Geographic Information System:

Tomorrow's Technology Today

Jackson Energy Authority's powerful Geographic Information System integrates information about each of our utilities with information about customers. The $5.5 million project, which took several years to compile, allows JEA to do many tasks more efficiently and will save the utility much more than the cost of the system in the years ahead.

The backdrop of the GIS mapping system is aerial maps. Details of JEA's utilities -- water, wastewater, natural gas, propane and electricity -- are drawn in layers on top of the aerial photography. This information includes such detailed information as the location of lines, mains, valves, utility poles and transformers.

Added to the information is data about each address on the map, such as the customer's name, his utility usage and billing information. The aerial maps thus present a bird's eye view of a chosen area, giving users the option to select and add different types of information according to their needs.

A variety of uses
Jackson Energy Authority can use this information in a variety of ways, such as restoring utility service in an emergency or working with an industrial prospect on providing utility service at a specific location. JEA also uses the GIS to...

• Track facilities and how they operate.
• Produce models for engineering analysis.
• Design work orders for customer utility requests.
• Produce annual reports for the Gas System and other utilities.

Jackson Energy Authority makes the system available to others, such as developers, real estate agents, environmental agencies and local surveyors. The Authority is sharing data with the City of Jackson, for example, to map the fringe of the City's flood zone. The Fire Department could use the system to have floor plans of specific buildings to more easily fight fires.

The Geographic Information System Project began in 1994 with a pilot project of the Bemis area. The GIS first was used in the Bemis area to upgrade wastewater lines. Today, all 550-square-miles of Madison County is mapped.

Cost savings
More information will be added to the GIS as it is needed. Once the information is in the system, such as zoning or specific lot lines, it doesn't have to be redrawn each time someone wants it. That is a tremendous cost savings. Without the GIS, for example, a subdivision would have to be redrawn eight times to get everything posted with appropriate utilities.