Leveraging FME to centralize and optimize property data for Hydro-Québec

The PMD sought a solution to manage properties and rights as efficiently as possible

Hydro-Québec is the second largest landlord in Quebec, owning 62 hydroelectric plants and 671 dams; an electric transport network, a power grid, and 6,000 properties. The Property Management Department (PMD) of Hydro-Québec has a huge responsibility to manage the information relating to all these properties and property rights.

When the Quebec government launched a cadastral reform program, the PMD saw it as an opportunity to create a centralized digital database that would include all information relating to Hydro-Québec’s properties and property rights.

This was a challenging project as it would require digitizing all data appearing on approximately 3000 paper plans. In addition, this complex information, as well as accompanying structures, had to be saved in a central database equipped with spatial objects that help import the renovated cadastre, property rights polygons, property assessment centroids, and the company’s infrastructure position.

The PMD used FME to digitize and integrate data into a central database

First, Consortech helped the PMD team digitize their property drawings and property rights representations in AutoCAD while also building a connection to their Oracle database to directly integrate the information extracted from the drawings. This helped eliminate delays between file entries and the subsequent graphical representations for end users. Consortech also developed an automated loading and processing tool within the Oracle database to seamlessly incorporate ongoing updates.

Over the course of the project, the PMD’s GIS technicians recognized an opportunity to extract data for integration and cross-referencing with various external sources. This strategy allowed them to enhance their database by incorporating a vast array of data from government departments, private enterprises, and other organizations.

Today, the PMD is better equipped to quickly deal with numerous requests related to real estate properties and produce complex maps, reports, and files, including KPI and management dashboards, vegetation control, pest and insect location, handling of KMZ files, and more.