I don’t fondly recall the days when transmission asset management meant relying on coffee-stained paper maps. Back in the old days, when I worked at a power company, those maps were called T plans. They were so old that no one remembered exactly what the T stood for. It probably stood for transmission or maybe tower plans. Our engineers would pull out old, crinkled maps to find substations, scribbling notes in the margins. It was like navigating a modern city with a decades-old roadmap—slow, inefficient, and prone to mistakes. Some utilities still use those old paper plans. One reason is because they have so much information on them. Migrating to a GIS would be too tedious, and they might be afraid to lose vital information. Data governance? Hardly.
Learn how Oman Electricity Transmission Company (OETC) leveraged GIS for its GIS data governance.
Today, Esri’s ArcGIS Utility Network not only has the means to produce detailed maps but also the ability to manage critical assets. That asset data doesn’t have to live within the GIS. GIS is a creator of transmission asset information and a consumer. Integrating with other corporate systems allows the GIS to be a single place for transmission asset managers to get the right data for the right application. Rather than scribble information on the old paper maps, the GIS helps pull that information together in one convenient place.
Pop quiz. What’s the one process that all transmission owners must do?
Answer: comply with NERC FAC-008.
Keeping up with compliance using outdated methods, like the old coffee-stained T Plans, is a nightmare.
NERC FAC-008 and GIS
What is NERC? The North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC) was established in 1968 in response to the 1965 Northeast Blackout, which left 30 million people without power. NERC’s goal was to develop voluntary standards for power grid reliability. In 2006, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) gave it mandatory regulatory authority to impose standards. Every transmission operator designated as part of the bulk electric system must comply with NERC standards. Even those in Texas, despite the fact they do not have to comply with FERC orders.
What is FAC? FAC stands for Facilities Design, Connections, and Maintenance. Like the T plans mentioned above, no one knows who created the abbreviation FAC. It’s probably short for facilities. FAC-008 sets the rules for transmission asset ratings.
GIS provides governance of the asset data. It provides a standard way of creating, capturing, and visualizing the transmission data. It has built-in quality control capabilities to ensure the data is right. It also provides the tools to trace from one part of the transmission network to another rather than rely on schematic representation, an abstraction of the network information. GIS integrates location-based intelligence with asset data, making compliance smarter and more efficient. While FAC-008 does not explicitly require exact geolocation data, location does matter for condition capture and verification.
Ditching the Paper: Why GIS Matters
Utilities stuck in the past still rely on handwritten notes, spreadsheets, and static CAD drawings to track their transmission assets. These outdated tools lead to errors, inefficiencies, and regulatory risks. Imagine using an old roadmap instead of GPS—no live updates, no real-time traffic data, and no optimized routing. That happens when utilities rely on legacy methods instead of GIS. ArcGIS Utility Network modernizes legacy systems to simplify asset tracking using desktop, mobile, and web-based solutions. Read how Ameren, which manages 7,500 miles of transmission, leveraged ArcGIS Utility Network to solve its data quality issues.
With GIS, utilities can:
- Map transmission assets with precision—no more hunting through filing cabinets.
- Update data in real-time—ensure facility ratings reflect current conditions.
- Automate compliance tracking—reduce the risk of errors and missed deadlines.
- Leverage all the latest inspection technology using AI, drones, and augmented reality.
The Utility Network GIS Enhances NERC FAC-008 Compliance
NERC FAC-008 requires utilities to know exactly where assets are and their operational limits. Paper records? Prone to loss and outdated information. GIS centralizes asset data with spatial accuracy, allowing instant access to detailed records.
Paper maps and spreadsheets can’t reflect real-world conditions. GIS enables real-time updates on asset performance, helping utilities quickly detect issues and proactively maintain infrastructure before failures occur.
Regulatory compliance demands precise documentation. GIS automates reporting, reducing manual work and ensuring consistent, audit-ready data. Instead of scrambling for records, utilities can generate reports at the click of a button.
Even with transmission data digitally mapped, if utility asset managers rely on disparate databases and construction drawings (printed or digital), it can still be a case of trying to pull together many different sources for compliance. GIS pulls this information together. Should the system be audited, the auditors will be quickly bored if compliance is easy to ensure. And that’s a good thing.
Modernizing Transmission Asset Management
When storms hit, transmission operators and owners, using GIS, can assess damage instantly, prioritize repairs, and restore power faster. Instead of sifting through old records, they have live, interactive maps guiding their response teams.
GIS isn’t just about compliance but efficiency, safety, and modernization. Transmission owners and operators of all sizes can improve asset reliability, optimize resources, and enhance decision-making. The days of coffee-stained paper maps should be long gone. Rip those old things up! It’s time to shift to a modern, GIS-powered asset management.
So, are you still navigating transmission management with an old roadmap, or are you ready to upgrade to a modern Enterprise GIS and get your transmission assets in gear?
Learn more about how electric utilities leverage GIS for their important workflows here.