With the return of the RFI, a RFP (Request for Proposal) was developed that incorporated the proposed additional services.
As part of implementing the corporate landbase, there were several issues of data availability, accuracy, currency, data projection and overall cost. Due to the density and the amount of underground facilities, a very accurate and current planimetric and cadastral foundation along with an intelligent street name, address and centerline for location purposes is required by Toronto Hydro. The data projection issue was a timely consideration, maintaining NAD 27, 3 degree MTM would require the cadastral information to be digressed from NAD 83 to NAD 27 to match the planimetric information. The cadastral information is coming from an existing province wide project. When complete the entire province of Ontario would be in an NAD 83 datum and horizontal accuracy of 3 cm. Unfortunately, not one vendor possessed and maintained all the information required by Toronto Hydro. To be cost-effective, vendors were selected to provide the information they have available without going into a data conversion. As a result from the RFI, and the RFP evaluations, the landbase will maintain a horizontal accuracy of 3 cm and will be projected to NAD 83, 6 degree UTM datum.
It is envisioned to have the digital information loaded directly onto Toronto Hydro’s centralized landbase server. The vendor will update only the information that has been changed within that time period and specialized staff will review and quality control the information before making it accessible to the general users.
Geospatial Systems Integration
Soon after January 1, 1998, the official start of the amalgamation, Toronto Hydro management identified about 200 projects that would be required to integrate the utility’s operations. Geospatial systems integration was one of these and became known as Project #41. A core team with two project managers, one from IT and one from the Engineering Services Department, a project leader and two other core team members was created.
The project was divided into two phases, a feasibility study and implementation plan phase, and an implementation phase. The first phase is complete and the team will be seeking executive approval to proceed with implementation.
The first action that the team took was to engage the help of a consultant for the first phase. There were many reasons for this. Some of these were the need for,
The team looked at three strategic scenarios.
The major activities required to implement scenario 3 were identified and an aggressive schedule developed to have a new platform installed and all of the former utilities’ data migrated by mid 2002.
The schedule developed will dovetail with the schedule for the Enterprise Asset and Resource Management (EARMS) implementation. A VP of Business Transformation was recently appointed to coordinate the implementation of these two projects and address the associated change management issues.
Several assumptions were made to achieve the aggressive schedule. Some of the more important ones were,
The new Toronto Hydro is a municipal electric distribution utility located in southern Ontario, Canada on the north west shore of Lake Ontario. It was legislated into being on January 1, 1998 by the Ontario provincial government. It is the amalgamation of six former municipal electric utilities. Here are some facts about the new utility.
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Throughout 1998 a new organization structure was created and populated. During this transition, staff in the new sections that used Geospatial systems had to adjust from servicing the six former areas to servicing four new areas.
Each of the former six AM/FM implementations had been developed differently. Each was at a different point in their data conversion programs and none had converted the same data. There were three different AM/FM software vendors’ products being used. Four of the former electric utilities’ AM/FM systems had been developed differently from the same vendor’s software. No standard symbology was used.
Figure 1. shows the boundaries/service areas of the former six municipal electric utilities.
Figure 2. shows the division of the four new operations areas or districts in relation to the old boundaries.
Figure 1. - Former Municipal Utility Boundaries
Figure 2. - New District Divisions and Former Utility Boundaries
Referring to Figure 1., the six former electric utilities were Etobicoke, North York, York, Toronto, East York and Scarborough.
Referring to Figure 2., the new districts are Northwest, Northeast, Southwest and Southeast.
With the new structure and service areas, a user of the AM/FM systems in a new District was faced with the need to work with two or three different systems and have viewing access to one or two other. It was not feasible to set up a workstation to run four different systems and train an individual to use all four. Another solution had to be found. A common viewer was recognized as a feasible option until an integrated system could be developed.
Common Viewer Solution
With some of the former utilities maintaining the different system platforms and each in utility in different stages of completion, a common view and data platform was required. One of the original AM/FM/GIS platforms required an extensive data migration and a conversion vendor performed this task. The other platform required a minor migration and geo-indexing. This was done internally.
Before any migration or development was performed, several design documents and design matrixes were developed to document each feature, its classification, levels, symbology, attributes and what was originally displayed to the users. To create these, each system platform’s design documents, data dictionaries and symbology tables were dissected. The common viewer had to provide the same or more information that what the users where used to while being efficient and cost effective, and maintaining business-as-usual.
During this process, a challenge was finding or interpreting information from some of the original utilities where staff had taken the early retirement packages. Fortunately, through documentation, third-party contractors and internal staff the information was acquired to complete the design documents.
