Mobile Computing
Geo-targeting with Data Analytics
Casting Doubts on Global Positioning
Mobile Computing
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Mobile Workforce Management
Taking the next step in field communications
BY JIM MENTON, ClickSoftware
Electricity remains the same as it always has, but the entire context around providing a safe and reliable supply has changed, and continues to evolve. New challenges have emerged for electric utility executives spanning deep cuts in the price of gas, to more and increasingly complex regulatory pressures in parallel to targeted de-regulation, greater attention on storms impact, and the evolution of technologies for...
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Casting Doubts on Global Positioning
Many fleet executives working at electric utilities have doubts about implementing global positioning system (GPS) tracking technology into their fleet operations. A number of doubts exist. For example, GPS technologies are designed to track a vehicle’s whereabouts; this can lead to trust issues...
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FERC Complaint Targets Duke, PJM Transmission Planning
A coalition of large energy consumers and ratepayer advocates has filed a complaint with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), urging the agency to prohibit transmission owners from independently planning "local" transmission projects exceeding 100 kilovolts (kV). The coalition argues...
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Crew Scheduling and Dispatch
How mobile solutions improve restoration efforts BY JIM MENTON, ClickSoftware Electric utilities are modernizing the power grid to meet the demands of an increasingly digital society. In the same way, mobile solutions are helping service personnel (line crews, contractors, and supervisors)...
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Save Money on Fleet Management
For utilities who want to reduce costs in record time BY ROB HOYSGAARD, ARI Save, or saving, is defined as the act of avoiding unnecessary waste or expense. The key word in that definition is unnecessary. A 50 percent reduction is essential, on-the-road vehicles do not result in savings; rather it...
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FERC Complaint Targets Duke, PJM Transmission Planning
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Remote field operations present the safety organization with a myriad of challenges when it comes to ensuring the safety of the people that you send out to work in the field every day. Without a doubt, this includes the line workers, but it also includes nearly every member of the staff whose...
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Utilities Opt to Automate Crew Scheduling, streamline work
For many utilities, scheduling each day’s construction and restoration work means manually organizing and keeping tabs on ever-changing crew schedules and resources. Managers meticulously update whiteboards dotted with color-coded magnets representing crews and trucks. Augmenting the...
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Utility Mobility
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Alternative Vehicle Options: Upfitted Vans for Utilities
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