Terry Maxey, Indus International Inc.

Enterprise asset management (EAM) solutions are at the core of a utility's operating environment, in conjunction with geographic information systems (GIS), customer information systems (CIS), outage management, and supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) systems. This month EL&P invited Terry Maxey, vice president and PassPort product manager for Indus International, to provide the basics on this subject.

Asset and maintenance management are important in extending the useful life of the utility's infrastructure while minimizing the cost of ownership in an increasingly competitive business climate. The ideal EAM system should provide a scalable, comprehensive solution to cover all work management, materials management, procurement, and safety and compliance activities associated with utility assets. The system should combine predictive, preventive, condition-based, and reliability-centered maintenance approaches, while optimizing the maintenance, repair, and operations (MRO) supply chain. Additionally, the EAM solution should include comprehensive functionality in e-procurement, mobile computing, electronic document management systems (EDMS), imaging, electronic forms, and workflow.

Many energy utilities share a vision of using GIS as a central function. How can they best optimize their GIS technology?

Experience has shown that effective integration with both EAM and an EDMS solution helps maximize utility return on GIS investments by providing the ability to access, use, display, and manage spatial data. This integration enables engineering, field, and customer-facing personnel to utilize links that optimize their performance, from design engineering and project planning, to fieldwork and customer service activities.

What is the value of integrating EAM and GIS systems?

A two-way integration between GIS and EAM systems offers value to users by linking the GIS system's graphical view and the EAM system's textual view of assets, the consistent representation of assets to all users, and the integration of work processes that require information from both systems.

Give our readers an example of how work process integration between EAM and GIS would work.

Design and new construction, service requests and outage management, maintenance and GIS-initiated work, and facilities and equipment databases are key integration areas for EAM and GIS systems.

For example, integration of a GIS system with the EAM system's design tools ensures the highest efficiency of design process and most effective use of the engineering designer's time. The need for a design is registered in the EAM system, and reference data such as compatible units and equipment ID data is provided to the GIS system. Typically the design alternatives are developed in the GIS system and supporting design tools. These design alternatives are transferred back to the EAM system for full cost estimation and authorization work. After approval, the design is converted to work order tasks, and the tasks are tracked through to completion. After construction has been completed, the "as-built' design is incorporated into GIS plant maps. Equipment ID data is then used to support maintenance activities. Detailed data for depreciation and capitalization of assets is shared by the EAM system with the utility's ERP/financial system.

Can mobile computing play a role in this integration?

Absolutely. Mobile computing can be used by field workers in "real time" for service order or trouble ticket-related work processes unique to the EAM system, and also to enable designers to conduct "field design" in the GIS system.

How does a document management system fit into the mix?

The EDMS system should provide integration of easily built workflows for the approval processes, and historical access to documents and prior processes. EAM, GIS, and EDMS systems, in coordination with reengineered workflows that utilize the integrated technologies, maximize the value of information to all utility personnel and maintain data integrity from work request to closure.

Are there differences in document management technologies?

A well-architected EDMS system does not rely upon OLE links to access documents. Systems that rely on OLE links do not guarantee the level of system integrity that ensures users are looking at the correct version of the document. For example if during the execution of a work order an OSHA reportable incident occurs, it is vital to be able to audit the versions of documents which were used at the time the documents were attached to the work order, rather than viewing a subsequent versions of the documents.

How are the EAM, GIS, EDMS, and other systems physically tied together?

Enterprise application integration (EAI) is an open integration approach recognized by utilities and software vendors as providing a valuable common baseline of integrated modules. This standardization provides utilities with the maximal degree of vendor choice and lowers their total cost of ownership. Vendors benefit by ensuring flexibility to adapt to emerging technologies and new software solutions. An open EAI architecture may occasionally be incorporated in a hybrid approach with point-to-point application programming interfaces (APIs).

Where can I find this type of integrated solution?

As part of its work with numerous electric, gas, and water utilities, Indus International has developed an integration framework and functional capabilities in its core EAM solution to support the use of GIS and EDMS capabilities across a wide range of utility functions. The Indus strategy for enterprise application integration (EAI) is delivered via IndusConnect, which exchanges business data with applications such as GIS in an industry standard format.

So which system is really at the "center" of utility operations?

In reality, there is no center. EAM and GIS systems are among a host of mission-critical applications joined together through an open integration framework. In the competitive utility environment today, information and asset management systems must be fully leveraged to enable the workforce to maximize the value of the installed asset base, and to maximize the value of the workforce's time.