Functionality of the solution
 

Years of cooperation with utility companies have allowed us to create an IT solution with functions satisfying the particular requirements of this sector. The Mb_GIS Utility EE solution, developed and implemented by Megabit, consists of integrated systems enabling complex management of the network infrastructure and other components of company assets.

The core of the Mb_GIS Utility EE is the Mb_GIS system based on ESRI tools (ArcGIS, ArcIMS, ArcSDE), completed with systems supporting the activities of the utility company.

 

Mb_GIS Geographic Information System

Our primary concern is to provide the utility-aware Enterprise GIS system which permits reaching beyond the standard GIS functions in order to maximise the effectiveness of investment in GIS systems.
The map layers are tightly integrated with the Mb_AM/FM asset database. All the attribute data of the assets can be used to display the assets on the map and influence the size, shape, colour and other attributes of the assets. Thanks to integration with the Mb_WMS system, the objects may be displayed differently also depending on whether they are the subject of orders, have been repaired during the last year or have been disconnected.

Numerous map displays can be provided at the same time to answer the needs of different departments. Thanks to the web-based architecture and licensing terms, the Mb_GIS system can be accessed by all the staff working with the maps.

The maps also show the location of all the active orders. In addition, details of each order can be immediately checked. Thanks to the system with the GPS option, it takes just a few seconds to determine the closest work crew and dispatch the orders appropriately.

Every authorised staff member is able to check the status of an order, which tasks have been completed, what should be done next and by whom. The information can also serve to answer the enquiries of city officials or citizens. It will contain all necessary details, as it is also used to pass the information between different crews working on the order during consecutive hours or days.

The possibility of network modelling makes Mb_GIS an ideal tool for utility enterprises, offering network analyses which involve data directly from the database of the system. It has the ability to prepare spatial analyses, helping check the profitability of different versions of the network development and its influence on quality and quantity norms.

Our wide experience in automatic systems solutions allows us to integrate the applied monitoring and steering systems into one Uniform Process and Devices Monitoring System. The solution gives all Members of the Management immediate access to data.

 

Mb_AM/FM Asset & Facility Management System

Management of the large number of assets owned and/or used by a utility means being able to uniquely identify each item and describe its features and technical parameters. The information about each asset in the Mb_AM/FM system can include asset classification, attributes, maintenance history, related documents from the central repository, history of SCADA alarm signals, related assets and spatial information.

What helps real-life efficiency of the system is the fact that the majority of tasks which users perform serve to support their duties, not just to provide data for other modules or groups of users. Staff responsible for managing new investments and documentation, can both improve their performance by using the system and provide the whole organisation with complete and accurate data about the infrastructure at the same time.

Numerous maintenance plans may exist. Each of them defines the frequency, the category of work to be performed and the department responsible. Having assigned the assets to the plan, one can easily identify all the assets that are expected to be the subject of a certain action within a specified period of time.

To provide the desired perspective on the distribution network and facilities, an efficient asset management system should ensure adequate information on construction management, maintenance management and customer enquiries in terms of the assets involved. Thus, the system contains a detailed list of actions affecting the shape, attributes and functioning of each and every valve, pipe, hydrant and other object – regardless of whether the action is undertaken by utility crews or co-operating organisations. The list is constantly updated, as it also serves to support workflow and costing procedures performed through the Mb_WMS system.

 

Mb_WMS Work Management System

The Mb_WMS system aims to answer work management needs by providing a comprehensive set of services encompassing different aspects of workflow in the utilities sector. These support the work of the organisation of all the departments involved in managing a distribution system. The core of the system is the evidence of orders. It contains all the service orders and maintenance orders, including customer complaints, emergencies, regular orders originating from the maintenance plans, connecting and disconnecting from the distribution system, the development of the distribution network and replacement of the existing assets.

Each order is created in the system at the same moment it is actually placed. Consequently, the system always provides an up-to-date and complete list of the orders already finished, in progress or planned for the future. The description of each order reflects the information provided by the person submitting it, for instance the customer. Priorities can be assigned as well.

The task can be submitted to a department, crew or an external firm when subcontracting is involved.
The managing departments can appoint the crew for a particular task or delegate the task to another department. Both current and historical information regarding workflow management is available to every authorised person.

The system helps to resolve possible conflicts between orders and decrease the total operation cost by taking appropriate decisions on replacements and repairs.

Apart from providing detailed up-to-date information on the workflow processes in a utility, the Mb_WMS system provides the staff with extensive reporting capabilities.

One of the key advantages of implementing the system lies in its ability to collect detailed data related to the costs of each order. It includes the times each person is working at every stage, the cost and time of work of the vehicles and machinery used. In addition, the system can play the role of Job Order Cost Accounting System (JOCAS) and provide data for costing procedures used to compute directly traceable costs and final costs including overhead rates. The latter functionality is based on the integration with the ERP system.

 

Mb_DocMan Documents Management System

The Mb_DocMan enriches the functionality of the Mb_GIS Utility EE system by offering the possibility to add binary documents to the objects in the system, including assets, orders and their tasks, machinery data and other items in the system database.

The system manages an unlimited number of documents in different file formats so as to accommodate both scanned documentation and office file formats. Multiple versions of the same document – for instance different versions of the maintenance procedures valid in different years – can be kept in the system. Documents can be grouped to assign permissions of different categories. A precisely described XML data layer is open for the submission of data from other systems in the utility. It also allows the application users to publish documents on the www service of a utility.

 

Mb_MDb Measurement Database

Measurement Database registers and archives measurement data gathered by industrial automation systems. The data can be entered in different ways: manually, imported from files (e.g. generated by measuring devices) or directly, automatically received from monitoring systems (SCADA) and stored without any time restrictions. The stored data can be accessed easily and quickly, thanks to specialised data software, ensuring flexible searching of the measurements according to a measured value, the place and date of measurement etc., as well as creation of various analyses.