Natural Gas District Shines with High Tech Inspection Program

Located near Orlando, Florida, Lake Apopka Natural Gas District (LANGD) is deep into their digital transformation, experiencing improvements across the board for business operations, thanks in part to the latest in asset management technology.

Finding a Solution

In 2009 LANGD began the process of searching for an asset management solution that would seamlessly integrate with Esri’s ArcGIS system as well as the District’s utility billing software. Elements XS, by Novotx, was selected as the asset management solution of choice and as of this writing has been in place at the District for over 13 years.

Since their initial asset management deployment, LANGD has added many innovative process improvements using Elements XS and one of these improvements is causing industry experts to take note.

Improving the Process

In 2020 LANGD set out to improve their meter corrosion inspection program using Elements XS and ArcGIS in an effort to provide:

•  Increased Visibility
•  Efficiency
•  Safety for the Community
•  Healthier Atmosphere for Everyone

In 2021 the District successfully integrated their Esri ArcGIS District Map with Elements XS to improve their mandatory corrosion maintenance inspection program. Prior to this digital transformation, LANGD would manually map out each inspection route, there were no visual indicators of progress, and route planning required 45 minutes or more of manual labor. Fast forward to today and those headaches are gone.

“…we substantially improved an annual mandatory inspection on gas meters when we began using Elements XS integrated with our District Map. Today our team members can look at the District Map and see which of our over 28,000 meters have been inspected or need inspecting.” Says Danny King, LANGD Meter Reading department Manager.

The Result

Today’s corrosion inspection process, using Elements XS integrated with Esri’s ArcGIS, provides efficiency gains for both planned and ad-hoc work. Additionally, the application is easy to use, leading to increased adoption, a key component of any digital transformation when motivation to change is low.

Some of the features LANGD finds most beneficial include:

• Color-coded inspections to illustrate priority and provide visual representation for which meters should be inspected first
• Icons clearly separate maintenance actions from meters and other assets on the map
• Technicians can see which side of the building the meter is installed on, improving the efficiency of the task once the driver arrives
• Out-of-the-box reporting to gain insights into inspection progress and results

“It just keeps getting better,” says Scott Minter, Director of Information Systems at LANGD. “The process is quick, easy, and efficient.”

Next Steps

LANGD continues to innovate and plans to further streamline operations by integrating their inventory system, AccountMate, with the inventory tools found in Elements XS.

About Lake Apopka Natural Gas District

Headquartered in Winter Garden, Florida, LANGD manages over 630 miles of main lines and over 28,000 service connections, providing natural gas energy services to customers in multiple communities,. Learn more at langd.org.

About Elements XS

Elements XS is an industry-leading asset management and civic engagement platform used by local governments and utilities around the United States and internationally. Learn more at elementsxs.com.