Once this common viewing system was completed, tested and implemented it paid for itself very quickly. The application software was inexpensive and could be loaded on every user’s workstation, and laptop. The tool, with a user-friendly GUI (see figure 3), on-line help, and on-line symbol/attribute matrix, assisted the users in getting up to speed. The tool has the Microsoft look and feel and, using predefined location queries, the users can access any location, display attribution and field measurements, and print within Toronto Hydro’s service territory. The common viewer proved very beneficial when Toronto Hydro’s union staff went on strike one month after implementation. The non-bargaining unit staff was required to perform critical union employees duties. Since the system was easy to use, the non-bargaining unit office staff where able to support the field staff and customers by being able to view, query and print any facility information of the former six utilities from any workstation.
Figure 3. The common viewer front-end GUI displays the overall Toronto Hydro service territory.
As noted before, this common viewer was implemented as a temporary solution but Toronto Hydro still needed to develop one corporate AM/FM/GIS platform that will meet the needs of the coming changing business environment, and ensure full compatibility with an ERP initiative.
Intergration Plans
Landbase
As part of the monumental integration task, one of the first steps was to develop a single corporate landbase. Each of the utilities received and maintained their own landbase information that they received from various agencies, but there were no common specifications. A landbase team representing users from each region along with a consultant was formed to source and implement a single landbase.
The initial task was developing a user requirement document. This document primarily identified the data classifications and feature priorities, and their data layering. A RFI (Request for Information) was sent out to data providers within the area. This RFI identified Toronto Hydro’s minimal data and service requirements and asked the vendors for the type of additional services they could provide. With the return of the RFI, a RFP (Request for Proposal) was developed that incorporated the proposed additional services.
As part of implementing the corporate landbase, there were several issues of data availability, accuracy, currency, data projection and overall cost. Due to the density and the amount of underground facilities, a very accurate and current planimetric and cadastral foundation along with an intelligent street name, address and centerline for location purposes is required by Toronto Hydro. The data projection issue was a timely consideration, maintaining NAD 27, 3 degree MTM would require the cadastral information to be digressed from NAD 83 to NAD 27 to match the planimetric information. The cadastral information is coming from an existing province wide project. When complete the entire province of Ontario would be in an NAD 83 datum and horizontal accuracy of 3 cm. Unfortunately, not one vendor possessed and maintained all the information required by Toronto Hydro. To be cost-effective, vendors were selected to provide the information they have available without going into a data conversion. As a result from the RFI, and the RFP evaluations, the landbase will maintain a horizontal accuracy of 3 cm and will be projected to NAD 83, 6 degree UTM datum.
It is envisioned to have the digital information loaded directly onto Toronto Hydro’s centralized landbase server. The vendor will update only the information that has been changed within that time period and specialized staff will review and quality control the information before making it accessible to the general users.
Geospatial Systems Integration
Soon after January 1, 1998, the official start of the amalgamation, Toronto Hydro management identified about 200 projects that would be required to integrate the utility’s operations. Geospatial systems integration was one of these and became known as Project #41. A core team with two project managers, one from IT and one from the Engineering Services Department, a project leader and two other core team members was created.
The project was divided into two phases, a feasibility study and implementation plan phase, and an implementation phase. The first phase is complete and the team will be seeking executive approval to proceed with implementation.
The first action that the team took was to engage the help of a consultant for the first phase. There were many reasons for this. Some of these were the need for,
- Expertise in the latest Geospatial technology trends and current configurations used in the electric utility industry,
- Expertise in the integration of Geospatial systems with ERP and other associated systems, for example, outage management,
- Expertise in the impacts of a re-regulated competitive environment on the Geospatial system, and
- A detailed cost/benefit analysis.
- A current environment assessment,
- A strategic scenario analysis,
- An implementation “road map” including a schedule, and
- A cost/benefit analysis.
The team looked at three strategic scenarios.
- Continue to use six separate systems without any harmonization or integration.
- Select one of the existing systems and migrate the others to it.
- Select a new geospatial technology platform and convert existing data to it.
The major activities required to implement scenario 3 were identified and an aggressive schedule developed to have a new platform installed and all of the former utilities’ data migrated by mid 2002.
The schedule developed will dovetail with the schedule for the Enterprise Asset and Resource Management (EARMS) implementation. A VP of Business Transformation was recently appointed to coordinate the implementation of these two projects and address the associated change management issues.
Several assumptions were made to achieve the aggressive schedule. Some of the more important ones were,
- A systems integrator will be used with a conversion/migration contractor subcontracted through the systems integrator,
- Acquisition of a new geospatial technology will be “fast tracked” while maintaining competitive pricing,
- The conversion/migration contractor and the systems integrator will have extensive experience with the selected vendor(s) platform(s),
- No repositioning of facilities will be required as a result of the acquisition of a new land base, and
- Sufficient Toronto Hydro staff resources will be available.