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Gas and Electricity

Electricity and gas are essential commodities, on which the UK economy depends daily. It is therefore important for the country that the companies responsible for delivering and providing these utilities do so as cost-effectively and efficiently as possible, meeting customer needs, adhering to the increasing level of regulation and keeping shareholders happy. This is a delicate balancing act.

Commercial focus

Utility providers are very much commercially focused organisations. Adherence to health and safety requirements is essential. Risk management is key to minimising opportunities for compensation claims and controlling litigation costs. Improving customer relations is also at the forefront of this industry, especially as market dynamics are enabling more and more companies to compete for each consumer’s business. As a result many organisations are striving to improve the speed and efficiency of customer service; for example through more proactive notification about planned works and outages.

Reduction of carbon dioxide emissions

To best fulfill its role in helping to meet UK targets for reducing carbon dioxide emissions and provide energy security, the energy industry is planning to make radical changes to its regional networks. They will move from the current passive operation to a responsive system that can handle intermittent renewable energy sources that will be connected at the regional network level and make it possible for users to vary their consumption patterns. (Link to renewable page)The introduction of gas and electricity smart metering is a fundamental building block to facilitate the introduction of active and flexible networks (smart grids).

Ordnance Survey and utilities

Ordnance Survey works with many utility companies and infrastructure providers, including, rail, ports and airports. We have a thorough understanding of the key issues/drivers facing most utility and infrastructure providers and GI technology is being applied innovately with tangible business benefits.
 
Traditionally used for background mapping, our data is now being used more innovatively within geographical information systems (GIS) to provide business intelligence and integrate business processes across an enterprise. GI is used extensively across all ranges of activities breaking out of the engineering/works management ‘silo’ and into domains such as business resilience, Customer relationship management, environmental management and non regulated commercial activities. GI also provides a framework for network modelling and integrating infrastructure across the utility industry. It has become a strategic tool and very much part of utility IT infrastructure

Geographical informtion

GI such as OS MasterMap combined with organisational data enables:

  • The profiling of potential and existing customers and perform predictive modelling to find new opportunities. Geographic Information Systems (GIS) maps the results so you can see customer dynamics and potential market areas much more easily than with a database view of columns and numbers.
  • Business resilience and contingency planning -One in five commercial businesses will experience a major business disruption each year including power outages, internal flooding, weather events, fire, terrorism, crime, and transportation problems. Identifying the exact location and statuus of your critical assets, enables business contunity plans such as the rerouting of alternative supplies to be managed quickly and effectively.
  • Managing impact on service provision down to single household level. By linking an address with property classifications to an operational asset, efforts can be much more targeted in managing resources, risks and responses, particularly by establishing vulnerable customers such as the elderly and hospitals.
  • Evidence-based investment strategies – Many utilities are re-evaluating possible investments to increase the degree of redundancy of supply: geographic information provides the foundation for evidence-based decisions and enables working together with regulators and key stakeholders to ensure that they can proceed with the most effective schemes.
  • Modelling networks and potential sites - The wealth of information about features in the landscape included in Ordnance Survey datasets can be of value at all stages of the project lifecycle, from initial site selection and assessment, to feasibility and environmental impact assessments, to planning application, and then construction and operation..

 

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For general enquiries, complaints, feedback or suggestions, email: customerservices@ordnancesurvey.co.uk or call us on 08456 05 05 05