Energy Transition, Race to the Future
Welcome to our Spring newsletter for 2024!
In this edition, read on to discover how Mipela GeoSolutions Alignment digital transformation stage revolves around the cloud to enable our Clients’ to Sustain and Innovate their day-to-day activities. We hear from our most recent client success story, Inner West Council’s use of our X-Info Assurance suite to migrate their legacy Before You Dig enquiry response system to add value to their business. We also hear how, long term client, Epic Energy continues to contribute to renewable energy, supporting South Australia’s ambitious target to achieve 100% of electricity generation from renewable sources by 2030.
As the Energy Transition race gains momentum, largely fuelled by environmental sustainability concerns, we recognise that its success hinges on ensuring it simultaneously provides energy security and access, while also promoting economic growth and development.
For us the journey to our third generation X-Info platform began two years ago with the decision to move to the world’s most comprehensive and broadly adopted cloud, Amazon Web Services (AWS). Offering over 200 plus fully featured services from data centres around the world, AWS has allowed us to Migrate and Modernise our products and services.
Work started late 2022 with a proof of concept (PoC) that our X-Info suite would operate as required in the AWS ecosystem, with our Cloud service provider iTOC at the time, who are now part of ThoughtWorks.
2023 saw us plan, build, deliver our AWS framework and migrate 100 plus critical infrastructure clients successfully to our new Platform as a Service (PaaS), which includes our Security Operations Center (SOC), managed by our Security partner, Fortian.
2024 has been the year of Alignment in our product roadmap, as we continue to modernise and leverage the services AWS has to offer – with security being our number one priority. We are centralising user management into Microsoft Azure Entra ID from an infrastructure and system perspective. The completion of our Security Information Event Management (SIEM) and the establishment of our Information Security Management Systems (ISMS) policies mark important milestones, and we are well on track with the next phase of procedures, governance, and compliance as we work towards achieving ISO27001:2023 certification by 2025. This is crucial to ensure that our solutions continue to address how our clients:
- Standardise data about their business processes
- Manage change in a responsive manner
- Execute work processes in a repeatable fashion
- Drive quality so they can make reliable decisions
- Connect stakeholders whether in the office or field.
On an exciting note, Adam Herbert, Jaci Button and I look forward to travelling south to see our clients and industry colleagues in Adelaide 12-15 October for the 2024 Australian Pipeline Gas Association Annual Convention & Exhibition. We will be focusing on this year’s compelling theme, Future Pipelines. We look forward to catching up with you over the course of the event and invite you to our cosy Psychiatrists’ Office to help diagnose your most pressing cloud hosting or data management ailments. Drop by Stand 37 in the exhibition to fuel your business sessions with some M&M’s on us.
Hayden McDonald
Founder and Managing Director
We are thrilled to announce Inner West Council, a Sydney Metropolitan local government body, as a new client and to support them in safeguarding their critical infrastructure. Their commitment to the residents of Inner West Council remains unwavering, and we are proud to have successfully implemented X-Info Assurance suite seamlessly, in collaboration with the Inner West team.
One of the highlights of working with Inner West Council is to showcase the impressive speed of our X-Info Assurance suite. We’ve had great conversations with clients about efficiency and speed, and we’re excited to share that Inner West Council’s responses are now returned to enquirers in just 0.1 of a minute on average—that’s a mere 6 seconds!
Please join us in extending a warm welcome to Inner West Council as they join our growing community.
But that’s not all… Since partnering in March, we’ve had the opportunity to learn more about the vibrant Inner West Council and its diverse charm:
Cultural Diversity: Over 42.9% of households in the Inner West speak two or more languages, creating a rich tapestry of cultures that influence the local arts, music, and food scenes.
A Unified Council: The Inner West Council was established in 2016 through the merger of Ashfield, Leichhardt, and Marrickville councils, streamlining governance and enhancing community services.
Thriving Arts Scene: The Inner West is a hub for creative industries, attracting artists, musicians, and performers. The area is known for its dynamic arts community and public art projects.
Sustainability Commitment: The Council is dedicated to environmental sustainability, with initiatives like the Inner West Sustainability Hub providing valuable resources to both residents and businesses.
Historic and Eclectic Neighbourhoods: The Inner West boasts a mix of historic suburbs like Balmain and Leichhardt, known for their heritage architecture, alongside eclectic neighbourhoods like Newtown and Marrickville, celebrated for their indie music scenes, unique eateries, and vibrant street art.
We look forward to continuing our partnership and further exploring the unique qualities that make the Inner West such a remarkable place.
Welcome aboard!
Jaci
Mipela GeoSolutions, are excited to announce our new Support Portal is almost ready!
Our new Support Portal is being designed to give our clients secure access and transparency over the life cycle of their Support Request.
What is the Portal for?
The Portal will centralise and automate the processes for logging a Support Request and will enable our clients to track progress of their request, providing faster and more efficient support.
What can I do in the Portal?
Key features of the new Support Portal will include:
- Access Your Support Requests: View and manage all your current and past requests
- Review and Update: Make updates and changes to your requests effortlessly
- Real-time Progress: Stay informed with up-to-date progress on your requests.
With this system, Mipela will be able to track and resolve issues in a timely manner, ensuring minimal disruption to its clients’ business operations.
What if my request is urgent?
For any urgent issues, we still recommend calling our Support team directly at 07 3252 5589.
When will the Portal be available?
Keep an eye on your email the next month or so for more detailed information including our GoLive date.
Mipela’s continuous improvement model means that the new Support Portal will evolve over time along with our clients’ needs.
Our Support team are looking forward to serving you better with this significant enhancement to our IT infrastructure.
As we wrap up another productive quarter, we’re excited to share a glimpse of the forward momentum we continue to build. While we can’t always dive into specifics, we’re proud of the work we do to set the stage for ongoing success.
Over the past few months, we’ve focused on planning, demonstrating, and refining key concepts that will drive innovation in the years ahead. One highlight has been the successful integration of a leading third-party GIS product with X-Info Connect, to enable clients to create share and access geographic information from anywhere.
We’ve also held an annual briefing on Mipela’s strategic planning to align the team and our long-term vision with the evolving needs of the industry.
Additionally, we’ve completed a proof of concept for a new approach to how one of our key solutions is delivered. This holds significant potential, and we’re eager to bring it to market after further development.
We’re excited about what we are doing and looking forward to bringing our clients and the wider industry new and refined solutions in 2025.
Diego Pinon – Solutions Project Coordinator
We are excited to introduce the newest member, Diego Pinon. Diego brings with him a wealth of knowledge and 20 years experience in the spatial industry.
Diego surveying in the Antarctica
Diego’s career has spanned various facets of the spatial industry, from surveying to advanced geospatial analysis.
Diego migrated to Australia from Argentina in 2022.
In his spare time, Diego enjoys fishing and camping with his family.
Diego will be taking on the role of Solutions Project Coordinator, where his passion for spatial technology and commitment to excellence align perfectly with our mission to connect people with information.
Nisha Pradhan – Solutions Specialist
We are also delighted to welcome Nisha to our Services team, bringing with her the Mipela suited blend of expertise across both IT and GIS. With approximately 8 years of experience in IT help desk and application support, coupled with another 8 years as a GIS Analyst, Nisha is well equipped to contribute to Mipela’s operations and innovation.
Nisha originates from the Kingdom of Bhutan. She loves gardening and camping with her family. She also has quite a collection of pot plants.
Oh, and her super power – making friends easily!
In an era where global business operations often dilute national identity, Mipela proudly stands as a beacon of Australian sovereignty. With all products developed in Australia and a Support team based entirely within Queensland, Mipela remains 100% Australian-owned, free from offshore investors or parent companies. In fact, we are one of a surprisingly small number of software product developers that are certified by the Australia Made campaign.
Celebrating 28 years in business, Mipela continues to thrive with deep roots planted firmly in Australian soil. Our commitment to serving the Energy and Infrastructure sectors – classified as critical infrastructure – underscores our dedication to exceptional service and security.
Understanding the importance of data sovereignty, Mipela is devoted to maintaining the highest standards. We exclusively utilise AWS Cloud Services located across two availability zones in New South Wales, ensuring that our clients are supported with comprehensive security solutions.
Mipela remains committed to excellence, providing unparalleled support and security to our clients while championing Australian values and sovereignty.
…and, for a lot of our clients that means change freeze and shut down time. It’s time to think ahead if you want enhancements made to your existing X-Info solutions prior to the new year – yup, 2025…
Simply log a Support Request by calling 07 3252 5589 or email us.
Development is underway and our Products team will be busy next year working on providing a new solution of our software. X-Info Connect 8.0 aims to provide solutions to clients using simple workflows to connect and exchange information.
There are many key objectives to meet with this version that will provide enhanced performance, more efficient storage of data, dynamic integration, flexibility in database and process design, and enhanced security – all delivered in a modern application using current technology.
A significant transformation of the architecture will allow migration of previous versions of databases to provide seamless transfer to new solutions for clients.
In today’s fast-paced digital world, businesses are constantly seeking ways to innovate while maintaining flexibility and cost-efficiency. A recent proof of concept (PoC) completed by Mipela GeoSolutions, using AWS serverless technology has demonstrated the immense potential of loosely coupled architecture design in achieving these goals.
At the core of this PoC was the deployment of a serverless architecture leveraging AWS services such as AWS Lambda, API Gateway, DynamoDB and S3 Storage. The objective was to create a highly scalable and resilient application to manage automated map processing without the need for managing servers or complex infrastructure.
One of the key benefits of this approach is the cost-effectiveness. With serverless technology, you only pay for what you use, which can significantly reduce operational costs. This is highly advantageous for unpredictable or fluctuating workloads, as they can scale seamlessly to meet the demand as it happens without the overhead of always on infrastructure.
The PoC also highlighted the scalability of serverless architectures. AWS Lambda automatically scales based on the demand, handling thousands of concurrent requests effortlessly. This scalability is crucial for applications expected to handle varying loads, ensuring performance remains consistent even during peak times.
We look forward to keeping you updated on this PoC and others and how these may become market ready projects in the future.
Epic Energy continues to contribute to renewable energy, supporting South Australia’s ambitious target to achieve 100% of electricity generation from renewable sources by 2030.
It’s exciting to know that the Mannum Solar Farm Stage 2 is now operational and supplying renewable electricity into the SA network. This new phase operates independently of the initial Mannum Solar Farm, boasting its own dedicated connection to the SA Power Network’s distribution network. With an average annual generation of 75 GWh, Stage 2 will produce enough renewable energy to power 15,000 homes! This project is one of many exciting ventures Epic Energy is advancing to feed clean energy back into the National Electricity Grid, reinforcing their commitment to sustainability and a cleaner energy future.
Mipela is proud to support Epic Energy in managing its assets efficiently. Leveraging the power of the X-Info Assurance suite, Mipela ensures lightning-fast responses to any enquiries regarding excavation, digging, and planning activities. Together, we are driving progress and protecting vital infrastructure in the renewable energy sector.
In today’s digital landscape, asset owners, particularly those managing critical infrastructure, face an increasing variety of security threats. Recent reports from leading security providers highlight the growing prevalence of ransomware attacks and their severe impact on critical infrastructure industries like energy, utilities, and financial services. In Australia, cyberattacks such as brute force attacks, compromised credentials, and unpatched vulnerabilities are the top causes of security breaches. In particular, energy and utility organisations, can be vulnerable due to their reliance on older technology, while IT and telecommunication companies often fall victim to brute force attacks despite strong identity controls.
