At Sigma Seven, a key element of our culture is working closely with our users to ensure that we are giving them the tools that they need to improve the effectiveness of their field work. We regularly seek feedback from all levels of our user community, from senior management to the operational staff. In this edition of Field Views, we share recent feedback from staff at three of our customers, each with different operational requirements. You’ll find articles on SEPA and Symbion Power elsewhere in this issue but in this section we will concentrate on GeoField’s users at ScottishPower. These include the company’s first responders, asset inspectors, new connections coordinators and vegetation management teams; all have different requirements and use a number of different types of mobile device to perform their field work.

 The second category of requested enhancements are ‘wish-list’ items that have been on hold pending the upgrade of mobile hardware and communications infrastructure; the most common request being an increase in the frequency of map updates. ScottishPower are mature users of mobile technology and some of their devices are naturally reaching end of life. So, users are eagerly anticipating ScottishPower’s planned upgrade, giving wireless communications and enabling incremental updates of mapping data. When asked about the best feature of GeoField, responses included: ease of use; clarity of the layout and map display; the speed of refresh when navigating around the maps and the ability to quickly change the map display to show or hide groups of assets or background maps depending on the task at hand.

The biggest business benefits were listed as quicker response times; faster restoration times for customers and better performance results to report to the industry regulator. Reduction in travel time was also a big plus as the users don’t have to visit the office for maps and can access the full network records wherever they end up working throughout the day.

In terms of hardware, some users of the smaller convertible Tablet PC devices are keen for a slate style device with a larger screen. Others commented that the Tablet PC is a nice user-friendly platform for those not familiar with a PC, mouse and keyboard combination, as the point-and-click stylus feels natural and intuitive.

The common threads that emerged from the survey are: the importance of usability and assessment of fitness for purpose; a desire to capitalise on the performance benefits from better hardware and communications infrastructure and a sense of pride and ownership through respect for mobile technology and the assistance it provides. When implementing field working projects we always encourage customers to engage their field staff at as early a stage as possible to improve the chances of success for all stakeholders. This exercise shows the value in maintaining this dialogue long after the rollout, as the feedback can be used to make adjustments to the mobile environment, ensuring that the tools are set up to make the field-working day as pain-free and productive as possible.

Finally, we would like to say a big thank you to the following for their help in this survey: Dave Clarke, Guy Jefferson, Duncan McCallum, Michael Alexander, Steven Davidson, Warren Finney, Alan Harding, Steve Burns, Jock Dubickas, Eugene Kenny, Rob Lowe, Niall McCall, Brian Ness, Terry Richards, Gregor Small.