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If you turned on a light, drove on a road, or drank water from a tap today, you participated in an infrastructure system. Often unseen, these systems are running the services we depend on—electricity, gas, telecommunications, water, transportation. But, what’s running the systems?
In this era of digital transformation and real-time everything, systems run on spatial analytics. We look at interactive maps loaded with all the data we need to see what’s happening and where. In essence, we are analyzing information in the context of its spatial location. Infrastructure managers look to spatial analytics for insight before making investments.
As the US government prepares to spend $1.5 trillion on infrastructure repairs and upgrades, spatial analytics will play a major role. The crucial first step is strategy. Spatial analytics provide location intelligence so we can understand current infrastructure conditions, then prioritize improvements.
Maps and spatial analytics are now serving as a fundamental language of understanding and decision-making. For infrastructure, this means sensors report on utility performance and road conditions. Data from sensors and from field crews gets updated in real time. Everyone involved uses an interactive map to identify and solve problems.
Formula for Location Intelligence
Utility, pipeline, and telecommunications companies have relied on maps and spatial analytics for decades. It’s how they manage the location and condition of assets. Spatial analytics move us beyond dots on a map to detecting and quantifying problems and making predictions. When shared through maps and charts, spatial analytics give us location intelligence. And, this fuels a location-intelligent organization.
Unfortunately, location intelligence is not always in the hands of those who need it most: fieldworkers, executives, managers, service technicians, customer service representatives, and accountants.
A truly location-intelligent organization allows everyone to create, manage, and share location-based information. Utility field workers, for example, can use a smartphone or tablet to securely send and receive inspection and maintenance updates to and from the office. Managers can monitor the progress of their field crews. Customer service agents can see what’s going on in real time to provide customers with information about outages and repairs. Executives and accountants can visualize and analyze the entire system before deciding where to spend infrastructure funds.
Real-time spatial analytics give us a truly holistic utility system with information that’s available anytime, anywhere. A complete system covers every component of the utility supply chain right down to the customer. At the same time, it’s a powerful tool to store an unprecedented amount of data. This new, complete situational awareness liberates utilities. They no longer have to operate in information siloes. Most importantly, they can be sure that infrastructure dollars are invested where they are needed most.
To achieve location intelligence, we must first maintain and grow a comprehensive, location-aware database of infrastructure assets. Then we use spatial analytics to decide where to invest and track the performance of those investments over time.
Early Adopters
Several US states and cities are already adopting a location-intelligent approach to infrastructure planning and funding.
For example, in a southwestern US state the department of transportation manages and analyzes its data using an interactive map. Staff across the department can view the transportation plan, pavement management data, safety and crash analysis, bridge locations, bike lanes, mileposts, and other information. After implementation, staff became more productive at meetings, and projects took less time and money.
The department used spatial analytics to identify potential rail-line corridors in a 200-mile-by-200-mile study area in parts of three states. They developed 26 corridors, totaling more than 4,000 miles. Screening the 26 alternatives for engineering and environmental feasibility took just two months. All told, location intelligence saved the agency several million dollars.
In another case, the public works department of a popular US city gave its entire department access to location intelligence including maps and data in the office and the field. This move reduced asset maintenance response time by 33 percent. Supervisors there can now create standardized reports for management. Division and deputy directors can access real-time performance metrics, adjust labor and resources as needed, and develop strategies for infrastructure investments.
In an example of targeting investment dollars, the marketing and engineering staff at a major telecommunications company relied on location intelligence to respond to growing demand. While the service area was rapidly developing, they needed to identify specific areas with high-growth potential and the businesses in those areas. They used spatial analytics to determine where network investments would deliver high-revenue growth. The result was an increase in market share and profit.
As utilities and government agencies across the nation become more location intelligent, we learn better ways to maintain infrastructure assets. We are improving workflows and reducing waste, while creating situational awareness of our roads, bridges, and utilities. Location intelligence helps leaders make smart choices about how infrastructure dollars are spent. This technology benefits staff and customers too, providing smarter workflows and updated information at the click of a button.
States and cities across the US are already applying spatial analytics to planning, workflows, and spending decisions. By investing in spatial analytics technologies today, communities are laying the groundwork for a future where infrastructure investments will be guided by location intelligence. Spatial analytics technologies are showing us the what, when, and where of fixing and maintaining the systems we depend on every day for survival.
