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Utility Work Management: mWorkerCIS Mapping Feature

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Utility Work Management: mWorkerCIS Mapping Feature

In the rapidly evolving utility sector, managing projects efficiently and safely is a constant challenge. One of our clients is a large utility services company who serves clients like Gas Network Ireland and Uisce Éireann (Irish Water), handling essential tasks such as metering works, water rehabilitation, digging and filling holes, predominantly on roads and footpaths and more civil engineering projects. Their focus is on completing these projects on time, ensuring safety, and avoiding any potential hazards.

Click on any pin to see fuller details of that job. You can also edit that job on-screen.

Now, with the introduction of the Mapping feature in mWorkerCIS, they have a tool that is designed to transform how utility projects, from gas to water systems, are planned, executed, and monitored.

The Challenge in Utility Work

Traditionally, managing utility work, especially those involving excavation and reinstatement on roads, has been a complex task. Workers often juggle between multiple systems for mapping, data management, and form filling, leading to inefficiencies and delays in meeting critical project deadlines.

Introducing the Mapping Feature

The new Mapping feature in mWorkerCIS offers a solution to these challenges. By integrating various aspects of utility work management into one streamlined platform, it significantly enhances both efficiency and accuracy.

For this utility services company, dealing with individual utility jobs has been a tedious and time-consuming process. The complexity of managing multiple systems for different aspects of a job, including forms, allocating work, and data management, resulted in inefficiencies and delays, making it challenging to meet key performance indicators (KPIs) and project deadlines.

How It Works

Easy Data Imports: Users can directly upload files into the system (ex. Reinstatement forms, surveys, exact field locations etc.), and the detail automatically imports into mWorkerCIS. This simplified file integration eliminates manual data entry, saving time and reducing errors.

Once all the data is imported, it is pushed out into custom dashboards, detailed reports and a mapping system. This allows auto-scheduling, resource allocation across multiple onsite projects and job creation using geolocation to assign tasks more effectively.

Geolocation: Here are a few examples of capabilities –

  1. Users can filter a number of different outstanding tasks based on any criteria they want (e.g. type of work, assignee, date due, priority, customer, etc)
User can quickly select different types of jobs before doing the above task using colour coded job types. This helps to identify unassigned jobs that may be suitable for a crew with particular skills.

2. Display those selected tasks on a map

    • The map can show different attributes of each task to make it easier to view
Point 1 - the filters that have been applied to filter to a certain number of jobs are displayed and can be turned off one by one. Point 2: hover over a job to see a short description and an assignee

3. Users can draw a line around groups of tasks so that they can be selected

Step 1: User selects tasks that are close to each other on the map using the map encircling feature; Step 2: User clicks on "Edit Jobs" to assign all of these at the same time to a worker. Step 2 could also be to reassign to another worker, mark the jobs as finished

4. Complete a range of action items with those tasks – e.g. assigning to a team

For example, the area selected can showcase certain data points and automate several tasks. Or, teams can highlight a certain area on the map first, and then assign the selected jobs to workers, such as a subcontractor crew and other workers to go assist them. 

Point 1: The filters that have been applied to filter to a certain number of jobs are displayed and can be turned off one by one. Point 2: Hover over a job to see a short description and an assignee

The map can show a quick view of data points, including the project progress, materials required for the specific job, the workers involved, and more. Each company can custom select data that appears on the map.

Groups of jobs in the same location are grouped together with a blue circle and a number indicating the number of jobs in that area. Individual jobs are shown using a red marker.
More than 10 jobs displayed with an orange circle; more than 100 displayed with a red circle. Click on the circles to immediately zoom into that area.

Teams can use this map in conjunction with the mWorkerCIS dashboards and calendar, comparing to data using filters, colour categorization and exporting the data into Excel and PDF reports for management.

Utility companies can now easily import job data, estimate work based on using the trends on dashboards, and schedule tasks more efficiently using the mapping feature.

With advanced geolocation capabilities, it’s a more efficient and faster way to allocate work, ensuring timely completion and adherence to safety standards.

 

Benefits and Unique Functionalities

  • View what tasks are due in a particular geographic area
  • Plan tasks so workers don’t have a long travel time between jobs
  • Custom visual aids such as graphs, dashboards and reports to showcase planning and project progress 
  • Notification System: Automated alerts for job assignments, due dates, and completion confirmations.
  • A no-code interface makes it accessible to users without technical expertise.

This feature is not just an addition to the mWorkerCIS suite; it’s a step towards a more streamlined, efficient, and modern way of managing utility projects.