SoCalGas Facing Natural Disaster With Technology
Summary
TLDRThe video highlights SoCalGas, the largest gas utility in the U.S., and its use of ArcGIS Enterprise to manage over 100,000 miles of gas pipelines. In 2017, during the Thomas Fire and subsequent mudslides in California, SoCalGas deployed a GIS team on-site to assist in disaster recovery. With a centralized digital platform, the company quickly integrated data from multiple sources, allowing crews to restore gas services safely and efficiently within 28 days. The GIS system enabled faster decision-making, preventing further disasters and ensuring the safety of affected communities.
Takeaways
- 📍 SoCal Gas, based in Los Angeles, is the largest gas utility in the U.S., serving six million accounts and managing over 100,000 miles of pipeline.
- 🔥 In December 2017, the Thomas fire became California's largest wildfire since the 1930s, causing significant damage in Ventura and Santa Barbara counties.
- 🌧️ Following the fire, torrential rains led to devastating mudslides in Montecito, impacting over 500 structures and resulting in 21 confirmed deaths.
- ⚠️ SoCalGas recognized the risk of mudslides unearthing gas lines, which could lead to leaks, fires, or explosions, and responded promptly to the crisis.
- 👥 The company's new leadership decided that having a GIS team on-site during emergencies would be invaluable for response efforts.
- 🗺️ SoCalGas uses ESRI ArcGIS Enterprise to maintain and monitor its pipeline system, which was crucial during the Montecito disaster response.
- 💾 The single platform system of ArcGIS Enterprise allows for seamless data integration across departments, enhancing decision-making and operational efficiency.
- 📈 The use of ArcGIS Enterprise enabled rapid digitization of paper maps and integration of real-time data, streamlining the recovery process after the mudslides.
- 🏠 Service was restored to all Montecito residents in just 28 days, a significant improvement in response time compared to past incidents.
- 🛡️ The GIS platform's ability to visualize asset locations relative to damage areas was key to the successful and safe resolution of the crisis.
- 💤 The enterprise GIS approach provides peace of mind for SoCalGas, ensuring quick access to critical information without the need for manual searches.
Q & A
What is SoCal Gas and what services does it provide?
-SoCal Gas is the largest gas utility in the country, serving six million accounts. It includes major production facilities, refineries, electric generation plants, as well as providing natural gas for homes, businesses, and restaurants.
What is the significance of the 100,000 miles of pipeline in SoCal Gas's operations?
-The 100,000 miles of pipeline are crucial for delivering natural gas under high pressure to various customers, including homes, businesses, and restaurants. These pipelines are part of the infrastructure that SoCal Gas maintains and monitors daily for safety.
What was the challenge faced by SoCal Gas during the Thomas fire in December 2017?
-During the Thomas fire, SoCal Gas faced the challenge of potential unearthing of gas lines due to mudslides, which could lead to gas leaks, fires, or explosions. The fire was the largest in modern California history and caused significant damage in Ventura and Santa Barbara counties.
How did SoCal Gas respond to the critical disruption caused by the Thomas fire and subsequent mudslides?
-SoCal Gas responded by setting up an on-site incident command post and working closely with first responders. They used their GIS team to help restore service and ensure safety, leveraging the ESRI ArcGIS platform for efficient operations.
What role did the GIS team play during the Montecito mudslide incident?
-The GIS team was invaluable during the Montecito mudslide incident. They were on site to provide real-time data and insights, which helped in securing damaged gas lines and rerouting pathways quickly and efficiently.
How does the ArcGIS Enterprise system benefit SoCal Gas's operations?
-ArcGIS Enterprise allows SoCal Gas to have a single platform system where all data, including supply chains, compliance data, and customer information, is stored digitally and easily accessible. This facilitates seamless data integration across departments and enhances decision-making.
What advantages does having an enterprise GIS platform provide to SoCal Gas?
-An enterprise GIS platform provides the advantage of integrating various departmental information onto one platform, allowing for better data management, running models, generating reports, and making informed decisions for customers.
How did the use of ArcGIS Enterprise impact the recovery effort at Montecito?
-The use of ArcGIS Enterprise allowed for remarkable efficiency in the recovery effort. Paper maps were digitized, and data from multiple agencies were integrated on one map, enabling crews to reach the most affected structures and people quickly.
