The 2019 IQGeo Meetup held in Denver during October attracted more delegates than ever before from the utility and telecommunications sectors. IQGeo CEO, Richard Petti, kicked off the event by talking about the five global trends that are going to change the way we will all do business in the future.

1. Next generation network will need reality-centric GIS
2. Network operators will become big data experts
3. Systems and processes will become human centric
4. Field operations must become fully digital
5. Operations will be increasingly customer centric

Introducing the change-makers

By the end of the two-day event, packed full of presentations from customers and partners, forums, demonstrations and networking, it was clear that many delegates were already embracing these trends. Richard noted in his closing comments that: “It’s a pleasure to be in a room full of so much innovation and so many change-makers”.

Showcasing innovation

The customer presentations that took place during the event demonstrated a wide range of new and innovative ways that IQGeo software is being used by telecommunications and utility companies to meet the challenges of greater network reliability, efficiency and safety in highly competitive markets.

• Jim Downing, CIO of North West Natural, demonstrated how the IQGeo geospatial platform is at the heart of his business strategy and cited the importance and urgency of embracing and advancing geospatial intelligence.
• Amy Grice, Manager of System Engineering and Operational Technologies at Peninsula Light, talked about IQGeo’s role in modernizing Peninsula Light’s utility operations.
• Rodney Raines, Director - Network Inventory Solutions and his team from Cox Communications, focused on a portable generator tracking and refueling use case, just one of the many IQGeo applications running at Cox.
• Ryan Moody is responsible for IQGeo optimization at TELUS and provided an overview of the TELUS IQGeo system that has brought together all operational activities into one central location, creating a ‘one stop shop’.
• Jonathan Clayton, GIS analyst at Comporium Communications, demonstrated how his team have used the IQGeo platform to develop a range of strategic business use cases for customer retention and product expansion, focusing on thematic mapping analytics and PNM integration.
• Jess Borrevik and Patrick Gronli from new IQGeo customer Portland General Electric explained why they chose the IQGeo platform and outlined its central role in their business transformation roadmap.
• Sparklight’s GIS Administrator, Richard Chappell, discussed the importance of good geospatial information across a number of applications, and the negative financial and customer impact that inaccuracies can create.
• Gordon Perry, technical director at Gigaclear, talked about the importance of IQGeo’s mobile-first architecture to their rural telecoms network in the UK and how the ability to capture field data offline is enabling the business to accelerate the speed of construction projects and improve operational efficiencies.
• Jeffrey Cito, Project Manager – Operations ECMC at Central Hudson, discussed the critical role that IQGeo provides in his emergency management damage assessment operations. Jeff used examples of recent severe storms and how IQGeo has helped to improve the efficiency of their response, rapidly restoring interrupted electrical services to their customers.   

Each of IQGeo’s sponsor partners at the event, Oracle, CGI and Utilligent, provided an overview of their technology and services and how it integrates with IQGeo’s software. Partner relationships are of strategic importance to IQGeo, offering significant potential benefits to the customer community.

IQGeo Customer Innovation Awards

At the end of day one, three customers were presented with the very first IQGeo Customer Innovation Awards. This new award program is designed to recognize and celebrate outstanding innovation in the use of IQGeo technology. The 2019 winners are: 

International flavor

The event not only attracted more delegates than ever before, but IQGeo’s growing customer base across Japan and Europe was reflected in the agenda. Gigaclear, one of the UK’s leading rural broadband providers, was the first European customer to present at the Meetup. In the CEO’s keynote, there was also a nod to the growing international reach of IQGeo’s software. Richard Petti referred to IQGeo customers from around the globe including a water utility in Australia, Malta’s leading communications services company, a new utility customer in Germany, and one of the largest utilities in Japan.

It’s a wrap!

The 2019 IQGeo Meetup was an overwhelming success, attracting an impressive mix of customers from the telecommunications and utilities sectors in North America and across the world. The five global themes highlighted in the CEO’s keynote were clearly reflected in customer presentations and delivered thought-provoking conversations throughout the two days.

It is clearly the case that the IQGeo Meetup attracted ‘change-makers’ who are accelerating productivity and collaboration across their own organizations, and this theme resonated throughout the conference. One delegate reported in the feedback survey that there was a ‘great community of change makers among your customers’. Another commented that: “There’s a lot of people here seeking out new innovations and looking to the future of GIS and geospatial information, and how we can leverage it and in ways that are unique when compared to traditional methods.”

It was a valuable event because of the open and positive engagement of our delegates. Thanks to everyone that attended and contributed, we are already looking forward to meeting again with the IQGeo community at the 2020 Meetup. To find out more about the 2019 IQGeo Meetup and register your interest in the 2020 event, please see our 2019 IQGeo Meetup review.