At Mipela, we understand these risks and proactively address them through our X-Info Suite of products and robust security processes. Our approach includes multi-layered security measures, such as AES-256 encryption for data at rest and TLS/HTTPS protocols for data in transit, ensuring the protection of sensitive information. We operate our own Security Information and Event Management (SIEM) and Security Operations Centre (SOC) to monitor our systems and client data in real time. In partnership with Fortian, a leading Australian company specialising in cybersecurity, privacy, and technology risk management, we implement centralised logging and advanced monitoring to swiftly detect and respond to potential security threats. Fortian’s team brings deep technical expertise, supporting our commitment to comprehensive data security.
Additionally, our security practices include vulnerability assessments, testing, and monthly automated patching to identify and mitigate risks and keep our systems up to date. Our solution further emphasises identity based controls through OAuth2 integration with Azure Entra ID, ensuring secure and efficient user access.
By adopting these comprehensive security practices and leveraging Fortian’s industry-leading expertise, we not only address key security concerns, but also position ourselves as a trusted partner for asset owners. This approach sets us apart from competitors, safeguarding critical infrastructure assets against the evolving threat landscape.
Increase performance
Welcome to Winter’s GeoSolutions News
In this edition, we are delighted to share Mipac’s “Field Asset Auditing” client success story, say Kia ora (Welcome) Santana Minerals – our most recent new client in New Zealand to the extended Mipela family with their implementation of X-Info Stakeholder Management solution, welcome a new Wantok in our Solutions Team, herald recent Kamapim sessions, wrap up our 2024 #projectMAD MS Brissie to Bay initiative, welcome a new Wantok in our Solutions Team, present another X-InFocus tech tip and update of our teams’ activities in connecting people with information.
I cannot believe that it is June already and our digital Transformation Stages continue with the “Alignment” phase of improving our cloud platform and services well underway. One of the key pieces of this work has been the review of our Information Security Management System (ISMS) policies to continually protect the confidentiality, integrity and availability of information by building a culture of security, manage and minimise risk exposure, provide consistency in the delivery of our service and solutions. We do this because Mipela are committed to the security of the organisation, including our client’s information. Please do not hesitate to reach out to our Client Success or Support Team at any time for further information.
To close it gives me great pleasure to introduce our most recent Wantok, Silke Nawrocki joining us as Senior Solution Specialist in March from her most recent role as a Senior Cartographer/GIS Specialist with Hema Maps. Silke has Bachelor of applied Science from University of Berlin and a Master of Science in GIS from the Uni Salzburg and over twenty years professional experience in the geospatial and mapping industry gives her an eye for detail and a lot of passion for map creation and analytical thinking.
To close it gives me great pleasure to introduce our most recent Wantok, Silke Nawrocki joining us as Senior Solution Specialist in March from her most recent role as a Senior Cartographer/GIS Specialist with Hema Maps. Silke has Bachelor of applied Science from University of Berlin and a Master of Science in GIS from the Uni Salzburg and over twenty years professional experience in the geospatial and mapping industry gives her an eye for detail and a lot of passion for map creation and analytical thinking.
From all the team at Mipela GeoSolutions, stay safe!
Hayden McDonald
Founder and Managing Director
Mipac is a global leader in operational technology, control systems and engineering services, specialising in metal and mineral process control, automation and performance data solutions around the world.
Earlier this year, Mipac started using Mipela’s X-Info Suite configured to provide a Field Asset Auditing System (FAAS) for field electrical, instrumentation and control system audits at various mine sites around the world. This solution saves costs and time by automating workflows and reporting and provides Mipac users with easy access to a single-source-of-truth for core Field Asset Audited business information. It also allows personnel to seamlessly perform these complex asset site audit processes through an intuitive and easy-to-use interface.
The FAAS also provides automated exception and compliance reporting, as components of the project are completed. The data can also be used to automate the preparation of progressive status reports and progress management in preparation and delivery of the project.
Is Your Business Using Multi-Factor Authentication?
With the rise in threats to password security, multi-factor authentication has become a vital tool for protecting both consumer and business applications.
What is MFA?
Multi-factor authentication is a security method that requires two forms of identification to access resources and data. This extra layer of protection helps businesses monitor and safeguard their most sensitive information and networks.
Why Use MFA?
Businesses use MFA to protect both personal and business assets. It’s crucial because it stops cybercriminals from stealing, destroying, or accessing your internal data. Even if a password is compromised, MFA ensures that a second form of approval is needed, making it much harder for intruders to gain access.
Next Steps
Our team will be reaching out to you in the coming weeks to discuss MFA, if you don’t already have it in place. If you want to talk about MFA sooner, you can contact the Support team or on 07 3252 5589.
Mipela is excited to announce the introduction of facial recognition authentication for the X-Info Aware iOS app, offering a seamless login experience and heightened security for users.
- Streamlined login process: Our development team are in the final stages of implementing Face ID. With this innovation users will no longer need to login with usernames and passwords.
- Enhanced security: Facial recognition authenticates users based on unique facial features. Multi-factor authentication is also supported providing additional protection.
- User friendly options: Users will have the flexibility to enable or disable facial recognition. Whether you choose to apply this feature or keep with the traditional login method, X-Info Aware allows the user to decide.
- Easy management: Navigate to the X-Info Aware application settings to manage your facial recognition preferences.
Stay tuned! Face ID authentication will soon be available for Aware iOS users.
The Gas Pipeline Victoria (GPV) is part of the Solstice Energy Group. It owns and operates a 182km high pressure transmission pipeline from Carisbrook to Horsham in south west Victoria. This pipeline is integral to the supply of gas to the regional Victorian towns of Avoca, Ararat, Stawell and Horsham.
GPV operates the pipeline in accordance with a safety case as administered by Energy Safe Victoria under the Gas Industry Act, 1997. It also operates under the Australia Standard AS 2885 – the standard for high pressure pipeline systems.
Later last year, GPV and Mipela commenced a project to provide GPV with a software solution to manages its lands management reporting requirements. A system was established incorporating all land parcels along the pipeline and its easements. This system, X-Info Lands Management, provides GPV users with the ability to add communications or interactions, search land parcel engagement history and provide reports to the regulators from a secure, browser based portal. This information is also spatially represented in the portal in an interactive map activity. Field users can also enter information via a mobile data capture app called X-Info Aware. X-Info Aware is fully integrated into X-Info Lands Management so the data is entered once only. Supporting document such as Notice of Exercise, Easements and other agreements can also be created, issued and managed through the supporting workflows within X-Info Lands Management.
System Administrator and GIS Team Lead, Gillian Bennett said, “X-Info Lands Management will become a crucial part of how we manage this pipeline. As we, as a business, become more familiar with the power of X-Info Lands Management, we will continue to make enhancements to optimise our processes and align with reporting requirements. X-Info Lands Management has the flexibility to be able to support these changes and Mipela has the business processes in place to ensure this happens effectively.”
Mipela also provide a number of solutions to other parts of the Solstice Energy Group and looks forward to this ongoing business partnership.
There are some compelling reasons that Mipela does not provide a self serve portal for its X-Info Assurance suite clients. We provide you with additional levels of assurance so that your critical business infrastructure is being adequately protected.
We minimise the risk by providing a rigorous change management and approval process for any changes or updates to your automated response system.
We also provide traceability and history of all enquiries, not just the last 90 days. This information can be critical to resolving reinstatement issues.
Mipela clients can rest assured that consideration and measures have been put in place to ensure optimised security for critical business infrastructure asset owners.
We also provide the tools within X-Info Assurance suite to make sure you’re prepared and able to capture communications against each enquiry that may later support retrospective asset damage.
If you’d like to learn more detail on how we continue to provide our clients with more and more assurance, just contact our Client Success team.
We are thrilled to announce the latest addition to our Mipela client group – Ampol! In the latter part of 2023, Ampol embarked on a journey to enhance their responsiveness to BYD enquiries, and we are delighted to share that they have chosen to elevate their processes with the advanced capabilities of the X-Info Assurance suite.
As the largest transport energy distributor and retailer in Australia, Ampol manages a network of assets spanning various regions in New South Wales. What sets Ampol apart is their unique approach to handling BYD inquiries. Employing a meticulous process, they ensure that every inquiry receives an immediate response and that all excavation works undergo assessment by specialised staff before commencement.
We are particularly pleased to highlight the proactive role of Dean Allison, the NSW BYDA Pipeline Supervisor at Ampol. His swift and dedicated support in transitioning to X-Info Assurance suite reflects Ampol’s commitment not only to the wellbeing of their assets but also to the safety of anyone involved in excavation activities.
Join us in extending a warm welcome to Ampol! We look forward to a collaborative and successful partnership, leveraging the capabilities of X-Info Assurance suite to enhance efficiency and safety in their operations.
At Mipela, we understand the importance of a swift and efficient user management process. Whether you’re requesting to add a new user, remove a user, or alter someone’s permission level, your needs are our top priority. However, we often encounter challenges in identifying the requestor and verifying their authority to make these changes.
The Challenge of Identifying Requestors
Our Support team receives a multitude of user management requests on a daily basis. However, we don’t always have the complete information required to process these requests promptly. One significant issue we face is not knowing who you are or whether you have the necessary authority to make the request.
Securing Authorisation Delays
Obtaining the required authorisation can sometimes be a time consuming process. In certain cases, we may not receive a response from the authorised person within your organisation on the same day, causing delays in executing your requests. We recognise that this can be frustrating, and we are committed to improving this aspect of our service.
How You Can Assist Us
We believe that your collaboration can play a vital role in expediting the user management process. To ensure a seamless and efficient experience, we kindly request that you take the following steps when emailing our Support team for user changes:
CC Your Manager: When sending an email to our Support team for user changes, please make sure to cc your immediate manager. This will allow them to confirm your request and expedite the authorisation process, eg.
Subject: User Access Request for Lands Management Site
Hi Support
Can you please provide access for K Thompson to our Lands Management site as a Field User? I have cc’d in my manager, H McDonald, who will reply to this email to confirm my request.
Thanks
Me
At Mipela, every request is genuinely important to us, and we want to ensure a smooth and efficient experience for you. Regardless of which team member your request is assigned to, having a record of the request being authorised by your manager is vital. The sooner we receive this authorisation, the quicker we can act on your request, ensuring minimal delays and a seamless process.
Your cooperation will greatly enhance our ability to meet your user management needs promptly and efficiently. We appreciate your continued support.
If you have any questions or require further assistance, please do not hesitate to contact our Support team.
In the fast-paced realm of data privacy and online security, today’s conversations might seem obsolete by next week. Trends evolve swiftly, and the demands on major service providers are continuously scrutinised by both regulatory bodies and consumers alike.
Long time Mipela client, SA Power Network takes a proactive stance in addressing risks, employing dynamic layers of security and swiftly implementing initiatives to stay ahead of the curve.
In the constantly evolving landscape of security, where potential breaches and client privacy concerns arise weekly, it’s comforting seeing a client such as SA Power Network committed to developing an increasingly sophisticated approach to these critical areas.
Nearly all of Mipela’s clients are part of the critical infrastructure sector. We understand the obligations for our clients around mandatory cyber incident reporting.
We feel strongly that we have a social responsibility to provide our clients with the assurance that the systems we provide or manage on their behalf are done so with their obligations considered, as well as other compliance regimes that are quickly becoming everyday mandates.
The Mipela team takes this commitment very seriously and is committed to providing the assurance that the industry expects as a baseline around secure availability, reliability, confidentiality and maintained data integrity.
We proactively monitor our cloud hosted client servers in a number of ways to ensure we are providing a secure and well protected environment.
Ask us for more info on how we are assuring your data is protected if you’re keen to learn more.
As we head towards the end of the financial year, many of our clients have found themselves navigating an increased web of reporting requirements. Whether it’s monthly reporting, regulatory compliance, or shareholder reports, the demands for data are unrelenting.
