A study made by ESRI, a geographic information system (GIS) software industry firm, is assessing the smart grid readiness of utilities.

According to Bill Meehan, ESRI's director of utility solutions and author of the study's base survey, GIS is known for handling telecommunication networks and traditional electric transmission/distribution."We want to help utilities assess their own systems and, at the same time, gain insight into what services and products we should provide to meet the industry's changing needs," he said.

The survey asks participants questions regarding GIS data like the completeness of GIS data; what best describes their utility company; how they would rate completeness of GIS data in terms of electrical connectivity and overhead secondary; what best describes their data management and design process and what best describes their GIS field mobility practices, to name a few.

Smart grid refers to the application of communication and computer technology to electric networks so that it can help consumers control energy use and to make the energy supply more reliable and more affordable.

GIS technology enables manipulating data in many ways to reveal relationships, patterns, and trends.

ESRI’s GIS technology is designed to help in producing smart grid elements like data management, analysis and mobile applications, among others.


-   Sunshine T. Santiago