Report Details Use of Geospatial Tech

The Geospatial Information & Technology Association (GITA) has published the 2006 Geospatial Technology Report. The eighth in a series from GITA, the 149-page report contains detailed information on the complexity, direction, and completeness of geographic information system (GIS) projects being implemented at 386 organizations—a 31 percent increase in participation from the 2005 edition.

The 2006 Geospatial Technology Report addresses GIS projects in six markets: electric, gas, water, pipeline, and telecommunication utilities, as well as the public sector. Information in each industry section focuses on land base accuracy, sophistication, maintenance cycles, application usage, and interfaces, as well as the top 10 applications and technologies. The report contains more than 300 tables and charts.

The report also includes charts illustrating the manner in which various technology trends are developing, with six years of archived data. In addition, information regarding budgets, data-sharing capabili-

ties, and the top three geospatial issues faced by each market are addressed for the first time in this latest edition.

Copies of the report may be ordered online at GITA’s website, www.gita.org, or by contacting GITA headquarters at 303-337-0513 or info@gita. org. For information on participating in the surveys for the 2007 report, contact Kathryn Henton at 303-337-0513 or khenton@gita.org.

Word on the Street At Distribu TECH 2007, UAE partnered with the Smart Energy Alliance to survey attendees about their views on the industry. Here’s what we found out.

Eye on Europe:

• Italian utility Enel has jumped into the scuffle over Spanish powerhouse Endesa. For months, it looked like Endesa was slated for an E.On takeover. The German company had bid over 41 billion euros for Endesa—only awaiting a shareholder vote to move forward on the offer. But, with a recent 4. 13 billion euro investment in Endesa (about a 10 percent share) and a second swap with UBS that netted them another 7 percent—apparently, they are shooting for about a 25 percent stake in the game—suddenly Enel has a shot at blocking what has been advertised as the biggest European energy acquisition in years.

• The European Research Council has been given the green light (and a budget of in the billions of euros) to focus on scientific endeavors and breakthroughs. Known at the Seventh Framework Programme, or FP7, the collaborative research will focus on specific areas of noted importance, including health, transport and energy. This phase of the program will run through 2013.

• Delegates and exhibitors continue to sign up for the first PowerGrid Europe conference in Madrid, Spain, June 26-28. More information can be found online at www.powergrideu-rope.com.

What effect will NERC’s new authority as the Electric
Reliability Organization for the U.S. have on your job?

80% My job won’t change due to NERC’s new authority.

20% There’s much more pressure from above to maintain system reliability.

How do you see the future of T&D for the next five
years?
50%
30%
20%

Rosy. It’s getting much more attention than it did traditionally.

About the same as always. Generation gets all the attention.

Desperate. The grid is deteriorating faster than it can be upgraded.