• Benefits include better data collection workflow and improved data management
REDLANDS and SUNNYVALE, CA, Mar. 17, 2009 -- ESRI and Trimble announced that American Water, the largest investor-owned water utility in the United States, has selected the GeoCollector and Trimble GPS Pathfinder ProXH receiver solutions for field data collection. The GeoCollector and ProXH solutions combine geographic information system (GIS) software and Global Positioning System (GPS) hardware that make it easy to collect subfoot position and descriptive information about assets in the field and efficiently transfer the information to a utility's central database.
The GeoCollector solution combines ESRI's ArcPad mobile data collection software, the Trimble GPScorrect extension for ArcPad, and the Trimble GeoXH handheld from the GeoExplorer 2008 series GPS unit. The Trimble ProXH GPS receiver solution is used in conjunction with a field computer and Trimble's GPScorrect extension for ArcPad. Both solutions provide better information and streamline data collection workflows to reduce data management costs and provide a highly accurate method for collecting positional data.
"With GeoCollector or ProXH, we can collect utility as-built information quickly in the field and efficiently incorporate it into our central GIS," said Mark Khodash, GIS applications project manager for New Jersey American Water. "This gives us a faster turnaround for updating our asset data, getting better information back out to our field personnel and, ultimately, better service to our customers." American Water serves approximately 15 million customers in 32 states.
Michael Gray, operations and maintenance manager of American Water field operations, said, "The move also gives us the flexibility to add new GIS capabilities as we grow our system."
The GeoCollector and ProXH solutions leverage standardization on ESRI GIS technology, which includes ArcGIS Desktop and ArcGIS Server. "Standardizing on ESRI software, along with GeoCollector and ProXH, provides benefits in the areas of asset management, operational planning, sharing information with field-workers, and creating a comprehensive view of assets and operations for managers," said Howard Crothers, senior account executive for ESRI.
Two additional considerations for choosing the GeoCollector and ProXH products were ESRI's coordinated national purchasing and technical support services and the precise accuracy of the Trimble GPS unit.
"We are delighted that American Water chose a Trimble-ESRI solution to fulfill their spatial data collection requirements for subfoot accuracy and that it is already reporting significant productivity gains from the solution," said Peter Large, general manager, Trimble Mapping and GIS Division.
Trimble applies technology to make field and mobile workers in businesses and governments significantly more productive.
Since 1969, ESRI has been giving customers around the world the power to think and plan geographically.
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