SUNNYVALE, Calif. and
MILWAUKEE, May 20, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Trimble
(NASDAQ: TRMB) and Badger Meter (NYSE: BMI) announced today that
adoption of the Trimble® Unity solution has enabled the City of
Sacramento Department of Utilities (DOU) to streamline
installations and achieve significant savings on their citywide
Badger Meter Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI) deployment
project. The initial rollout of the Trimble technology solution
streamlined the Badger Meter deployment and produced a
return-on-investment (ROI) in 3 months; with the full deployment
projected to enable the DOU to achieve savings of approximately
$1.6 million over the 5-year meter
deployment project.
Building an Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI)
The City of Sacramento DOU operates nearly 1,600 miles of water
pipe with over 135,000 service connections and two water treatment
plants. Metered service today totals about 58 percent of the city.
The DOU is currently conducting a multi-year Water Meter Reading
Automation (WMRA) program to provide 100-percent metered service
with AMI meter endpoint. At the program's completion, the system
will include 140,000 endpoints; approximately 25,000 are installed
at present. Originally scheduled for completion by the year 2025,
conservation concerns recently accelerated the program's end-date
to 2020.
For the Advanced Metering Analytics (AMA) solution, DOU is
deploying new endpoints with a BEACON AMA system using ORION
two-way fixed network endpoints. To support the deployment and
maximize efficient use of resources, the DOU selected Trimble Unity
software, a unified, GIS-centric, collaboration platform for
managing critical utility assets and field operations, and the
Trimble Ranger™ 3 rugged handheld computers, equipped for use with
the ORION SE network. The Trimble Unity Meter Change-out app, which
supports meter deployment, installation and maintenance operations,
was used for the WMRA project.
3-Month ROI and $1.6 Million
Projected Savings
The DOU realized its ROI for the Trimble Unity solution in just
3 months. The total projected savings attributable to Trimble Unity
for the WMRA project are approximately $1.6
million over the 5-year meter deployment project. These
savings came from the elimination of extra trips to each worksite
(installation and inspection are now completed in one trip, rather
than two) and elimination of back-office manual data entry.
Trimble partnered with Badger Meter to modify the Trimble Ranger
3 rugged handheld computer with an integrated ORION transceiver for
operation within the ORION two-way fixed communications network.
For the WMRA project workflow, DOU office personnel schedule jobs
in Cityworks; projects are then imported into Trimble Unity and
dispatched to the field crews using the Trimble Ranger 3 handheld
computers. The crews can use the Rangers to sync their jobs over
Wi-Fi, program the meters, capture meter information and condition
data, including the GPS location of each meter and photos if
needed, and transmit the data to the back office, where personnel
use Trimble Unity to review the project progress and export
projects and data into Cityworks.
"The Trimble Unity solution has enabled the City of Sacramento
Department of Utilities to streamline the AMA installation project
work and allowed us to extend our Trimble Ranger 3 handheld
investment beyond programming the ORION endpoints," said
Elsie M. Fong, the WMRA Program
Leader for DOU. "The Trimble app was designed to collect important
water meter inspection data and eliminate an inefficient and risky
manual paper process."
Trimble Unity Software Solution
The Trimble Unity solution is a unified, GIS-centric,
cloud-based and mobile collaboration software platform that
includes a suite of applications for managing critical utility
assets and field operations. By integrating GIS and field
operations, sensors and wireless communications, mobile workers and
office professionals, and field and back-office enterprise systems,
Trimble Unity provides a comprehensive solution for improving
operations, reducing cost, enhancing customer service, and
regulatory reporting. Trimble Unity is available through a
software-as-a-service (SaaS) subscription.
According to Fong, "Working with the Trimble team was a great
delight and we look forward to future projects together as we plan
on integrating the Trimble solution with our work order and asset
management system, Cityworks, expanding the workflow to maintenance
work."
About Badger Meter Water Utility Solutions
Badger Meter continues to be a key partner in helping public and
private utilities and municipalities with their water management
initiatives. Understanding the challenges utilities encounter,
Badger Meter provides the tools that help communities generate
needed revenue, monitor and conserve their precious resources and
serve their valued end water customers. Today, Badger Meter water
utility solutions are top-rated and industry-leading, offering a
comprehensive metering line, proven AMR/AMI technology and the
powerful analytics tools that truly help in Making Water Visible®
for thousands of water utilities.
About Badger Meter
Badger Meter is an innovator in flow measurement and control
products, serving water utilities, municipalities, and commercial
and industrial customers worldwide. The company's products measure
water, oil, chemicals, and other fluids, and are known for
accuracy, long-lasting durability and for providing valuable and
timely measurement data.
For more information, visit: www.badgermeter.com.
About Trimble's Water Division
Trimble's Water Division specializes in field and office
solutions for GIS mapping and work management, field data
collection, design and inspection, and network management for
water, wastewater and stormwater utilities, manufacturers and
service providers around the world. Trimble's solutions integrate
advanced positioning, sensors and mapping technologies with
software and hardware to automate utility mapping, design,
construction and field operations, enabling increased productivity,
enhanced regulatory compliance and improved customer service and
response.
For more information about Trimble's Water solutions,
visit: www.TrimbleWater.com.
About Trimble
Trimble applies technology to make field and mobile workers in
businesses and government significantly more productive. Solutions
are focused on applications requiring positioning or
location—including surveying, construction, agriculture, fleet and
asset management, public safety and mapping. In addition to
utilizing positioning technologies such as GPS, lasers and optics,
Trimble solutions may include software content specific to the
needs of the user. Wireless technologies are utilized to deliver
the solution to the user in the field and to ensure communication
between the field and the office. Founded in 1978, Trimble is
headquartered in Sunnyvale,
Calif.
For more information, visit: www.trimble.com.
GTRMB
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SOURCE Trimble