Ordering Information:
ORDER NUMBER:  91224
DATE AVAILABLE: Fall 2008

Printed Report		PDF
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	IWAP (April 2009)	N/A

PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATORS:
Christopher T. Stern, Kosta C. Mallakis, Miguel A. Hernandez, Brent Iadarola, Usha Srinivasan, and Samir Sakpal

OBJECTIVES:
The purpose of this project was to assess the current state and use of field computing technologies throughout the water industry, describe key work practices performed by mobile utility workforces and field service professionals, review existing and emerging field computing and wireless technologies, and quantify improvement opportunities and benefits.

BACKGROUND:
Water utility field service employees, in many cases representing more than 50 percent of a utility’s workforce, provide mission-critical frontline services such as asset maintenance and repair, emergency response, facility data collection, inspection, line locations, meter reading, record drawings, security, surveys, water quality sampling, and customer field services. Although the costs for field service employees account for a large and significant component of the industry’s operating budget, relatively little has been accomplished in evaluating the ability of field computing applications and wireless technologies to measurably improve service and enhance operating efficiency.

HIGHLIGHTS:

• Hardware, software, and application technologies have progressed to the point where pervasive mobile integration is now feasible. The essential ingredients for compelling, real-time field computing systems are now in place.
• Despite substantial investments in information technology (IT) systems over the past decade, most utilities have done little to introduce technology to the largest portion of their organizations, their mobile workers and field crews.
• The limited use of field computing applications and wireless technologies in the water utility industry can be attributed to a variety of reasons, including (1) risk of field personnel adopting the technology, (2) limited understanding of benefits, (3) field employee work and skill silos, (4) limited product offerings, (5) rapidly evolving wireless technologies, (6) data security concerns, and (7) lack of support for internal understanding and support of mobile computing systems.
• Mobile Resource Management (MRM), an emerging category of business solutions, provides utilities the opportunity to equip their large mobile workforces with technology that enables dramatic improvements in efficiency and customer service. MRM solutions combine Internet services with applications that leverage on-demand GPS, dispatch software, wireless capabilities, fleet management tools, and transaction processes to help companies reduce operating costs and raise the quality of the customer experience.

APPROACH:
The research approach included a literature review, an end-user survey, and case studies. Secondary research was conducted on current and emerging mobile technologies and on wireless data management systems/solutions. The researchers developed and implemented a discussion guide for the primary research interviews. Based on these discussions, the team developed and tested a web-based survey questionnaire. Five case studies, the core of this project, were developed to (1) illustrate existing field computing and wireless implementations, (2) demonstrate associated operational and service improvements, (3) identify areas where benefits could be gained from further use of field computing and wireless technologies, and (4) conduct a Return on Investment (ROI) analysis on the field computing and Mobile Resource Management (MRM) related projects implemented by the utilities participating in the case study.

RESULTS/FINDINGS:

1. Assume different users will have different needs. It should be recognized at the outset of a project that the identification of needs and functional requirements must encompass the full breadth of the organization and that different groups of users will have differing needs. A detailed requirements analysis and business case is necessary to identify and prioritize high-level required functionality of the system based on overall and functional-specific benefits and ROI.
2. Convergence to a single standard is highly unlikely. Although mobile devices and technologies are expected to converge to similar features and operating principles, suppliers pay little attention to standard product upgrades and backward compatibility, as speed-to-market is paramount. Utilities should consider solutions that maintain open platforms capable of supporting a variety of networks and form factors.
3. Flexible platforms are most cost effective. To take advantage of new form factors and technologies as they come to market, utilities should select flexible platforms that are network-agnostic and can support an array of form factors. Furthermore, to deliver the most value to the organization, it is recommended to work toward a single platform and infrastructure that can support an array of field computing applications.
4. Transmission security is mission-critical. Utilities must ensure that all information transmitted over the network is secure and cannot be accessed without clear approval from the organization. Wireless solutions are inherently less secure than wired solutions.

IMPACT:
The task of deploying a mobile solution can often be daunting given the many technology choices and implementation approaches. The guidelines and best practices identified in this report will assist utilities to improve operation of field units and functions, at minimal cost.

MULTIMEDIA:
This report includes a CD-ROM that contains an ROI calculator.

RESEARCH PARTNERS:

• City of Phoenix Water Services Department
• East Bay Municipal Utility District
• San Francisco Public Utilities Commission

PARTICIPANTS:
Eight utilities from throughout the United States participated in this project.

ISBN 978-1-60573-025-4