Utility companies face the challenge of managing large datasets of assets and customers while ensuring information is accessible to those who need it—across the organization, to field crews, the public, and more. Often, data resides in legacy systems, requiring significant manual effort to process and analyze. This is why automated data integration workflows can greatly improve operational efficiency and help deliver better services.
By automatically integrating data, organizations and GIS teams can fully understand their network, optimize workflows, and manage risks in real time. Here are a few examples of how a modern data integration platform can help:
- Integrate asset management and automate data flows between Esri, GE Smallworld, Cityworks, and other platforms.
- Manage distributed networks and field crews in real time.
- Leverage new sensor technologies and live data feeds.
- Automate hazard detection and reporting for quicker response times.
- Enhance the customer experience while saving resources with automated digital solutions.
- Automate and streamline services like ‘Call Before You Dig’.
Below are real-world examples of utility companies worldwide using data integration and automation to improve their operations and deliver better services.
Learn more about FME Data Integration Solutions for Utilities
1. Achieve operational efficiency
Operate more efficiently by automating data integration, validation, and transformation processes across diverse systems and formats. Build FME workflows to streamline tasks like asset management, quality control, and permit processing, enabling faster decision-making, reduced manual effort, and improved data accuracy.
Planview Utility Services Ltd. created the award-winning Broadband One Window (BOW) project, a unified platform for Internet Service Providers, Local Distribution Companies, and municipalities to coordinate and expedite broadband delivery. They also use FME to automate 95% of their Damage Prevention processes and save over 1000 hours annually on pre-engineering requests. Learn more about how Planview expedites broadband delivery
Electra fully automated their “Before You Dig” inquiry process, reducing monthly processing time from 156 hours to just 4 hours. This automation streamlined the handling of 209 monthly requests, allowing the GIS team to focus on higher-value tasks and improving operational efficiency to support their 45,000+ customers. Learn more about how Electra reduces request processing time
Eau 17, a water distribution service in southwest France, automates the quality control and integration of 200 km of annual topographic maps, reducing processing time to a fifth of the original. This streamlined process enables real-time control, fewer manual interventions, and a more intuitive workflow, significantly improving efficiency. Learn more about how Eau 17 cuts map processing time
2. Optimize asset management
Achieve better asset management by automating data integration, validation, and transformation across systems like GIS and asset management platforms, such as Esri, GE Smallworld, Cityworks, and more. FME enables real-time updates, anomaly detection, and seamless data workflows, ensuring accurate, efficient, and actionable insights for managing infrastructure assets.
Saint John Energy automates data integration between Cityworks and ArcGIS, streamlining electrical asset management and work order processes. This enables real-time updates, reduces errors, and enhances operational efficiency for both field technicians and administrators. Learn more about how Saint John Energy enhances asset management
Georgia Power Metering Services streamlined meter replacement, reducing replacement time from 4 months to 1 week. They also used FME to detect financial discrepancies, uncovering $2.5 million in unbilled revenue, and generated actionable business intelligence by analyzing and integrating data across various systems. Learn more about how Georgia Power Metering Services streamlined meter replacement
3. Process data in real-time
Process data in real time by integrating IoT sensors, automating workflows, and synchronizing systems like GIS and outage management platforms. FME enables rapid data processing, transformation, and event-triggered actions, enhancing decision-making, improving operational efficiency, and ensuring reliable service delivery.
AltaLink, which manages Alberta’s electrical grid, automates real-time data synchronization between its GIS and EMS systems, eliminating manual processes and system downtime. This transformation enhances grid reliability, improves operational efficiency, and supports proactive maintenance, ensuring seamless electricity delivery. Learn more about how AltaLink automates Alberta’s electrical grid
Electra integrates IoT Phase Loss Sensor data with their outage management system, enabling real-time monitoring of the low-voltage network. This automation enhances outage identification, improves customer service, and provides a scalable solution for managing millions of sensors. Learn more about how Electra enables real-time power outage monitoring
PNM, the largest electricity provider in New Mexico, automates GIS tasks like data QA/QC, outage reporting, and error checking, delivering accurate, value-added data every 10 minutes. These automations save time, enhance decision-making, and minimize costs. Learn more about how PNM enhances decision-making and streamlines processes with FME
4. Embrace new technologies
Embrace new technologies by automating integration with drones, IoT sensors, emerging platforms, and more. FME helps to streamline adoption by enabling seamless data integration, reducing manual effort, and ensuring compatibility with evolving technologies.
