Geographic Information Services (GIS) has undergone significant transformation, as applications have emerged that go well beyond the early notion of a digital assistant performing tasks that humans find difficult. The system is continually evolving to support electric utilities in a myriad of ways, such as recognizing technical problems and risks, especially when it comes to power outages.
Other critical GIS applications include having oversight on energy consumption, finding potential threats to the power grid, managing utility asset repairs, and analyzing usage patterns. Advances in technology have brought the promise of GIS, which is no longer confined to the office but has transitioned to the field. Additionally, GIS is no longer the single function tool for locating assets, it’s now a holistic platform which is utilized for understanding and optimizing electric utilities operations. GIS has contributed to greater reliability and efficiency for small island operating utilities, by playing a key role in reducing cost and assisting in capital planning. This makes the technology the technological life support of the utility’s operations, which ultimately helps them provide a more reliable energy service to consumers.
Therefore, we can only anticipate the continuous expansion of its use and continuous evolution in its technology. This symposium will provide opportunities to expand the already large horizon of GIS technology and deepen the understanding of the technology for participants.
