As a GIS Manager, you’re at the forefront of merging the traditional with the modern, ensuring that your organization leverages the best of spatial insights to optimize its operations. The implementation of an Enterprise Geographic Information System (GIS) is a pivotal step in transforming your business’s field data capabilities. But how can you seamlessly incorporate this technology to maximize its impact?
Ever wondered how digital data collection influences your bottom line? In this webinar, we’ll demonstrate the critical role of data collection in process management and explore the ROI of FieldTech.
Discover the transformative power and benefits of field data collection software! In the following infographic, we’ll unveil the remarkable advantages of integrating modern field inspection technology into your business operations.
Standards form the backbone of operational excellence, defining the quality, safety, and efficiency expectations for organizations. In contrast, inspections play a critical role in ensuring successful business operations by upholding standards and evaluating compliance. Bridging the gap between broad standards and practical digital inspections is critical for effective standards implementation.
Welcome to the Fulcrum Insider – Issue 32 for January 2024, a gateway to the latest advancements and insights in field operations technology. In this edition, we do a deep dive into the powerful integration of Fulcrum’s platform with leading GIS and SaaS tools, unlocking new efficiencies and accuracies in fieldwork.
Welcome to the future of accurate GPS tracking for power lines using Fulcrum FieldTech! Join Jake from Fulcrum as he demonstrates the simplicity and power of our application in tracking downed power lines – a task critical for maintaining safety and restoring services.
Embracing cutting-edge solutions in today’s fast-evolving operational landscape is essential, and one such innovation is the convergence of Field Technology (FieldTech) — technology built for and managed by field teams — with Geographic Information System (GIS) Software as a Service (SaaS) offerings. These integrated platforms are revolutionizing industry workflows by providing unprecedented agility and capacity to adjust to market and environmental alterations quickly and effectively.
Utility companies may hesitate to embrace a SaaS (Software as a Service) field data collection software and management solution due to the substantial investments in their current methods, from pen-and-paper to complex in-house digital platforms. These entrenched systems represent significant sunk costs in time, money, and training – investments that may be painful to put aside in favor of a SaaS solution, despite the benefits.
An added benefit to our increased ability to collect geospatial data is our equally heightened ability to display it. When we combine data collection solutions with geospatial technology, we can enhance how our data is communicated. In effect, we can create dynamic data visualizations.
Geography influences a vast array of business, government, and personal decisions. The “how” and “why” of processes and developments often come down to the particulars of place. The physical realities of a location are important, obviously, but so are the social specifics. The environmental context is also vital. Understanding not only what all those attributes are but also how they interrelate requires a thorough collection of geospatial GIS data.
Fulcrum stands out as a dynamic data collection platform, expertly tailored for the varied needs of both field and office teams across industries. In the field, it simplifies data gathering and improves productivity. In the office, it boosts the use of data to make more informed decisions. This dual capability makes Fulcrum an essential tool for organizations aiming to enhance their operational performance and strategic depth.
As the telecom world races towards better connectivity, underground fiber optic cables have become the go-to solution. However, this advancement comes with an unintended consequence – the potential risk of sinkholes. As these high-speed conduits burrow deeper into the earth, they intersect with a delicate subterranean balance, occasionally disrupting natural water flows and contributing to soil erosion. This can lead to the formation of sinkholes, presenting a new set of challenges for urban planners and telecommunication companies.
Data increases in value and impact as it gets shared. So how can you maximize the value of the field data you collect in Fulcrum? And how can you maximize Fulcrum’s use of data from other systems? There are many integration techniques in Fulcrum, and we’re here to demo some of them for you.
Discover the transformative power of the Fulcrum data collection platform. Download the data sheet below to explore how Fulcrum redefines the efficiency and accuracy of field operations. This is more than just a tool; simple field data collection with Fulcrum is a strategic asset that propels your field activities into a new era of productivity.
Ramping up operational productivity in the field is a major goal for any GIS Manager, and it hinges on one crucial factor: quality data. Forget the old-school methods of scribbling notes in a notebook. The game has changed with the advent of data collection technology. This isn’t simply about the replacement of outdated tools with new technology. Instead, it’s a fundamental shift in how we handle field data.
The global use of electricity continues to grow every year. In fact, electricity usage in 2022 was more than three times higher than in 1980, and demand continues to climb. A robust plan for electrical infrastructure maintenance is essential to safely meet the needs of our interconnected world.
As 2023 draws to a close, utilities face considerable headwinds, finding themselves squeezed by regulator-driven demands for sustainability and environmental care, and grappling with escalating service delivery costs. In this challenging landscape, GIS-enhanced data collection emerges as a crucial tool for utilities, aiding in balancing these demands while maintaining operational efficiency.