What was the outcome of the Montecito recovery effort in terms of service restoration?
-Service was restored to all residents in Montecito in just 28 days, which was much quicker than in the past. This was achieved through the effective use of GIS technology and coordination among various response teams.
How does the use of GIS technology contribute to safety and peace of mind for SoCal Gas?
-GIS technology contributes to safety by providing a visual interpretation of assets and damage, enabling quick and informed decisions. It also gives peace of mind by offering a single, easily accessible source of information, reducing the need to chase down data manually.
Outlines
🔥 The Largest Gas Utility and Its Challenges
The first paragraph introduces SoCal Gas, the largest gas utility in the U.S., serving over six million accounts. It operates critical infrastructure, including refineries, electric plants, and residential services. With over 100,000 miles of natural gas pipelines, safety is their top priority. The employees rely on ArcGIS Enterprise to maintain, inspect, and monitor the pipeline system, but the system was tested during a major disaster in 2017.
🌲 Devastating Wildfires and Mudslides
The second paragraph describes the Thomas Fire, which in December 2017 became California’s largest wildfire in modern history. It destroyed land and communities in Ventura and Santa Barbara counties. The scorched terrain later led to devastating mudslides, particularly in Montecito. These mudslides caused widespread destruction, damaging over 500 structures and resulting in 21 deaths within a few hours. SoCal Gas had to act quickly to prevent further gas line hazards.
🚨 Quick Response and GIS Team Deployment
SoCal Gas realized the threat posed by the mudslides to their gas lines and acted swiftly. The company established an incident command post on-site, which included their GIS team, marking the first time GIS had been deployed directly in such a crisis. By seeing the devastation firsthand, the GIS team was more motivated and effective in responding. The team’s efforts were crucial to restoring service and ensuring safety, using the ArcGIS platform to manage the response.
🗺️ The Benefits of a Unified GIS System
The ArcGIS Enterprise system played a key role in SoCal Gas’s response. The paragraph emphasizes how having a single, integrated system made data seamless, connecting everything from supply chains to compliance data. With all the information on one map, SoCal Gas could efficiently manage both distribution and transmission systems. The unified platform allowed departments to securely access data and make informed decisions, improving their overall efficiency.
💻 Leveraging GIS for Efficient Disaster Recovery
ArcGIS Enterprise proved invaluable during the Montecito recovery. Local emergency responders’ paper maps were digitized and integrated into the system, adding critical information such as road closures and property damage. With this data, SoCal Gas could quickly assess the damage and repair gas lines, rerouting crews more effectively. The mapping system helped visualize the locations of assets relative to the destruction, enabling a quicker and safer recovery.
😌 Peace of Mind Through Technology
The final paragraph highlights the reassurance that comes from using GIS Enterprise. The system allows SoCal Gas to access vital information rapidly, eliminating the need to search for physical documents stored in distant locations. The mobile and networked nature of the system provides a sense of security, as all relevant data is readily available, enabling faster responses and reducing stress during crises.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡SoCalGas
💡ArcGIS Enterprise
💡Wildfires
💡Montecito Mudslides
💡Pipeline System
💡Safety
💡Incident Command Post
💡Single Platform System
💡Geographic Data
💡Recovery Effort
Highlights
SoCalGas is the largest gas utility in the country, with six million accounts and over 100,000 miles of pipeline.
Safety is a top priority for SoCalGas, with employees maintaining, inspecting, and monitoring the pipeline system daily.
SoCalGas uses ArcGIS Enterprise to manage their pipeline system, integrating geographic data and other departmental information into a single platform.
In December 2017, the Thomas Fire broke out, becoming one of California's largest wildfires and damaging large areas of Ventura and Santa Barbara counties.
The Thomas Fire was followed by torrential rains that led to devastating mudslides in Montecito, causing severe destruction and loss of life.
SoCalGas faced critical risks during the disaster, as mudslides could potentially unearth gas lines, causing leaks, fires, or explosions.
For the first time, SoCalGas had a GIS team on-site during an emergency, which allowed them to better assess the damage and coordinate recovery efforts.
ArcGIS Enterprise enabled SoCalGas to digitize paper maps, integrate data from multiple agencies, and streamline response efforts.
