REDLANDS, Calif., Dec. 2 /PRNewswire/ -- In preparation for its smart grid initiative, Imperial Irrigation District (IID) is using mobile geographic information system (GIS) technology from ESRI to conduct a thorough field collection of data about its overhead and underground facilities.

"Our GIS system is going to be really the heart and soul of the smart grid initiative," said Bill Wickersheim, GIS administration supervisor for Imperial Irrigation District. "Our main goal is to collect all the data about everything we have in the field so that the proper departments can do the planning they need to do to upgrade our system."

While IID prepares to implement a smart grid, the collected GIS data is already benefiting other departments. IID's environmental department is using field data in its GIS for right-of-way and habitat analysis. The real estate department is using it for right-of-way negotiations, deed research, and territory negotiations with neighboring Native American tribes. The utility's legal department is using GIS data to stay abreast of regulatory compliance. The right-of-way department is using the data to obtain permits for geothermal and mineral research.

"GIS traditionally plays a strong role in all aspects of the utility, and it becomes crucial when implementing a smart grid," said Bill Meehan, ESRI's director of utility solutions. "By enabling data management, planning and analysis, field collection, and situational awareness, GIS is what really makes the smart grid smart."

For more information, visit www.esri.com/smartgrid.

About ESRI

Since 1969, ESRI has been giving customers around the world the power to think and plan geographically. The market leader in GIS, ESRI software is used in more than 300,000 organizations worldwide including each of the 200 largest cities in the United States, most national governments, more than two-thirds of Fortune 500 companies, and more than 7,000 colleges and universities. ESRI applications, running on more than one million desktops and thousands of Web and enterprise servers, provide the backbone for the world's mapping and spatial analysis. ESRI is the only vendor that provides complete technical solutions for desktop, mobile, server, and Internet platforms. Visit us at www.esri.com/news.

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Contact: Jessica Wyland
Tel.: 909-793-2853, extension 3345
E-mail: press@esri.com
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SOURCE ESRI

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