Mobile Mapping and Enterprisewide Field Computing

Mobile Mapping and Enterprisewide Field Computing

Scott R. Rogers
Operation Systems Technology Manager
Allegheny Power
800 Cabin Hill Drive
Greensburg, PA 15601
(724) 838-6344, (724) 830-5931
Email : srogers@alleghenypower.com

Introduction
Allegheny Power is an investor own utility serving a 29,000 square mile area in parts of Pennsylvania, Ohio, Virginia, West Virginia, and Maryland. Approximately 900 construction workers serve 1.4 million customers.

As part of a major restructuring effort in 1996, three major operational computer systems were implemented: Severn Trent Work Management, M3I Outage Management and Smallworld AM/FM (GIS). During this effort Mobile Computing was identified as a key technology that could be implemented to further extend the benefits derived from the major systems. However, early in the analysis phase it was determined that the major systems had to be in place before a Mobile Computing program could be effectively implemented. As a result, the program was put on hold until early 1997.

When the program was restarted, the Mobile Computing Team agreed that other types of mobile applications were valuable and should be considered for the future (including GIS and Outage Management), but the real interest at that point was the development of a work management system. Extending a work management system to the field promised major productivity gains stemming from increased efficiencies. The mobile work management system would provide each crew with a daily list of scheduled work to which timekeeping and as-built information could be reported. This information would be sent to and from the mobile units in a daily batch process. The system would completely eliminate the paper reporting process in place at the time. A vendor was selected and development began.

What we learned right away, though, is that it is difficult to take a large, office-based system and attempt to mold it into a field tool. The process of trying to adapt our existing work management system to the field posed a number of problems, particularly in terms of moving data between the office and the crews. After working on the project for a number of months, we realized that what we needed was software designed specifically for mobile settings – software that interfaced with our office system but provided functionality suited to the field. Ease of use was key.

This was a lesson that would guide us during the next year of development. At that time, Allegheny Power was already providing a high level of customer service and was heavily automated in the office. Like most utilities, we are (and was at that time) looking for ways to get stronger and more efficient in the face of impending competition. How, then, would we find major new sources of productivity gain and provide even higher levels of customer service?

A big part of the answer, we decided, involved automating activities that have resisted automation in the past. These activities tend to be “field operations” tasks that are highly mobile in character.

Having already determined that pen computing hardware had evolved to a point where it could support demanding field applications, Allegheny Power decided to broaden its field initiative. In 1998, we selected and began working with three vendors specializing in different types of field applications: M3i (outage management), MapFrame (GIS), and PAD Systems (mobile work management). We also decided on computer hardware, selecting Walkabout Computer’s Hammerhead pen tablet. Designed specifically for use in outdoor settings and weighing only about three and a half pounds, this high performance tablet computer can be used in or outside a vehicle.

Mobile Mapping
As was stated previously, the primary focus of the Mobile Computing Program was work management. Initially, we viewed mobile GIS in a fairly narrow way. I was clear after talking to our users, however, that getting a mapping system out to the field had to become a priority. Any paper maps in existence at that time were not being updated and the new Smallworld GIS did not have the capability to generate paper maps for field crews. A mobile mapping system would be more than a replacement for paper maps, of course; it would also provide the ability to access facilities data at the job-site or quickly find an object or location. Still, mapping would be a stand-alone application without any connection to outage management or mobile work management.

A potential stumbling block to implementing mobile mapping was data size. Although Allegheny Power is divided into service centers, the mobile team felt strongly that facilities data for the entire service territory should be loaded on each pen computer. Since Allegheny Power’s service territory is contiguous, there would be times when it would be extremely helpful to have access to data through the entire 29,000 square mile area. In its native Smallworld format, though, the Allegheny Power facilities database is approximately 27 Gigabytes -- obviously much larger than any mobile computer can handle.

One solution would have been to simplify the format, but we wanted to maintain the full information content of the mobile GIS with access to graphics and attribute data. Simplifying would mean turning the information into a “picture only” format.

To solve this problem, MapFrame compressed the GIS data using a variety of compact data representation techniques. The result is a 450 Megabyte database that resides in MapFrame’s FieldSmart Viewer and can be quickly accessed on the Hammerhead.

The mapping system was deployed in the spring of 1999. Prior to this, it took about eight months working closely with MapFrame to customize the software. The result is a highly flexible system that provides multiple ways to quickly find a location or an object. For example, field crews can:

Enter a structure or pole number and the system will zoom to the object;
Display a circuit by selecting from a pulldown list of circuit names;
Select a substation from a list and then display all circuits associated with that substation;
Enter a street address; the map will zoom to it.
Enter a customer account number, the system will locate the customer on the map;
Select a city or town name from a list; the system then displays a map centered on that location.

