Normally given out during the IQGeo customer Meetup event held every October in Denver, this years’ honours were announced during the IQGeo Virtual Meetup on October 22nd. The six winners of the 2020 accolade were Bell Mobility, ExteNet Systems, NW Natural, Portland General Electric, Stadtwerke Sindelfingen and TEPCO.
These awards recognize a select group of companies for their exceptional innovation in the deployment of IQGeo technology and for the significant contribution they have made to the transformation and optimization of their business.
Winner: Bell Mobility (Canada)
Bell Mobility Construction Management (Smartport)
Using the IQGeo Platform and Workflow Manager software, Bell has optimised the construction bid process to improve collaboration between all stakeholders, helping to ensure successful project delivery. They have created an innovative real-time view of the construction process that reduces handoffs, decreases cycle build times, mitigates waste and costly reworks, and provides better job quality, costs controls and corporate audits. The use of the IQGeo software for this project is part of an initial deployment that is scheduled to be expanded for other departments and use cases across the network lifecycle.
Winner: ExteNet Systems (USA)
Rapid development of end-to-end fiber management solution
Using IQGeo’s new Network Manager for telecoms and Network Revenue Optimizer software, ExteNet have implemented an end-to-end fiber management solution. ExteNet is pushing the boundaries for telecoms operators with their vision to use the IQGeo software across the network lifecycle from quote creation to construction process, and NOC operations. The solution provides a single network view that mitigates digital fatigue, field sources accurate network data, accelerates quote-to-cash, and reduces technical debt.
Winner: NW Natural (USA)
Digitalization of gas leak survey process
Their deployment of the IQGeo Platform for the gas leak survey process is driving innovation for the entire industry. This cloud-based software configuration is giving both NW Natural field teams and contractors the mobile tools they need to replace legacy paper inspections with a fully digitized automated survey process. The digital transformation is streamlining and speeding the inspection process while improving overall data quality with accurate field sourced map corrections that are delivered in near real-time to back office engineering teams for rapid review and approval.
Winner: PGE - Portland General Electric (USA)
Mobile field operations
With very ambitious plans to transform their field operations, Portland General Electric is using the IQGeo Platform to reimagine how mobile technology can and should be used to deliver better service. Integrating tightly with their GIS, the PGE mobile solution works online and offline and was enthusiastically adopted by their field teams. The mobile solution is easy-to-use and powerful, providing the ability to view an interrogate the network in ways that were never before possible. The result is a much more productive and cost-effective field team that is delivering greater value to their customers.
Winner: Stadtwerke Sindelfingen GmbH (Germany)
IoT field deployment
A local utility provider for the town of Sindelfingen in Southern Germany has adopted the IQGeo Platform as the single source of truth for their network operations. Their innovative approach is creating a shared dashboard that incorporates a wide range of data sources including IoT sensors to monitor and manage network assets in real-time. With a strong focus on customer service, their transformational objective is to provide proactive network support and service in order to improve overall reliability and resilience.
Winner: TEPCO (Japan)
Disaster management
One of the largest power companies in the world, TEPCO serves millions of customers in the Tokyo metropolitan area. Their innovative deployment of the IQGeo Platform helps them assess and manage the impact of severe typoons that frequently hit Tokyo. The have deployed more than 4,000 licenses of the IQGeo software with their field engineers, providing them with an accurate view of current network status and an easy way of capturing and sharing rapidly changing field conditions. The operations team in the back office shares this same view, allowing them to quickly assess safety and prioritize which areas are brought back online first after service interruption.
Richard Petti, CEO at IQGeo said: “While 2020 has brought us many unexpected challenges, we were very impressed by the fantastic response from our telecoms and utility customers. It is wonderful to see how companies have rapidly adopted our latest software technology to deliver innovative solutions that improve their businesses and the lives of their customers during these difficult times. The availability and reliability of critical infrastructure is more important now than ever before, ensuring the lights are on and our communications are connected.
"Every year it is difficult to choose those that should be recognized given the excellent projects being rolled out around the world. In line with IQGeo’s own global growth, I was very pleased to see that our eight winners this year come from four different countries. It’s always an honour to recognize those teams that have made valuable contributions to their business and this year it is a particular pleasure. I would like to extend my personal appreciation and congratulations to all the winners for their innovative and inspirational work in 2020.”