Electricity is the lifeblood of modern society, powering everything from homes to hospitals. Yet, this critical service is surprisingly vulnerable to the natural world, particularly the untamed antics of wildlife. Every year, curious critters are the cause of widespread power outages, leading to significant economic losses and reliability issues for utilities. As electrical utilities seek innovative solutions to mitigate these interruptions, data collection software emerges as a pivotal tool in the strategic arsenal against wildlife-causing power outages. This blog explores an interesting use case for such software: managing wildlife interference effectively to ensure the protection of both animals and the reliability of utility services.
You know how, when you’re in the field, you sometimes need to step back to get a little perspective? It’s similar with software. We recently took a few minutes to host a webinar, Chart new territory with lines and polygons in Fulcrum, to help our customers understand how our geospatial innovation and capabilities fit in with our purpose as a company.
With the alarming increase in extreme weather events, electrical poles face an unprecedented challenge. Damaged poles can incapacitate a grid, leaving communities in darkness, cutting off communication, and stalling vital services. However, the solution is not costly-full scale replacement of the many poles that make up a grid. Instead, utilities are much better off reinforcing poles and implementing preventative measures. Fortunately, field data collection and inspection software can help utilities strengthen electrical poles, grids, and services against future storms.
The power of where in emergencies
In the critical moments following a disaster, the ability to pinpoint and act upon geolocation data can be lifesaving. For utility companies, this information is the compass that directs the restoration efforts in a landscape where traditional landmarks may no longer exist. Geolocation data provides clarity amidst the confusion, enabling a swift return to normalcy.
Power outages challenge utility companies to act fast and smart. The core strategy? GIS field data collection, a critical technology for swift service restoration and safety assurance. It connects field crew actions with centralized system insights, empowering a faster recovery process. Field teams using GIS can promptly report issues, making data-driven decisions that speed up the power restoration work and minimize outage time.
Every dataset tells a story, but without location, it’s incomplete. Geospatial data collection ties information to specific places, revealing patterns and relationships that would otherwise stay hidden. Within Geographic Information Systems (GIS), this connection allows teams to perform geospatial analysis using modern geospatial technology.
Join Fulcrum’s top product executives in an exclusive webinar as they unveil the latest breakthrough in field data collection and management: native lines and polygons in Fulcrum. This enhancement revolutionizes how organizations harness geographical data, catering to the industrial-strength GIS demands of field-oriented industries.
Vegetation management is a continuous challenge for utility companies. From mountain forests to city streets, ensuring vegetation doesn’t interfere with electrical lines is critical for safety and service continuity.
This is no easy feat, especially if utilities rely on outdated data collection methods that can’t properly track critical data points or produce decisive insights.
Despite their decades-old prevalence, utility poles stand at the forefront of a technological evolution. As telecom companies build ever-newer networks, utility poles become essential equipment for both legacy electrical grids and cutting-edge telecoms. Doubling pole use benefits both utilities and telecoms, but these utility pole partnerships can present numerous challenges without proper oversight.
Explore Fulcrum’s capabilities with our concise five-minute GIS lines and polygons demo. This engaging tutorial goes beyond basic instruction, showcasing how to revolutionize your field data collection. It uses practical scenarios, like power pole inspections, to demonstrate the real-world application and effectiveness of Fulcrum’s GIS-first data collection platform.
I’m excited to share some big news with you today. We’ve brought lines and polygons to Fulcrum, a move that’s been high on our clients’ wish list for quite some time. This isn’t just a new feature; it’s a big step forward in making GIS-oriented data collection and field operations more straightforward and effective, a goal I had in mind when I joined Fulcrum four years ago. And believe me, we’re just warming up.
Global electricity demand is projected to grow between 62% and 185 percent by 2050. As our world becomes more electrified, new challenges threaten the reliability and stability of our power infrastructure.
The future of electric vehicles (EVs) presents a looming challenge. The projected demand for public EV charging stations will place the US electrical grid under immense strain.
Geographic Information Systems (GIS) continue to transform field data collection, offering depth and detail that were previously out of reach. Fulcrum leads the charge in this revolution by integrating GIS lines and polygons directly into its data collection tool, setting a new benchmark for industries requiring comprehensive and precise geospatial analysis. Join us as we explore the enhanced functionalities and real-world applications that are defining the next chapter in field data collection.
