Discover how the right field software can help ensure digital transformation success
For utilities in the U.S. and around the world, modernization has taken root. Companies are implementing digital transformation initiatives to meet mandates driven by increased demand from data centers and climate extremes, as well as multi-directional networks designed around electric vehicles, DERs, solar, wind and battery storage.
Indeed, digital modernization has become the cornerstone of today’s grid and critical infrastructure. From real-time systems in the control room to enterprise GIS and asset management platforms, leaders are investing in initiatives to transform how their organizations design, upgrade and maintain increasingly complex networks. Yet even as enterprise IT systems advance, field operations often lag, constrained by legacy mobile tools, disconnected workflows and manual data handoffs.
And the risk of modernization failure is real. Industry research shows that only 5% of companies that engage in digital transformation achieve or exceed their expectations, while the majority settle for diluted value. Another study found that digital transformation projects cost an average of US$10.9 million, with 37% still failing to meet their objectives.
TRC’s Lemur mobile mapping was built to help utilities modernize their field service and provide a foundation that puts the enterprise first. Lemur extends the intelligence of systems like Esri’s ArcGIS Utility Network (UN) and enterprise work and asset management platforms into the field, giving crews a unified, map-centric experience that seamlessly connects with the organization’s system of record. By deploying Lemur at the front end of modernization, utilities can improve field operations, de-risk systems integration and position their teams to take full advantage of integrated applications as they come online.
Utility Modernization and Field Software Challenges
For many utilities, modernization starts with core platforms: upgrading to Esri’s UN, consolidating work and asset management (WAM) systems and implementing real-time data capabilities. These efforts are often treated as independent projects that must be completed before reconsidering field tools, leaving mobile operations patched together as an afterthought, handled through temporary integrations and manual workarounds.
When modernization focuses first on geographic information systems (GIS) and enterprise resource planning (ERP), utilities often resort to extensive extract, transform and load (ETL) jobs, custom scripts and integrations to connect third-party field applications. Over time, these jumbled data flows become difficult to understand, expensive to maintain and risky to adjust. Non-native field applications may also not respect or maintain the data model, business rules, or regulatory logic that modernization is meant to standardize.
Esri’s UN introduces a highly structured data model with immense potential for visibility, network tracing and analytics. However, if the wrong field software is used, utilities struggle to expose the power of location-based analytics and map visualization to crews. In some cases, organizations even override UN rules or build parallel structures, undermining modernization and compromising data integrity.
Non-native field solutions introduce delays in getting data back to the office and in posting it to the system of record. Crews may capture updates in one system while GIS or WAM lag, causing staff to lose confidence in the accuracy and timeliness of asset information.
Lack of deep map integration with WAM further complicates work execution. Without a unified spatial or map context, technicians can feel locationally “blind,” forced to cross‑reference multiple apps or paper instructions to understand how assets connect to the larger network and which customers are affected.
These challenges are amplified by the fact that digital transformation programs are inherently difficult; only a small fraction reach their intended outcomes, and many overrun on cost and complexity. Without a field strategy that aligns with modernization from day one, organizations risk deploying state-of-the-art platforms that never fully deliver value to the crews who depend on them.
Modernization and field service management challenges include:
- Programs that result in complex, fragile integrations between new systems and legacy field tools
- Non-native field applications, which erode data quality by bypassing or breaking core business rules and models
- Field teams who struggle with limited map context and juggling too many disconnected point solutions
- Delayed and inconsistent data synchronization reduces trust in the official system of record
- High transformation costs and failure rates amplify the risk of misaligned field software strategies
How Lemur Works With Modernization—Not Against It
Lemur is designed to work with your modernization strategy by extending enterprise GIS directly into the field and unifying that with asset management capabilities, rather than standing apart from them. Built as a mobile GIS and asset-mapping platform that sits on top of your system of record, Lemur brings the data model, business rules and regulatory guidelines of platforms like Esri’s UN and leading WAM systems to technicians by design. This approach avoids custom code, manual data-entry pipelines and ETL-heavy architectures, replacing them with a unified, native integration that respects the systems of record and business rules.
When utilities deploy Lemur early in their modernization journey, they flip the traditional sequence. Field users migrate first to a modern, map-centric experience that is already designed to plug into upgraded GIS and work management platforms as they go live. Instead of bolting field tools onto a finished architecture, Lemur becomes an enabling layer that prepares field operations for upcoming change management while preserving business continuity. As UN or new WAM implementations proceed, connecting Lemur to those platforms becomes an already-supported next step, rather than a major integration project.
Lemur leverages the structure and intelligence of Esri’s UN to simplify field workflows. Field staff can narrow searches to assets relevant to the work at hand, easily toggle between proposed, in-service and retired assets, and isolate specific circuits to focus on assets relevant to their assigned work. Running traces in the field, such as locating an upstream gas shutoff valve or understanding which properties will be affected by a service interruption, becomes intuitive through the map. This functionality is delivered in an interface tailored to utility technicians, giving them advanced geospatial capabilities without requiring them to be GIS experts.
