Truckee Donner Public Utility District Receives the 2007 GITA Excellence Award

Truckee Donner Public Utility District (PUD) is the winner of the 2007 Geospatial Information and Technology Association (GITA) Excellence Award for the electric industry. The award recognizes the accomplishments of organizations that serve as examples of quality through the success of their geospatial projects.

“We’re truly honored to receive the GITA Excellence Award,” says Ian Fitzgerald, GISP, geographic information system (GIS) coordinator, Truckee Donner Public Utility District. “The very nature of GIS at an electric utility is not just to manage facility data and provide maps but to enhance the abilities and performance of multiple aspects of your business. At Truckee Donner, engineering design and construction, operations, and customer service have all benefited both in cost savings and efficiency due to the quick dissemination of pertinent geographic information through our enterprise GIS architecture. This has resulted in more informed decisions being made in a timelier manner.”

“Truckee Donner PUD has consistently demonstrated superior leadership in the use of technology, particularly in its deployment of GIS throughout the enterprise,” says Bill Meehan , director of utility solutions, ESRI. “The innovative use of server and mobile GIS has provided significant value to Truckee Donner’s employees and customers.”

Truckee Donner PUD offers electric and water service in the Truckee area, located in northern California . The nonprofit, publicly owned utility is governed by officials elected by the registered voters of the district.

Truckee Donner PUD has been an ESRI GIS software user since 2000 and has continuously demonstrated innovation in providing GIS software and services internally for a number of application areas. The organization uses ESRI GIS software as part of its overall information technology architecture including GIS integration with its relational database management system, desktop GIS, Web GIS, and GIS in the field. From predicting service disruption to regulatory compliance, utility design, work order processing, and field communication and dispatch, enterprise GIS helps Truckee Donner PUD streamline work processes and provide better customer service. Because of its success, the small-sized utility has received numerous industry honors. In addition, other utilities visit Truckee Donner PUD to see how GIS is used company-wide.

GITA’s Excellence Award was created in 1993 to recognize user organizations for their outstanding application of geospatial technology in six industry categories: electric, gas, pipeline, public works, telecommunications, and water/wastewater. Candidates for the Excellence Award demonstrate dedication, insight, and a high degree of initiative in implementing multifaceted geospatial systems that incorporate multiple applications.

The 2007 Excellence Award will be presented to Truckee Donner PUD during the opening session of GITA’s 29th Annual Conference. This year’s event will be held March 4–7 in San Antonio, Texas. GITA is a nonprofit educational association serving the global geospatial community.