Now is an opportune moment to re evaluate your reporting processes and ask yourself: What am I reporting on, what is my team reporting on, how frequently, to whom, how long is it taking us and what data are we capturing for these reports?
The world of data collection and data distribution is evolving, and there’s a clear trend towards reducing reliance on traditional tools like spreadsheets and word documents. Instead, there is an increase in requests to automate the reporting of critical data sets. Why? Because it’s about safeguarding your valuable information from residing in unsecure documents in vulnerable locations on desktops, laptops, mobile devices, and more. It’s also about automation, accuracy and security of information.
Our team are acutely aware of the importance of data sharing and reporting for the Critical Infrastructure sector.
This Easter, instead of wishing for more time to compile reports, or thinking of a more secure way – why not send your wish list to your Client Success Account Manager or give them a call.
RREDD’s focus is on the complex, the urgent and the sensitive. Specialising in community engagement, dispute management and Indigenous engagement, Director, Craig Jones has more than thirty years’ experience working with Indigenous communities to progress development.
Many of the projects the RREDD team work on are complex matters and require fastidious record keeping. When looking at a solution to manage the information associated with these projects, Craig turned to Mipela.
X-Info StakeholderManagement is used to manage stakeholder and interaction records across multiple projects for RREDD. These projects vary from pipeline dig-ups, requiring cultural heritage consultation, to specific mediation matters between companies and community or between Indigenous people and groups. Mipela’s cloud solution, X-Info StakeholderManagement ensures Craig and the team always have access to record key interactions with stakeholders. They are also able to visualise important locations with the integrated web mapping. That visualisation can often be really important and Mipela also provides map outputs for Craig and the team to support key discussions.
Craig describes the use of the X-info StakeholderManagement and the mapping system as significant in RREDD’s day to day practice. “The mapping and the stakeholder management system help to provide key data and visualisations that build trust with parties and enable us to keep track of our engagements with groups and individuals. Ultimately, the system builds a picture of our work which contributes to the management of social risk and positive outcomes between parties” said Craig.
Australia’s largest gas pipeline network owner and operator, APA Group is responsible for more than $21 billion of energy assets across Australia.
Under Australian Standard AS/NZS 2885, APA Group and other gas pipeline asset owners are required to conduct cyclic Safety Management Studies (SMS) for all pipeline assets to ensure Australian pipeline standards and regulatory compliance are periodically maintained. Also it ensures the key stakeholders are fully informed of the processes and the operational risks associated with the assets are well understood and managed.
Since 2018, APA Group have been using Mipela’s X-Info SMS suite to automate this process and continue to utilise X-Info SMS suite to efficiently manage periodic reviews of safety management studies and conduct interactive validation workshops using GIS information and aerial imagery data.
WA based Risk Engineer, Kashif Kazi has conducted SMS workshops for various APA pipeline assets in WA State, namely Leonora Gas Lateral, Parmelia Gas Pipeline, Thunderbox Lateral, Jundee and Wiluna Gold Lateral.
“X-Info SMS suite provides a standardised and efficient approach to conduct the validation workshops and a tool to prepare required SMS inputs, collate data and produce outputs. This not only saving time but providing a consistent methodology for 5-yearly periodic operational SMS reviews for all APA assets. The system generates reports that show the spatial representation of threats, assets, and risks using the current and historic SMS review data for each asset, interactive use of GIS and aerial imagery mapping so staff can quickly reference and assess the status of any generic or location specific threats. This enables SMS workshop participants and key stakeholders to better plan resources, create appropriate actions, as required, manage and minimise the pipeline risk for as low as Reasonably Practicable,” said Kazi.
Looks like Kazi and APA’s other state based Risk Engineers are smashing these SMS studies out of the park!
Safeguarding access and data integrity – the significance of using personal credentials to log onto software
We know you hear this regularly… maintaining the security and integrity of confidential information is crucial for any organisation.
Cyber security is the biggest risk to business in 2023. Sometimes it’s the simplest of things that makes the biggest impact.
At Mipela we place great importance on not sharing individual login credentials, highlighting the need for our clients if we need to trace unauthorised access, manage user departures, and to safeguard third-party or contractor access. Furthermore, it is our responsibility to raise awareness about the risks associated with sharing login details within a business or among contractors.
Individual logins enable Mipela to identify any unauthorised actions or data breaches in an event. This helps in maintaining the integrity of sensitive information and mitigating potential risks associated with our client’s data.
In many instances, businesses collaborate with third-party vendors or contractors who require access to internal systems. By mandating individual login credentials, Clients can exercise tighter control over external access. This allows for granular management, such as assigning specific privileges, and terminating access when the collaboration concludes. It reduces the risk of unauthorised access or inadvertent exposure of sensitive or personal information.
By implementing and reinforcing these best practices, Clients can fortify their data protection efforts and ensure a safer digital environment for their operations and their stakeholders.
To update your authorised users, remove previous team members access or request new user access please email us at support@mipela.com.au
Beach Energy is an ASX listed, oil and natural gas, exploration and production company headquartered in Adelaide, South Australia. Founded in 1961, Beach have operated and non-operated, onshore and offshore, oil and natural gas production from five producing basins across Australia and New Zealand.
Beach recognises its intrinsic role in supporting communities, by actively contributing to sustainable environments and the health, safety and wellbeing of the people living in the areas where it operates. Its community investment strategy focuses on three key areas; education, environment and health, safety and wellbeing.
Beach’s community relations team were looking for a way to capture, manage and measure its stakeholder management to gain a better level of understanding of stakeholder communications across the business. Enter Stage Left – Mipela. The team from Mipela have worked with the Beach team to deliver a stakeholder management solution to assist them with community engagement and consultation processes, with consideration made to land access requirements.
As part of the consultative process, it was also identified that the following functionality could be included in the proposed solution, using X-Info Suite:
- Stakeholder engagement including agreements, grievances, commitments, communications, records management and reporting
- Community investment and grants management including contracts, correspondence and reporting
- Landholder land access including notice of entry, payments and reports.
Both teams recognised the best way to work together was to adopt a continuous improvement approach to the solution – delivering more and more functionality as the solution matures. Whilst some enhancements have been simple configuration changes to workflows, others have been major feature developments, which are now available to other Mipela clients.
Being able to create bulk emails, correspondence and SMS messages against multiple stakeholder contacts simultaneously has demonstrated a huge amount of value to the Beach community relations team. The consistency of messaging and significant reduction in time taken to issue information means the community relations team can get on with other tasks.
“We can now quickly distribute communications to a targeted list of stakeholders and have it automatically recorded as an engagement in X-Info Suite for future reporting purposes,” said Linda French, Group Manager Social Performance and Community at Beach Energy.
Recent industry highlights of regulatory reporting compliance becoming more and more important, has lead to the development of significantly improved reporting from X-Info Suite. Being able to automatically create a report that demonstrates stakeholder engagement from both detail of each email, call, text and in a tabular engagement log summary at the push of a button has been a real advancement for Beach.
“To satisfy different regulatory requirements, we must be able to provide details of our stakeholder and landholder engagement – including extracts of all emails and summaries of engagement,” said French.
“Being able to capture, then create a report that details engagement with relevant persons from a single system like X-Info Suite is a powerful tool when you are accountable to present evidence to regulators. This engagement report has saved a phenomenal amount of manual handling. I am absolutely thrilled with this new functionality,” French added.
Both teams will continue to improve on the value that X-Info Suite delivers to Beach.
In the version 6.5 release of X-Info Connect a few months ago, we introduced an integration between X-Info Connect with the Victoria Government SPEAR System.
SPEAR is an online system that allows subdivision planning permits, certification applications and other land administration dealings to be compiled, lodged, managed, referred, approved and tracked online. Complete end to end workflows are built into SPEAR allowing applications to be lodged online with Land Use Victoria for registration.
As a Referral Authority, Jemena uses SPEAR to receive and respond to Council referrals in the planning and subdivision application process.
X-Info Connect has been configured to integrate with the SPEAR system via an API and connector to capture records of online applications for plans of subdivision.
Gail Ervine, Subdivisional Officer, Strategy & Commercial – Electrical Distribution at Jemena relies heavily on regularly receiving information to support plans of subdivision within the Jemena Electricity Distribution network using X-Info Connect.
Previously Gail would manually update this information into their subdivision solution, X-Info Connect. The information is now automatically fed into X-Info Connect from SPEAR via an API and a connector on an hourly basis or pushed import, as required. Since the release of this new functionality, reviewing subdivisions has become much more timely and efficient with automation reducing input errors.
“Not only has the time taken to manage applications reduced dramatically, there is also no room for human error or omissions.” said Gail.
Jemena plans in taking this functionality into other areas of its operations.
South Australia gas pipeline operator, Epic Energy has been a client of Mipela since 1999. Over that time, Epic has adopted several software solutions using X-Info Suite products to deliver land management, third-party works preliminary design, Before You Dig responses and Safety Management Studies.
As part of an internal process improvement project, Epic identified several opportunities to utilise its existing X-Info Suite software to optimise and automate several of its business processes and workflows. These included automating annual landowner contact reports and automation of updating landowner/occupier/manager details. Furthermore, the introduction of the Works Management module to its existing X-Info DBYD suite would automate a permit management solution, associating Before You Dig enquiry responses to the respective land parcels in the land management system, ensuring appropriate permits are issued and managed accordingly.
Users were also recently introduced to a new browser-based user interface, using X-Info WebConnect. The introduction of activities not only simplifies the user experience but now access removes any irrelevant information from the user, based on role-based permissions.
In addition, the introduction of Mipela’s mobile data capture app, X-Info Aware, has allowed field workers to communicate and access information in real time, doing away with the need for paperwork.
Migration of this software solution to a cloud-hosted environment has also identified efficiencies in server and software management, eliminating the need to configure and maintain onsite infrastructure, increasing agility of the software and accelerating innovation looking forward.
“The introduction of X-Info WebConnect and X-Info Aware apps to support the Land Owner Contact program has created a minimum 50% efficiency gain for our frontline employees allowing these resources to be utilised in managing backlog workstreams that would otherwise require short-term labour investment,” said Jarrod Gilby, Manager of Business Improvement and Assurance.
“As well Epic has automated both the BYDA and Third Party Works process, creating a seamless solution for the updating of our SMS module, supporting Epics requirement of a paperless solution,” added Peter Faunt, Asset Awareness Officer.
Adopting this new functionality has resulted in improvements in business process automation and provides users with simpler user interfaces, requiring minimal training and efficiencies relating to working in a paperless environment.
This project is a fine example of Mipela connecting people with information.
In late 2021, Jemena contacted Mipela to discuss the possibility of migrating its legacy 1990 Subdivision Management System (SUMS) Microsoft Access database to a new, automated solution, using X-Info Suite.
Jemena is a Referral Authority member of Surveying and Planning through Electronic Applications and Referrals (SPEAR) offered by the Victorian Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning (DELWP). SPEAR is an online system that allows subdivision planning permits, certification applications and other land administration dealings to be compiled, lodged, managed, referred, approved and tracked online.
As a Referral Authority, Jemena’s Subdivisions team receives ~400 referrals a month from SPEAR, requests for further information and consents to referrals that could affect Jemena’s existing and future electricity assets. This information was being manually entered into the Microsoft Access database and managed externally in a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet for the regulator, a time consuming and often onerous task in managing the volume of referrals. Mail merge template letters were also created in Microsoft Word, converted to Adobe .pdf files to be sent to recipients (SPEAR, Councils or authorities). This, coupled with the repetitive process of tracking in an accurate, consistent, efficient and timely manner the communications with all stakeholders for further information and consent were the key drivers for change.
Recently, the successful results of this project were delivered to the Jemena business.
