TRC implements and integrates the ArcGIS Utility Network with multiple systems
Tacoma Power, part of Tacoma Public Utilities (TPU), is a community-owned, not-for-profit utility that provides customers with safe and reliable energy in Tacoma, Washington and the greater Pierce County region. The utility manages a diverse asset portfolio that includes hydroelectric generating resources, transmission and an expansive distribution network that supports both residential and commercial customers. Supplying power to more than 190,000 customers, Tacoma Power is known for its strong customer focus and commitment to operational excellence.
Keeping pace with technology is essential, as Tacoma Power faces an industry landscape characterized by increased demand, regulatory pressures, sustainability goals and rising customer expectations for transparency and service quality.
Tacoma Power’s modern geographic information system (GIS) initiative served as a catalyst for digital transformation. Recognizing the limitations of legacy mapping tools and the need for a modern, integrated geospatial platform, Tacoma Power sought to overhaul its GIS to support smarter operations, improve asset management and better serve its customers in the years ahead.
Challenge
Tacoma Power recognized the need to migrate from its legacy GIS to a robust, scalable enterprise solution. The previous platform lacked integration with other enterprise systems and faced an end-of-life deadline that threatened business continuity. Network reliability, outage management and customer service were all at risk if the GIS could not be modernized before the retirement of existing support and critical system components.
Tacoma Power also needed to support a growing set of use cases, including integrating advanced metering infrastructure (AMI), outage management and real-time data analytics, all of which required a robust and flexible GIS platform. The legacy system hindered data sharing, impeded workflow automation and suffered from inconsistent data quality, making it difficult for field and office teams to collaborate. The increasingly complex regulatory environment and rising customer expectations placed additional pressure on the utility to become more agile and transparent.
Tacoma Power recognized that its technology transition required both deep technical expertise and industry knowledge, particularly in the utility sector. TRC stood out for its proven capabilities in large-scale geospatial migrations, system integrations and expertise particularly with the Esri ArcGIS Utility Network. In addition, TRC offered the ability to deliver tailored, hands-on support beginning with strategy development through implementation, ensuring that the project would deliver sustainable value and foster internal adoption at all levels.
“Our legacy GIS platform was fast approaching end-of-support, and our business could not tolerate an outage or data loss,” said John Nierenberg, Manager of Planning, System Ops, and Asset Management, Tacoma Power. “We selected TRC because we needed a partner with both the technical acumen and the utility sector knowledge to guide us through a seamless transition, minimize business disruption and empower our teams to fully leverage modern geospatial capabilities.”
The drivers for GIS modernization included:
- Risk of disruption due to an end-of-life legacy technology
- Lack of integration between GIS and other enterprise systems (OMS, SAP, Synergi Distribution Planning Tool)
- Inconsistent asset data quality and limited data sharing across departments
- Inability to support new grid modernization and digitalization use cases
- Lack of transparency for asset management analysis
- Rising regulatory, customer experience and operational excellence pressures
Solution
TRC approached Tacoma Power’s GIS modernization with a comprehensive, multi-phased strategy designed to de-risk the migration and maximize long-term value. Leveraging our decades of experience delivering geospatial solutions, we developed a roadmap that focused on supporting existing business processes while performing a complete network model migration to Esri’s ArcGIS Utility Network. Additionally, we assisted with the deployment of map editing tools and system integration with enterprise systems, including outage management systems (OMS) Synergi System Planning, and SAP applications.
TRC’s technical practitioners worked closely with Tacoma Power stakeholders to inventory all spatial assets, design new data models and develop a migration framework that preserved data integrity during the transition from its legacy GIS to Esri.
Modernization efforts included the development of new map services and Esri apps, which empowered field and office staff to access, update and analyze geospatial data in real time. Emphasis was placed on aligning GIS workflows with enterprise business processes to drive efficiency and transparency.
The integration covered all critical operational systems—enabling real-time outage management and improved planning for both transmission and distribution assets. Change management and staff training were embedded from the start, ensuring broad adoption. By facilitating seamless integration of field and office operations and working collaboratively with Tacoma’s staff using an agile development model, TRC set Tacoma Power up for successful adoption and future growth.
The GIS modernization program was co-delivered in partnership with Tacoma Power’s existing OT GIS organization, which now owns and maintains the solution as part of Power’s GIS Portfolio.
“Our team approached this project as a true partnership with TRC,” said Andy Simpson, Tacoma Power’s GIS Technology Manager. “Through open collaboration, agile implementation and creative problem-solving, we not only migrated our legacy data but also enabled capabilities to support new technologies like ADMS. Together with TRC we delivered an enterprise GIS platform that is secure, scalable and truly transformative for both day-to-day operations and long-term planning.”
TRC’s solutions included:
- Complete network model migration to Esri ArcGIS Utility Network
- Configuration and deployment of professional editing tools and Esri web apps
- System integration with outage management (OMS), SAP, and planning tools
- Data quality assurance, training, and change management support
- Landbase analysis and externally sourced development
“The solution TRC delivered went far beyond a simple technology upgrade,” said Nierenberg. “They guided us in redesigning our workflows, integrated our GIS with all key enterprise platforms, and helped us unlock powerful analytic and operational capabilities. Tacoma Power now possesses a unified, modern geospatial system that can share data with the rest of the City of Tacoma and improves visibility, reliability and customer service in ways that would have been impossible before.”
Results
After migrating from a legacy system to Esri’s ArcGIS Utility Network, operational performance improved across departments. The new GIS environment provides a centralized and reliable source of spatial data, including real time data, enhancing situational awareness, improving time sensitive decision-making and strategic planning. Integrated data flows and a consistent asset model across platforms now inform everything from outage management to capital improvement strategies.
Tacoma Power’s internal teams now work more collaboratively. The Esri platform’s web-based maps and editing tools allow simultaneous access to data by field crews, planners, engineers and customer service agents. With more users accessing geospatial data and related attributes, the utility benefits from more data-driven workflows.
The updated GIS is also more scalable. Tacoma Power can extend its capabilities into emerging domains such as advanced distribution management systems (ADMS), distributed energy resources (DERs) and grid modernization programs. As the utility evolves, GIS will serve as an integration platform supporting digital twins, automating work design and enabling end-to-end visibility of service delivery.
Overall, the modernization has created a more agile, integrated, and resilient enterprise that is capable of adapting quickly to changing demands while maintaining high standards of reliability, safety and customer satisfaction.
“With TRC’s expertise, we achieved a seamless and secure migration to a powerful geospatial system that ties together all aspects of our operations,” said Nierenberg. “Our teams are now positioned to deliver reliable service and innovate for the future with a foundation they trust.”
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Discover how Tacoma Power and others have worked with TRC to migrate to the enterprise ArcGIS Utility Network system.
