2 July 2009, Aylesbury:  Bournemouth and West Hampshire Water (BWHW) has awarded a contract to ESRI (UK), the market leader in geographic information systems (GIS), to provide a corporate GIS solution that will help the company to improve customer services, asset management and operational efficiencies, while easing regulatory reporting to the Office of Water Services (OFWAT).

BWHW provides clean drinking water to around half a million people in an area of over 1000 square kilometres.   The server-based GIS solution supplied by ESRI (UK) will replace the existing GIS system to provide a centralised web-based resource of mapping intelligence that supports BWHW's key business processes.  The new GIS solution will help Customer Services to improve its responsiveness to enquiries, for example, a complaint of low water pressure can be investigated live by checking the customer's postcode against any maintenance work being undertaken in their area.   It will also enable BWHW's managers to easily produce regulatory reports for OFWAT.

 In addition, BWHW plans to use ESRI's ArcGIS server to develop a new web-based service that will give secure access to local authorities, utilities and the fire brigade to quickly and efficiently answer their own enquiries regarding the location of BWHW's assets. Customers will have the ability to use the internet and view water-related incidents in their area in relation to any works and maintenance that may affect them.

 Phil Clothier, BHWH's IT project manager comments: "ESRI's ArcGIS Server solution supports our ongoing programme of business improvement and provides us with a cost effective platform to roll out new GIS based applications.  We will now have the improved ability to share information with other utility companies and local authorities across the UK, which will support our asset management programme and improve the accuracy of planning for future works.

"We already have the Traffic Management Act Solution operating on the ESRI (UK) platform and have been impressed with its ease of use and adaptability.  ESRI (UK) is very experienced in the utilities industry and has been able to tailor the software to meet our specific needs."

 Richard Waite, Managing Director of ESRI (UK) says: "We provide industry-focused GIS solutions that allow companies to make more informed decisions and to make the best use of location-based information across their business.  This is an example of an industry specific solution, with the BWHW solution running on ESRI (UK)'s UK water industry data model.  This model has been designed to handle data specific to the UK water industry's needs and has already been taken up by other UK water companies."

About ESRI (UK)

 ESRI (UK) is part of the global ESRI network, with solutions in use by over 4600 Utilities worldwide. With the single, largest pool of GIS expertise in the UK, the company is the technical authority on GIS.

 ESRI (UK) provides solutions, technology and services including off the shelf applications built on the ArcGIS software suite and an extensive range of consulting and training services.

 
As the UK market leader for Utilities, ESRI(UK)'s customers include National Grid, Severn Trent Water, ScottishPower and Northern Gas Networks. Through a unique combination of world-class technology, domain expertise and implementation experience, it is able to deliver the deeper levels of network understanding demanded by the industry.

 This process of enhancing sustainable business growth by developing GIS solutions with the power to anticipate and meet industry specific requirements is known as Visionary Thinking.

 

Find out more at www.esriuk.com/utilities