Spire’s iMap tool has leveled up right-of-way coordination
ST. LOUIS—It’s a frustrating situation that most utility field crews have experienced—they roll in to do some planned work, sometimes approved months in advance by a city, only to find that the street is blocked by a parade or a festival.
The work is delayed, residents are irritated and the whole process ends up costing ratepayers more money.
Spire has come up with a solution. Several years ago, it invested in a geographic information system monitored by an in-house department to manage its pipeline and other assets. That system included a mapping tool, and Tod Fagan, a right-of-way manager for Spire, along with then-GIS Manager Mark Vlaich, wondered, “What can we do with this?”
Up until that point, all of their work for permitting, reviewing and processing was done in a paper book. Today, it’s done through the iMap right-of-way management tool, which has been recognized by the American Public Works Association as the most innovative public works management tool in the United States and Canada.
The tool, Fagan said, has grown and developed over the past eight years as he and his team have added layers into it to meet specific needs. Now, field crews can fire up the iMap and get detailed information on streets, municipal boundaries, rights of way, easements and permits right at their fingertips. “It’s streamlined our processes, it’s more accurate and it’s up to date,” said Fagan. “I can’t tell you how many layers are in it now, but it’s our one-stop shop for everything from permitting to easement record retention.”
More than 300 events in St. Louis alone are mapped within the tool, which may be the only such technology in the United States that is connected to a municipality’s permitting site. For major events such as the city’s annual Mardi Gras festivities, which can include up to 15 events in various neighborhoods, iMap makes it easy for crews to plan around everything.
Spire has also added street maintenance schedules from 20 cities across the state into iMap, with the number of cities sharing this information increasing each year. That kind of coordination can, for example, prevent the headaches and wasted dollars of field crews inadvertently scheduling work right after a city maintenance crew has laid down fresh asphalt. “The municipalities love it and the guys in the field love it … and the big thing has been [the benefits for] the residents and motorists,” said Fagan. “There’s not this constant tearing up of the road and nobody talking to each other as in the past. Having that visibility is a win-win-win for all of us.”
As a further example of the kind of detail iMap can provide, it even specifies the type of concrete that should be used in certain neighborhoods.
Along with Missouri, Spire is working to bring the tool to its service areas in Alabama and Mississippi. Fagan foresees the program continuing to expand.
“Every time I think it’s as good as it gets, we come up with another issue and we put it into iMap,” he said. “I get excited about it, because it’s just avoiding so many mistakes, it’s saving money, and we’re looking good in the community because we do it right the first time.”