Alabama Power Company automates drone flight planning, 3D route visualization, and post-processing of UAV imagery for inspections and storm evaluations. This enhances safety, reduces costs, and streamlines data collection, storage, and distribution for efficient decision-making. Learn more about how Alabama Power Company automates drone flights and post-processing
5. Modernize datasets and systems
Future-proof the organization and infrastructure by transforming legacy datasets into formats compatible with modern platforms. FME makes it easier to keep GIS and asset management systems up to date, automate quality control, and harmonize data across disparate systems.
Enugu Electricity Distribution Company modernized their legacy database by creating a GIS-based Electrical Assets Mapping and Consumer Indexing system. This streamlined data processing, improved asset tracking, reduced electricity theft, and increased their customer base and revenue. Learn more about how EEDC increased data quality and upgraded their legacy systems
Énergir modernized gas pipeline inspections by eliminating paper dependency and automating data processing, which enabled real-time progress monitoring. This streamlined leak detection activities, optimized patrol routes, reduced costs, and enhanced decision-making, significantly improving operational efficiency. Learn more about how Énergir maximized pipeline inspection efficiency
Devon Energy replaced tedious manual effort by centralizing their spatial system stores and displaying SCADA data on a map for easy access. Automated transformation and validation processes ensure information is accurate regardless of where or how it was originally stored. Users can now quickly access information from anywhere. Learn more about how Devon Energy enhanced efficiency with a modernized data store
6. Improve disaster response and preparedness
Enhance disaster response and preparedness by automating real-time monitoring of weather events, assessing risks to critical infrastructure, and generating actionable reports. FME enables predictive impact analysis, streamlines emergency notifications, and provides stakeholders with detailed geospatial insights for faster, data-driven decision-making during crises.
FortisBC automates the integration of wildfire data with their asset management system, providing real-time insights into threats to customers and infrastructure. This streamlined process enhanced decision-making, enabling quick actions by Operations Managers and Emergency Responders to mitigate wildfire risks effectively. Learn more about how FortisBC automates wildfire threat assessment
Powerlink Queensland automates its Emergency Management system, monitoring severe weather events and analyzing risks to infrastructure. This system streamlines emergency response by reducing handling time from days to hours, providing stakeholders with real-time, data-driven reports and actionable insights. Learn more about how Powerlink Queensland automates emergency preparedness
KiwiRail rapidly assessed infrastructure damage after Cyclone Gabrielle, streamlining photo analysis across hundreds of kilometers of railway infrastructure. This automated process used FME and ArcGIS Online to significantly accelerate their crisis response. Learn more about how KiwiRail enabled a rapid response to Cyclone Gabrielle
7. Enable self-serve data upload and download
Enable self-serve data upload and download by automating validation, transformation, and integration of user-submitted data. FME helps to ensure compliance with data models, provides instant feedback on errors, and simplifies data sharing, reducing manual processing and improving data accuracy for seamless collaboration.
NamPower integrates spatial data from multiple systems into a live SCADA dashboard, enabling staff to access critical powerline activity data from any device. This solution improves decision-making during emergencies and streamlines updates to their GIS for accurate, real-time information. Learn more about how NamPower built a live powerline activity web dashboard
Yarra Valley Water automates the validation and transformation of engineering drawings submitted by contractors, ensuring accurate updates to their GIS database. This self-serve solution streamlines data management, reduces manual intervention, and meets the demands of their growing customer base. Learn more about how Yarra Valley Water enables self-serve data
Hampton Roads Sanitation District centralizes wastewater collection data from 14 localities, automating validation and updates to ensure data accuracy. This streamlined process saves time and provides a comprehensive view for planning and reducing environmental impact. Learn more about how Hampton Roads Sanitation District centralizes data
Further Reading
With automated data integration workflows, utility companies can focus on innovation, sustainability, and exceptional service delivery. Whether you’re looking to improve operational efficiency and asset management, enhance disaster response, adopt new technologies, or all of the above, FME provides the tools needed to deliver reliable services and adapt to future demands.
[Article] Esri ArcGIS Pro Utility Network Migration Tools in FME
[Article] FME & CIM XML for Electric Utilities