Other useful features include the ability to display a detailed map of a selected area showing structures and their attributes (with compatible unit code, phasing information, etc.) This lets field crews evaluate the relationship of structures to one another, a helpful tool in maintenance and repair activities.

The application’s prime source of landbase and facilities data is Allegheny Power’s Smallworld GIS. But, since the company also wanted address-matching capabilities in the field, MapFrame integrated a commercial street database (Geographic Data Technology) with the existing data. MapFrame’s Mobile Geographic Workspace handles the flow of data between the office and the pen computers. Approximately five hundred crews are using the system.

Field personnel like mobile mapping because it gives them access to task-specific information in a form that is easy to use. In addition to pulldown lists, FieldSmart Viewer features “gestures” – simple marks you make directly on the pen computer screen. For example, you can zoom in on a map by drawing a circle around the area of interest. And you zoom out by writing a “Z” on the screen. It’s easy to retrieve attribute data by tapping on a map symbol.

Application Integration
It was the success of mobile GIS that led Allegheny Power to think about taking field computing to the next level. An integrated field system with mapping as its backbone would provide a spatial reference common to all applications. Whether repairing facilities or reporting job information or inspection poles, users could quickly and easily access GIS data. In essence, the map viewing application would “disappear” as a separate program, emerging, instead, as part of the larger task at hand.

Integrating the various field applications would also have the benefit of providing users with software that appears to be a single system instead of a group of separate programs. With a common interface, training and communications would be much easier.

To further this goal, Allegheny Power contracted with both MapFrame and M3I to integrate their software. At this point, mobile work management and outage management – while still undergoing development – were nearing completion. PAD Systems' PadWorks^TM mobile work management software was proving to be highly effective in terms of moving data between the office and the field. And M3I’s SkyviewTM outage management system would soon provide us with the ability to quickly identify, locate, and track outages as well as communicate estimated repair times to customers.

Allegheny Power played an active role during the integration process, managing the project internally. The process took about six months and was technically difficult, but we had a strong vision of what we wanted. Our role was to enforce that vision.

Results
The results, we think, are impressive. Field personnel now have a single package that gives them access to GIS data and also provides real-time vehicle location information displayed on facilities maps. The system is set up so field crews receive detail circuit information on their pen computers during an outage situation. The mapping and outage management applications are so tightly integrated that when someone taps an item on the list, the map automatically zooms to the trouble point. The system is being used in both Allegheny Power’s dispatch center and the crew trucks.

Getting vehicle location information to the field provides both safety and productivity benefits. For example, during a storm outage, the map provides a “picture” of activity at other locations that could affect the decision to energize a line. Or, in a repair situation where a special piece of equipment is needed, field personnel can quickly check the map to find the closest truck carrying the required equipment.

As hoped for, the new system is easy to learn and use, and is resulting in increased productivity in mobile settings. Plus, there are direct benefits to customers both in terms of more and better information communicated and faster repair times. With everything completed except the integration of PadWORKS and Skyview (this process is underway), Allegheny Power feels that all the major goals of the field initiative have been met.

Lessons Learned
What are the lessons we learned during this project? First, as I mentioned earlier, we think it is important to find solutions designed specifically for the field. Trying to adapt a desktop solution to a mobile setting is frustrating. Plus, in our experience, you won’t get the results you want in terms of having a finely tuned application that is easy for field personnel to use.

Second, spatial data is an important foundation for almost every type of work done outside the office. The spatial character of the field – the “what” and “where” aspect of operations tasks – calls for the inclusion of facilities information to optimize the effectiveness of mobile applications.

Third, integration is difficult, but it is worth it. A single application with a common interface that conceals the complexity of the underlying programs will yield the best results in terms of “people performance.’’ Plus, it takes significantly fewer company resources to both train personnel and gain acceptance for this new technology. Where do we go from here?

Recently, we began working on a new field application – mobile distribution design. This MapFrame application lets distribution planners create a drawing at the work- site based on Allegheny Power’s compatible units database. As the drawing is being created, the system automatically generates a material list and cost estimates. Mobile design will interface with Allegheny Power’s work management and materials management systems as well as the Smallworld GIS.

Would we do this again? Based on the results, yes. It’s important to keep in mind, though, that – at this time – no one vendor has all the answers and none of the mobile computing elements comes in the form of an off-the-shelf solution. To succeed in developing an integrated field system, an organization has to have the resources to manage all aspects of the project. I would also recommend selecting vendors who are willing to work together and share your vision of field automation.