Real-Time Data Access

Decatur Utilities in Alabama recently upgraded its IT to provide all 165 of its employees with up-to-date network and customer data, a move that will reduce labour cost and improve outage response. The comprehensive solution, based on GIS technology from Esri and Esri partner 3-GIS, allows utility staff to access, update, and share information in real time throughout the company.

Decatur Utilities, a city-owned utility, provides service to more than 22,000 residential customers and 3,000 businesses. In keeping with its mission statement "to provide safe, reliable utility services at the lowest possible rate and meet the needs of customers and employees," Decatur Utilities operators see GIS as an opportunity to reduce cost and better address data management.

"We worked with Decatur Utilities to implement a comprehensive solution that could be seamlessly configured to the existing geodatabase, expanding not only the functionality but the administrative levels as well," said Tom Counts, president of 3-GIS. "The utility is now up and running with a thin-client web editing tool; a browser-based, fully functional edit application; and a mobile solution that can be deployed in a variety of devices."