BC Hydro Distribution | GIS Conversion & Field Inventory

Project Snapshot

Project Overview

Introduction

Between 1958 and 1993, Underhill completed over 1,000 projects for BC Hydro and BC Electric Company. The work spanned legal surveying, mapping, GIS conversion, software development, and electrical infrastructure digitization. Underhill was instrumental in helping BC Hydro modernize its utility asset records across British Columbia.

GeoFacilities Information System (GFIS) Conversion

In 1991, Underhill Geographic Systems Ltd. (UGSL) was awarded key divisions of BC Hydro’s GFIS migration project, including Metro Vancouver and Vancouver Island. The project was recognized as one of the most ambitious GIS conversion efforts in the utility industry at the time.

Project Highlights:

• Digitized over 1.5 million overhead and underground facilities 
• Covered 5,500 map sheets across BC’s most populated regions 
• Achieved 100% digital model accuracy and 99% source document fidelity 
• Developed custom software for digitizing and quality control 
• Operated 24/7 shifts on IBM PS/2 workstations and 4381 mainframes 
• Integrated land data digitized in Intergraph MicroStation with electric utility records 

Field Inventory of Overhead Facilities

Underhill also delivered a field inventory of 184,435 poles and devices across cities like Vancouver, Surrey, Coquitlam, and Abbotsford. The team:

• Trained over 25 field staff 
• Built custom attribute collection software 
• Developed QA tools for automated validation and editing 
• Delivered outputs to GFIS-compatible formats 

Joint Use Administration System

In 1991, Underhill was contracted by the Joint Use Administration (JUA)—a partnership between BC Hydro and BC Tel—to digitize and manage records for 800,000 shared utility poles.

• Developed a first-generation mobile system using handheld MC-V data collectors 
• Enabled offline edits and synchronized uploads to Hydro’s DB/2 mainframe 

Follow-On GIS Projects

In 1993 and again in 2001, Underhill continued its role as a trusted GIS partner to BC Hydro:

• Delivered conversion and field inventory in Golden, Revelstoke, Lillooet, Cache Creek 
• Supported migration from IBM GFIS to GE Smallworld (EGIS) 
• Supplied skilled operators on-site at Hydro’s Burnaby office for Smallworld conversion 

Project Impact

• Digitized and validated over 1.5 million utility assets 
• Supported BC Hydro’s transition from analog maps to enterprise-grade GIS 
• Enabled faster infrastructure planning, more accurate field operations, and inter-agency coordination 

Delivered scalable tools that became the foundation for later GIS systems like Copan FM – Electric