Category: SBS Blog

SBS Automated Utility Design™ (AUD) supports product-level integration with the SPIDA Software SPIDAcalc product. The integration provides a highly functional, straightforward way to validate AUD designs within SPIDAcalc. The integration is enabled via the analysis module of SBS Utility DataHub™. While workflows at different utilities may vary, the process typically goes as follows:

First, within AUD, a designer lays out pole locations, future services, transformers, and other key elements of the design project.

Second, once the design is laid out in AUD, it is sent to SPIDAcalc for verification. SPIDAcalc then verifies that the framing is valid. As SPIDAcalc analyzes the build, features will change colors (green for pass, red for fail).

Third, after analysis is performed, the build is exported back to AUD where it can be accessed via the Project Viewer.

Features that have passed validation within SPIDAcalc are displayed in AUD. Features that failed validation will display a warning. Once the failed feature has been selected, the attributes (specific to SPIDAcalc) appear on the dashboard.

Within this window, users can see all the poles available from SPIDAcalc in AUD and all the results from different components such as guys, insulators, and the pole itself. Users can also see the overall status (pass or fail).

Users of SBS Utility DataHub™ SPIDAcalc integration with AUD are able to ensure that they can perform the advanced analysis available within SPIDAcalc while taking advantage of the user-friendly AutoCAD-based interface of Automated Utility Design™.

New FME Plug-in provides a commercial-off-the-shelf (COTS) tool for ArcGIS Utility Network migration and synchronization. 

July 12, 2021 

SBS is pleased to announce our latest FME plug-in, the SpatialBiz Plug-in for ArcGIS Utility Network. We have leveraged our decades of experience with the Safe Software FME product, along with the extensive experience we have with ArcGIS Utility Network and networked GIS technologies, to create a specialized product offering for the migration and synchronization of ArcGIS Utility Network data.   

You may ask, why do we need this? There are a variety of tools already available from Safe Software, Esri, and several other quality organizations in our industry. The answer is simple:  We believe that a lot more can be done to automate Utility Network data integration into enterprise environments. While we are excited about what we have developed, we believe it is just the beginning of what can be done to integrate networked infrastructure information into mainstream as well as specialty information systems. The intention of this post is to explain the challenges our industry has had in Utility Network migration and the approach we have taken to mitigate these issues.   

Without getting into the technical weeds, we believe there are three main issues that need to be solved: 

• Reduction in migration complexity.  
• Support for Utility Network synchronization and interoperability.  
• Need for a productized, user supportable solution.   

Reduction in Migration Complexity 

To date, Utility Network migrations have involved a lot of discovery, sometimes by trial and error, regarding the best approaches that need to be taken to create useful network data. Many challenges have been identified in areas such as how to approach network modeling how to deal with incomplete network data, and how to ensure that the migrations ultimately address business needs while ensuring the fundamental requirements of data quality and system scalability. The projects have been complex and costly, which is not unexpected when adopting new technologies. Now that Utility Network is being more widely deployed, there is a great opportunity to capitalize on the lessons learned.   

SBS has chosen to build a highly automated tool on the Safe Software FME platform to address these issues of complexity. FME has a practical, easy-to-use interface, and thousands of people are trained in how to use the system every year. This moves the task of migration away from programmers and deep technical experts over to talented, geospatially literate technical professionals. We have created the following plug-in features to streamline the complexity: 

• Support for ArcGIS Utility Network connectivity, attachment, and containment associations. 
• Access to system table data including diagram junction layers, container layers, rules, subnetworks, and domains. 
• Continued focus on automating and removing complexity throughout the workflow. 

• Built in support for ArcPro Templates that can be created directly from FME. 

Support for Utility Network Synchronization and Interoperability 

SBS staff have been involved with geospatial system migration for over thirty years. During that time, we have learned that organizations adapt to new systems much more effectively when they can do a gradual transition rather than a “big bang.” The ability to synchronize data between the existing and target system becomes a critical factor to support this kind of risk-managed transition. Key to this is the ability to support difference management between systems and incremental updates. The following innovative features enable this in the ArcGIS Utility Network plug-in:   

• Global ID support. A Global ID registry is leveraged to record source to Utility Network mappings, ensuring consistent identification of feature keys to support synchronization transactions. 
   
• Incremental and point-in-time extraction. 

• Where clause support.  
• Transactional tolerance to ensure successful job completion. In this mode, transactions are validated and adjusted to prevent potential rejection. 
   
• Advanced ordering logic to ensure that feature creation conforms to Utility Network rules and constraints, leading to high-integrity network builds with reduced Dirty Area cleanup. 

SBS has also included the fundamental building blocks to support two-way synchronization. While we have seen limited need for this level of interoperability, we welcome the opportunity to explore these use cases with interested clients.   

