Field Data Services, Inc – Customized Software for Field Inventory

  • Field Data Services - Underhill Geomatics

  • Field Data Services - Underhill Geomatics

  • Transmission Tower

  • Power Lines - Field Data Services - Underhill Geomatics

  • More Powerlines Field Data Services - Underhill Geomatics

  • Close up of powerlines Field Data Services - Underhill Geomatics

  • Screenshot showing - Underhill Geomatics Distribution Circuit Builder

Date

1996-2001

Sector
Historical Projects, Infrastructure
Services & Technologies
Software Development, Vancouver Office
About This Project

Field Data Services (FDSI) successfully implemented Underhill’s Distribution Circuit Builder (DCB) system on their electrical field inventory projects from 1996 to 2001.

UGSL and FDSI first worked together in 1992 on the Florida Power & Light Field Inventory / Data Conversion project. At that time UGSL developed a field attribute collection system based on the MC-V for facility attribute editing of the existing FPL device database, in the field. The technology of the day could not be made to function quickly enough to compete with existing manual methods, so the system was abandoned. However, in 1996, after seeing Underhill’s Distribution Circuit Builder (DCB) software—later called Copan FM–Electric—operating on a pen-based Windows computer, FDSI was impressed. DCB was customized to incorporate features particular to their field collection methodology. They had approximately 20 systems which they utilized for all of their projects. Each project generally required further customization to meet a particular client’s specifications and requirements. FDSI successfully used their DCB-based system on the following projects:

  • Midamerica Energy – 430,000 poles and primary/secondary attachments inventoried. Delivery in Intergraph.
  • Eugene Water & Electric Board (EWEB) – inventory of 22,500 poles /42,500 meters. Delivery in Smallworld.
  • Northern Indiana Public Service Co. – inventory of 375,000 distribution/13,373 transmission poles and attachments. Delivery in AutoCAD.
  • NewCOM – inventory of 130,000 poles and attachments. Delivery in AutoCAD.
  • Kentucky Utilities – address/secondary reconciliation for 365,000 customers. Delivery in Smallworld.
  • Arizona Public Utility – 177,000 poles with primary/secondary attachments. Delivery in ArcINFO.

Read our paper Field Inventory Approach to Data Conversion presented at CIRED’02.

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