Deep integration with WAM means Lemur does more. Technicians can launch work orders from the map, update assets in context, and trigger bulk changes based on spatial selections. Work and asset updates are enforced by native WAM rules on the device, helping ensure that field edits comply with organizational standards and regulatory requirements at the moment of data capture. This reduces rework and accelerates the cycle of getting new or corrected data back into the system of record.
Lemur’s offline capabilities are central to its value for utilities. By using Esri’s UN structure and Lemur-defined geographic extents to bundle data to the device, Lemur provides reliable, full-featured offline operation. Crews can access the maps, assets, traces and work orders they need without connectivity, then seamlessly sync updates when they return to coverage. This ensures that modernization does not introduce dependence on connectivity, which is often unrealistic in remote, underground or storm-damaged environments.
What differentiates Lemur is its field-first, utility-centric design and its tight coupling with the system of record. Unlike generic mobile tools or loosely integrated apps, Lemur is engineered specifically for utilities and asset-intensive organizations. When combined with your WAM solution, Lemur becomes a complete mobile asset-mapping and work-execution platform that amplifies the power of your modern GIS and enterprise systems.
Use Cases and Benefits Achieved with Lemur
Lemur supports an array of field service scenarios by unifying enterprise GIS, WAM and mobile functionality into a single map-centric experience. From routine maintenance to emergency response, it provides crews with the tools they need to understand network context, capture high-quality data and complete work efficiently in both online and offline conditions.
Electric maintenance and repair
Lemur enables electric crews to visualize circuits, run traces to identify affected devices and customers, and quickly isolate the segment requiring work. Technicians can launch and update work orders directly from the map, capture replacement or upgrade details and sync them back to GIS and WAM without duplicate entry.
Gas leak investigation and maintenance
For gas utilities, Lemur supports leak and odor investigations by combining network tracing, spatial or map context, and work execution in a single interface. Crews can trace upstream shutoff valves, see impacted properties and document field observations and mitigations in a structured format that flows directly into enterprise systems.
Vegetation management
Vegetation management teams can use Lemur to identify at-risk assets and circuits, visualize work areas, and document completed trimming and clearing activities. Field staff can capture photos, notes and spatially accurate updates that inform planning, compliance reporting and future risk assessments.
Disaster response and recovery
During storms or other emergencies, Lemur helps utilities rapidly assess damage, prioritize restoration work and maintain situational awareness. Crews can operate offline in impacted areas, record damage locations and statuses and synchronize data when connectivity returns. Operations teams gain accurate, near-real-time insight into field conditions.
As-built construction and new asset deployment
Construction crews can rely on Lemur to document new assets as they are installed, ensuring that as-built data aligns with the UN model and WAM records from day one. The ability to perform map-driven updates and enforce business rules at the point of entry reduces downstream corrections and accelerates the handoff from construction to operations.
By delivering these and other use cases on a unified platform, Lemur helps utilities improve field data quality, shorten the time from field execution to back-office visibility, and reduce operational friction caused by multiple, disconnected apps. Technicians benefit from a simpler, intuitive experience that puts network-aware, work-driven maps at the center of their day. Supervisors and planners gain confidence that what they see in the system reflects what exists in the field.
The benefits extend across the organization. Lemur reduces integration complexity and supports a more agile, modernization approach in which field capabilities evolve in step with GIS and WAM enhancements. With accurate, timely field data flowing into the system of record, utilities can better support analytics, capital planning, regulatory reporting and customer communication.
Benefits include:
- Improved data accuracy and faster synchronization between the field and the back office
- Higher field productivity through unified mapping, work and asset management
- Reduced integration and maintenance costs by avoiding custom ETLs and scripts
- Strengthened data integrity with native system of record tools
- Higher return on modernization investments by extending capabilities to the field
Modernize With TRC’s Lemur Mobile Mapping
Choosing the right field software is critical to achieving enterprise modernization, and Lemur is purpose-built to help organizations succeed. Unlike generic mobile apps, Lemur is designed specifically for utilities and other asset-intensive enterprises, extending ArcGIS Utility Network to the field and aligning with systems such as SAP, Salesforce and leading WAM platforms to create a seamless connection between the field and the enterprise.
Lemur stands out because it is built directly on top of GIS and integrates with WAM rather than being patched on as an afterthought. This architecture allows Lemur to inherit and enforce your data model, business rules and regulatory guidelines on the device, reducing the risk of data corruption and integration failures that can derail modernization efforts. It also eliminates the need for complex custom integrations and manual data reconciliation, giving IT and operations teams a simpler, more predictable environment to manage.
TRC’s deep experience with utility systems, grid modernization and real-time operations informs Lemur’s design and roadmap. The platform reflects a field-first perspective that considers the realities of working in challenging conditions, the need for robust offline capabilities and the importance of intuitive, glove-friendly workflows. By partnering with TRC and deploying Lemur, utilities gain not just a mobile application, but an integrated, modernization-ready field platform that helps ensure digital initiatives deliver lasting value.