Geographic information systems (GIS) have emerged as vital tools for visualizing and analyzing spatial data in utility management. These systems utilize detailed mapping features such as lines (representing linear features like roads or utility cables) and polygons (depicting enclosed areas like parcels or land use zones). This technology grants utility companies a deep understanding of complex network systems, facilitating informed strategies to meet the needs of growing communities. It empowers them to pursue well-informed expansion strategies with efficiency and foresight. Below we’ll explore how GIS lines and polygons for utility planning can help with data-driven decisions and field management tasks.
Data accuracy plays a critical role in utility field operations. Incorporating GIS lines and polygons is reshaping utilities with visual data collection and mapping of critical assets.
Field inspections are central to an electrical utility’s network, safeguarding infrastructure by identifying wear and potential hazards to prevent service disruption. Successful electrical inspections require collecting and analyzing accurate and reliable data to identify inefficiencies and risks and prioritize timely remediation.
The 2023 T&D World Live Conference was a landmark event, bringing together the brightest minds in the transmission and distribution sector. Fulcrum was among many who exhibited and attended with a team of experts in their field. Although the show was well attended by major players in the industry, the environment was one of a close-knit community.
The Fulcrum field inspection management platform digitizes utilities inspections to maximize field team performance and agility.
Field operations managers and their teams play an indispensable part in electrical utilities. They work tirelessly to ensure timely maintenance, infrastructure upgrades, and emergency response. However, in an industry where precision and efficiency are paramount, managing and coordinating field teams presents a constant challenge.
GIS software serves as a powerful tool, capturing, storing, and interpreting geographic data. GIS technology bridges the gap between locations, boundaries, and intricate details within a geospatial framework. Yet, the question arises – what’s the next step? Enter Fulcrum, industry-leading field data collection software that gives context to the geospatial content, expanding the use case of GIS data.
Published August 2023
Say goodbye to summer and say hello to the Fulcrum Insider August newsletter! Discover thought-provoking content, updates, and more. From the advantages of SaaS data collection to in-depth IT insights and our Summer G2 awards update (hint: it’s impressive 😉), we’ve got your summer wrap-up covered. Don’t miss out on these enlightening highlights – download below!
Electrical utilities may turn to in-house data collection solutions to maintain a sense of operational control. However, this approach leads to serious security vulnerabilities that put data integrity at risk and can have cascading effects on everything from service delivery to reputation. In this finale of our ongoing series, we’ll explore how SaaS data collection solutions strengthen data security for electrical utilities and creates better business and service outcomes.
If you are a follower of Fulcrum (and we hope you are!), you’ve probably seen our Esri announcements over the past six months or so, starting with our definitive commercial provider agreement and most recently talking about further Esri integration with a host of new features. But today we wanted to single out a couple of advantages to the Fulcrum-Esri pairing that don’t get enough press: scalability and flexibility. And as there’s no industry better to showcase these benefits, read on to learn more about GIS integration for utilities and how it optimizes both scalability and flexibility of their operations.
.ince the acceleration of digital technology, electrical utilities have often relied on in-house or “homemade” software solutions for data collection tools. Piecing together a range of different solutions might provide a degree of control and customization. However, this fragmentary approach also comes with serious challenges that can negatively impact utilities, particularly around IT workload and opportunity costs.
As the fourth installment in our series exploring the benefits of SaaS data collection tools for electric utilities, join us as we look at how innovative SaaS platforms significantly reduce the need for costly hardware and software maintenance and upgrades, all while offering advanced data collection features.
As part three of our series about the importance of SaaS solutions for electric utilities, we follow up on our previous blogs about time savings and integration by looking at the budgetary benefits of how cloud-based data collection tools optimize resources.
In this part 2 of our series on SaaS data collection tools for electric utilities, we highlight the superiority of SaaS platforms in integrating with other digital systems like GIS, business intelligence, and analytics software. These integrations allow for seamless data exchange and maximize the utility of each system, ultimately helping utilities reduce workflow friction, save money, and scale operations. Keep reading to find out more!
If electric utilities and their contractors need reliable, efficient, and affordable SaaS data collection tools, why do they so often rely on in-house software solutions to manage their field operations?
Published July 2023
Hello Fulcrum Family! As summer heats up, we’re thrilled to bring you our July newsletter packed with the coolest thought leadership and exciting success stories from two of our incredible clients. Get ready to be inspired in this sizzling July edition – and see you next month!
Wooden utility poles are essential infrastructure but costly to replace. Using inspection software helps utilities reduce replacement frequency by identifying issues early and maintaining each pole’s health more efficiently. Accurate, consistent inspections lower operational costs and enhance safety while extending pole lifespan.
