Underground Utility Asset Management

Gewalt Hamilton Associates, Inc. led the transition of Northwestern University’s water distribution GIS from Esri’s geometric network to the Esri Utility Network. The existing system no longer supported editing, which limited routine maintenance and updates. GHA established a supported network model aligned with current GIS operations.

GHA completed a Water Distribution Utility Network Readiness Assessment to evaluate existing data and identify potential risks prior to migration. The assessment included a connectivity review, attribute analysis, and visual inspection of the water distribution system. This effort identified connectivity gaps between point and line features, along with attribute limitations that could affect network rules and topology when enabling the Utility Network.

GHA developed a migration framework that extracted data from the geometric network and loaded it into the Utility Network schema. The team configured the Utility Network to incorporate existing business attributes and support network validation and topology. Testing addressed core system functionality, including editing workflows and validation behavior.

GHA delivered user training focused on daily workflows and database maintenance and provided post go-live support. The completed Utility Network gives Northwestern University a scalable GIS framework that improves data integrity, supports system management, and enables long-term asset tracking through practical geospatial solutions.