“We are very happy with the results, X-Info Suite makes our Subdivision administration and work processes so much more efficient,” said Gail Ervine, Subdivisional Officer, Strategy & Commercial – Electrical Distribution for Jemena.
Automating these processes was not only a significant time saver but taking manual intervention out of the equation also meant less room for error.
The establishment of this new SUMS system included the migration of existing data from the legacy database, creation of simplified workflows so that the Subdivisions team could easily search and create reports from a browser based user interface to manage their day to day SPEAR processes.
Mipela has worked with Jemena to ensure this program is tailored to meets their needs and continues to provide enhancements, as and when required, to provide the best solution for management of SPEAR referrals within the Jemena electricity network.
Whilst Tweed Shire Council has adopted new technologies over the past ten years, the Council’s automated response system of choice has been Mipela’s X-Info DBYD suite.
Since 2013 Mipela has looked after the Shire’s protection of its communications, sewerage, water and stormwater assets. Now, with a new three year agreement through to 2025, we are excited to continue providing Council with peace of mind, making sure that enquiries to BYDA are quickly responded to.
The Council’s requirement for a robust response service is not just to protect their assets, but also to make sure that the people breaking ground in the Shire are getting the right information to support their work processes so they get to go home safely at the end of each day.
The Council is really dedicated to its residents and the ongoing Mobility Project, which Elizabeth has been involved in, is just one of many other initiatives that is already having great results.
The Mobility Project has removed paper based applications, spreadsheets and disparate workflows with a fully automated and integrated process. This means that when a client makes a request, for example when they are building a new fence and need the water meter moved, the work is done quickly and efficiently. There is less chance for vital job or customer details to be misplaced. The online application goes straight to the authorised person for approval, the job is assigned to the relevant field operator and the operator can book the job in immediately. Once the job is completed, Council’s property data is updated on the same day. Not only does this process reduce the job time by days, it also ensures accurate and timely communication with customers, transparency of where the job is up to and timely completion of the request.
Working with Tweed Shire Council, it is easy to see the benefits of the Mobility Project and how it will provide better service its community. Congratulation to all those who have worked on this project!
One of Mipela’s long standing clients, The City of Rockingham in Western Australia recently rolled out X-Info Plans Management to proactively manage the safe planting of more than 600 trees.
In July 2021 the City of Rockingham has successfully secured $66,000 in grant funding from the State Government’s Urban Canopy Grant program to plant more than 600 new trees across the community. The Urban Forest Canopy Program is delivered by the City of Rockingham with support from the Water Corporation and WALGA.
Planting trees requires breaking ground, which means the City needs to lodge a Dial Before You Dig (now known as Before You Dig Australia) enquiry for each location. Managing the incoming responses from these enquiries (on average 6 responses per enquiry) takes a lot of time, effort and coordination. The City, who also have used Mipela’s X-Info DBYD suite automated response system for several years, identified that X-Info Plans Management would simplify and automate this manual process of ensuring it was safe to plant the trees without damaging any underground assets or putting their staff at risk.
City of Rockingham Mayor, Deb Hamblin said, “These trees will be invaluable to the City’s green capital and will play a significant role in providing a green, liveable City for current and future generations. The 2021/2022 Urban Canopy Grant program focuses specifically on reducing the urban heat island effect and aims to create cooler corridors for community members to enjoy.”
LendLease manage 98 Retirement Living Villages across Australia. These dwellings consist of units, villas, townhouses, duplexes, apartments and are a mix on single and multi storey building. These dwellings provide independent and assisted/serviced homes.
Mipela have been working with LendLease to spatially map these dwellings to allow them to more efficiently manage the portfolio. This time consuming task involved the cadastral boundary capture of each village and the footprint of each individual dwelling. This data is then reconciled against LendLease’s CRM to correctly correlate each dwelling’s information. Being able to visually represent and drill down into the corresponding data provides LendLease staff with the information at their fingertips – knowing what the status of a dwelling is and where it is located within a village.
This data will also feed into their asset management system, providing a baseline of stock availability, refurbishment requirements and proximity to others as part of the natural and built landscape.
GIS Lead for the Property Division, Michael Krause said, “Being able to provide the business with visual tools about our dwellings has multiple benefits for our business. We’re just starting on this journey and the expertise of Neil Briton from Mipela has been invaluable in pulling this all together.”
“Now that we have provided this information to the business via a user friendly dashboard tool, we will be looking to further enhancement the data to assist with asset/facilities management.”
Global wind energy company, Vestas, commenced using Mipela’s stakeholder management solutions for the Winterbourne Wind Farm project in New South Wales. Whilst this project moves through the permitting phase, Vestas relies on X-Info Suite for capturing stakeholder interactions, managing community engagement, and tracking contract payment obligations.
Vestas recently engaged Mipela to provide stakeholder management software for another development project, the Captains Mountain Wind Farm in South East Queensland. Work has also commenced to roll out more Mipela stakeholder management software for additional wind development projects.
Waterproofing Eastern Adelaide is being delivered by the Eastern Region Alliance (ERA); an alliance of the six councils in Metropolitan Adelaide’s eastern suburbs. The following three councils are directly involved in the planning and delivery of the project:
- City of Burnside
- City of Norwood Payneham and St Peters
- Town of Walkerville
Easter Regional Alliance Water’s (ERA Water) 49 kilometre pipe network is reducing the reliance of potable water from the Murray River for irrigation.
ERA Water’s infrastructure captures storm water flowing down Third and Fourth creeks in Adelaide. This captured water goes through a treatment process and is stored during the winter months. In summer this stored and filtered water is distributed through the ERA Water pipe network to parks and reserves.
This drought proofs Adelaide’s eastern suburbs by supplying an alternate source of water supply to participating Councils and provides a cost effective alternate to SA Water.
We are proud at Mipela to care for and protect ERA Water’s pipe network with X-Info DBYD suite.
General Manager, Wally Iasiello said, “I was pleased with the support Mipela was able to provide in implementing an automated response system for our DBYD enquiries.”
More information on this interesting water conservation project can be found here.
ARTC is a vital part of the transport supply chain for Australia with a 8,500 km rail network across five states and working with rail operators to provide access to rail for business and producers across Australia.
Earlier this year, Australian Rail Track Corporation (ARTC) contacted Mipela to discuss automating their Dial Before You Dig (DBYD) responses.
Being a DBYD member, ARTC up until this point had been manually responding to each enquiry.
The business required a fast and reliable response system that directed all enquirers to seek authorisation before breaking ground within a radius of the rail corridor.
Ensuring timely responses provides ARTC with visibility of these enquirers’ requests in the interactive map on the X-Info DBYD suite dashboard.
ARTC now have a responsive and reliable system working 24/7 providing peace of mind.
If you’re managing your stakeholders on spreadsheets, you’re putting your project at unnecessary risk.
Spreadsheets have poor security for often important information and data quality can easily be compromised by user error or inputting of replicated data. Version control can be a nightmare and this also puts the integrity of your data at risk. This is especially the case when you have multiple people accessing the same spreadsheet. There is also a strong inability to track who makes changes or deletions – intentional or otherwise.
Designed to be more of an accounting tool than a data repository, spreadsheets don’t have great search and collate capabilities. Reporting is tedious – pulling a report from a spreadsheet is like pulling teeth!
Often stakeholder management professionals are more right brained than left – not very methodical and process driven. Basically, stakeholder management professionals aren’t suited to using spreadsheets.
The time it takes to enter and re enter information into a spreadsheet is costly and takes stakeholder management professionals away from their core role – engaging with stakeholders.
Mipela recently released a stakeholder management solution that is quick to deploy simple to use. X-Info Stakeholder Management is a commercial-off-the-shelf product that provides you the ability to capture, find and report on all stakeholder interactions. Send us your user details and existing information in templates we provide you and we’ll get you up and running in just a few days. From there you can add additional functionality to the solution as you need to by utilising our Technical Support Contract (TSC) or bundles of TSC hours for more detailed enhancements.
There’s more info available here on our website.
Contact our Client Success team for more info on +61 7 3252 5589 or info@mipela.com.au.
X-Info Plans Management is a web based app that automates the collation of your incoming DBYD responses.
With X-Info Plans Management, you simply lodge your enquiries with DBYD, then receive a single notification to let you know all responses are ready for viewing through the X-Info Plans Management app where your staff can access all maps, documents and associated communications.
X-Info Plans Management now has a new tab called Plans Management Field Portal specifically designed for field workers to view on their smart device.
This new tab allows easy viewing for field crews to quickly search and retrieve all the responses to the DBYD enquiries that they have lodged. All information is made available in an easy to view format and there is no chance mixing up responses from another job, we have filed them all together. One enquiry gives you all the responses, letting you get on with the job.
Once open, you can share a PDF response vie email, text or any other messaging service to external parties by using the forward option at the bottom of the screen.
There’s more info available here on our website.
Contact our Client Success team for more info on +61 7 3252 5589 or info@mipela.com.au.
The Walcha Energy project is located around the town of Walcha, located in the New England tablelands, approximately 55km south of Armidale in New South Wales. The Walcha Energy Project combines solar and wind energy generation with pumped hydro and battery storage to provide a sustainable and reliable source of renewable energy for NSW. Its generation potential is equivalent to 15% of NSW’s electricity demand.
They are committed to reinforcing a strong sense of community and is focussed on delivering a project that produces benefits for the whole community and wide New England region.
In August 2019 Walcha Energy approached Mipela, looking for a stakeholder management solution. A few weeks later Mipela implemented X-Info Suite to provide a web based solution that can manage stakeholders, property information, agreements and associated commitments and associated interactions. Users are also able to capture data in the field using the mobile data capture app, X-Info Aware.
While the conversations with landholders in the region had been underway for more than seventeen years, the engagement initially was quite informal and spreadsheets were used to capture interactions and relevant information. Now all information, including the historical information already captured, is available from one source in X-Info Suite and can be used for several different purposes including tracking stakeholder interactions, sending bulk communications, geospatially capturing data and managing commitments.
“As the project progresses, we continue to increase our functionality within X-Info Suite, establishing additional automated reports, mobile data capture forms and activity workflows to work smarter, not harder,” said Mark Waring, Director of Walcha Energy.
Walcha Energy are focussed on making sure the local community understand the positive impact and benefits of the project. By capturing landowner, stakeholder and interaction information now, it will ensure its future use is high value in ensuring their social license to operate aligns to Walcha Energy’s vision to deliver a holistic, flexible and authentic engagement process with all landowners and community stakeholders.
Back in 2013 Gladstone Area Water Board (GAWB) were one of Mipela’s first clients to utilise the Works Management module that is associated with the Dial Before You Dig process.
Works Management module is an optional module that compliments X-Info DBYD suite by automating the management of permits. It provides a seamless workflow solution to view, action and report inquiries that have authority to conduct proposed works in the vicinity of the Client’s infrastructure from X-Info DBYD suite for the Client’s “Permit to Work” processes.
X-Info Works Management module is integrated into the same dashboard as the Client’s current X-Info DBYD suite portal.
This module can be applied to works in specific areas such as road reserves or high risk assets.
Tina Underwood, Technical Officer – GIS and Drafting at Gladstone Area Water Board said, “The Works Management module has provided so much value to our business. Not only does it automatically filter out the DBYD responses that will not require a permit, but the workflows also make sure that the permits are processed in accordance with the procedure, meaning no one drops the ball and no application is missed.”
“And it’s all there in the same system, along with any captured communications, contact details and associated documents. It’s the perfect audit trail.”
In early 2020, Gladstone Area Water Board further enhanced its permit management by introducing the use of mobile data capture app, X-Info Aware to the process. This app allows the inspectors to receive and respond to tasks assigned to them in real time, mitigating the need for paper forms. Following an inspection and approval, the permits can be automatically issued via email to the nominated person.
