Case study for automating field data collection with smart phones

Alicia Farag

Program Manager Gas Technology Institute Des Plaines, Illinois

n 2011 the Gas Technology

Institute (GTI) and Operations

Technology Development (OTD) launched a new research initiative, called the Intelligent Utility program, to investigate the use of consumer grade technology, such as smart phones and tablets, as field data collection devices for utility companies. New consumergrade technology has the potential to expand mobile, electronic, geospatial data collection to a utility’s entire workforce. Low cost and easy to use, smart phones and tablets have the potential to provide leap-frog capabilities to the utility industry to transition away from paper-based data collection towards GIS-based data collection.

In addition to developing software for smart phones and tablets, GTI is also developing technologies to complement the capabilities of consumer-grade devices. Examples include the integration of real-time high-accuracy GPS and barcode scanning to further automate the data collection process.

Case Study

As part of GTI’s Intelligent Utility initiative, Avista Utilities in Spokane, Wash., is exploring the use of smart phones and mobile GIS to automate field data collection for exposed pipe surveys. The new technology replaces paper maps and forms with software that allows field crews to view the GIS and collect inspection results on an iPhone. Manual data transfer and entry in the office is replaced by an automated process that uses cloud computing to make electronic survey data available in the office immediately without the need for manual entry.

In March 2012 Avista commenced a pilot project to evaluate the new technology being developed by GTI and their partner 3-GIS. Four iPhones with a GIS-based data collection application were implemented with field crews responsible for performing exposed pipe surveys.

The results of the pilot project demonstrated that the mobile data collection system provides value in the following ways:

• Field crews are able to see

facility data on a handheld

device. Previously, field crews were only equipped with paper maps and were required to call back to the office to request additional information when it was needed. This manual information request to the back office was eliminated with the

Intelligent Utility application because the field crews can view

GIS data in the field. Further, the ability to see facility data encouraged field crews to use the application because they saw immediate value to their work flow.

• Data is validated in the field. The mobile data collection application is structured in a way that allows data entry to be validated in real time. This feature reduces the occurrence of inaccurate data being recorded in the field. Although it is difficult to quantify the cost savings for field data collection validation, Avista recognizes the value of improved data quality in terms of risk reduction.

• Data entry in the office is eliminated. Field crews collecting data electronically eliminate paper records and the need for manual data entry in the office. The estimated annual cost savings associated with eliminating back office data entry is expected to result in a payback period of less than one year. Manual data entry in the office is also a potential source of error that is eliminated with the

Intelligent Utility system.

• Exposed pipe survey data is available for analysis.

Avista already has a process in place to associate exposed pipe inspection results with GIS assets because they recognize the value of attaching field survey data to specific asset for trending and tracking for integrity management. However, the structure of the mobile data collection system allows collected data to be directly associated with an asset in the field without the need for a manual mapping process back in the office.

• Adoption is easy. Field crews were able to learn to use the software and handheld devices with minimal training and had good experiences during the pilot project. The back-office data integration process was also easily adopted into Avista’s existing processes.

One lesson learned from the pilot project is the need for a system that does not rely on continuous cell coverage. Some areas of Avista’s service territory do not have adequate cell coverage to provide a smooth data collection process. There is a need for a disconnected mode and GTI is actively working on developing this capability.

Another lesson learned relates to appropriately matching screen size to the specific type of data collection activity. Avista initially hoped to use iPhones as the data collectors but throughout the pilot project realized that a tablet device may provide an improved user experience based on the size of the inspection form. The next phase of the pilot project will include the deployment of iPads to evaluate the impact on productivity as well as the feasibility of using larger devices.

Erika Jacobs, GIS Analyst at Avista and the leader of the pilot project, says, “One of the big benefits for our field workers is the ability to see facility data in the field. We also expect to save a lot of data entry time on the back end by having the field crews collect data electronically in the field.” The results of the pilot project have helped provide Avista with the experiences required to justify exploring the use of mobile data collection on handheld devices for other operations.

High-accuracy GPS receiver providing sub-foot accurate data in real time integrated with a tablet computer running the Android operating system

Moving Forward

While smart phones and tablets now provide functionality that would have been hard to imagine a few years ago, there are still improvements that need to be made to adopt the technology for full-scale utility operations. Ruggedness and visibility in sunlight are a few examples. However, it is clear that there is a compelling business case behind the use of consumer-grade devices for GIS-based data collection.

Alicia Farag can be reached at (847) 5443492 or alicia.farag@gastechnology.org.