Analytics & Insights

Services

EN Data Solutions has vast experience in partnering with our clients to support their business needs. We have developed custom spatial analysis to support clients’ business needs. Development of these custom spatial analysis tools begins with a review of the business problem with our client to clearly define the problem. Then we identify the information available and establish an analysis workflow to deliver high-quality information that will be used to solve the business problem. We test and refine the workflow until the quality outcome criteria are met. This service delivers quality information to our utility clients that enables them to make informed decisions to solve real business problems.

Readily available imagery, including aerial photographs, holds untapped potential for enhancing your business’s efficiency and safety. Our expert data solutions team develops and deploys image recognition algorithms to extract invaluable insights from imagery, facilitating object identification and classification. Object identification involves the extraction of crucial data, such as structure outlines and surface types (paved or unpaved), from aerial imagery. Image/object classification, on the other hand, entails the training of machine learning algorithms to discern features like pavement or vegetation from the available imagery. Our services go beyond the extraction – we evaluate the information, determining its relevance and utility. We transform aerial imagery into a comprehensive dataset that empowers our clients to optimize efficiency, elevate safety measures, and stay compliant with regulatory standards.

EN Data Solutions supports our clients in understanding and mitigating the risks posed to their distribution and transmission systems by a variety of threats. We work closely with operators to identify threats, establish mechanisms for quantifying the likelihood of the threat creating an adverse event, and then measure the consequence of failure of that threat to the system and surroundings. We support operators throughout all aspects of their risk management program, from identifying and managing data sources to calculating the potential risk and recommending mitigative measures to lessen the potential impact. Additionally, we can implement a data-driven spatial risk model supporting the analysis of threat categories covered by 49 CFR 192. Our engineers can also extend the analysis by quantifying categories that are outside of the federal code to include those additional threats that are of concern to our clients.

EN Data Solutions assists our clients to better understand their data and provide interactive on-demand access to that data through the development of dashboards and reports that provide insight beyond the mere presentation of data. Valuable dashboards require an intimate understanding of how the data relates to the underlying health of the business. The data must also be prepared in a manner that readily exposes those insights to the business users. Our team collaborates with our clients to pinpoint and define the most important key performance indicators (KPIs) to make them accessible to management, allowing them to adjust to changing conditions early and avoid major problems by closely monitoring leading and lagging indicators.

The key to building dashboards and reports that deliver value is understanding what data is most indicative of business health. Dashboards and reports are critical elements in the business decision-support process. By delivering timely data, presented in a manner that is readily consumed, EN Data Solutions helps our customers make the best decisions for their business and communicate with their various stakeholders.

Our dedicated team members are committed to staying abreast of emerging technologies, ensuring they remain at the forefront of the ever-evolving technological landscape. Currently, the field of machine learning and artificial intelligence (AI) is witnessing rapid proliferation, particularly within the utility and manufacturing sectors. In response to these persistent trends, EN Data Solutions has harnessed the power of AI to enhance our existing products and broaden our service offerings in this dynamic domain. The majority of our clients possess extensive datasets brimming with potential for cutting-edge AI analysis. Our team of experts continues to innovate AI solutions, meticulously designed to unlock the utmost value from your data.

The energy sector, including electric and gas utilities, is on the brink of a revolution in efficiency, driven by the Internet of Things (IoT). This technology replaces traditional, in-person observations with rapid and detailed sensor input to information systems. IoT offers a myriad of benefits, from identifying pipeline leaks to monetizing smart meters, optimizing wellhead performance, real-time asset monitoring, and harnessing the power of artificial intelligence for equipment optimization.

Maximizing the benefit of these real-time sensor data requires efficiently managing high-volume data input, ensuring it reaches its intended destination, and turning the vast quantity of data into information that can drive action. Implementing IoT involves cost-benefit analysis, identifying use cases for operational expense reduction, ensuring compatibility across sensors, and updating data storage and server-side software applications. EN Data Solutions boasts a highly experienced, multidisciplinary team ready to guide you through this transformative journey.

We have a team of dedicated resources with knowledge and experience in working with operators to manage the detection of any encroachments or vegetation growth that might interfere with the safe operation of, or access to, the right of way. As part of this support, we have experience with developing or modernizing workflows, integrating enterprise workflow with GIS, and providing insight through dashboards or other solutions. This support can be managed via regular ongoing inspections and patrols and customer service interaction to resolve any issues discovered during the inspections.

EN Data Solutions has experience of working with utilities to support their Natural Resource Management (NRM) program. As part of this, we can support Access Road Management. Our team has managed 15,000 miles of road primarily used to access electric transmission infrastructure, evaluating the road grading, vegetation maintenance, and gate and culvert maintenance to either restore or improve the overall road condition.

The EN Data Solutions team has experience with managing the full data lifecycle of a cross bore initiative, from inspection preparation to asset closeout, for over 100,000 cross bore inspections. Over the past decade, we have utilized advanced data management systems leveraging SQL and Geospatial Web Services to manage cross bore inspection teams, records, and project completion. Our team of experts is skilled in reviewing gas service records and distribution main as-built reviews. This often eliminates the need for a field inspection by assessing and clearing any potential risks through a desktop record review. Our reviews can also reduce specific inspection scope, further limiting resource allocation. We provide inspection video QC services utilizing NASSCO standards. The team has experience refining data management and reporting, using data automation to summarize complex systems.

