IRIDE Energia Builds Next-Generation Multi-Utility GIS Using Bentley Software

Thursday May 29th 2008
Filed Under Bentley 



News Release

Press Contact:

Ron Kuhfeld

+1 610 321 6493

ron.kuhfeld@bentley.com

IRIDE Energia Builds Next-Generation Multi-Utility GIS

Using Bentley Software

New System Is Helping Company Achieve Higher Efficiency and Greater Productivity Across Planning, Design, Field Engineering, and Customer Service

BALTIMORE – BE Conference 2008 – May 29, 2008 – Bentley Systems, Incorporated today announced that IRIDE Energia, part of IRIDE Group, a leading Italian multi-utility comprising companies that manage water, electricity, public lighting, gas, and district heating networks, has built a next-generation geographic information system (GIS) called New SIT around Bentley’s V8 XM Edition versions of Bentley Map, Bentley Geospatial Server, and Bentley Geo Web Publisher. IRIDE Energia is using its New SIT system – and the XML Feature Modeling (XFM) enabled technology upon which it is based – to achieve even higher efficiency in the management of its multi-utility networks. Specifically, the company has set a goal of increasing productivity by at least 20 percent across planning, engineering design, field engineering, and customer service. Driving this gain is the new system’s single source of data – GIS as well as engineering – for anyone who manages or supports the utility networks in any function.

“Bentley’s products enabled us to implement a powerful and flexible GIS system based on a service-oriented architecture to meet our ambitious expansion goals,” says Mario Cipriano, IRIDE Energia chief information officer. “The intra-operation of these Bentley products and their native support of the Oracle® Spatial database were key advantages we compared with alternative approaches. In addition, the system’s XFM object-oriented capability eliminates the need to recode connections between different software systems each time we upgrade software, saving us significant time and money.”

New SIT uses Bentley Map for map management, engineering design, and data update processes and Bentley Geospatial Server for enterprise access to Oracle® Spatial, workflow management, enterprise printing, plotting, and publishing, and engineering documentation management across a distributed enterprise. In addition, it uses Bentley Geo Web Publisher to publish GIS and engineering information to the company’s intranet.

Bentley Geospatial Server enables New SIT’s database to be integrated with SAP for enterprise resource planning and with the existing customer relationship management (CRM) system. The CRM integration means GIS and engineering data are easily accessed by customer service representatives, sales, and marketing teams.

By deploying Bentley products, IRIDE Energia supports its work-order management process through its configurable workflow capabilities, allowing managers to access information on any work order. The new GIS system uses network connectivity logic to track the network from any start point to an end-user location or outage point. Moreover, objects can be queried to determine their sources of power, maintenance activities can be simulated, and customers affected by outages can be identified in real time and alerted.

The GIS and network topology data are exported to separate analysis and modeling environments through Web services. This helps specialists optimize the networks and helps IRIDE Energia achieve maximum performance.

Cipriano concludes, “Thanks to Bentley software, we believe we have one of the most advanced utility GIS systems in the world – as befits a world-class company like IRIDE Energia.”

About IRIDE Energia

IRIDE Energia is part of the IRIDE Group of companies that operate in the sectors of production and distribution of electricity, as well as the production of thermal energy. Planning and energy consultancy, including engineering services, planning, and reliability studies, complement its core business. Sensitive to environmental protection and sustainable development, IRIDE Energia produces electricity and heat through renewable energy sources (hydroelectric) and uses combined heat and power plants. For more information, visit www.iride-energia.it.

About BE Conference

BE Conference 2008 – BEst Practices for Sustaining Infrastructure is being held May 28-30 at the Baltimore Convention Center in Baltimore, Md. At this two-and-half-day event, decision makers and senior practitioners from infrastructure organizations around the globe, including owner-operators and AEC firms, will share innovative best practices using Bentley solutions. Conference sessions address the needs of executives, managers, architects, engineers, designers, builders, and other infrastructure professionals and include user-led content and programs dedicated to 13 “solutions communities.” The highly focused agenda of BE Conference 2008 enables attendees to explore innovative ways to increase productivity, improve project quality, and reduce the costs and risks associated with sustaining infrastructure.

For more information about BE Conference, visit www.bentley.com/BEconference.

About Bentley Systems, Incorporated

Bentley is the global leader dedicated to providing comprehensive software solutions for sustaining infrastructure. Architects, engineers, constructors, and owner-operators are indispensable in improving our world and our quality of life; the company’s mission is to improve the performance of their projects and of the assets they design, build, and operate. Bentley sustains the infrastructure professions by helping to leverage information technology, learning, best practices, and global collaboration – and by promoting careers devoted to this crucial work.

Founded in 1984, Bentley has more than 2,800 colleagues, offices in more than 50 countries, annual revenues surpassing $500 million, and since 1993, has invested more than $1 billion in research, development, and acquisitions. Nearly 90 percent of the Engineering News-Record Top Design Firms are Bentley subscribers, and a 2008 Daratech study ranked Bentley as the world’s #2 provider of geospatial software solutions.

To receive Bentley press releases as they are issued, visit www.bentley.com/bentleywire. For more information, visit www.bentley.com.

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Bentley, the “B” Bentley logo, Bentley Map, Bentley Geospatial Server, and Bentley Geo Web Publisher are either registered or unregistered trademarks or service marks of Bentley Systems, Incorporated or one of its direct or indirect wholly owned subsidiaries. Oracle is a registered trademark of Oracle Corporation and/or its affiliates. All other brands and product names are trademarks of their respective owners.

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Best Regards,
Christine

Christine Byrne | Media Relations Manager
Bentley Systems, Incorporated

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