Intergraph, a provider of integrated operational support and infrastructure management solutions for the utility and communications industries, is providing its InService Outage Management Systems (OMS) and Mobile Workforce Management (MWFM) solutions to WestarEnergy, Inc., the electric energy provider in Kansas, USA.

This implementation is partially funded by the U.S. Department of Energy's smart grid investment grant in recognition of Westar Energy's SmartStar Program, which provides Westar's customers to better manage personal energy use.  

Westar Energy  needed a solution to promote its new SmartStar Program green initiatives to increase operational efficiency, improve asset utilization and performance, promote efficient data maintenance, and create new functionality using advanced metering infrastructure (AMI) and metering data management system (MDMS) integration.

 Intergraph’s InService outage management software help utility personnel, both dispatchers and field crews, quickly identify the cause of an outage and efficiently assign and coordinate the necessary resources to restore power or other services as quickly as possible. The outage management solution provide a unique geospatial map shared by both dispatchers and field personnel using mobile devices, allowing optimum coordination between dispatcher and crews. It helps customers have reduced service restoration times by as much as 33 percent and have seen the system pay for itself in less than three years.

Intergraph's InService system will provide Westar Energy a unique geospatial map to be shared by both dispatchers and field personnel using mobile devices to coordinate between dispatcher and crews. With InService MWFM, Westar will be able to effectively manage routine equipment inspections and short-cycle crew order work management. This complete InService package offers Westar integrated restoration circuit map displays and routes, dispatches and tracks field crews during storm restoration processes.

"Intergraph's Smart Grid Command Center has been proven to improve situational awareness in the control center," stated Bill Campbell, Senior Vice President, Intergraph Security, Government & Infrastructure.

"As a solution provider, Intergraph's software technology, experience and innovative vision to implement and deploy an industry-leading outage management and mobile system creates a platform for future smart grid implementations in large utilities across the United States," Campbell added.

Westar Energy, Inc., an investor-owned utility, has energy centers that include wind, coal, nuclear energy, natural gas and landfill gas generation. Westar employs approximately 2,400 people and serves more than 687,000 customers in east and east-central Kansas.