APA is a leading Australian energy infrastructure business. The company has been a client of Mipela since 2002 when X-Info DBYD suite was first implemented to initially protect its Queensland transmission pipelines. Since that time Mipela have worked closely with APA Group to automate many business processes including land, stakeholder and third party works management, safety management studies and of course Dial Before You Dig automated response system – to name just a few.
As Mipela continually develops and evolves its software, there are often opportunities to optimise and further automate existing business processes. This was the case in a recent project that was undertaken to reduce the large number of changesets and simplify the current workflows for all of APA Group’s National third party works and DBYD assessment processes using X-Info Connect Activities.
Mipela were able to provide APA Group with a proof of concept which assisted in getting early adoption of the proposed changes with key stakeholders and clear benefits realisation. During the project, an agile approach was taken to test for business process improvement and data management, contributing to a well run project and excellent outcomes for all involved.
“Searching encroachments now is much easier and intuitive for users. It has reduced workload for each team member by 1 to 1.5 hours a day,” said Rae Wood, Team Lead Infrastructure Protection Services. She added, “The time it previously took to process and manage DBYDs assessed as encroachments has significantly reduced, resulting in an average time savings of 37% for that assessment type.”
Manager Infrastructure Protection, Engineering and Planning, Ross Larsen said, “This was a well run project that has delivered great results for APA Group”.
Barada Barna Aboriginal Corporation provide specialist cultural heritage and support services to corporations and individuals, particularly in the resources sector within the QCD2016/007 Native Title Claim area.
Mipela and Barada Barna have worked together on various projects over the years. Barada Barna recently contacted Mipela to provide a solution that would remove the subjectivity from cultural heritage management for their Native Title Claim area.
Mipela worked with Barada Barna to deliver a data management regime for cultural heritage that is technically sound and business based. X-Info Suite provides Barada Barna with risk reduction, improved coordination of field teams and cost savings not just in cultural heritage management but also in any other project component or process that might depend on cultural heritage clearance.
Field workers are able to capture information, photos, videos and audio recordings using our mobile data capture app, X-Info Aware. Any information captured in the field is immediately sent to a cloud hosted server and made available for consumption by all users of X-Info Suite. X-Info Aware also has an offline capability that captures the data point in time in remote areas with poor data connectivity, automatically caching the data back to the cloud hosted server as soon as the mobile device returns to mobile or wireless coverage. Using tools like X-Info Aware significantly expediates the notification and assessment of any cultural heritage finds.
Barada Barna Aboriginal Corporation’s Cultural Heritage body is Winnaa Pty Ltd. Winnaa currently does Cultural Heritage work for more than twenty mines, gas and exploration tenements over our country and employs approximately 15 traditional owners.
“With us moving to digital mapping and recording this will make the process of doing our Cultural Heritage surveys and Cultural Heritage clearance work more efficient and less time consuming as now we can have all our reports digital instead of paper copies. I believe this will make our Cultural Heritage process more streamlined and we can keep a closer eye on the mining and gas companies in our area,” said Graham Budby, Treasurer of Barada Barna Aboriginal Corporation.
As with its other cultural heritage clients, Mipela looks forward to an ongoing successful relationship where continuous improvements can be made to these processes into the future.
TransLink is a division of the Queensland Department of Transport and Main Roads with management responsibility of adds, moves, maintenance and changes for more than 17,000 active bus stops across the State.
In 2018 TransLink invited Mipela to participate in a proof of concept to replace its existing, end of life Bus Stop Portal with a new Bus Stop Management System (BSMS). This solution required the ability to store, manage and allocate works on bus stop infrastructure and its corresponding components. The new BSMS would also include the additional functionality of being able to receive bus stop infrastructure upgrade funding applications from Councils and assess these applications via workflow with internal users.
Challenges
The incumbent solution was end of life and unsupported, so timing in delivering the new solution was of the essence.
The TransLink project team had existing business based roles to perform whilst also being committed to the project. This coupled with the part time nature of some of their subject matter experts, timing and effective communication was key. The project adopted changes to optimise the engagement opportunities with face to face workshops proving the most effective.
Solution
TransLink’s new BSMS has delivered the required functionality with the flexibility of being able to improve existing processes and adopt a continuous improvement approach to how the team works.
The new system has allowed TransLink’s BSM team to bring on board new Councils and bus companies across the State.
Users can easily access the information they need to perform their jobs in an intuitive, browser based portal.
Interactive mapping functionality allows users to quickly drill down to the area they are interested in and access the relevant information without trolling through lists of irrelevant data.
The mobile data capture app, X-Info Aware has introduced the ability for users to capture information in the field and share in real time with the BSM team in the office. This significantly reduces the maintenance time if there is an issue and improves turnaround times for repairs and installations.
Contractors, bus companies, Councils, and other relevant parties can easily gain access to their relevant data via a browser based portal.
Reporting is automated either through scheduled .pdf files that are emailed to nominated personnel or real time dashboards that show what each user need to see in order to perform their role and meet their targets.
Results
The flexibility of this project was a result of a true ongoing partnership between the TransLink BSM team and the Mipela implementation team. The lines of communications were always open and are still well utilised.
The BSMS project has delivered well and truly above the functional and non functional requirements of the project. Workflows were streamlined as the project progressed, whilst still delivering on the core requirements.
The end product is a highly flexible system that the BSMS will continue to configure to improve their existing processes and workflows.
Mipela recently rolled out a solution to automate and manage contaminated land compliance and reporting using X-Info DBYD suite’s Works Management module to the City of Sydney. This solution adds an additional layer (pardon the GIS joke) of protection to human safety and the environment in and around contaminated sites.
The solution uses spatial data to automatically identify excavation risks near or within known contaminated land sites. Once identified, the respondent automatically receives an email confirming they are within the buffer zone for a known contaminated land site and are provided with a detailed site plan, Environmental Management Plan (EMP) and Site Audit Statement (SAS) – all within just a few minutes of them lodging their Dial Before You Dig enquiry.
This sort of workflow automation that can be used for all types of environmentally sensitive sites like:
- Contaminated land (PFAS, PCBs, etc.)
- Hazardous disused assets (eg. decommissioned asbestos pipes, tanks)
- Ecological regeneration sites
- Natural ecological hazards (eg. acid sulphate soils, toxic weeds, invasive species).
Australia’s largest gas pipeline network owner and operator, APA Group is responsible for more than $21 billion of energy assets across Australia.
Under Australian Standard AS2885, APA Group are required to conduct Safety Management Studies (SMS) on all pipelines to ensure compliance and that key management personnel are fully informed of the operational risks associated with the operating assets.
In 2018, APA Group started using Mipela’s X-Info SMS suite to automate this process. X-Info SMS suite is specifically designed to provide pipeline owners with a comprehensive system that can manage their tasks associated with the operation, maintenance, suspension of operation, decommissioning and abandonment along with all their proposed transmission pipeline asset projects AS2885 workflows, quality control and reporting. Where a threat is identified as “credible” and failure is possible, the risk must be managed to ALARP (As Low as Reasonably Possible). X-Info SMS suite guides participants through an Initial Risk Assessment workflow and Residual Risk Assessment to reach ALARP.
Since that first project, APA Group have completed 12 workshops for more than twenty pipelines using X-Info SMS suite. The design SMS workshop for the Western Outer Ring Main project (Victoria) was the latest to be undertaken. APA Group have also loaded over 300 pipeline assets into the SMS database in preparation for the next round of workshops.
“Using a proven methodology and sound system like X-Info SMS suite not only saves a considerable amount of time from study to study but the automated reporting and reminders are critical in managing any identified threats,” said Phill King, Manager Systems and Assurance at APA Group. “Being able to quickly reference and analyse the status of our threats enables us to also to better resource plan and minimise the risk for all,” King added.
Moving forward, the next steps in the APA SMS story is to plan and “flatten the curve” for the upcoming SMS reviews.
JLL Infrastructure Advisory are a leading provider of niche land and property approval services to the energy, transport and communications sectors. They reduce approvals risk for projects and secure the requisite land approvals when access to land is required to develop projects.
Working on behalf of a large state based energy company, JLL sought assistance from Mipela in providing a suitable land access management solution to assist with a large lineal asset project.
Whilst members of the JLL team have been exposed to Mipela’s X-Info Suite through several mutual clients over the years, this was a first project directly between JLL and Mipela. Getting the structure of the project and an agreed plan in place was a key success factor to this project being delivered on time and on budget. Having a flexible client and an agile implementation approach resulted in functionality being delivered within the solution that was well above the clients’ expectations. This, in turn, lead to an additional project phase, specifically focusing on stakeholder management, being added to the project.
JLL Infrastructure Advisory’s Head of Infrastructure, Jamahl Waddington said, “The team at Mipela made this project easy. We were able to engage with the Mipela team both in person here in Adelaide or online. I was particularly impressed by their ability and flexibility in integrating with various data sources, mitigating the need for users to have to access multiple applications to do their job.”
Projects like this often include several groups of users from other companies who are all working on the same project. By being able to easily configure X-Info Suite to ensure that Company A only gets to see what Company A requires to see in order to conduct their role in the project was critical.
“Property access and acquisition negotiations can be of a highly a sensitive nature and being able to secure certain information can be critical to the success of the project,” said Waddington. “Mipela’s obviously experienced team were also able to provide valuable insights into best practice relating to land access.”
“We look forward to using X-Info Suite on this project and hopefully others in the future.”
Late last year the City of Greater Dandenong contracted Mipela GeoSolutions to provide them with its Dial Before You Dig automated response system, X-Info DBYD suite. The Council had just become new members to the Dial Before You Dig Association in a move to better protect their assets.
The Council required user authentication using Azure Active Directory over OAuth2, a new function that Mipela offers its clients. Having its own product development and solution specialists inhouse enables Mipela to be able to continuously improve its offerings in this manner, offering these new features to all clients once they have been released.
Ensuring communication channels are open through a dedicated project team is one of the key measures of success in this project running as smoothly as it did.
“The Mipela team were proficient and experienced in guiding us through the Dial Before You Dig automation process. We’re new to this and having that level of support and expertise made the transition a smooth one”, said Milind Joshi, City of Greater Dandenong’s GIS Coordinator. “They were able to coordinate with our ICT team to ensure the Active Directory authentication was established with a minimum of fuss.”
“From a Mipela perspective, it’s always great to hear back from a happy client that their project has gone so well”, said Karen Thompson, Mipela’s Client Success Team Lead.
The City of Greater Dandenong can rest assured its underground assets are much safer now with Dial Before You Dig and X-Info DBYD suite.
Vestas Australian Wind Technology – the local arm of Danish wind energy giant Vestas – recently engaged Mipela to provide a stakeholder management platform for a new wind farm project that they are developing near Walcha in NSW. The project, known as the Winterbourne Wind Farm, has a potential capacity of 700MW which would make it the largest wind farm in Australia if it were built today.
Vestas also wanted a stakeholder management platform that could be scaled to future development projects. Mipela implemented X-Info Suite to provide a web based solution that can manage stakeholders, property information, agreements and associated payments as well as associated communications. Users are also able to capture data in the field using the mobile data capture app, X-Info Aware.
While the conversations with landholders in the region had been underway for the past fifteen years, the engagement had been quite informal. Owner names were tracked on a simple spreadsheet and Google Earth was used for the property and asset locations. Now all information, including the historical information already captured, is available from one source in X-Info Suite and can be used for several different purposes including bulk communications, geospatially capturing data and payments.
Project Director of the Winterbourne Wind Farm, Doug Landfear said, “The team at Mipela have provided us with a best practice stakeholder management system that has the flexibility to provide us with a comprehensive solution into the future as this project matures. Their expertise and experience in delivering the solution made the process simple – we were able to start working with the software in a matter of weeks. The Mipela Solution Specialist was insanely efficient and made the project a breeze.”
