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Crisis Management: How to Beat the Odds and Come Out a Hero
A crisis does not have to be a catastrophe. Utilities worldwide are on constant alert. Threats abound: hurricanes, typhoons, wildfires, lightning strikes, extreme temperature, intense wind, floods, ice, local activism, terrorism. The odds are against you. With Space-Time Insight, you can immediately increase the effectiveness of the systems you already have, leverage your existing IT investments and simultaneously improve your crisis management and proactive mitigation. How? With a geospatial composite application that automatically integrates data and functionality from all the relevant sources in real-time, correlates the data, displays operating status visually on satellite images for location-based context, and enables fast, authorized action from the same screen. Benefits realized by customers: |
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The Intelligent Utility Enterprise & The Role of Telecommunications Providers
Utilities are facing a host of critical issues over the next 10 years. Utilities must become more “intelligent” through the development of Intelligent Utility Enterprises (IUEs) and Smart Grids (SG). The IUE/SG will require ubiquitous communications systems throughout utility service territories, especially as automated metering infrastructure (AMI) comes on line. Wireless systems, such as the widespread cellular system AT&T and other public carriers already have, will play a major role in enabling these systems. |
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Deploying AMI Solutions: A Best Practices Approach
This white paper is intended to help Utility customers plan their AMI deployment by adopting best practices. The paper outlines best practices around the design, deployment and operation of wirelessly enabled smart meters. These best practices will help avoid common deployment, testing and management problems. (Oct 12, 2009, AT&T) |
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More Power with Less Energy: Five strategic ways for utilities to optimize customer service delivery
How have “A” list utility companies achieved 80% first call resolution and reduced Public Service Commission complaints by 40%? Don’t be an “A” list wannabe. In this white paper learn how leading utilities have accomplished these results. |
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How Do You Produce a Strategic Role for the Utility Customer Contact Center?
This whitepaper examines the strategic role of the contact center in the utilities industry, and how it can deliver the cost savings and increased revenues that will drive profitability and shareholder value. For instance --
The paper concludes with a real-world customer case study that illustrates how Oklahoma Gas & Electric has used strategic solutions to make its contact center vision a reality. Click the button below to access the whitepaper -- learn how to orchestrate your customer contact center to make it a strategic asset. EXTRA BONUS VIDEO -- "Decrease Customer Frustration and Business Costs with Integrated Self-Service Options" Learn how you can work leaner, faster and smarter than ever before!
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The Top 6 Reasons to Upgrade to DNP3 Communications
The DNP3 communications protocol provides many advantages over conventional protocols. This white paper highlights the key reasons to consider applying DNP3 for communications with remote devices. The versatility of DNP3 has caused its application to expand into a variety of industries that require remote connection. These include: |
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Smart Metering/AMI Goes Systemwide: Get Ready
A number of forces in the new energy economy are coming together to drive energy companies to adoption of advanced metering infrastructure (AMI). After starting with pilot programs, now many utilities are going systemwide with meter installations of unprecedented scale. However, new technology cannot be effective without business processes to support it, and new business processes require changes for the utility. Given the widespread publicity about intelligent grid, many customers already know about smart meters, smart thermostats, smart appliances, and telecommunication networks. However, other technologies will play a key role in enabling the business benefits of AMI, especially applications supporting customer care and billing. (Aug 24, 2009, SAP America, Inc.) |
Utilities are in the crosshairs of many forces in the world today. Among these are environmental global warming concerns putting pressure on the ability to generate sufficient electricity to meet future demand. Another is the multiplicity of computer and communications systems that must be protected against threats from those who would do harm to electric, natural gas and water distribution systems.
A Wall Street Journal article1 in April 2009 focused attention on the security issue by quoting various federal officials who claimed many utilities already had been breached – especially by spies from hostile countries – with bits of code left behind that could be activated in time of war or for other reasons to bring down major portions of the U.S. electric grid.
Utility companies face unique challenges. Their customers require reliable access to essential services. Their shareholders expect a solid return on investment. Regulators and governments demand compliance with myriad tax, environmental, and overlapping jurisdictional details.
First American Spatial Solutions can help. Our precision geocoding technology and specialized spatial data helps utilities make smarter financial decisions, effectively manage their numerous assets, and better prepare and respond to emergencies.
Spatial technology helps utilities in three key areas:
• Financial Management
• Asset Management
• Emergency Management
Utility companies quickly benefit from First American’s best-of-breed PxPoint geocoding and spatial analytics. When combined with municipal, parcel, tax, and hazard risk data from First American, utilities can more readily surmount their preparedness, financial, and regulatory challenges. Customized geospatial solutions are available to serve electric power companies, natural gas distributors, water suppliers, sanitary service systems, pipeline providers, and other utilities.
Moving toward a Smart Grid future means utilities and ISOs must improve in three basic technology areas: communication networks, sensors and analytics. Utilities and ISOs must understand the grid in a geospatial context, because of the grid's distributed, yet connected nature. Decisions made by utilities become more complex as immense amounts of data are collected. Space-Time Insight's geospatial visualization and remediation portal delivers situational awareness and situational readiness.
Space-Time Insight provides utilities visual intelligence and remediation capabilities for the smart grid. Users get a rich picture of the grid and the interaction across assets, field personnel, weather, sensor data, SCADA systems, as well energy as demand and supply.
The Space-Time Insight geospatial visualization and remediation portal enables: