Features
Spotlight on Innovation
It has been said, “The best way to have a good idea is to have a lot of ideas.” Lee Marrs and the Texas811 board of directors have been throwing ideas around for quite some time. In this article on innovation, we will focus on just a few of the ideas that have made a difference for the way Texas811 serves its members and the damage prevention professionals in Texas.
GeoCall
In 1997, Texas811 formed a new corporation, Progressive Partnering, Inc. (P2), with Tennessee811, Arkansas One-Call System and Mississippi811. P2 developed GeoCall, a one-call operating system with integrated GIS mapping. This platform is currently used in 11 one-call centers: Alabama, Arkansas, Minnesota, Mississippi, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas and West Virginia; and by GulfSafe, the first offshore “one call” system.
GeoCall software is used to manage member information, incoming tickets, and transmitting tickets to members. The software was developed as a collaboration of the original centers and extended and expanded with additional features as new partners joined the group and infused it with new ideas. P2 does not use the standard vendor relationship model to manage the software – changes to the software are initiated and agreed upon by the partner centers.
In 2010, the GeoCall platform processed over 25% of the locate requests in the United States. But perhaps more importantly to the members of Texas811, the focus of developing this new software was to provide an extremely accurate ticket and this was possible in part because of the integrated GIS component.
A more accurate ticket is important for at least two very important reasons:
1. Safety – Being able to more accurately identify the location of underground facilities is critical to minimizing the disruption of our vital underground infrastructure. Obviously, minimizing the chances for damaging underground utilities reduces the risks to employees, the general public and property.
2. Costs – A more accurate ticket helps the members of Texas811 hold their operating costs down significantly in the following ways. First, it logically follows that if there are fewer damages to the members’ facility, there are less expenses involved in maintaining the facility. This is true no matter what utility type you are. Typically, utility companies that become members of Texas811 find that the cost savings generated by membership are much greater than the cost of membership. As one member stated, “Had I known how much digging was really going on in our area before we became a member, I wouldn’t have waited so long to sign up.” The truth is, membership pays.
The second savings as the result of the Texas811 commitment to an accurate ticket is that you are not routinely dispatched out on unnecessary locate requests. Anybody who understands locating understands that the costliest part of receiving a ticket is locating the facility. Many times the locator is required to drive many miles to a job site. Not only is there time and expense involved in driving to the site, but there is lost productivity as the result of being pulled off another job that also has to be completed. Making sure that when you receive the locate request, it requires a response, is part of the driving force behind Texas811’s reason for developing the GeoCall platform.
As a shareholder of Progressive Partnering, Inc. and a member on the P2 board, Texas811 and the other partners diligently look for innovative ways to hold costs in check and enhance the capabilities of GeoCall. Texas811 members continue to be the beneficiaries of the Texas811 Board of Directors’ willingness to step outside of the box almost 15 years ago.
Categories