One other interesting dimension is that Vestas purchased the project from Walcha Energy who is developing other renewable energy projects in the Walcha area. Walcha Energy is also using X-Info Suite to manage its stakeholder management across these other assets.
There is an exponentially increasing number of renewable projects being undertaken across Australia at the moment, in various stages of maturity. According to Clean Energy Council’s website, there are currently 103 projects that are in construction or due to start soon across Australia. These projects will deliver over $27 billion in investment, 17,747 MW of new renewable energy capacity and create 16,656 direct jobs.
Mipela has been very active in this sector, undertaking work from concept phase like desktop analysis right through to the operational phase of community consultation and stakeholder engagement and progressing to land access management.
Recently one of our long standing clients, CNC Project Management, implemented a new stakeholder management and contract management solution for one of their renewable energy clients. CNC Project Management has worked with Mipela providing X-Info Suite solutions to automate these often time consuming business functions to its clients for more than ten years.
In one of the current examples, CNC Project Management are engaged to efficiently manage all stakeholder engagement including the automation of contract milestones, stakeholder communications and land owner liaison. They use X-Info Suite to automate many of the workflow processes associated with this work and capture all related engagement communications.
This project is just one of dozens that Mipela are currently working with to provide stakeholder management, community consultation and land access solutions to using X-Info Suite. For more information, just give our Client Success team a call on 1300 807 770.
Isaac Regional Council is the resources capital of Queensland, producing more than half of Queensland’s total saleable coal.
The Council’s role is to provide facilities throughout the region in an effective and efficient manner and encourage strategic and sustainable development of the area for the benefit of all residents. As part of Councils continuous improvement strategy, they have looked to technology and in turn to Mipela to implement an automated response system for their Dial Before You Dig (DBYD) enquiries, namely X-Info DBYD suite.
Automation of this service ensures valuable staff resources are retained for important work that technology can’t replace. Regional areas strive to retain great people that deliver value to Council, which was a large part of Isaac Regional Council looking for a solution to these DBYD tasks.
X-Info DBYD suite also delivers a service that responds to enquiries 24/7, regardless of weekends or public holidays.
Having an automated response system in X-Info DBYD suite now means that enquirers will get a quick, accurate response, ensuring Council are doing all they can to not only protect their assets but to also protect council residents from unforeseen disruption.
ElectraNet’s Hill to Hill Transmission line project (H2H project) involves providing a new source of electricity supply to OZ Minerals’ Prominent Hill mine by constructing a new transmission line from Port Augusta to Roxby Downs in South Australia.
For ElectraNet, this is their first major project utilising their new ESRI Enterprise GIS system.
Project staff and contractors have been presented with expanded options for map products including web maps and apps on top of traditional paper based maps. This has meant educating users around possible products and working with them to understand how new products could suit their needs.
The project involves a large component of remote field work with occasionally limited internet connectivity. The challenges to staff using new hardware and software in the field have been managed by the Mipela GIS Specialist from the ElectraNet Keswick office in Adelaide.
The new GIS platform has also meant that ElectraNet project staff have been, for the first time, able to import and export project data in a variety of formats not possible previously.
Mipela’s onsite project GIS Specialist has become the go to point of contact for GIS on the H2H project. Datasets have been created and rationalised for the first time, advice around data transmittals have been provided to project resources and support has been provided to field users on a full time basis.
GIS has been used in ways not seen before at ElectraNet such as providing a monthly update map of construction progress previously managed in spreadsheets.
The work done on the H2H project has fed into the creation of the ElectraNet GIS Governance strategy as well as day to day GIS procedures.
Services provided for the H2H project have also extended into a new project – the Eyre Peninsula line duplication, giving project staff visibility to multiple projects through the GIS.
Allwater operates and maintains metropolitan Adelaide’s water, wastewater and recycled water systems for SA Water under a joint venture contract. SA Water and Allwater work closely together, collaborating on strategy and sharing skills and expertise to manage water services across metropolitan Adelaide. In conjunction with SA Water, Allwater is committed to supplying excellent and affordable water services to Adelaide metropolitan customers.
In late 2018 Allwater chose Mipela’s X-Info Plans Management software to provide their field crews and their client, SA Water, with a tool to automate the collation of all DBYD inquiry responses into a single repository.
For both Allwater and SA Water this meant:
- Transparency of responses across crews
- Improves compliance
- Reduces time of skilled staff doing repetitive administration work
- Ease of use for across office and field staff
- Reduces project planning risk
- Access to necessary data to allow planning by a wider group
The Mipela Implementations team rolled out X-Info Plans Management swiftly and with simple training, allowing Allwater to start using the software immediately.
IT Manager, Don Taylor said, “The team still lodge their enquiries with DBYD as they have in the past, but now receive a single notification to let them know all responses are ready for viewing through the X-Info Plans Management portal, where they can access all responses, maps, documents and associated communications. They can even check the details and status of each job in the portal on any device at any time – even before the final responses are in. It also allows other people to access the same data. This saves time and confusion for the planning and dispatch teams.”
With X-Info Plans Management, Allwater saves precious time collating hundreds of response emails each day, eliminating possible errors caused by human intervention and significantly reducing the processing time for each DBYD enquiry.
Sentanil System’s Construction Management System (CMS) was a key tool used in the management of the pipeline Quality Assurance and Quality Control requirements of the recently completed 440 km Tanami Gas Pipeline in Northern Territory.
Newmont Mining Corporation engaged Australian Gas Infrastructure Group (AGIG) to build a gas pipeline to supply gas to its Granites and DBS mines, approximately 550km north-west of Alice Springs. This 440km pipeline follows the alignment of the Tanami Road, passing through a mix of pastoral land, Aboriginal freehold land and Crown land to connect the existing Amadeus Gas Pipeline to Newmont’s Tanami gold mines. It provides Newmont with the ability to use cost effective, reliable and cleaner gas fired power generation in place of existing diesel power generation.
AGIG contracted MPC Kinetic to construct the pipeline, which commenced early in June 2018, and was essentially completed by the end of December 2018. MPC Kinetic engaged Sentanil Systems for the use of the CMS system and associated support for the pipeline construction.
It was a challenging project due to the remoteness, associated limited communications infrastructure and the fast pace of construction. Two mainline crews working simultaneously usually a few hundred kilometres apart and the stringent MDR validation requirements following each hydro test section. Hence it was important to collect the right and relevant data in the field by the inspectors on the intelligent handheld data or scan units, using our data capture program. The program has recently been enhanced to enable intelligent lookups based on other linked lookups (eg. electrode batches and welding procedures) and also provides the ability of GPS data capture at the same time, if required.
Key QA/QC activities and statistics
CMS was also used extensively to produce many of the MDR report requirements, which were subject to extensive third party validation immediately following completion of the 8 hydro test sections. CMS was used to produce the weekly progress ‘Rainbow’ charts.
The CMS project data has been integrated with the survey and other locational related data, and uploaded into AGIG’s corporate X-Info Suite, GIS, Land Management, DBYD and AS2885 systems to provide ongoing support for the operations and maintenance phase of the pipeline.
Sentanil would like to thank AGIG and MPC Kinetic for their valued support during all phases of this very successful project.
Sentanil is one of Mipela’s sister companies.
Greater Shepparton City Council is located in the heart of the Goulburn Valley and is the fourth largest provincial centre in Victoria, boasting a population of over 65,000 residents.
Council had gone down the path of automating their Dial Before You Dig responses a few years earlier but were having issues with product usability and reporting. They needed access to an automated response system for the Dial Before You Dig enquiries that gave them real time reporting and data availability that could assist them in identifying upcoming planning from external contractors.
Once they had chosen and implemented Mipela’s X-Info DBYD suite, the results were immediate. They were able to free up their resources to focus on working together with the public to plan on minimising disruptions to the community from development or roadworks. Council staff have greater access to the DBYD enquiries through the portal to gauge what kind of work and frequency is planned within their Council region to forecast of workloads and potential environmental impact. Contractors are communicating more clearly with Council as a result of the DBYD response information that they are receiving.
Russell Hardie, Permit Inspection Officer for Greater Shepparton City Council said, “X-Info DBYD suite runs seamlessly in the background and provides us with advanced reporting. Not only does X-Info DBYD suite protect our assets but the range of real time data available is being used to benefit the community providing minimal disruption from any development or roadworks”.
If you’d like to learn more about how automating your Dial Before You Dig responses can work for your organisation, contact our DBYD specialist, Jaci, on 1300 807 770.
“Transmission pipelines have long operational lives (in Australia the Roma to Brisbane is our oldest operating highpressure pipeline in excess of 49 years), the environments around them change over time as do personnel responsible for planning, designing, constructing, commissioning, operating, maintaining and decommissioning. These changes are likely to have effects on a pipeline. In the short term, change will be associated with increased construction activity and its associated risk, in the long term change may alter the risk profile of a pipeline. This is particularly true on the urban fringe of towns and cities, where population growth and housing pressures lead to increasing expansion of urban boundaries and the transformation of rural and semi-rural land into suburban and urban environments containing residential, commercial and industrial communities.”
‘Guideline for investigations of land use around pipelines to guide initial location classification under AS 2885’ (August 2014)
It is now 21 years since AS 2885.1-1997 was published with its ground breaking section SAFETY, developed to provide a methodology for the pipeline industry to demonstrate the safe design, and construction of high pressure transmission pipelines. The SAFETY process was renamed ‘SAFETY MANAGEMENT STUDY’ (SMS) in the 2007 revision of AS 2885.1. Now the greatest change guiding our way forward has been the relocation of all details of safety management to a new standard “AS2885.6 Part 6:2017 Pipeline safety management” with final comments recently submitted 10 August 2018.
Mipela GeoSolutions X-Info SMS suite is a configurable, out of the box solution to capture, manage, display and report for your AS2885 proposed and operating pipelines:
- Design parameters
- SMS Workshop attendance record(s)
- Location Class and Secondary Class assessments including definition of high consequence areas
- Show typical threats which correspond to the whole pipeline route and location specific threats (point and length)
- Protective measures (both procedural and physical)
- Display radiation contours in the event of full bore rupture
- Risk evaluation
- Actions captured in a workshop which would need to be completed in time
- Integration with your businesses Asset, Dial Before Your Dig, Encroachment, GIS Services, Integrity and Lands Management systems for history of contact and previous surveys.
Linbeck Contractors provides construction, repairs and maintenance and licenced plumbing services to asset owners in the gas and water industry.
Their work involves underground works, which all require a Dial Before You Dig (DBYD) enquiry to be lodged, to ensure no damage is caused to underground assets. The lodging of an enquiry and receipt of responses is a time consuming process, something Linbeck’s Administrator, Melanie Hurditch hadn’t realised exactly how much until they started using X-Info Plans Management.
By implementing Mipela’s X-Info Plans Management, Linbeck were able to significantly reduce the administrative tasks related to collating, printing and scanning their DBYD responses. Linbeck’s field teams now have access to every job 24/7 through X-Info Plans Management via a browser on their smart phones.
Linbeck’s Director, Joe Lynch said, “Mitigating risk was one of the key factors in seeking out a solution but the economic and environmental benefits have since become clearly evident.”
For more information on X-Info Plans Management, contact Jacqueline Button on 1300 807 770.
Mipela GeoSolutions have provided pre feasibility desktop study services for route selection to several of our clients.