A Productized, User Supportable Solution 

One of the most important business requirements is having a fully supported, product-level solution that will continue to be maintained and enhanced. Many of the tools in our community have been ad hoc, project-oriented developments that evolve from project to project; they change as more is learned about Utility Network migration, and often the knowledge is dependent on the knowledge of the delivery personnel. Esri is also heavily involved in improving the base capabilities of Utility Network, which requires ongoing enhancements to the migration tools. SBS has been providing productized FME plug-ins for over fifteen years; it is a core competency for our organization.   

We hope we have piqued your interest in this exciting new product from SBS. Please reach out to us to discuss your needs related to Utility Network migration.   

*** 

About SBS 

SBS provides software and service solutions that help infrastructure owners and engineering firms maximize their investment in CAD, GIS, and other information systems. 

The company has helped over 300 utility, telecommunications, and government entities streamline their business processes and reduce costs through their innovative offerings. With offices in Denver, Colorado and Melbourne, Australia, SBS provides world-class products, expert-level consulting skills, and extensive experience in working with integrated design solutions and the unique engineering aspects of modeling networked infrastructure environments. 

See the latest in advanced, geo-enabled solutions for utilities and telecommunications at the Esri User Conference July 12–15, 2021. Register now to get a front-row seat.

SBS will be highlighting our intelligent design solutions integrated with ArcGIS and Utility Network along with some other exciting new developments at the world’s largest geospatial conference. After registering, search for us on the Expo Page to find our Virtual Booth. There will be a tremendous amount of additional technical workshops and sessions, an opportunity to explore GIS-powered products and services at the Expo, and time to virtually collaborate with peers.

On Tuesday, July 13, at 11:15 AM PST, join a SPOTLIGHT Session with Dennis Beck, CEO of SBS, as he presents how digital twins and digital threads help manage critical infrastructure with the power of the ArcGIS platform and geo-enabled, CAD-based design.

Tune in to the Lightning Talk with Jack Hopson on Wednesday, July 14, at 11:15 AM PST to learn how Automated Utility Design™ (AUD) works with ArcGIS Field Maps to demonstrate an integrated workflow from design to as-built to GIS system of record.

We’ll see you there!

SBS Answers is our one-stop-shop to help you find answers to all your frequently asked questions.  

Whether you’re visiting our site for the first time wondering what AUD is, you’re interested in delving into intelligent design and want to see how our products can simplify that integration, or you’re ready to purchase our product and want to find out what training opportunities we offer, SBS Answers is the place for you. We’ve got information about Automated Utility Design™, Utility DataHub™, Substation Design Suite™, licensing, training, and getting started. 

If you can’t find an answer to your question, please scroll to the bottom of the page and fill out our form. We will do our best to respond promptly. Chances are, others may have that same question, so we may add your question to our page for others to see too. 

For most of the last century, utilities have manually drafted their designs. The 1980s and 1990s brought a paradigm shift with CAD. Fast forward twenty-five years to the evolution of 3D, and we now have utility specific tools such as Substation Design Suite™ (SDS) for creating intelligent substation designs.  

Jack Hopson of SBS recently hosted a roundtable webinar with three utility companies to discuss the value of intelligent substation design, including design efficiency, time and cost savings, and total shareholder return (TSR). As these companies shared their experiences utilizing SDS, it became clear that they’ve realized substantial benefits. Dave Mueller from Lincoln Electric System summarized it this way: “Once you dip into this world of intelligent design, the benefits of it far outweigh any risks.” Let’s take a look at some of these real benefits.  

“Once you dip into this world of intelligent design, the benefits of it far outweigh any risks.” Dave Mueller, Lincoln Electric System 

Design Efficiency 

Utilizing intelligent substation design automates certain substation-specific modeling tasks with specialized design tools. Ameren has noticed the benefit of automating design because they’re as-builts come back with fewer errors. In addition, with their intelligent drawings, changes made in one area incorporate through all the other drawings. According to Don Sanders, “That’s definitely a benefit on the as-built side.”   

Time Savings 

But the benefits continue on the design side with significant time savings as well. Ameren shared that utilizing intelligent design changed their project time from 132 days to 57 days. That’s a time savings of seventy-five days!   

A Southern Company design project slated to take twelve months was finished in seven months with intelligent substation design. Scope changes that normally would have taken them months to change in basic AutoCAD were fixed in fifteen minutes utilizing Substation Design Suite!  

Lincoln Electric System reiterated that intelligent substation design offers considerable time savings. Their drawing packages (fence and foundation, steel and bus, grounding plan, etc.) that might normally take a month or more to finalize are now completed in a week and a half.  

But there’s more. Intelligent substation design also reduces the amount of time taken by staff to complete standard checks. SDS optimizes work hours by automating time-consuming design tasks. As Bill Gordon shared, “No more going out to check stuff back and forth for weeks on end. You eliminate some of those checks based on…automated checks that are in the tools we’re able to use. Great savings!” 

