Project Goal
The project had two main objectives. First, it aimed to migrate ArcGIS Online content to an on-premises ArcGIS Enterprise Portal to make the data utility-network ready and support integration with internal systems such as the Outage Management System, Ellipse, Billing, and CRM through a phased approach. The second objective was to integrate ArcGIS Enterprise Portal using SOAP services, with GE’s Outage Management System to geo-enable fault and incident reporting via an Operational Dashboard that displays fault locations, incident status, and real-time vehicle positions by integrating with Cellstop vehicle tracking system.Business Problem Solved
Faults and incidents are reported through various platforms into the GE ADMS Outage Management System. Although the system manages incidents well, it lacks geospatial capabilities, forcing technicians to rely on written directions, which often led to long restoration times. Without a spatial view, dispatchers struggled to allocate resources efficiently, causing delays and customer complaints when nearby incidents were assigned to different teams. Introducing a dashboard showing all active faults alongside available vehicles now enables dispatchers to assign the nearest resource, while technicians can navigate directly to incident locations. This has significantly reduced travel time, improved response efficiency, and lowered overtime costs.
Technology Implemented
The solution was implemented using ArcGIS Enterprise as the core platform running on Windows Server 2022, with spatial data prepared and published through ArcGIS Pro and ArcGIS Online. Integration with both the Outage Management System (OMS) and Cellstop was achieved via SOAP services. The enterprise geodatabase operates on MS SQL Server 2022. Interactive dashboards and user interfaces were developed using ArcGIS Dashboards and ArcGIS Experience Builder, while field data collection was supported through ArcGIS Field Maps and ArcGIS Survey123. ArcGIS Workforce enables mobile workers to efficiently manage incidents.
Development Team Biography
Project Manager: Mr. Bongumenzi Makhanya - Geospatial Services Manager, Eswatini Electricity Company
Mr. Bambisisa Bhembe - Systems Administrator, Eswatini Electricity Company
Mr. Mthokozisi Sibandze - SCADA Engineer, Eswatini Electricity Company
Mr. Hansie Heymans - Project Lead, Esri South Africa
Mr. Claudio Duarte - Utilities Lead, Esri South Africa
Mr. Carl Bester - Senior Geospatial Consultant, Esri South Africa
Mr. Derck Vonck - Solution Architect, Esri South Africa
Mr. Martin van der Westhuizen - Senior Geospatial Developer, Esri South Africa
Company Overview
The Eswatini Electricity Company (EEC) is the national power utility responsible for generating, transmitting, and distributing electricity across the Kingdom of Eswatini. As a state-owned enterprise fully owned by the Government of Eswatini, it operates under national legislation governing public enterprises and the energy sector. EEC manages more than 1,300 km of transmission lines and approximately 24,000 km of distribution lines, supplying electricity to just over 300,000 customers, of which about 280,000 are domestic, 20,000 small commercial, and about 1,000 major ones.
Return on Investment
Reduction of overtime related costs
Reduced travelling times, thus resulting in reduced fuel and vehicle maintenance costs
Quick power restoration