The conceptual model uses freely available GIS datasets at a national scale across the following themes:
- Cultural Environment (Cultural Heritage and Native Title)
- Land Use (Australian Land Use and Management (ALUM) classification)
- Topographic (rivers, slope (SRTM – 30m)
- Infrastructure (road, rail, pipeline, powerline)
Projects may prioritise following existing infrastructure corridors for route selection which is achieved in the GIS model by a “weighted overlay” model (see image). This approach allows the route selection to give higher priority to existing infrastructure corridors (co location).
In most cases avoiding high potential agriculture land or National Parks would be weighted with a lower priority. Changing the parameters (eg. equal weighting vs co-location) provides multiple route options that may be compared side-by-side during preliminary selection. A Constructability Matrix indicating the number of road, rail and river crossings is also produced as part of the analysis.
For more information on GIS desktop analysis work, please contact our Client Success team on 1300 807 770.
Australian Terminal Operations Management (ATOM) is a company dedicated to operating 3rd party bulk fuel facilities safely, reliably and effectively for its customers. With a head office in Melbourne, ATOM currently operates and maintains 17 bulk fuel terminals across Australia.
National HSSE & Operations Excellence Manager for ATOM, Leon Harris, identified that having a lot of underground pipeline exposed them to potential significant risk when third parties are working close by.
ATOM were in need of a robust system to ensure they were informed of any potential digging and to provide the information to manage the actions of third parties within a certain parameter of their asset.
The implementation of X-Info DBYD suite gave Leon assurance that adequate controls are in place to mitigate any incidents.
Leon said, “X-Info DBYD suite has created a barrier to risk for their assets. In addition, the automation allows resources to focus on high risk areas, eliminating the administrative burden that comes with manual processing.”
The introduction of X-Info DBYD suite is providing everyone with an extra level of safety with little to no effort by the ATOM team.
Based in the energy rich region of Taranaki, First Gas supplies gas to more than 65,000 customers across the North Island of New Zealand.
First Gas owns and operates more than 2,500kms of high pressure gas transmission pipes and nearly 5,000km of gas distribution pipes that supply natural gas from the Taranaki region to industrial consumers throughout the North Island.
Earlier in 2017, First Gas engaged Mipela GeoSolutions to provide a comprehensive Lands Management System to help them manage their extensive property portfolio and its associated stakeholders. First Gas were looking for a solution that could automate the day to day management of its easement database, land and planning (risk assessment for owner/operator, visit and permit history) and to capture all associated information for their annual landowner contact program. Integration with First Gas’ existing GIS system, ESRI, was integral to the success of the proposed solution.
Mipela successfully implemented X-Info Suite to manage the Lands and Permit business functions at First Gas. This solution offers key workflows and automated processes that align to the nominated business procedures. First Gas have also embraced the opportunity to further optimise their business moving forward in a flexible and hassle free manner.
The implementation of an Automated Response System for their Before You Dig enquiries for part of their distribution business was also delivered. This solution is now protecting distribution assets with timely and detailed responses. This has enabled First Gas to refocus resources to pro-active asset management, rather than administration tasks.
Since GoLive of X-Info Suite, First Gas has noticed positive enhancements in operational efficiencies, reducing landholder update timeframes from one hour to five minutes.
The First Gas standard of data integrity has been clearly defined and is maintained by applied user security and live feeds from point of truth data sources such as GIS property. This ensures that the business can validate the information generated from the X-Info Suite and trust it to support their decisions and workflows.
The availability of on demand and templated reporting has ensured transparency companywide to key business information from the Lands Team.
Future strategies for field mobility solutions using X-Info Aware will see First Gas move core information seamlessly through the business from field to office to GIS to third party owners.
“The future potential application of X-Info for lands management is exciting and will provide a one stop holistic management tool for all First Gas land stakeholder management,” said Anthony Joines, Land and Planning Manager, First Gas.
The value of data across the life of a project
So, what’s the real value in reusing your data over the lifecycle of a project? It’s pretty simple when you lay it out like the following diagram. Data is an asset, assets have a value. You don’t go and buy a new digger every time you want to dig a hole, do you?
Traditionally, project owners have split their projects into phases, sometimes with different people responsible for different phases. In turn, there is often a disparity in how they manage their data and different tools or systems are used to manage that data. By thinking ahead and providing a platform or solution that can address multiple requirements, there is an economy of scale introduced. In turn, your single source of data creates greater value.
The key is making sure the right people get to see the right pieces of information at the right time. Having a configurable solution that can align to your business processes and are refined as those processes change is critical to effectively managing data over the lifecycle of an asset.
If you’re like to learn more about this concept, give Karen a call on 1300 807 770 and see if Mipela can assist you.
Over the lifecycle over a project, there are a number of activities that are conducted that, by the nature of the activity, accrue large amounts of data. Here’s an example.
You’re in the early planning phases of developing a lineal asset. Before you send someone out to “walk the line”, you’ll most likely engage an environmental consultant and a GIS consultant and a cultural heritage consultant… get the picture? Each of these people commonly work independently to provide you with the information you need to progress your plans. Some of this information is also used to establish leases and property acquisitions.
A lot of this data is reproduced unknowingly across the independent consultants. Repetition costs money.
And we’re still in the planning phase… we haven’t even mentioned engaging with landowners and other stakeholders yet… or field and maintenance teams once the project moves to operational mode…
Mipela can help you map out the lifecycle of your project and work with you to plan how you can mitigate the repetition. Centrally manage all of your data – geospatial and other business information – in one single source of truth; connect the right people to the right information; provide real time data entry from the workers in the field; and reporting on demand.
Minimise risk and maximise your data investment across the whole lifecycle of your project.
There is a huge amount of data that is collated across the lifecycle of an asset (from project inception to operations to decommissioning) – whether it be a pipeline construction, mine or any other lineal asset.
There are more often than not a number of hoops to be jumped through from a legislative perspective and data needs to be collated, reports prepared and compliance activities conducted.
Mipela GeoSolutions has provided a number of services to assist clients in this space for the past twenty years. From providing GIS support for initial desktop studies to route selection to stakeholder engagement software and field service management, Mipela has a suitable solution for its clients’ needs. But where this becomes really powerful is when you think about the data across the life of the project – there are many instances when the data is gathered and used more than once. Add in the people engagement factor to this and there are also a number of risks that can be mitigated by using a single source of truth across the lifespan of the project – from the pre feasibility activities through to end of life.
In our next newsletter, we will explore this topic in more detail. In the interim, if you’d like to find out more, just give us a call on 1300 807 770.
Farming in Australia is in a state of turmoil. Many farmers are saddled with unsustainably high debts and are hit by unstable crop prices. Extreme weather events, from mass flooding in 2011 to intolerable droughts in 2014, exacerbate the difficulties faced by Australian farmers. By diversifying into solar generation, farmers can regulate their annual income and secure their finances.
Luminous Energy specialises in the planning and development of large-scale photovoltaic power plants, from initial site selection to connection and commissioning. They organise the development of solar farms, taking projects from initial site selection up to the point at which they are ready to be built.
Luminous recently sought assistance from Mipela with data management and mapping support to produce plans suitable for property agreements and site constraint mapping for three proposed solar farm sites in Queensland.
As part of the planning and development process, Luminous are required to submit site development plans to local council and plans to accompany ecological assessments to State and Federal Government. With the decision makers being geographically spread between Australia and the UK rapid revisions of mapping was required. Having someone experienced on the ground who can interpret requirements and turn the work around in a timely manner like Mipela has been critical to the project so far. This well managed revision process has resulted in better project delivery with quickly delivered result in an effective manner.
In our last newsletter, we introduced you to X-Info Plans Management, a browser based solution that automated the collation of your incoming DBYD responses.
Zinfra were one of the first companies to hop on board with this new solution in the later part of 2016. The value of using this tool is clearly demonstrated the savings in time and resources taken to receive and reconcile the incoming responses.
“Being able to check on any job via a web based console gives us the opportunity to just get on with the other planning and scheduling tasks associated with field work”, said Jason Luichareonkit, Business Systems Manager at Zinfra. “We have seen a significant business process improvement since introducing X-Info Plans Management”.
The number of DBYD enquiries Zinfra is making using X-Info Plans Management in NSW alone has increased manyfold – a true testament to the buy in and peace of mind from the business.
“We are currently onboarding Zinfra’s other states to realise the value of X-Info Plans Management in our planning and scheduling work.”
“I have worked with many system integrators and I must say that the attitude and the customer focus centric approach of every one at Mipela is outstanding. Nothing was too big of a deal. All enquiries and teething issues during and after implementation were answered in a timely manner”, added Luichareonkit.
The Tasmanian Gas Pipeline (TGP) is the only pipeline supplying natural gas to Tasmania. It transports natural gas from Longford in Victoria, under Bass Strait, to Bell Bay in Tasmania.
The TGP asset is owned by Palisade, and Zinfra has operated, maintained and undertaken minor construction activities on the gas pipe for 14 years, since it was commissioned in 2002, under a field services agreement (FSA). Zinfra delivers a comprehensive range of engineering, operations, maintenance and construction services to the utility infrastructure sector nationally.
Zinfra has used Mipela software solutions for their operations and maintenance work since 2012, using X-Info Suite, consisting of X-Info Connect, X-Info Maps and the integration with Maintenance Connection for automated Dial Before You Dig responses, works management for third party crossings, and to manage communications with landholders along the pipelines.
By implementing the new X-Info Aware application, field workers can now collect data on site at third party crossing locations. Other field data collection tasks have been streamlined into X-Info Suite, allowing the decommission of their old data collection systems entirely. Zinfra can now also assign tasks to their crews in the field and undertake regular checks of the pipeline, based on work orders generated in Maintenance Connection, from both the air and ground to keep informed of issues affecting the pipeline’s operation in real time.
“Implementing X-Info Aware for Zinfra’s data capture – which includes cathodic protection, aerial patrols and pipeline faults – has improved not only our workflow and record keeping, but keeps us up to date with current technologies available. We also have other connections that are linked together, including DBYD and Landholder Database, as well as a live system which is very important for our employees to ensure they have the most up to date data when in the field.”
Graeme Bystersky
Works Coordinator
Zinfra/Tasmanian Gas Pipeline
“With Mipela’s suite of products we were able to tailor what we needed to deliver for our client. Over the past four years we have found a solution that not only meets our client’s needs but keeps our field employees up to date with live updates and work flows that save time, keep data current and easier to manage. When working with Mipela our team has found they have a “can do, nothing is a problem” attitude with continual improvement always at the front of their mind. It’s always a pleasure dealing with Mipela and I look forward to working on the next project with them.”
Matthew Stewart
Operator of the Tasmanian Gas Pipeline – Zinfra
X-Info SMS suite is the latest offering by Mipela that is specifically designed to provide pipeline owners with a comprehensive system that can manage the Clients tasks associated with the operation, maintenance, suspension of operation, decommissioning and abandonment along with all their proposed transmission pipeline asset projects AS2885 workflows, quality control and reporting.
AS2885 requires Licensee Approval for Safety Management Studies. X-Info SMS suite ensures that Client’s key management personnel are fully informed of the operational risks associated with the operating assets. It is a commercial off the shelf (COTS) solution that gathers, stores, displays and reports on information pertaining to design, safety and operational related hazards that cause or are capable of causing loss of pipeline integrity associated with the pipeline infrastructure (as set out in AS2885).
X-Info SMS suite can provide a full pipeline safety management study (generally for new assets), safety management study reviews (generally a five year style review) and local adhoc reviews as necessary for specific issues.
Benefits
- Updates and revises your pipelines Threat Libraries to maintain AS2885 compliance
- Location analysis
- Threats identification
- External interference protection in accordance with AS2885 standard
- Other threats and mitigation measures
- Failure analysis
- Risk evaluation
- Reports and outstanding actions
- Filing – numerous types of important data.
