GIS Center Opened To Serve Niche Market

Many utility companies have found Geographic Information System (GIS) technology to be a valuable tool for managing resources and operating more efficiently. However, many of the country's small utility companies simply don't have the resources or expertise to invest in GIS. To meet this need, Osmose Utilities Services today announced the opening of the Osmose Mapping Center.

Chief Technology Officer Mark Brule says, "The Osmose Mapping Center was developed specifically for smaller utilities. We've worked with hundreds of different electric cooperatives for literally decades, and we've seen up close the many challenges they face when it comes to maintaining accurate maps of their outside assets. The Osmose Mapping Center addresses these common challenges."

The Osmose Mapping Center is designed to give small utility companies the advantages of GIS technology without having to buy the equipment and hire new employees. Utility companies that sign up for the service simply send their work orders and as-built drawings to the mapping technicians at Osmose. GIS technicians enter the new information and create a GIS database representation of the assets. Software validations are run to make sure connectivity is properly represented in the database. The utility company can then access continuously-updated map data over the internet.

GIS is becoming a common feature in larger businesses and governments. GIS firms looking for continued growth opportunities might consider following Osmose's example and look for niches where they can use their expertise to serve smaller clients whose size make establishing their own GIS department cost-prohibitive.