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Bill Meehan
Bill Meehan
Expert Member
Top Contributor
 · Posted in Home

Helping Utilities Stay Out of Trouble with GIS

Co-Authored by Esri's Bill Meehan and Tom Lenzen

Russ, the president of the power company Bill worked for, was among the wisest bosses he had ever known. Russ loved simplicity. Bill recalls him saying that there are only four things you have to do to run a power company. Only four?

  1. Make Money
  2. Keep Customers Happy
  3. Keep Employees (and everyone else) Safe
  4. Stay Out of Trouble.

The first three are clear. A utility, whether an investor-owned, cooperative, or a municipal utility, should never lose money. If management wants to keep their jobs, they can’t continuously keep customers in the dark, literally or figuratively. Safety is always paramount for a utility.

Staying out of trouble means not breaking the law or not complying with federal and state regulations. In all the years working in this business, we can honestly say we have never seen this headline in a news feed:

“ACME Power and Light Praised for Their Tremendous Service.”

That’s not to say that there are numerous examples of power companies that do a great job. We know of many. Yet what Russ was getting at was that for utilities to succeed, they had to stay out of the limelight. The best way to do that is to keep their noses clean and meet all laws and regulations of the letter.

So, to be clear—you don’t want to end up in the news. Not for a spill, not for a leak, not for an outage, and not for violating federal or state regulations. Whether it’s the Clean Water Act or OSHA safety standards, compliance is no longer optional—it’s survival.

But how do utilities navigate this without drowning in paperwork or spending the entire budget on inspections?

GIS (Geographic Information System) - it’s the modern utility’s secret weapon for staying out of trouble

 

GIS Makes Compliance Smarter

Regulations are getting tougher. Let’s face it—regulatory bodies are watching closely. And they expect a lot. The Clean Water Act demands strict tracking of water quality. NERC wants reliability reporting. FERC, EPA, NRC, DOE, every state public utility commission and energy office—each brings its maze of rules.

GIS has proven that it doesn’t just help utilities comply—it visualizes compliance. Instead of rifling through binders or spreadsheets, utilities can:

  • Accurately map assets like poles, wires, substations, and transformers.
  • Easily overlay regulatory boundaries and environmentally sensitive zones.
  • Constantly track hazardous material storage locations and movement.
  • Systematically monitor and pinpoint which infrastructure is aging, at risk, or overdue for inspection.

 

Safety First: GIS + OSHA Standards

Safety is the front line of compliance. And OSHA doesn’t pull punches. Slips, leaks, explosions—any preventable accident can lead to investigations, shutdowns, or worse.

GIS lets utilities monitor the entire lifecycle of assets as installed in the field, from installation to inspection to retirement. It works closely with the asset management solution by pairing location data with inspection logs and maintenance history, which allows utilities to:

  • Spot trouble before it starts.
  • Set alerts for inspections and scheduled maintenance.
  • Flag assets in high-risk zones or with repeated failures.

Mobile GIS apps now let field crews upload inspection data in real-time, reducing human error and syncing everyone—from the office to the field—on what needs fixing, when, and why. That’s not just smart. That’s safe.

Learn how Energy Queensland used GIS to reduce accidental power line contacts. Owatonna Public Utilities (OPU) was inundated with paper documenting its safety processes. It converted to ArcGIS Enterprise as an integral part of its safety program. Read the full story.

 

Audit-Proofing with Data, You Can Trust

We’ve had our share of dealing with auditors. Let’s say you are an auditor. You come home from work, and your spouse asks you how your day was. A good day for an auditor finds the utility with mounds of paper, file cabinets full of misfiled information, and missing training reports. The auditor will rub their hands and say, “It is a good day”.

On the other hand, if the auditor sees easy-to-visualize GIS maps that tell a compelling compliance story, the auditor will reply, “I was bored. There was nothing there to investigate. I’m moving on.” Audits are nerve-wracking—but they don’t have to be. GIS centralizes and standardizes data, so when regulators call, utilities can quickly generate maps, reports, and dashboards that prove they’re playing by the rules.

Let’s say the EPA wants documentation on stormwater runoff monitoring. Instead of scrambling, GIS pulls sensor data, overlays it with rainfall and sewer overflow events, and outputs a visual report—down to the parcel.

No guesswork. No gaps. Just compliance, signed, sealed, and delivered.

 

Emergency Response: Speed Saves Lives

GIS becomes mission control when disaster strikes—hurricane, wildfire, cyberattack. Utilities can:

  • Quickly audit and map real-time impacts.
  • Locate and evaluate condition of vulnerable assets.
  • Allocate repair crews where they’re needed most.
  • Communicate & collaborate across crews, and with emergency services and the public.

For example, GIS can help predict which areas will likely lose power before a storm hits. Utilities can pre-position crews, notify customers, and restore services faster—reducing downtime and risk. While this excellent response might not make the news, the reverse surely would. GIS provides clarity, transparency, and efficiency.

Avista Utilities is leading wildfire mitigation, which will keep it out of trouble. Read the full story here.

 

The Top Regulations and How GIS Eases the Pain

Here are some of the most challenging regulations—and how GIS tackles each:

  1. FERC Orders – Continuously monitor grid performance across time and space.
  2. NERC Standards – Provides easy-to-track understanding of reliability issues.
  3. Clean Water Act – Monitor water quality via real-time sensors and spatial alerts.
  4. PHMSA Pipeline Safety – Schedule and log inspections; trace pipeline routes accurately.
  5. EPA’s Resource Conservation and Recovery Act – Track hazardous waste from cradle to grave, minimizing risk.
  6. NRC Nuclear Safety – Map risk zones, emergency routes, and maintenance history.
  7. OSHA – Flag dangerous zones, improve worker safety, and maintain inspection schedules.
  8. DOT Transport Rules – Monitor hazardous materials and align logistics with real-world geography.
  9. State Environmental Laws – Overlay unique state rules and sensitive sites in GIS layers.
  10. Climate Resiliency Mandates – Model future climate impacts, floods, or fire-prone zones.

GIS makes compliance visible, traceable, and verifiable. Read how SRP dealt with Bird Interaction with its electric lines and complied with various federal wildlife regulations.

 

Don’t Just Stay Out of Trouble—Lead the Way

Good GIS isn’t just about checking boxes. It’s about planning for what’s next:

  • Model the effects of sea-level rise on the grid. GIS does that.
  • Integrate renewable energy into the network. GIS optimizes siting and load balancing.
  • Face pressure to show environmental stewardship? GIS makes it visual.

The goal is to keep the auditor board of his job. They will leave your facility quickly and may be disappointed that they found nothing. You don’t have to fear the next audit or storm. Just like Russ said, with GIS, you’re not just staying out of trouble—you are making money, keeping customers happy and everyone safe.

Learn how GIS keeps utilities safe and out of trouble here.