HOLDERNESS, NH, September 2006 — Integrated Mapping Services, Inc. (InMaps) provided UGI Utilities, Inc. of Reading, PA with the technical support services needed to establish two-way data transfer between a centralized Oracle database and a GE Smallworld Geographic Information System (GIS). The result is that information from both systems can now be shared with crews in the field. The InMaps team completed the assignment in less than four weeks.

Development of the data transfer interface was a critical milestone in an $8 million automation project referred to as the Field Level Asset Management Environment (FLAME). UGI, which serves natural gas to more than 300,000 customers in 14 southeastern Pennsylvania counties, initiated the FLAME project two years ago with the primary objective of making information from its GIS, work management system, and other applications available to crews in the field using wireless mobile devices.

"We have a Smallworld GIS and an Oracle database along with a work management system," said Stefan Latshaw, Project Leader for Information Services at UGI. "We asked InMaps to create the triggers to get data flowing from all of our applications, through the Oracle database, and out to the field devices."

InMaps assigned a four-person team to the job including a specialist in Oracle database development. The team wrote code in an Oracle programming language and the Smallworld Magik language to create a back-end interface between the GIS and the database. As a result of the successful implementation, UGI can generate job orders in its work management system and push the assignments through the Oracle database, where the latest GIS-based facilities map-or other infrastructure information-can be linked to the order. The work order is then transmitted wirelessly to a mobile device in a field service vehicle.

"This sharing of data gives our field crews all the schematic, customer, and mapping information they need to make the repair or complete the installation quickly and efficiently," said Latshaw.

Once the crew closes out the job, they mark redline changes to the data file and transmit the updated information back to the centralized Oracle database. This provides all UGI applications instant access to the most up-to-date information relating to the gas distribution network.

"InMaps has completed several applications development and database integration projects similar to this one," said Richard St.Pierre, President and CEO of InMaps. "We were pleased UGI had the confidence in us to complete their project on such a tight schedule."

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