ESRI, Miner and Miner, Stoner and Associates, and GeoFields Inc. Provide Consulting, Software and Services; Consumers Energy Selects ArcGIS Software.

Business Editors and High-Tech Writers

REDLANDS, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--March 13, 2001

Consumers Energy, Jackson, Mich., selected ESRI's ArcGIS for gas operations implementation.

From code compliance to system planning, damage prevention, decision analysis, emergency operations, customer service, and marketing, the open, industry-standard geographic information system (GIS) will have a significant impact on how Consumers Energy operates and serves customers.

"We selected ESRI after a comprehensive evaluation process," said David Lucian, project manager, Consumers Energy. "Our system will support a diverse array of applications that will access a single gas GIS facility data repository, as well as provide us with a component-based architecture for developing our own applications.

"The selection criteria included technical performance and functionality evaluation including open DBMS data management, versioning, network analysis, and more."

"Our commitment to customers and their needs drives us as a company to provide the very finest tools possible," said Jack Dangermond, president, ESRI. "We look to our customers as the people making a difference, and energy businesses like Consumers Energy are deploying ESRI's GIS technology as a foundation for better serving their own customers.

"We're honored to have been selected by Consumers Energy, and we look forward to serving their needs now and into the future."

Consumers Energy is one of the nation's largest combination utilities, providing electric and natural gas service to more than 6 million of Michigan's 9.5 million residents in all 68 counties of Michigan's Lower Peninsula. Consumers Energy is the principal subsidiary of CMS Energy, an international corporation that is a leader in energy infrastructure businesses.

Consumers Energy will be implementing ArcInfo, ArcView, ArcSDE for Oracle, and ArcIMS. In addition, the utility will be implementing ArcFM from Miner and Miner.

"This new ArcGIS system is needed to help us meet several key technical factors," said Dennis Carter, project coordinator, Consumers Energy. "Consumers Energy will migrate its extensive Gas Information Management (GIM) data, both CAD maps and Oracle data model, into an integrated ArcGIS/Oracle data model.

"ArcGIS will support the existing Oracle Facility Data model without significant intervention and will integrate the existing CAD maps."

Another compelling factor involved the ability to program end-user tools with any commercially available development environment (e.g., Delphi, VB, VBA, C++). In addition, the new system will provide immediate support to custom applications such as leak survey and other code compliance applications.

Future applications will include Internet GIS using ArcIMS and interoperability with governmental GIS data and applications.

An additional application called Service Information Management System (SIMS) will be supported using GIS. SIMS is an application that ties two pieces of information together: 1.8 million service sketch images and an Oracle database with the information about the service. The application allows for a user to search for service information.

As part of the selection process for the new automated mapping/facilities management (AM/FM)/GIS, Consumers Energy required the ability to view the GIS database and geocode each service location using the SIMS application.