GIS at Mazoon Electricity

Company

By Winnico Verano Jr.Salalah, Dhofar Governorate, Oman

August 27, 2012

About MZEC

Mazoon Electricity Company SAOC (MZEC) is a closed Omani joint stock company registered under the Commercial Companies Law of Oman. The establishment and operations of the company are governed by the provisions of the Law for Regulation and Privatisation of the Electricity and Related Water Sector (the Sector Law) promulgated by the Royal Decree 78/2004.

About MZEC

The company is primarily undertaking regulated distribution and supply of electricity in Dakiliya, Sharqiya and South AL Batinah regions under a license issued by the Authority for Electricity Regulation, Oman (AER).

Mazoon’s Mission and Vision

VISION

MZEC to be One Of The Leading Electricity Distribution And Supply Companies

In The Region By 2016

MISSION

Deliver Electricity To Customers Safely ,Reliably and Economically In Accordance

To The License

Strategic Projects

MZEC has identified a number of strategic projects to help realise its vision:

IT InfrastructureSCADAGIS CRMAMIAMS

Mazoon GIS Business Targets

Accurate Network Assets Information

Decision Support Tool for Planning, Operation, Management and Customer Services

Integration with 3rd Party Tools (CRM, SCADA, Asset Management, etc…)

Aims to gather and develop the spatial database (or Geodatabase) for all of the electrical networks and their related components starting from 33 kV up to customer connections in South Batinah based on ArcGIS Server, ArcFM and Oracle .

Duration: 15 monthsStarted: August 1, 2009 End: October 26, 2010

This project served as a benchmark for other data collection projects in other regions

South Batinah GIS Project Overview

Geographic Area:(South Batinah)

Barka Al Musanah Al Suwaiq Al Rustaq Al Awabi Nakhal Wadi Al M’awel

Project Overview

Modeling of GRID/ Primary and Distribution Substations Survey of HV Networks (33 & 11 kV) Survey of LV Network (415 V) and Customer Connections Procedures and tools for Standardizing As-Built Drawings

(update mechanism) GeoDatabase development, migration & configuration

(ArcFM, ArcGIS Server & Oracle) Backlog Management GIS Training

Project Tasks

MZEC Constituted Committees : 

Steering Committee

Technical Committee

GIS Team Other Departments

Project Manager

Project Management

manage workflow

Challenges

Data Infrastructure

Human Resource

Working Environment

No GIS data for the network in the area

No digital as built drawings

Unavailability of background basemap data

No defined standards

Outdated / inaccurate diagrams

No network connectivity for some branches

Hardware: users machine are below minimum specifications to run applications

Software: more users want to use GISapplications to view elec. network

IT/GIS Support: users require closercoordination and support

Resistance to change: users are reluctant to assume new roles

Skills: New roles requires new skills

no standard workflowfor GIS data update

various systems record databut not viewed in unified way

cannot find exact location of assets

provide intranet and internet connections

upgrade/acquire new HW/SW

Develop web-based GIS Applications

difficulty in analyzing data

lack in security for handling data

use satellite imagery and aeria photography

require contractors to submit digital as built drawings

Implement update mechanism

Impose standards

Visit branch officesand study user needs

show users the benefitsof using GIS in their work provide web-based

applications thatIntegrate various

systems

provide analysis tools

recruit new staff

provide users training,workshops and seminars

implement update mechanism

learn bestpractices

centralizedata storage

tender jobs forsurvey and data collection

field data checkingand verification

role basedaccess to data

Challenges

Infrastructure Network connectivity: between branches and the Head Office Hardware: servers for new enterprise Geodatabase and applications Software: GIS software for various users at different branches

Data Challenges No digital data for as built drawings Availability of data Consistency of standards between various data sources and accuracy of data

Human Resource Resistance to change New skills required for new roles

Working Environment No standard workflow for data update Decision making is difficult without accurate information

Our Response

InfrastructureNetwork connectivity: established via MPLS (Omantel) Hardware: acquisition of new blade server to host ArcGIS Server

and MZEC’s enterprise GeodatabaseSoftware: acquisition and installation of ArcGIS licenses for

users at various branchesData Challenges

Digital data: impose submission of digital data by contractors according to MZEC’s GIS data standards

Availability of data: collaboration with various agencies on landbase data

Consistency of standards and Accuracy of data: MZEC defined its standards:(MZEC GIS standards for as built, 30cm accuracy or better)

Our Response

Human ResourceResistance to change:

MZEC staff attended conferences, seminars and workshops on GIS and related technologies

New skills required for new rolesGIS training coursesGPS training courses

Working EnvironmentNo standard workflow for data update

Define new workflow for GIS data update mechanismVisited other companies to learn best practices

Decision making is difficult without accurate informationManagement can rely on automated reports and tools using GIS