Cost Savings 

Time is money. And time savings equate to cost savings with intelligent substation design. An Ameren job that would typically take two designers was done by one. That kind of efficiency can save companies anywhere from $50,000 to $300,000 per project. And the savings don’t stop there. Many utility companies send projects out to consulting firms, but with intelligent substation design, companies can now keep more projects in-house. Ameren has built eleven to thirteen complete substations in the past several years. “Depending on the size of the substation,” Sanders stated, “that can get up to hundreds of thousands of dollars.”  

Total Shareholder Return (TSR) 

Utility companies aren’t the only ones to realize the value of intelligent substation design. Both Ameren and Southern Company elaborated on how improved efficiencies and savings benefit customers and shareholders too. By keeping design costs down and operation and maintenance costs flat, the customer enjoys better rates. That in turn improves the earnings per share or total shareholder return (TSR), which brings the stock price up, and “TSR continues to grow and to grow,” said Gordon.  

Companies can now double the design and substation projects in a year’s time, using investment money to create a more reliable grid for the future. Implementing intelligent substation design can double or even triple your production rate. Simply put, you can do more with your dollar. 

Sanders summarized it perfectly, “It’s all part of the intelligent process… [It] takes time to build, but you see the benefits at the end.” 

If you are interested in hearing the full roundtable discussion, please visit our YouTube channel at https://marketing.spatialbiz.com/3w1KwPH. 

Learn how existing technologies can be joined together using digital construction to enhance safety, data management, and intelligent designs! In case you missed it, the webinar has been posted and available for all watch.

Listen to a panel of experts discuss how technologies that stitch network design to digital construction and grid model data can improve safety and data quality, speed project close-out, prepare utilities for regulatory requirements, and provide the elusive Digital Twin today. The webinar recording can be found here.

The Utility Round Table Webinar with Ameren, Lincoln Electric System and Southern Company has been posted and available for all to listen. Learn how each of these utilities have implemented intelligent substation design with Substation Design Suite (SDS) and the benefits from utilizing SDS. Listen here today!

SPIDA® Software and SBS recently partnered together to discuss how AUD and SPIDAcalc combine their strengths to optimize overhead utility design while streamlining business workflows.  Matt Cain, Product Manager for SPIDA Software, and Andy Street, Vice President of Technology for SBS, demonstrated this easy-to-use yet powerful solution that provides an effective way to validate designs. These new enhancements ensure long-term, cost-effective, and safe performance all while withstanding weather events and mitigating other risks involved with utility infrastructure. 

Please contact us with any questions you may have about AUD at https://spatialbiz.com/contact-us/

If you missed the webinar or would simply like to watch the recording again, please contact us using the form below.

SBS is pleased to announce the release of Substation Design Suite™ Protection & Control 8.0! 

SBS is ever working to improve and enhance the products you rely on for substation design. This new version includes all the great features you’ve come to love plus several new enhancements: 

• Support for AutoCAD Electrical 2022 
• Refined Automated Cable Fan-in Tool, Job and Work Order tools, and Automated Revcloud and Hatch utility 
• New ROLLOVER and SURFER capabilities 
• Window selection for Annotation Jumpers  
• Security updates 
• Plus more! 

If you’d like to learn about more enhancements included in this release, or you’d simply like more specific details, please visit the Support Portal to view the release notes.  

Join us for a webinar on May 26th to see how SPIDA® Software and SBS have partnered to add advanced structural load analysis to the Automated Utility Design™ product. Register here!

Learn how AUD and SPIDA^®Calc combine their strengths to optimize overhead utility design while streamlining business workflows.  This easy-to-use yet powerful solution provides an effective way to validate designs while ensuring long-term, cost-effective, and safe performance that can withstand weather events and mitigate other risks involved with utility infrastructure.  

“Our team is excited to see continued interest and enthusiastic support of our open integration model for SPIDA®Calc,” said Brad Johnson, Director of Business Development and Strategy for SPIDA software. “SBS has done a fantastic job of creating a positive user experience between their Automated Utility Design™ product and the industry leader in pole load analysis, SPIDA®Calc.”   

“We are really pleased to have the opportunity to discuss and demonstrate the latest enhancements to our Utility DataHub™ SPIDA®Calc interface at this upcoming webinar,” said Dennis Beck, CEO of SBS. “The design efficiency of SBS Automated Utility Design™ (AUD) combined with the engineering power of SPIDA®Calc creates a powerful design combination for our customers.  We are really excited for them to learn more about the work we are doing together.” 

Experience with us the power of this collaboration! Register here today. 

Title: Streamline and Optimize Utility Design with SPIDA®calc and SBS Automated Utility Design™ (AUD)
Date: Wednesday, May 26th at 1:00p.m. ET

Details:

• Join us live via GoToMeetings.
• Participate in a Q&A with the panel immediately following.
• Access the content by responding to our form on this blogpost.

REGISTER FOR THE WEBINAR HERE. 

Wednesday, May 26, 2021 

1:00 PM ET