Integration of Web-GIS and Remote Sensing in Power Pole / Line Asset Management System for PNG Unitech Campus

Abstract

The use of GIS and Remote Sensing (RS) technologies, integrated with database management systems to manage electrical assets, is important to any electrical service provider, as it significantly reduces their workload while increasing the effectiveness of the utility’s operations. This research was done to explore the feasibility of establishing an asset management system for Papua New Guinea’s sole provider of electricity, PNG Power Limited (PPL), using the Papua New Guinea University of Technology (PNGUoT) as its locale. Due to PNG’s diverse and complex geographical environment, the difficulty of power distribution within an area makes it challenging for the existing database system (MS Excel) to manage PPL’s electrical assets effectively. This has highlighted the need for GIS and information technologies to work in coalescence to effectively manage, communicate and disseminate information on PPL assets, which can aid in better decision-making for planning, monitoring, and budgeting purposes. The rapid advancement of GIS, RS and IT technologies has made it much easier to understand the complex dynamics of utility management. This paper demonstrates the application of GIS and RS utilizing approaches derived from web GIS development methods to create an interactive and user-friendly web-based asset management systems for specific electrical assets such as Power poles, Power lines and Transformers located on PNGUoT campus in Lae City.