The Five Pillars of GIS

Data Pe

ople

Soft

ware

Hard

ware

Ap

plic

ati

ons

Determine the platform: Most common format used in the country Level of expertise is available on the market Availability of Support The number of possible users in the

organizations Map out the functions versus the users roles in

the organization Determine the kind of outputs wanted by the

users Determine the network connectivity and speed Determine whether to centralize or to

decentralize data

Determining the platformS

oft

ware

Acquired by Mazoon  1 ArcGIS Server Standard in Qurum 1 ArcGIS Server Basic (ArcSDE only) in Rustaq 1 Image Server 1 ArcInfo 10 ArcView 5 ArcEditor 11 ArcFM Viewer 5 ArcFM Editor 1 ArcSchematic 5 ArcPad 5 GPS Correct extension for ArcPad 4 TerraSync licenses 4 GPS Pathfinder 1 GPS Analyst extension

Soft

ware

MZEC has recruited the following staff for GIS in Rustaq: 1 GIS Engineer 2 GIS Surveyors 2 GIS Associates

While in the GIS Section we already have : 1 Head of GIS Section 1 Geodatabase Associate 1 GIS Application Developer 1 Cartographer 

PeopleS

oft

ware

Peop

le

Training

Course Name No. of Trainees

Introduction to the Multi-user Geodatabase 6

Managing Editing Workflows in a Multi-user Geodatabase 6

ArcGIS Server Enterprise Configuration and Tuning for Oracle 5

Working with ArcFM – Electric 10

Configuring ArcFM 5

ArcGIS Desktop I: Getting Started with GIS 15

ArcGIS Desktop II: Tools and Functionality 16

ArcGIS Desktop III: GIS Workflow and Analysis 5

Introduction to ArcGIS Server 4

Developing Applications with ArcGIS Server using .NET 3 3

Provided Users Training, Workshops and Seminars The following are the GIS Courses given to trainees:

Peop

le

A kick off meeting seminar was done in Al Sawadi Beach hotel for 30 staffs from (MZEC) South Batinah

A seminar was held at the Golden Tulip hotel on 24th October 2009 for more than 60 people for the contractor to talk about GIS Introduction, GIS in Electrical Utilities, and GIS at MZEC.

On November 9, 2009, members of GIS Team and Technical Committee went to Bahrain, to attend the Middle East GIS Users Conference

On February 7, 2010, the Technical Committee went to Bahrain to visit EWA (Electricity and Water Authority) upon EWA’s invitation.

 On July 11th, 2010 the GIS in Charge visited the ESRI User’s Conference in California, USA

 On October 24th, 2010 the executives and members of the GIS Team visited the Esri Europe, Middle East, and Africa User Conference (EMEA UC) in Rome, Italy.

Seminars and WorkshopsPe

op

le

Acquired by MazoonH

ard

ware

Four (4) serversThe seven (7) laptops (workstations)Two (2) new underground cable detectors Five (5) GPS unitsTwo (2) Heavy duty plottersFour (4) more GPS units, this time with

OmniStar

HardwareH

ard

ware

Network ConnectivityH

ard

ware

Update and Backup

Copy geodatabase feature classes

ArcGIS Server Looks at this data

Web Viewer ApplicationGeodatabase in Oracle

ArcSDE Server in Rustaq

Hard

ware

Update and Backup Plans for the Future

Test Server

Dakhliya

North and SouthSharqiyah

South Batinah Enterprise GeodatabaseServer

Enterprise GeodatabaseServer

post and reconcile

Update changes

Serve the latest updatesThrough Web Viewer

Intranet users

Hard

ware

The Area Covered so farD

ata

South Batinah RegionWhere there are about 91, 274 (as of 2011)

Future GIS Data at MazoonD

ata

Two tenders were awarded this year:

GEODATABASE DEVELOPMENT FOR NORTH AND SOUTH SHARQIYAH REGIONS

GEODATABASE DEVELOPMENT FOR DAKHLIYAH GOVERNORATE

The Concept of Update Mechanism

Capture Edits

Process 1 Process 2 Process 3

Database

Capture Edits Capture EditsData

New Way of Working

Capture All Data Updates

Customer Data Projects Data NetworkModifications

CAD data from Contractors GIS Data Update

Enterprise Geodatabase

Data

Method for Updating GIS Data

Customer Services

In Coming Cases

District OfficeProjects Data

NetworkModifications

CAD data from Contractors

GIS Data Update

Customer Data

Operation and

Maintenance

Projects

Enterprise Geodatabase

The Web ViewerA

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licati

on

s

The Web ViewerA

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licati

on

s

The Web ViewerA

pp

licati

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s

Sample Outputs from Desktop

Ap

plic

ati

on

s

The Web ViewerA

pp

licati

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s

The Web ViewerA

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Future ApplicationsA

pp

licati

on

s

More integration: With CRM With Asset Management System With Outage Management System

Provide MZEC a Single Repository of its network dataEasier and faster decision makingEasier to query assets and other linked informationProvide better statistics of network devicesBe able to trace customers to its nearest transformerBe able to trace a feeder from a substationEngineers may not need to go out to verify a deviceProvides a powerful analysis tool in problem solving… and many more

The Benefits of GIS for MZEC

Thank you very much!

MAZOON ELECTRICITY COMPANY