Transco signs P33-M contract for mapping system

The National Transmission Corp. (Transco) has signed a P33.6-million contract with the joint venture company between construction developer FF Cruz & Co. Inc. and Geodata Systems Technologies Inc. for the development of an enterprise geographic information system (E-GIS).

E-GIS is a comprehensive mapping and analysis tool envisioned to provide spatial data components like exact locations and images of Transco’s field assets from substations to steel towers, to over 20,000 kilometers of transmission lines nationwide.

"The supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) system would be able to view and analyze faulty transmission lines in virtual reality mode compared to the presently used single line diagram schematic representation," Transco president Alan Ortiz said in a statement.

Using technology in satellite imagery and aerial photography, details on the ground like conditions of transmission lines and towers, vegetation, land use, infrastructure, access roads and trails can be examined with clarity and precision.

"Combined with the analytic power of GIS, this technology will be a powerful tool in analyzing fault location, real-time routing, line inspection and maintenance, ROW management, vegetation management, environmental planning, and assets/facilities management," Ortiz added.

The system will also integrate the internally-developed Transco-Management Information System (T-MIS) composed of 22 electronic management information systems of the corporation’s various departments, from administration to finance to system operations.

The project will be initially implemented in areas covered by Transco’s South Luzon regional office within the next three months and will be subsequently rolled out to all Transco regions immediately thereafter.

FF Cruz and Geodata will handle the software development and licensing, data acquisition, and the supply and installation of hardwares needed for the project. The joint venture will also conduct training programs to orient Transco personnel on the new system.

It will work in partnership with IBM Philippines, Power Engineers and Environmental Systems Research Institute (ESRI) of the USA.

FF Cruz specializes in aerial photography and photogrammetry including satellite image mapping.

Geodata Systems, on the other hand, is an active provider of GIS solutions to many government institutions and private companies in the country.

In about the same time, power-related government agencies agreed to start sharing information and reference materials through the Power Electronic Library (Power E-Library) at the Transco head office in Diliman, Quezon City.

Power E-Library will enable officials and employees of all energy-related agencies to gain access to a combined pool of reference materials and research information concerning the power sector.

"We would like this to be the country’s premier repository of digital information regarding the electricity sector, including the documentation of the history of our country’s power industry reforms. We have voluminous documents on energy sector reforms and restructuring. By pooling our resources and using the latest technology, research would be faster, more efficient, and more comprehensive," Ortiz said.

The other agencies involved are the Department of Energy (DOE), the National Power Corp. (Napocor), the Power Sector Assets and Liabilities Management Corp. (PSALM), and the National Electrification Administration (NEA).

These agencies will share their respective reference materials, especially those already in electronic copies, to the Power E-Library. In return, Transco will ensure access to all the officials and employees of the other agencies. Incidentally, a memorandum of understanding was signed to formalize the arrangement.

Ortiz said that he will share his personal copies of documents detailing the numerous revisions and refinements of the power industry reform bill until its finalization into the Electrical Power Industry Reform Act (EPIRA) which was enacted in June 2001. He was once a consultant of the Senate Committee on Energy which deliberated and co-produced the EPIRA.