How to Improve Operational Efficiency for Utility Workers?

Abstract

Utility companies use several enterprise back office management solutions such as Innovaptive, SAP, and Salesforce, and connect to their frontline workers through their respective mobile workforce management applications for real-time data capture, immediate assignment of new work, and improved data accuracy.

In most mobile workforce management applications, enhanced map control with offline capabilities that allow workers to visualize and manage assets and work locations is missing. Hence the field crew has to spend more time updating data, which is mostly redundant, in multiple applications.

Cyient’s GIS adaptor can provide seamless integration of the map with the mobile workflow that streamlines work activities to better manage assets.

Problem Definition

Mobile workforce management applications in most enterprise solutions need enhanced map control with offline capabilities that allow workers to visualize and manage assets and work locations.

High-Level Solution

Cyient’s GIS Adaptor facilitates frontline users with all Esri GIS capabilities from work orders, operations, and notifications to equipment and functional locations. Field workers open the GIS adaptor to access the work location and initiate actions directly from the assets shown on the map.

Solution Details

The proposed solution, Cyient’s GIS Adaptor, offers the following features:

Locate assets accurately and quickly
Understand asset connectivity and interdependency
Look up asset characteristics
Record work and defect locations
Sketch, redline, mark up, and create clear as-built drawings fast
Support native experience with iOS, Android, and Windows platforms
Offline-GIS out-of-the-box capability
Insulation from Esri SDK version changes and end-of-life
Support and handling of new versions of the Esri SDK to ensure users stay in support and avoid upgrade issues with constant retirement of Esri SDKs

Provision of business-object-specific tools on top of the SDK
Provision of map configurability, business object mappings, GIS layers included, without code
Reuse of adaptor configurations on any platform, making the app’s map part instantly multi-platform
Light integration with any app product to facilitate easy upgrades to the app or adaptor without adverse impact on the other app
GIS adaptor is driven by configuration, not custom code, making it easy to adapt to each customer’s needs
Provision of solution for managing on-device storage requirements
Integration with customer’s security model

Work smarter

Viewing assets on the map enables field workers to see them in their true location relative to connected assets and customer locations. Crews can avoid unnecessary trips to assets that don’t require maintenance and see other crew locations on the map for better coordination and mutual aid.

Improve data

GIS and enterprise asset data is synchronized and delivered online and offline. Workers can update asset information during installation or maintenance.

Save time

With a single application for mapping and work, crews spend less time on the screen and more time installing and maintaining assets. Office workers can spend less time re-keying information from paper forms, reducing processing time.

Case Study

Mobile Asset Management for Gas Transmission System

Critigen delivered GIS integration and map control for an asset management mobile application for a US-based combined natural gas and electric utility major.

As a result, 300 end users had a fully integrated, easy-to-use application that sped up their preventative and corrective maintenance programs for gas transmission compressors. The application also enhanced data quality, making regulatory compliance simpler for the utility. Using Critigen’s Geocache technology, end users were able to work effortlessly in remote areas in offline mode without any intervention on their part.

A field crew member commented, “Being able to see my work on an interactive map on my iPad as well as being able to start, work on, and complete my work orders made a huge difference to my workday.”

Mobile Asset Management for Gas Transmission System

Use Case Flow

S.No	Actor	Use Case
1	Work order creation	Created by the dispatcher based on case details and work type
2	Work order scheduling and dispatch	a. Dispatcher reviews the work order and updates the service. b. Work order is assigned and scheduled to an appropriate service resource automatically by the SFS scheduling function.
3	Scheduler	a. Scheduler auto-sends geocodes and work order details. b. Scheduler pushes work order/line items with geocodes to SFS mobile app.
4	SFS-Esri adaptor	SFS-Esri adaptor generates an offline map (Swift) and downloads selected area of the map to the device.
5	Deep link	Deep linking URI scheme for field service mobile app
6	Work order execution (crew)	a. Field user installs the SFS-Esri mobile adaptor (pre-requisite for the proposed). b. Field user logs into SFS mobile app and views the work order details c. Crew service resource receives work order from SFS and travels to site, makes an assessment, executes the work, and captures work completion details. d. Can navigate from SFS to Esri app (deep link between both the apps) e. The online/offline Esri app enables the crew to: See the assets to work on. See nearby assets/defects. Capture missing assets. View/hide GIS layers as required. Use markup/redlining and other core GIS features. See nearby work (fill in work). f. Work order status is updated and completion details are sent back to SFS.
7	Online auto check	SFS-Esri adaptor auto checks app movement from offline to online and uploads respective field input data to Esri and SFS DB.
8	Integration with Esri and SFS	Sync from Esri to SFS with geocodes and asset details.

Improving Operational Efficiency for Frontline Utility Workers
Utility companies can work smarter, provide better data to frontline workers, and save processing and maintenance time with map control and offline capabilities