Central Hudson utility in NY selects Ubisense location intelligence solution

Ubisense, a supplier of location intelligence solutions, announced on July 22 that Central Hudson, a New York State regulated electric and gas utility, has selected Ubisense myWorld and Ubisense Damage Assessment to dramatically improve response time following major storms.

Central Hudson is investing in Ubisense technology in response to lessons learned from Hurricane Sandy which hit the East Coast in October 2012, and to address resiliency measures outlined by the Moreland Commission, formed by New York Governor Andrew Cuomo to reduce statewide critical infrastructure vulnerabilities.

“Ubisense myWorld was used by another organization to restore service during the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy and Ubisense Damage Assessment was developed in direct response to what organizations discovered they needed during that recovery effort”

When storms hit, utilities such as Central Hudson need to quickly assess what infrastructure is damaged in order to manage safety and service concerns. Ubisense myWorld brings critical enterprise information together into a single application — network asset data, work orders, status, performance and customer information are presented in a Google Maps-style view that can be accessed via a Web browser.

By deploying Ubisense Damage Assessment, Central Hudson can streamline and compile damage information submitted from multiple sources and locations, online and offline, and generate damage reports on demand.

“Our customers are our priority,” said Charles Freni, senior vice president of customer services at Central Hudson. “We want to ensure their safety and restore their service as quickly as possible during outages, and Ubisense’s location intelligence technology provides us with the tools we need to make that happen. With Ubisense, myWorld and Ubisense Damage Assessment, we will gain visibility across our organization so we can closely monitor service areas and our infrastructure to ensure we are providing the best possible service to our customers.”

Ubisense myWorld and Ubisense Damage Assessment streamline the data collection process, enabling better assessment of the resources needed to complete repairs. By enhancing communication during outages, Central Hudson can improve the accuracy of its Estimated Time of Restoration (ETR) predictions and its customer service. Additionally, Central Hudson can reduce repair times due to increased efficiency, thus improving its System Average Interruption Duration Index (SAIDI), a reliability indicator.

“Ubisense myWorld was used by another organization to restore service during the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy and Ubisense Damage Assessment was developed in direct response to what organizations discovered they needed during that recovery effort,” said Jay Cadman, vice president of business development, Ubisense. “In times of natural disasters and major outages, utilities need real-time information about the status of their infrastructure so they can make informed business decisions that protect their employees and their customers, and restore service faster. This integrated solution helps organizations like Central Hudson access the information they need when they need it most.”

Central Hudson plans to deploy Ubisense myWorld and Ubisense Damage Assessment this fall.