Hello All,
We're looking for some insight from other universities who have moved to the utility network model, whether for individual utilities or all of them. We have 4 utility systems (water, sewer, chilled water, steam) currently on ESRI's geometric network model and 3 others also in GIS but not in a network model. We are beginning to consider migration to UN, with the primary impetus being the eventual deprecation and end of support for ArcMap, and the need to be able to edit the systems on the geometric network in Pro.
We are beginning to understand how significant and costly of an undertaking this is and are curious how other universities have handled it. For any here who have migrated to UN, we would greatly appreciate any insight you have. Here are some specific questions we have:
1 - Was it done in-house or by an outside consultant?
2 - Did you tackle a specific utility as a pilot project or look at a combination of systems?
3 - What has been the primary value of being on the UN?
4- Are you using UN tools (e.g. tracing) on mobile apps in the field?
5 - How was the transition for GIS staff working and editing on UN? (Seems like a steep learning curve even for experienced GIS folks, so we're wondering how we would handle training of new staff.)
Thanks in advance! I know this is a lot to respond to - I'm very happy to talk with anyone if you're willing provide time and insight.
Laurel Krynock
NC State University
Laurel Krynock
GIS Administrator
NC State University