Leveraging GIS Beyond Mapping
John A. Wakefield
Section Lead, Information Technology Systems,
Field Operation Systems
Washington Gas Light Compan
Andy Benedict
President
Vantage Management Solutions, Inc.
Introduction
Over 25 years ago, Washington Gas had a vision of an integrated enterprise information
system that was capable of connecting our physical assets, our customers, and our employees
in a new way. At its center, we envisioned a graphical system where users could manage the
customer relationship, portray our assets accurately and manage them efficiently, and plan
and execute work – truly bringing all aspects of the enterprise together. Any Star Trek fan
will recognize that back then, this vision was akin to using worm holes to connect multiple
parallel universes.
It wasn’t called “GIS” back then, but then, the systems available at that time were capable of
doing little more than “Automated Mapping.” Nevertheless, our vision was persistent, and
we always managed to evolve with and beyond the existing technologies. This paper
describes how Washington Gas has achieved this vision and how we have leveraged GIS
well beyond mapping.
A brief history
As of the mid-1970’s, Washington Gas maintained over 900,000 manual records, coordinate
maps, valve sheets, service record cards, regulator station, and construction drawings. The
process of updating and handling all of these manual records took a force of more than 50
draftspersons and file clerks. While these visual records were adequate for facility
description and location, the process of compiling any type of information for analytical,
statistical or regulatory reporting purposes took great effort and cost. Studies conducted at
that time identified that significant benefits would be gained by automating the mapping
process, and providing better means for extracting critical strategic management information.
With the full blessing of upper management, WG undertook the design and construction of
an state-of-the-art facilities mapping system, aptly named “FMS”. The task of building a
“first generation” GIS is surprisingly similar to what one would need to do today, with the
exception that none of it came out of a shrink-wrapped box. These included:
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Graphical Hardware
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Data Model Development
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Land Base Development
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Pipe and Service Asset Development
Graphical Hardware
The state of the art at that time consisted of mini-computer graphics systems with dedicated
work stations. The primary data itself resided on a main-frame, with a tape-drive transfer
mechanism to handle active data updates. We selected Calma Corporation’s graphic
hardware system, due to its data model flexibility, and ability to interface with our IBM host
computer. The graphics system had a whopping 25 megabytes of storage capability.
Incidentally, Calma was best known for its graphics design capabilities in the manufacturing
of electronic circuit boards.
Data Model Development
Our data model design consisted of three primary partitions – our land base, cultural data,
and our main and services piping system. The land base included building outlines, streets,
sidewalks, driveways and water features. The cultural data augmented the land base with
street names, addresses, and landmarks. Our piping system included distribution and
transmission mains, foreign piping, valves, regulators, and services.
