Managing Canada’s Data
From mapping utility poles to mapping radio frequency signal leaks, this company collects and manages much of the country’s utilities and oil and gas data.
Effigis is an interesting Canadian firm that offers a range of GIS solutions for utilities and the oil and gas industry—as well as its own GNSS positioning solution for asset inventory/mapping and utility/energy field operations. A couple of years ago, Effigis might have been defined mainly by its activities in GNSS positioning, but it now has three strong business units, says Dennis Parrot, the company’s president.
Data Collection and Monitoring
Effigis’ geospatial data collection and management business unit handles large-scale data collection and management—including pole inspection, structural analysis, and inventories—for utility companies. It is currently carrying out many large pole surveys for utility companies, such as Hydro-Qubec and Bell Canada.
Pole inspections save those companies a lot of money, Parrot explains, because they enable the companies to change poles on a regular basis instead of changing them all at the end of their individual lives. This business unit also conducts fiber to the hub (FTTH) surveys.