New AMR Software Designed for Smaller Utilities

There are thousands of small water utilities and municipalities out there, situated in some of the remotest locales imaginable. They have different, smaller scale meter reading needs than their larger brethren. With so many small operations looking for ways to increase efficiency and keep costs under control, one would think that technology suppliers would cater extensively to this group. But that has not been the case to this point. Many pieces of software are designed primarily for investor-owned and other large water utilities, leaving the little guys to try to adapt these costly, complicated systems, with varying degrees of success.

It was for this reason that Itron introduced Viena to the North American utility market. Viena is a low-cost, PC-based meter reading software system for utilities with under 50,000 meters or fewer than 11 meter readers. It supports water, electric, gas, or a combination of service types.

The Viena platform can handle a number of different work orders, simplifying the complex task of collecting data from the field and integrating it into other systems. If it's necessary to expand the software's capabilities to suit particular needs, the system's programming interface, the User Job feature, makes it possible.

Viena supports manual and off-site meter reading with Itron's handheld computers. Each handheld can store multiple routes. The software even expedites route allocation; just drag and drop to assign a route, combine it with another, or split it to improve meter reading efficiency.

Meter readers can use hot keys to execute frequently performed operations, and the software's browsing and searching capabilities make it possible to find a meter by meter number, address, account number, etc. A touch of a key yields route summary data including number of reads, number of missed reads, and more. If a meter reader prefers to view only those meters that meet certain criteria, the software can generate a number of lists that enable him to do just that.

Meter readers can also input trouble codes, "can't read" notations, user-defined comment codes, or free-form text messages that are then sent to a PC for reporting.

The Itron Host Processor (IHP) serves as the link between the billing system and handheld computers. The IHP provides workload management and route tools, controls configuration parameters and communication, consolidates data, and generates reports for each route. The software uses a full drag and drop feature with on-line help.

The functionality can be put in place almost immediately. Installation is simplified, the screens are easy to understand, and the system's graphical user interface gives it a look and feel users will quickly grasp.

"The release of the Viena software solution is part of Itron's ongoing effort to make advanced automation technology as easy and accessible as possible for utilities of all sizes and types," said John Hengesh, vice president and general manager of Itron's Water and Public Power Business Unit.

Viena has been successfully implemented by more than 120 utilities in parts of Europe, the Caribbean, and Mexico prior to its domestic release. Compatibility with Mobile AMR will soon be available.