Electric utilities face unprecedented challenges in today’s dynamic and quickly evolving energy landscape. Navigating the complexities of adapting to changing regulations and standards, exceeding higher consumer expectations, upgrading legacy IT systems and aging infrastructure, addressing technology constraints, meeting the ever-increasing demand for energy, confronting extreme weather patterns and moving away from fossil fuel sources, all while delivering reliable and affordable electric service, present utilities with an array of hurdles.
In response to these daunting obstacles, utilities are investing in grid modernization, transitioning to renewable energy sources, focusing on effectively navigating regulatory pressures, and engaging with customers in new ways.
For BC Hydro, generating and delivering electricity to 95% of the population of British Columbia, Canada, involves 30 hydroelectric plants and a network of more than 80,000 kilometers of power lines that transport power across a varied terrain. Ensuring reliable service to more than five million customers in this demanding environment requires ready access to robust GIS data.
Since the utility’s GIS information for transmission and distribution resided in GE Smallworld, the organization sought more tools to work with that data effectively.
BC Hydro operated two different GIS platforms, including GE Smallworld, which complicated data sharing, web-based applications, and enterprise-wide visibility.
EpochSync Pro provided a scalable, “set-and-forget” synchronization between BC Hydro’s Smallworld and Esri ArcGIS databases, enabling consistent data across platforms and supporting migration to the Esri Utility Network.
BC Hydro achieved enterprise-wide access to accurate, Esri-formatted GIS data, supporting new map-based web applications, planning tools, and improved situational awareness across transmission and distribution networks.
Utility data migration tools like EpochSync Pro simplify migration and ensure consistency and integrity when consolidating disparate GIS sources, all essential for modernization and long-term digital transformation.
With synchronized, up-to-date GIS data, utilities can build planning maps, share data with external stakeholders, and enable rapid, informed decision-making in response to events, improving reliability and response time.
