This article was originally authored by Locana, which is now part of TRC.
Field crews perform tasks faster and with greater accuracy using integrated geospatial and work order management capabilities.
GREENWOOD VILLAGE, CO (June 8, 2022) — Locana, a global leader in technology consulting and geospatial systems development, today announced the successful deployment of its LemurSM Solution by Omaha Metropolitan Utilities District (M.U.D.). The customer-owned public utility provides safe, reliable, and cost-effective natural gas and water services to the metro Omaha, Nebraska community. The company deployed mobile GIS to its field technicians to provide both in connected and disconnected environments.
“Lemur was a game-changer for our field users. They no longer required online access, and because the data is cached on the iPad, the speed of a map is incredible.”
— Lindsay Dreckman, Manager, Business Applications, GIS, Metropolitan Utilities District
“Having maps, data, and work management information integrated gives field crews faster access to more information, so they don’t have to call back to the operations center to ask questions,” says Lindsay Dreckman, Manager, Business Applications, GIS, Metropolitan Utilities District. “Lemur was a game-changer for our field users. They no longer required online access, and because the data is cached on the iPad, the speed of a map is incredible.”
M.U.D. decided to implement Lemur because it wanted to make it easy for field technicians to launch their field app with embedded maps and location-based tools. They also wanted the ability to initiate workflows directly to the work order and provide a seamless experience between field service and mapping. These capabilities would simplify getting data to and from corporate systems so that workers would spend more time on their jobs and less time finding information from their laptops or back in the office.
Today, field crews in multiple departments use the mobile GIS Lemur solution for everything from gas and water distribution to field services, construction, meter services, safety and security, and plant and design engineering. Staff can view location data and work order details for maintenance orders to route and understand the day’s workload. It helps the utility manage more than 27,000 hydrants operating in the Omaha area, an extensive network that feeds five separate counties.
In addition, Lemur is used to perform a host of duties with minimal training. Staff can execute workflows and assess, capture, update, and share information in both online and offline environments. Using their mobile devices in the field, they can view propriety information, including assets, connectivity, and relationships between those assets, without multiple applications, manual processes, or additional training.
With the success of M.U.D.’s GIS and mobile mapping efforts, the company is looking to extend the benefits of GIS and field apps to more people, with plans to implement the Esri ArcGIS Utility Network, including network modeling, tracing, and isolation capabilities.
About TRC Companies
TRC is a global leader providing environmentally focused and digitally powered solutions tailored to meet the unique challenges of the energy transition. With more than 55 years of proven expertise, our tested practitioners deliver innovative resolutions to the toughest challenges facing our critical infrastructure. With a dedicated workforce of over 8,000 professionals, we offer advisory, consulting, construction, engineering and management services, guiding complex projects from conception to completion. Our commitment to creating new pathways for the world to thrive is unwavering. We help our clients adapt, regardless of the climate in which they operate, to achieve enduring, sustainable results while solving the challenges of making the Earth a better place to live — community by community and project by project.
Locana, a location and mapping technology company, was acquired by TRC in 2023, and is a global leader in both enterprise geospatial solutions and innovative applications using proprietary and open-source mapping technologies. By taking a location-first approach to problem solving, Locana builds, implements and connects solutions for public and private clients, in a wide range of domains including: utilities, land and facility management, critical infrastructure, defense, conservation, international development, and technology among others.