Network Management News
for Utilities and Telecommunication Companies
We have exciting news to share.
- New ArcGIS platform release: On January 18, Esri released ArcGIS Enterprise 10.6 and ArcGIS Pro 2.1, representing a significant step forward in the ArcGIS platform, especially for utilities. Read about the new features here.
- New ArcGIS extension for utilities: An integral part of the ArcGIS 10.6 platform is the new ArcGIS Utility Network Management extension. We call this technology, simply, the utility network, and it represents the future of network management. We showcased the power of this new extension at DistribuTECH 2018.
- Upcoming utility release for ArcMap: This summer we will release ArcGIS 10.6.1. This release will also include the next desktop utility release for ArcMap and the geometric network, and it will be supported until January 2024. This gives you plenty of time to plan and prepare for your migration to the utility network.
The Utility Network: A Quantum Leap in Network Management
The utility network launches a brand-new way for you to manage utility and telecom data. You can:
- Share your network model with real-time systems
- Create schematic diagrams automatically and make them accessible in the platform
- Visualize your network assets in 3D
- Build non-spatial network connectivity
- Model devices inside other devices
- Edit your data with ArcGIS Pro, the most modern GIS desktop software available
- Create attribute rules and enforce rich business logic to prevent errors
- Support annotation across the platform
- Author ArcGIS Pro projects and share them using your ArcGIS portal
Esri will continue to expand the capabilities of the utility network over the next months and years.
In the spring, Esri will offer data migration tools to help you move to the new utility network.
Our summer release of the utility network will include:
- Attribute rule enhancements
- Client-side evaluation of rules
- SDK developer enhancements
- We have many other features coming in later releases including:
- Mobile geodatabase support
- Partial posting
- Custom validation tools
- A telecom model that includes fiber cables
- Domains dependent on the value of other fields
- Support for dimensioning
- Better data export ability, including support for the IEC standard Common Information Model (CIM)
- Support for disconnected editing
Continued Support for ArcMap and the Geometric Network
To give you time to prepare for a migration to the new utility network, we will continue to support ArcMap and the geometric network, including a new release this summer.
In 2015, we created a special utility and telecom release, 10.2.1, which we promised to support until June 2021. Once on this release, you did not have to upgrade your desktop technology. You only had to install utility patches as they become available. This made keeping up with the latest technology simple and easy. However, you have made requests related to security and platform support that we cannot accommodate with the simple patch process.
So, we are providing another option.
In the summer, you can upgrade to our 10.6.1 release, which will continue to support ArcMap and the geometric network. This is not a migration—it is a straightforward upgrade, similar to the patches you’ve already been installing. This release will allow us to offer necessary security and platform improvements. It will also be supported until January 2024, giving you more than two years of additional support with these familiar tools. In addition, we are working closely with Schneider Electric, who will be certifying ArcFM on ArcGIS 10.6.1.
We will continue to offer patches to both the 10.2.1 utility release and the 10.6.1 utility release.
The Road Ahead
The road ahead for network management is the utility network.
- We have updated the Road Ahead for Network Management white paper.
- We have posted our vision for the utility network on the ArcGIS blog.
- We have also posted new blogs with information specifically for electric and gas
- Our partners have also been preparing to offer their solutions as enhancements to the utility network. We urge you to talk to them about their plans and how their solutions will further enrich the utility network.
We look forward to your feedback. If you have questions or concerns please reach out to your account manager. They will bring the right resources to you.
Stay tuned for more updates on our exciting new technology.
