Mobile mapping, GIS provide right information to those who need it

Geographic information systems (GIS) contains information vital to the business. A shortcoming of this type of system is that the information is not readily available to the company's mobile workforce. However, mobile mapping solutions fill this void.

GIS systems are repositories of useful business information for any company that uses such systems. For utilities and telecommunications companies alike, the information contained in these systems provides the company with a repository of its core assets in a spatially enabled manner. The ability to locate linear assets such as cables and optical fibre runs is important to any utility and can save a company from unplanned outages, as many utility operations managers regularly experience. The results of a contractor's excavator digging in the wrong place due to incorrect records can cause severe outages, with resulting loss of revenue and goodwill.

Systems such as GE's Smallworld are large and complex though, and the data is usually available to planners and high-level operations people. The mobile technician, on the other hand, relies on paper copies that may or may not be up-to-date or they depend on local knowledge. For a new person to get up to speed in a specific area without local knowledge is difficult, however, and can lead to a dip in productivity. In fact, by not implementing a solution that can provide mapping information to the field, utilities and telecoms companies may be missing out on an opportunity to make their mobile technicians much more effective in network maintenance and customer service. Powertech IST and its partners provide a way of solving this problem by enabling the mobile workforce through the use of a mobile mapping solution.

The concept of mobile mapping differs from GIS by way of focus. GIS is usually implemented on high-end desktop machines with high-powered server infrastructure providing the database backing. While this allows for good functionality, it is difficult to provide to mobile users due to a combination of computing power and bandwidth limitations in the context of mobile solutions. Mobile mapping allows for GIS information to be made available to the mobile workforce, using a “map centric” approach. This approach means that the data is selected, compressed and formatted to display on a mobile map. It is important to understand that mobile mapping is not an alternative to GIS; in fact, the two types of systems complement each other.

'Mobile users' as referred to here are workers who may do a variety of work in the field, such as infrastructure maintenance, repairs, planning, engineering work or even GIS maintenance. A key enabler for the mobile user is a mobile device suitable for the user's role. These devices will range from a ruggedised Smartphone to a ruggedised PDA through to a ruggedised laptop.

A mobile solution necessitates integration to get maximum value from the solution. Mobile mapping solutions are no exception to this. The most obvious integration target is with the enterprise's GIS system. A mobile mapping system such as GE MapFrame's FieldSmart sources its data from the GIS master and is agnostic regarding the technology used in the master, be it GE Smallworld, ESRI or any other system.

The mobile mapping server packages the GIS data in a compressed format and maintains it for use by the mobile workforce. FieldSmart's mobile client applications use data from the system's Field Flow Manager server component and cache the data on the mobile device to save on bandwidth and improve performance. The mobile user will use the mapping system to perform different tasks to support his/her primary work function. This can include navigation, network information, redlining and data maintenance.

It is here that the strength of the mobile mapping system comes to the fore: it can be structured and configured according to the client's requirements to include not just GIS data, but also data coming from aerial imaging systems such as Raster, Autocad, Microstation and many more. For instance, if a utility has a large section of legacy infrastructure with schematics dating back decades or even a century, scans of the old documents can form part and parcel of the information accessible to the user. The data on the mobile device is kept up-to-date by the mobile mapping server by downloading the dataset on install and then providing deltas of the GIS data on an 'as-required' basis, typically daily, weekly or even after major updates to the GIS data.

With the right tools in place, the field users can use the GIS data to previously impossible levels. Finding assets and accessing important information regarding the assets is another benefit. If the mobile user detects any discrepancies between the system information and the real world, he/she can use redlining to highlight where there are differences and flag these for follow-up by a supervisor, manager or GIS operator.

A system such as FieldSmart takes the concept further and allows the mobile user to make personal notes relating to the map information and to share such notes with his own work group, for instance. Local knowledge is therefore gathered, stored and shared in a structured way. It is also possible to use routing functions to navigate from one enterprise asset to another. Integrating the mobile mapping solution with a mobile workforce management system such as Ventyx's Service Suite will add another dimension, with Service Suite managing the mobile workforce's work order assignments and FieldSmart providing the mobile user with a map-based display of work orders together with the company's infrastructure.

The traditional gap between the GIS system and the field worker is shrinking. The benefits of this are improved productivity, better automation of processes and, as a result, improved GIS data. All of these ultimately lead to more satisfied customers and better revenue at the end of the financial year. According to GE, eight of the top ten utility companies in the United States have already invested in a mobile mapping solution and are reaping the benefits. The tools are available to allow field workers to lift their game and to become more productive and competitive.