Network centric geospatial platforms afford telecom and utility operators the opportunity to rapidly digitize workflows using iterative steps and continuous field user feedback. At IQGeo, we have found that this iterative approach provides tremendous business benefits and increased user adoption. It delivers an improved solution due to the field feedback loop and rapid Return On Investment (ROI), as time to value is dramatically reduced.
Traditional “Big Bang” approaches are difficult and often fail due to their complexity, large one-step change management and huge training requirements impacting user adoption. New flexible platforms such as IQGeo provide a rapid adaptable approach that can incorporate changing business priorities within the project.
The 5 steps to transformation
Our approach has been developed in conjunction with our customers who range from some of the largest telecommunication, electric and gas utility providers in the world, to smaller regional network operators. Here are our proven 5 steps that delivers results in weeks, not years.
1 - Mobilize
Deliverable: Online and offline, view and search application for iOS, Android and Windows mobile devices. Users have access to up-to-date network data integrated with driving directions and collaboration tools.
Description: Install the IQGeo Platform either on-premise or in a cloud environment. Implement our Extract, Transform, & Load (ETL) product to sync data from your existing GIS including incremental nightly updates. Data can be synced from Esri, GE Smallworld, Hexagon, SpatialNET or CAD systems. Add appropriate base map such as Google, Bing, Here or OSM. All styles will be replicated within the IQGeo Platform, making for quick and easy field user transition, plus operation centric styles can be implemented so you are not limited to office centric views. Online training is available to further accelerate rapid adoption together with train the trainer programs.
Benefits: Reduction in truck rolls due to upgraded field awareness and team collaboration. Shorter time to make field decisions increases operational efficiency and positively impacts overall network reliability.
2 – Enable field data correction
Deliverable: Easy-to-use mobile data capture tools that are rapidly adopted by field teams. Field teams develop ownership of data quality which is the only way to ultimately counter bad geospatial data.
Description: Now that field teams are familiar with the new mobile tools, it is time to get them to capture errors in your geospatial data that they see while in the field. Palettes of objects are created so updates can be easily created by field teams with our simple tablet and mobile phone interface. Configurable forms for non-geospatial data are built using a drag and drop interface with no code required. Once collected, data is then immediately digitally routed back to the office, into your existing GIS update process.
Benefits: Improves overall data quality which impacts almost every engineering and operational process across the enterprise.
3 – Implement an intelligent network model
Deliverable: Field and office teams can now perform a variety of dynamic network traces including upstream and downstream device, isolation traces, and impacted customers.
Description: The next step is to implement a connectivity model to make the network intelligent for both field and office teams. With IQGeo Network Modeler, connectivity can either be extracted from your existing GIS as part of the ETL process or implemented and maintained directly within the IQGeo Platform. IQGeo supports all commonly available network modeling architectures including geometric, logical, internal worlds and containment models.
Benefits: Reduces time to diagnose and fix network issues and provides much greater visibility on impacted customers for planned outages, improving customer satisfaction and reducing churn. Gas utilities can quickly isolate leaks and generate re-light lists and maps, enhancing customer and staff safety. Telecom companies can quickly determine capacity availability along a route reducing design time and improving sales effectiveness.
4 – Optimize business rules
Deliverable: Create optimized business rules that open the door for the broader digitization and automation of many processes such as design and as-built capture in the field.
Description: Every GIS has a set of business rules that enforce data integrity. Any required rule that is currently defined in your GIS can now be replicated in the IQGeo Platform and additional rules can be added due to the sophistication of the IQGeo network modeling capability, extending those that your current GIS cannot support. Additionally, steps in common tasks can be automated reducing the time to complete repetitive tasks.
Benefits: Provides the basis for consistent and accurate data entry, as well as more sophisticated use cases for capturing important field data.
5 – Digitize business processes
Deliverable: In this final stage you are using the IQGeo Platform to create a single source of geospatial network truth that optimizes key operational process and integrates business critical applications.
Description: You now have the IQGeo Platform in place to start digitizing business processes. We recommend picking the highest priority processes from areas such as inspections and surveys, field design, damage assessment, walk-outs or as-built capture. All these business processes will likely include new application integrations that can be rapidly incorporated into your digital transformation plans. Common application integrations include ERP, CIS, CAD and WFM.
Benefits: Each process that you digitize delivers benefits across engineering, operations, customer service and sales and marketing. The field teams have a single, powerful geospatial platform designed from the ground up for network management in a mobile environment.
End result - high adoption rates with increased productivity and collaboration
Within weeks you can deliver to your organization a powerful field solution that runs on any device, integrated into your existing backend GIS. Importantly, using this iterative approach you will receive field team feedback throughout the process to optimize your solution. We have seen many times how this approach drives high adoption rates and delivers impactful results increasing productivity and collaboration across your business.
IQGeo has assembled a global team of telecoms and utility industry experts and experienced software industry professionals to work alongside you in a creative partnership. To find out more, book a demo to meet with the team and learn how you can transform your network operations.