Additionally, we offer field inspection services and support. Inspection teams hold certifications for underground utility locating and are trained to collect survey-grade GPS data from any sewer defects or discovered cross bores. Our design team is experienced with creating traffic control plans and acquiring the permits to implement them.

Hydraulic System Modeling – Capacity Planning & Forecasting
EN Data Solutions leverages the power of GIS and a wide array of data sources to meticulously assess how population shifts, economic dynamics, and cultural evolution influence energy systems for our valued clients. Our in-depth analyses offer utilities a granular understanding of how changing customer demands may stress the current infrastructure, pinpointing potential vulnerabilities and the need for proactive mitigation strategies. Our team of experts provides robust operational decision support and lends a hand in contingency planning. As part of our comprehensive service, EN Data Solutions constructs a sophisticated system model, meticulously applies statistical analyses to incorporate identified loads, and examines the ramifications for affected regions. We are your partners in developing a 10-year plan that outlines projected demand fluctuations, potential system impacts, and strategic system enhancements to effectively address these identified challenges.

Business District Identification
EN Data Solutions has developed a library of analysis modules to help operators analyze their business districts in a data-driven and repeatable manner. Our team works closely with operators to tailor the analysis modules to their individual needs and service territories so our clients can apply the results to their leak survey requirements, risk assessment cycles, and system planning. We work closely with stakeholders throughout our clients’ business to ensure that any available information data sources, both internally and publicly curated, are leveraged for a thorough and repeatable analysis. We apply our deep regulatory understanding and our technical data systems team to deploy processes to spatially analyze business districts. The analysis process accommodates both federal regulatory requirements (CFR 192.723 and §192.723–Subpart M GPTC) as well as state requirements.

HCA, MCA & Class Location Identification
EN Data Solutions has developed its Gas HCA Tool to identify Class Location, Gathering Type, High Consequence Areas (HCA), and Moderate Consequence Areas (MCA) using spatial data according to 49 CFR Part 192. We analyze and maintain our clients’ HCA, MCA, gathering type, and class location designations periodically. Additionally, EN Data Solutions can implement the analysis module within the operator’s GIS system, allowing the module to be run on an as-needed basis while maintaining a historical record of the previous analyses as conditions change.

ILI Data Analysis
At EN Data Solutions, we provide services to help utilities manage their ILI programs. We leverage our extensive ILI subject matter expertise, our spatial data proficiency, and our PIMS ILI Data Integration Tool to integrate historic ILI data into the operator’s GIS. We review and align ILI data and analyze the results, matching other data sources, such as asset information, adjacent environmental features, and any type of data with coordinates, stationing, or odometer values. We monitor and evaluate trends over time from one ILI run to the next. We assist our clients with overall assessment planning, managing, and tracking the outcome of identified critical anomalies and anomaly mitigation.

Liquids HCA Analysis
The EN Data Solutions Liquids HCA Tool allows for rapid and efficient determination of regulatory ‘could affect’ segments in a way that is consistent, reliable, reproducible, and defendable. The tool is designed to meet all the requirements for ‘could affect’ segment determination for hazardous liquids pipelines (crude, refined products, HVLs, etc.), as specified in 49 CFR §195.452, pipeline integrity management in high consequence areas.

The Liquids HCA tool increases accuracy via advanced computational fluid dynamics (CFD) algorithms in part by utilizing the Navier-Stokes equation to model hydrocarbons and leveraging the GeoClaw engine from George Washington University to more accurately model geophysical flows based on friction factor determination. It also takes advantage of modern virtualized, containerized computing. The Liquids HCA tool connects directly to USGS web services to obtain topographic and hydrologic data and utilizes Docker® and Microsoft Azure® for unlimited scalability. The Liquids HCA tool works directly inside ArcGIS Pro, providing increased flexibility over stand-alone applications.

The EN Data Solutions team is poised to provide support for your liquids analysis needs including documentation of input parameters, SME guidance of modeling criteria, and summarized reports to detail impacts and mitigation opportunities.

Spatial EV & Load Forecasting
EN Data Solutions has the technical expertise to support your efforts in preparing for the emergence of electric vehicles as a significant load on electric systems. The transient nature of electric vehicle loads represents both a challenge and an opportunity for electric utilities.

When it comes to spatial EV and load forecasting, our team begins by integrating operator system data, customer data, and public data to generate electric vehicle load forecasting models. Unlike other large loads, electric vehicles can plug into the grid and draw loads at difficult-to-predict times and locations.

As a part of this process, our team uses electric vehicle user traffic and behavior modeling as part of our load forecasting. We then project and evaluate the impacts on the existing infrastructure and create recommendations for targeted system improvements. Armed with these insights, we can supplement your existing system improvement plans to help you take advantage of the load-shifting potentials of electric vehicles.

The face of electrical grids is adapting quickly to meet ever-changing power requirements. Changes to the environment, threats to network assets, and constant strain on the grid have led to new and innovative solutions to increase reliability and maintain sustainability. Distributed Energy Resources (DERs) are just one tool that electric utilities are employing to meet these challenges.

Preparing for the influx of new DER technology can be complex and requires unique analytics to understand and plan. We have a highly specialized team of professionals who can help you map DER networks, understand historical trends, and visualize the future impact. Paired with our EN Engineering group, we can complete a comprehensive analysis that takes into consideration the latest data regulations, unique DER designs, and many other data points to provide actionable recommendations and targets for your organization to plan and be fully prepared for DERs.