Modernizing GIS data management and asset visibility for a U.S. public electric utility
Executive summary
Infosys partnered with a large U.S.-based public electric utility to modernize core GIS data management through large-scale migration, spatial data cleansing, land-base alignment, and seamless integration of field updates into enterprise systems. The program delivered greater than 95% spatial data accuracy, significantly enhanced asset visibility and traceability, and enabled high-volume data processing at scale — driving measurable gains in operational productivity, faster engineering turnaround, and data-driven decision-making for utility planning and maintenance functions.
About the client
A large U.S.-based public electric utility responsible for managing extensive overhead and underground electrical distribution assets that support critical public infrastructure and millions of end users. The organization operates a large and evolving asset network that requires timely GIS updates, engineering coordination, and reliable project documentation to maintain service quality and operational resilience.
Situation
The utility relied on a combination of legacy GIS data, field-generated maps, engineering drawings, and manual update processes to maintain its electrical network records. As the network expanded and field activity increased, the organization faced growing complexity in reconciling asset changes, preserving spatial accuracy, and ensuring that engineering, maintenance, and planning teams worked from a consistent system of record.
To strengthen operational transparency and improve infrastructure planning, the utility needed a scalable GIS data maintenance model capable of cleansing historical records, incorporating high-volume field updates, resolving topology and connectivity gaps, and publishing project-related deliverables in a timely and auditable manner.
Key challenges
| Area | What was required | Business impact of the gap |
|---|---|---|
| Legacy asset data migration | Migrate underground and overhead asset information from legacy and field-based sources into the enterprise GIS. | Inconsistent records and fragmented source formats limited complete asset visibility and affected downstream engineering activities. |
| Land-base alignment | Realign utility asset geometry with updated land-base and basemap references. | Spatial misalignment created risks of inaccurate planning, design misinterpretation, and field-execution errors. |
| GIS data quality and topology | Cleanse, validate, and correct connectivity and asset-data gaps. | Poor network consistency reduced confidence in GIS as a system of record and increased rework. |
| Field-work update processing | Process high-volume work orders and incorporate delta changes into the geodatabase. | Delays in incorporating updates affected the current-state visibility of the network. |
| Engineering and maintenance traceability | Track and map maintenance activities and engineering updates in GIS. | Limited traceability affected coordination across engineering and planning teams. |
| Project publishing and document support | Publish work packages, CAD drawings, and supporting project documents to enterprise repositories. | Fragmented documentation workflows reduced collaboration efficiency and slowed project execution. |
The solution
A phased GIS modernization program that turned fragmented records into a single, trusted system of record
Infosys implemented a phased approach combining assessment, large-scale data transformation, and controlled rollout to deliver measurable operational value:
- Data modernization and migration
- Established a single, reliable system of record by migrating and consolidating 50,000+ asset records
- Transformed legacy documents into structured, analysis-ready geospatial datasets, improving data usability
- Spatial realignment and accuracy enhancement
- Enhanced engineering precision and planning reliability by realigning 15,000+ assets with the updated land base
- Improved spatial integrity, reducing downstream design and field-execution risks
- Topology and data-quality remediation
- Strengthened network reliability and analytical confidence by validating a high-volume network-span dataset numbering in the thousands
- Eliminated connectivity gaps through automation-led quality checks, reducing rework
- Field integration at scale
- Enabled near-real-time network visibility by processing 100,000+ work orders
- Improved operational responsiveness and decision-making through timely GIS updates
- Centralized governance and publishing
- Streamlined engineering workflows and collaboration through standardized publishing of deliverables
- Enhanced data governance, auditability, and cross-team accessibility across the enterprise
Benefits
- >95% accuracy
Trusted GIS insights for planning and operations - 60K+ updates/month
Scalable, high-volume operations - SLA-driven
Reliable, predictable delivery - Cross-team collaboration
Improved traceability across engineering and planning - Future-ready
Supports smart-grid and modernization initiatives
