Considerations for the Successful Integration of an electric distribution geospatial application
with other enterprise solutions
Karen Ball
Intergraph Utilities & Communications
Mailstop: LR23B2
241 Disk Drive
Madison, Alabama 35758
Jim Hayes
Sacramento Municipal Utility District
Mailstop: A301
Sacramento, California 95819-4628
Abstract
This presentation will use a case study of the Sacramento Municipal Utility District
(SMUD) AM/FM/GIS system to discuss various aspects of system integration. Examples
from SMUD’s Service Delivery Information Technology (SDIT) environment and its
interface points with other applications will be used to support the discussion.
Integrating geospatial applications with other enterprise systems can bring critical data
from multiple sources to maximize benefits to an electric utility. However, integration
can also involve tradeoffs as the individual components are being implemented.
Decisions of core functionality vs. interoperability or complexity vs. usability must be
made carefully to ensure the best overall solution.
System integration impacts the geospatial application’s software lifecycle through all
project phases – from definition to deployment and into support and maintenance.
Looking beyond the technological aspects of the solution, integration impacts business
processes and often drives organizational changes.
The importance of people to the accomplishment of any integration attempt will be
stressed. Team members should be knowledgeable in their areas of expertise, be able to
communicate with others within the team, and remain constantly aware of the potential
for interdependencies. The success level is increased if key individuals can make a longterm
commitment to the integration effort.
