Optimizing the Field Experience

Hello and welcome to Bite Size Electric, the podcast where we break down the biggest challenges and best practices shaping the future of electric networks, one bite at a time. We're starting our series on electric transmission inspections, with lessons learned from a recent project kickoff with an IQGeo customer. There are a lot of legacy practices that can be challenging during inspections. And in episode one, we'll look at the challenges field teams face, including functionality on mobile devices, working offline, and how to sync field updates with their system of record. I'm joined in episode one by Amy Beasley, Senior Product Owner for Utilities at IQGeo. Amy, welcome to Bite Size Electric. Thanks, Jeff. You've talked with a lot of utility teams about their inspection routines. What's the number one headache they run into? Number one headache, I think it's how to access their work orders on an iPad or a company laptop while they're out in the field. Gotcha. And wait, what about working offline? I imagine reception isn't exactly great when you're standing under a transmission tower in the middle of nowhere. So yes, many of the poles and transmission lines are in remote locations with limited connectivity or no connectivity. But they still need to see their full inspection orders so they can complete their work. Their workflows usually depend on loading all of that data onto their device, historically even at the very start of the inspection season. And so they would have all the work orders they could work throughout the year. It does make it a little difficult to adjust the inspection plan and orders mid-season, considering that sometimes infrastructure is missing from their map or infrastructure has changed throughout the inspection season. So a more frequent data sync would be more helpful for them. Missing infrastructure on their map requires manual workarounds. They collect a lot of data on their devices. Device stability can be a concern since all those inspection records are stored locally until they can sync back to the office. Really, they need bidirectional data exchange with the back office. The more frequently they can sync the data back and forth, the better informed the office can be, the better recorded the inspections can be, and the faster they can get out to correct any of those high priority defects that they find. And then when they get back online, how do those updates flow back to the office without a giant mess? Ideally, they want nightly updates and accurate map and feature synchronization. The syncing mechanisms of IQGEO help provide the merging and process for making sure that those changes get brought back into the centralized database. I think historically there have been various methods used to be able to bring that data back to the office. One of the benefits of our system is they can connect back online even at the end of their day and sync that information. How do syncing practices improve overall communication flows from the field to the office? And what are the benefits? Well, nightly syncing or more frequent syncing means that your field inspectors are always looking at the most up-to-date orders for the day. As they go out and do their work in the field, they can have orders that are dispatched recently, which adapt to changes throughout the inspection season. When you have faster syncing back to the office, you have even quicker response times on potentially hazardous defects, which are identified in the field. More frequent syncing means that you're syncing smaller packets of data in a more timely manner, which is beneficial in two ways. One, that you reduce data loss and rework by ensuring that the changes in the field are recorded in the centralized database. And then doing so, you're able to report out on the inspection season progress more consistently and frequently so you can track your progress throughout the year. Well, that sounds like a seamless way to ensure data sharing between the office and the field. And that wraps up Episode 1 of our four -part series on transmission inspections. Amy, thanks for the insights and thanks for all of you listening. Catch you next time.