Property Information Service made easy
Since its inception, Queensland Urban Utilities had primarily sourced its property information from Brisbane City Council’s Coreland application. On 30 June 2016, this arrangement ceased and an alternative data source was required. Queensland Urban Utilities’ area of interest covers five Councils – Brisbane, Somerset, Ipswich, Lockyer Valley and the Scenic Rim Regional Councils – and the solution needed to align the process of acquiring property data across all regions.
Queensland Urban Utilities selected Mipela to provide a suitable Property Information Service solution that would support business functions including; billing, managing customer enquiries (via the Contact Centre, mail, email and social media), maintenance operations for meter reading, and spatial analysis for asset capital works and operational planning. The objectives of the project were to reduce costs associated with acquiring property data, improve accuracy of the data, and align acquisition of the data to enable a more efficient use of data within the business.
The Property Information Service was designed using Mipela’s X-Info Connect, with X-Info WebConnect providing a browser based lookup interface for staff to reference both historical and the ongoing new data.
Property, ownership, valuation and geographic information from Department of Natural Resources and Mines is combined into a database within X-Info Connect and automatically updated daily, with the service checking each data source for any changes. This data is then automatically delivered from X-Info Connect for consumption by the business for various purposes.
The Property Information Service has been established with future requirements in mind, as additional Queensland Urban Utilities applications come to require access to property information. This cloud based solution is fully managed by Mipela, with no administrative requirements by Queensland Urban Utilities staff.
Now, large volumes of data and updates are received and automatically processed for delivery by X-Info Connect into the Property Information Service. The integrity of the data has significantly increased and there is an increased level of comfort in the data being received. Queensland Urban Utilities has provided the business with a cost saving, reliable source of property information that can be used by various areas of the business in a consumable format.
Your competitive advantage in field service management
We are in a new era of oil and gas exploration and production. With commodity prices being in a slump many new developments across the world have been shelved. In Queensland we have seen all three LNG proponents, QCLNG, GLNG, and APLNG scale back their development expenditures. Understandably the focus for all these energy companies has switched to getting the most out of their existing assets.
As energy and infrastructure companies move from construction into operational mode, they require vendors with matching skill sets. This new era of work requires groups who can service multiple sites in an efficient and cost effective manner. The companies that are able to flourish in this competitive phase are only able to win contracts if they are able to demonstrate a serious competitive advantage.
Mipela GeoSolutions is excited to announce the launch of X-info Service Suite. X-info Service suite has been designed as an out of the box configurable online tool which streamlines the way in which its users receive work orders from their customers and provide work instructions to their employees in the field. Its field data capture capabilities then allow everyone to see and understand which tasks were completed on each site.
We have developed this tool to help service companies drive value through efficient and clear communication with both their clients and service technicians. We have a proven track record of giving our clients a clear competitive advantage though X-info Service Suite.
Remote field task management and data capture providing results for real time consumption for Veolia
Veolia is a global leader in environmental solutions, working closely with some of Australia’s largest companies to help them reach their sustainability goals. Veolia is governed by an adherence to the highest levels of safety, no compromises and work in partnership with its clients to minimise hazards, reduce risk and build a respected and lively safety culture.
In late 2015, Veolia successfully won the vegetation management services contract with QGC. This body of work includes the management of remote maintenance teams to undertake assigned tasks and report back in a comprehensive and timely manner.
Having worked with Mipela since 2009, the team at Veolia partnered with Mipela to configure a hosted solution that not only managed the tasks for the remote workers via a tablet device but also provided automated reporting to both Veolia and their client QGC, offering transparency of activities and real time results. The solution had to be fluid enough to handle changes from Veolia’s client, QGC. Mipela were agile in their approach to the deployment and could quickly scope and configure variations collaboratively as they were required.
Mipela implemented X-Info Connect to manage, manipulate and report on the data; X-Info Aware to capture the data in the field on users mobile tablets; and X-Info WebConnect to provide a browser based interface into select data for QGC and the maintenance companies.
In early 2016 Veolia’s first work crew undertook their assigned maintenance task near Miles in the Surat Basin. Before and after photos were captured as part of the task process. Information on herbicides used were also collected as part of the maintenance process and reported accordingly. This information was then available for consumption by the Veolia team in real time for review, analysis and subsequent reporting to their client, QGC.
In summary, real time reporting of remote field activities is available using mobile devices. Tasks, scheduled or adhoc can trigger additional actions, such as emails or SMS, to notify others of issues or risks.
TGP optimises their field workforce with mobile data capture app
Tasmanian Gas Pipeline (TGP) were one of our first clients to test the X-Info Aware mobile data capture app over the last 12 months and have made the decision to fully adopt the product into their business.
X-Info Aware has been implemented to allow for end to end process automation. Using step procedures generated when Dial Before You Dig enquiries are submitted, the office staff are able to assign data collection forms to the field staff. This enables field crews to access and complete their daily task lists on their devices and send their data back to the office in real time.
TGP are now looking to further streamline their field data collection tasks by adding new data capture forms to their system to enable both adhoc and assigned tasks to be completed in the field and integrated back into the central database, streamlining data capture processes, improving audit and reporting functionality and eliminating manual processing from their day to day activities.
More than just maps… How do we add value to your GIS?
At Mipela GeoSolutions our team uses a variety of systems and procedures to maximise your GIS productivity. It is not just about the maps. It is about efficiently integrating or massaging the data you have into information products and solutions. These products inform decision making in your organisation.
Mipela have built systems and workflows around GIS Work Request systems, Data Management logs, QC Checklists, Job Tracking, Issue logs. These systems are integrated into our GIS Project Management adding value to your project by ensuring knowledge retention, Continuous Learning, Quality Control and Continuity Assurance.
Value
Value is not just Cost and Time. What is your expectation about the Quality and Service you receive? Service is supported by Communication, which is fundamental to our Project Management system. Regular reporting, emails, phone conversations and meetings are all logged for the benefit of the entire team, not just the parties involved. Our Team approach means we work with you to achieve required outcomes.
The quality of the service we offer is managed by our QC System and peer review process. Our GIS team have degrees in Surveying, Engineering, Mathematics and the Spatial Sciences. This diverse qualification pool brings together different skill sets that are applied to problem solving and crafting your solution. The team is constantly looking to automate and optimise repetitive tasks. This results in faster, more consistent solutions.
Versatility
Our team GIS Specialists are competent in the major Industry Desktop products as well as open-source tools. We are able to provide on site GIS support, but can also work remotely if required.
Our systems are under constant review. All lessons learned are fed back to improve the process and solutions we deliver.
Continuous Learning and Feedback
Feedback and learning from experience are a crucial aspect of the GIS Services team. Using X-info Connect, issues and solutions are captured on the job.
This information is distributed via logs and reports to internal and external teams. Each piece of information is tracked from inception to resolution, including technical solutions and constraints.
Information distribution promotes the knowledge base of the team ensuring growth and development, whilst maximising knowledge retention and technical continuity assurance for our clients.
Automated back end processes provides Gladstone Area Water Board with improved responsiveness for issuing of permits
The repetitive manual processing involved in handling communications, issuance of Permit to Work and data management within Gladstone Area Water Board (GAWB) in response to their DBYD enquiries has proven to be time and resource intensive and prone to errors and inconsistencies.
Mipela implemented a Works Management solution for GAWB to provide a seamless workflow automation solution to view, action and report inquiries that have authority to conduct proposed works in the vicinity of GAWB’s infrastructure from X-Info DBYD suite for their “Permit to Work” processes. The objective was to automate back end processes and centralise data to create certainty and responsive issuing of permits and reports.
With a fully automated Works Management module in place, GAWB is able to view, action and report on asset queries such as Permit to Works applications, resulting in massive improvement in turnaround time for permit issuance.
The automated workflow has also significantly increased workflow accuracy and compliance to processes and information coming from a single source of truth. The on demand reports enable GAWB with visibility and control which will assist with better decision making and proactive asset management.
The project has resulted in an internal “Safety Challenge” award to the GAWB team who submitted the project as a work process initiative by changing the way they do things to manage and remove risks when working in or around concealed infrastructure.
To find out if Mipela’s Works Management solution can meet your business reporting needs please contact Phoebe Tan, Business Development Executive on 1300 807 770.
Spring 2015
SEA Gas improves efficiency of land management
The importance of effectively tracking, analysing and managing company information is recognised throughout the business world as an integral part of doing business.
SEA Gas is a partnership that has been established to develop, own and operate the underground pipeline system transporting natural gas from Iona, northeast of Port Campbell to both South Australia and Victoria. SEA Gas employs its own staff to manage and operate the pipeline system and was seeking to upgrade information management systems used to assist in managing its landholder and community relationship data.
SEA Gas was capturing data in multiple databases resulting in inefficiencies in data handling, potential introduction of errors and delays in information collected being available to the team. They recognised that being able to capture data accurately once and then use it many times would improve efficiency and in turn reduce costs.
Enter Mipela GeoSolutions.
Mipela GeoSolutions offered SEA Gas a solution with its X-Info Suite Online. The solution is fully supported and maintained, reliable and easy to use, allowing users to:
- Record landholder, property information, contacts, conversations, emails and other relevant communications for many parcels of land and hundreds of landowners
- Seamlessly integrate maps/corporate GIS into stakeholder, property and information from a variety of mapping systems and external data
- Provide links within the software to relevant documents stored on the server or hyperlinks to relevant websites that can assist with the preparation of documents
- Provide simultaneous secure access to information for an unlimited number of internal and authorised external users, when required
The aim for SEA Gas was to have a robust system that supported and streamlined the existing . The company wanted to ensure a future where they had auditable records of communicating with on safety matters and could be assured of accurately tracking landholder issues to resolution. Since getting X-Info Suite operational, SEA Gas has been able to capture more and better quality information.
“We really like working with Mipela” said Scott Clune Maintenance Systems and Land Liaison Officer for SEA Gas. “Moving onto X-Info Suite has made us more efficient, more consistent and we are easily able to access up to date information as a consequence and integrate it into our integrity management programme”.
The solution takes the core functions of Stakeholder Relations Management, Project, GIS Services, Live Property Updates and Document Management Systems and integrates them into a unified knowledge solution for clients business.
Winter 2015
Perfect match: X-Info Connect and Maintenance Connection
First it was X-Info Maps integration with Maintenance Connection, now Mipela GeoSolutions has found the perfect addition by enabling X-Info Connect to also communicate with Maintenance Connection.
This new pairing enables users to visualise assets through embedded GIS functionality, allowing users to:
- Automatically create WorkOrders and Assets through the mapping interface within Maintenance Connection
- Automatically create a WorkOrder based on a trigger from X-Info Connect.
Example
When a new DBYD Works Management request is created, a WorkOrder can be automatically generated for that request within Maintenance Connection. The resulting WorkOrder number can then be populated back to X-Info Connect and linked to Maintenance Connection to enable other automated or adhoc actions such as emailing, populating GIS files or adding communications. The request and WorkOrder can also be visualised on a map (in either X-Info Connect or Maintenance Connection) and interrogated through tools in the X-Info Maps interface.
Through this integration, workflow is improved between the two systems resulting in users having a seamless experience to achieve the business objectives of managing their assets and stakeholders.
Benefit
- Automates WorkOrder creation for Affected DBYD responses in Maintenance Connection
- Automates status of open and closed DBYD WorkOrders back into X-Info Connect
- Eliminates manual intervention of allocated WorkOrders to appropriate resources
- Eliminates forwarding Affected DBYD response emails to allocated resource for interpretation
- DBYD and associated WorkOrder statistics can be tracked and reported on.
Overall, this new workflow automation software functionality improves the automatic generation of WorkOrders rising from DBYD enquiries, or any other Works request initiating business data, and further integrates the automation between X-Info Connect, X-Info Maps and Maintenance Connection.
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