With all data integrated into one map, SoCalGas crews were able to locate damaged gas lines and reroute pathways faster than ever before.
The ability to visualize where gas assets were in relation to the damage was crucial in preventing further disasters and ensuring public safety.
SoCalGas restored service to all residents in just 28 days, much faster than in past disasters.
The integration of Geographic Information System (GIS) data with other departmental information helped make quick and informed decisions for the customer.
SoCalGas used ArcGIS to enhance communication, monitor recovery progress, and ensure that key assets were secured in record time.
Having a single-platform system like ArcGIS Enterprise provided peace of mind, allowing teams to access critical information quickly and efficiently.
The success of the Montecito recovery effort highlights the importance of using advanced GIS tools to manage complex infrastructure and ensure public safety.
Transcripts
[Music]
based in Los Angeles SoCal gas is the
largest gas utility in the country
that's six million accounts and it
includes major production facilities
includes refineries electric generation
planets as well as homes that need
heating and restaurant studied cooking
with over 100,000 miles of pipeline
delivering natural gas often under high
pressure they face risk every day safety
is our top priority and it's our core
value we have employees that go out and
maintain inspect and monitor our
pipeline system every day to accomplish
those tasks they use a system called
ArcGIS Enterprise but in 2017 the system
was put to the test
[Music]
December 2017 one of the largest
wildfires in modern California history
breaks out the Thomas fire in California
is now the state's largest wildfire
since the 1930s it decimated land and
communities in Ventura and Santa Barbara
counties and left the scorched terrain
vulnerable then torrential rains hit and
mudslides slammed into the town of
Montecito
Montecito is a major major than in Santa
Barbara County just to describe the
magnitude and damage of it it impacted
over 500 structures there were 21
confirmed deaths which happened in the
span of it's just a few hours
[Music]
SoCalGas Knuth and mudslides like these
could unearth gas lines causing leaks
fires or explosions so when they were
alerted of a critical disruption they
acted immediately we have sent down a
communication that we were active in it
did not take very long for us to have
representatives from each department or
from each TOC position in here in this
room then for the first time ever new
leadership decided that having a GIS
team on site would be invaluable
although it could have been done
remotely and through the network we
realized that for our GIS team when they
saw firsthand the damage and the work
that needed to be done it only enriched
and further motivated them to just be
fully dedicated to the response they set
up an on-site incident command post
where the GIS team would work closely
with first responders then started
working to restore service and ensure
safety with the help of ESRI ArcGIS
platform so there are a lot of benefits
to having a single platform system
number one the single platform system
allows the data to be seamless every
component including supply chains and
compliance data right down to the
customer is stored digitally on one map
and easily accessible
we only have one map that we have to
maintain for distribution and one for
transmission even better they use ArcGIS
Enterprise to run all aspects of their
business with all departments able to
access the system securely the top
advantage of having enterprise GIS is
taking not just Geographic data but
taking different departmental
information and bring it on the one
platform having the enterprise platform
helps us integrate that information run
models run reports and to make good
decisions for the customer
[Music]
armed with ArcGIS Enterprise SoCal gases
recovery effort at Montecito advanced
with remarkable efficiency paper maps
from local emergency responders were
digitized into their existing system
information like road closures
evacuation centers and property damage
were added to the mudslide and pipeline
layers with the data from multiple
agencies integrated on one map crews got
to structures and people most in need
much quicker damaged gas lines were
secured and pathways rerouted in record
time the greatest aspect GIS was the
ability to understand from a mapping
perspective or a visual interpretation
perspective where our assets were
relative to where the damage was the
entire operation took only 28 days to
restore service to all residents much
quicker than in the past
potential disasters were avoided and
residents were kept safe you know
there's a lot at stake when you're
running a complex operation like this
you know the expectations of restoring
acts as quickly as possible and as
safely as possible mass and GIS help
that I think without it we probably
would not have been as successful as we
were
so having the gis enterprise approach
actually makes me sleep a little better
at night because we're not scrambling to
chase down information it gives me peace
of mind knowing that there's that single
source but also giving peace of mind
knowing that we can get to it quickly
it's not a piece of paper and some file
drawer right we're not chasing it down
somewhere in some office hundred miles
from here it is networked its mobile and
we can get access it
[Music]
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