Efficient management of service connections and solar modules
Patrick Weber, Team Leader for Geoinformation Systems at ODR: “The implementation of the two integrated applications was a huge leap in our organization, which is seen as the beginning of a new era and a starting point for further integrated solutions. VertiGIS has done a great job, and at a very reasonable price.”
ENBW ODR AG (ODR) is a subsidiary of EnBW and a service provider in the fields of electricity, natural gas, energy services, information technology and the environment. ODR uses a high-quality corporate GIS with a focus on facility management for various business processes. In recent years, the GIS has been integrated with numerous other systems. With the system integration between SAP and GIS via VertiGIS Integrator, two important implementations relating to the management of house connections and EEG plants (return suppliers) were carried out. The EEG (Renewable Energy Sources Act) in Germany is a law aimed at promoting renewable energies. Its goal is to increase the share of renewable energies in electricity supply and to drive the energy transition forward.
The Challenge:
To improve business processes, avoid sources of error and ensure data integrity, ODR decided to connect its electricity and gas service points to SAP using powerful VertiGIS Integrator software. This integration makes it possible to monitor and visualize the lifecycle of new house connections from planning to completion using different colors on a map. In this way, accidents caused by incorrect information due to delays in updating the map can be avoided. In addition to house connections, EEG systems are also linked between SAP and GIS via map integration.
The Solution:
With VertiGIS Integrator, each department can also see the pending new connection object (house connection) in the Web GIS immediately after its initial registration. The colored visualization of the status indicates whether the connection is under construction or already in operation. Further information is available with a click.
Each process begins in SAP and continues in the GIS for the network documentation portion. A crucial part of the solution is the map interface provided by VertiGIS Integrator and integrated in SAP, in which a connection object can be positioned directly on the map and immediately called up in the GIS applications involved. The transfer of the connection object into a house connection takes place in the VertiGIS software for utilities. As soon as documentation of the link to a house has been completed, the connection objects are classified as documented and hidden, but the object remains in SAP with the contract contents.
The workflow for return suppliers is even simpler: once the EEG systems (solar systems, wind power, biogas, etc.) have been placed as a point object, the preprocess in SAP is complete. The visualization takes place in all satellite systems, no further processing of the objects is required.
Integrated GUI from SAP and VertiGIS software for utilities for solar energy systems.
The advantages of the integrated SAP GIS GUI for the installation of house connections are clearly recognizable.
Process before integration:
- New connection objects (gas, electricity, fiber optics) are recorded in SAP.
- After construction, these are documented in the GIS and then published on the web, without a direct connection to SAP.
- Problems arise due to data inconsistencies and redundancies.
Process after integration:
- New connection objects are recorded in SAP and immediately georeferenced in SAP using traffic light symbols.
- The status and color of the (GIS) icon indicate the progress in the (SAP) workflow.
- There is complete data integrity and process transparency.
The advantages are also obvious in the field of renewable energies:
Process before integration:
- EEG systems were processed by different users in different systems.
- Parallel use of various systems was necessary.
- Redundant data entry makes the process more error prone.
Process after integration:
- EEG systems are recorded and georeferenced exclusively in SAP.
- There is complete data integrity and process transparency.
The Result:
Stations, substations and switching stations, gas plants, pylons and mast switches are also linked via VertiGIS Integrator, but without map integration. ODR is increasingly linking GIS with other systems. The purpose in this case is network operation and maintenance. The “House connection” and “EEG plants” scenarios are examples of how a GIS is not just a digital map with links to other systems for the attribute data. ODR positions its GIS as a central data repository and platform for asset information that supports administrative and commercial products such as SAP and other technical applications.
The ODR workflows described show that VertiGIS Integrator, together with the integrated GUI in SAP and the VertiGIS solution for utilities, is an excellent tool for system integration. Both SAP and the GIS work simultaneously and directly in their native databases in synchronous mode. VertiGIS Integrator ensures efficient business processes and workflows.
In addition, ODR is working on the introduction of smart meters in the context of the new Energy Act §14a. SAP IS-U, GIS and the Meter Data Management System (MDMS) must be linked in order to carry out and manage this meter exchange efficiently. Faults or non-communicating meters can be localized and visualized more easily via the GIS.
Patrick Weber, Team Leader for Geoinformation Systems at ODR, underlines the strength of VertiGIS Integrator: “The implementation of the two integrated applications was a huge leap in our organization, which is seen as the beginning of a new era and a starting point for further integrated solutions. VertiGIS has done a great job, and at a very reasonable price.”
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