Gainesville Regional Utilities Receives GITA’s Excellence Award

Seattle, Wash., March 10, 2008—The Geospatial Information & Technology Association (GITA) announced today that Gainesville Regional Utilities, Gainesville, Fla., was named a recipient of the 2008 GITA Excellence Award. The award recognizes the dedication, insight, and high degree of initiative in the outstanding application of geospatial technology. The award was presented during the Opening Session of GITA’s Geospatial Infrastructure Solutions Conference, being held March 9-12, 2008, at the Washington State Convention & Trade Center in Seattle, Wash.

Gainesville Regional Utilities (GRU) began development of an automated mapping/facilities management (AM/FM) in 1985. Twenty-two years later, after a major GIS-platform change, numerous data conversion and facility field survey activities, leadership, and organizational changes, the vision and support throughout the enterprise remain robust. With over 200 direct and indirect system users, information relating to GRU’s distributed utility network (electric, gas, water, wastewater, reclaimed water, and communication) facilities are readily available, in various formats. Many necessary utility functions, including network extension, facilities renewal and replacement, tactical and strategic planning, customer care, budget, permitting, and accounting, make use of the data provided by the AM/FM system. GRU’s system is operations-driven. Maintenance, support, planning, budgeting, and system enhancement are provided primarily by the respective operating departments, who collaborate and cooperate closely with one another along with GRU’s information technology department.

“We have realized our vision and the power of a robust geographic information system through hard work, absolute determination, and collaboration. I credit GRU’s success to our very dedicated and resourceful GIS employees who shared the vision, believed in the project, and put forward tremendous effort to make it real,” said David Beaulieu, assistant general manager, Energy Delivery, Gainesville Regional Utilities.

For more information about GITA’s Awards Program, visit http://gita.org/about-gita/awards_program/index.asp, call 303-337-0513, or e-mail info@gita.org.

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The mission of the Geospatial Information & Technology Association (GITA) is to provide excellence in education, information exchange, and applied research on the use and benefits of geospatial information and technology in infrastructure applications worldwide. Visit GITA on the Web at www.gita.org.