Welcome Your New Expert Interview Series: Eric Bishop, New Expert in the Digital Utility Group – [an Energy Central Power Perspectives™ Expert Interview]

Join us as we explore Eric’s insights and experiences, offering a valuable perspective on the critical role of GIS in enhancing utility operations and the innovative solutions that are helping utilities navigate the challenges of today and tomorrow.

Matt Chester: Tell us more about your role at UDC and how your team collaborates with utilities. 

Eric Bishop: I am an Executive Account Manager for large investor-owned utilities on the U.S. West Coast. Most of my job involves engaging with directors and executives on our projects. UDC has had the benefit of working with these utilities over the past decade, and as a result, we have a deep understanding of their systems, data, and process workflows. This knowledge and experience allow us to help them reimagine their workflows with technology and business process changes.

MC: Could you share a bit about your journey in the GIS industry and how you found your niche in serving the utility sector?

EB: I have been in the utilities space for about 30 years. This includes electric, gas, water wastewater, and regional governments. During my time at Esri, my focus was electric and gas utilities, and I eventually became a part of that sales organization. At a core level, I learned about the industry by working with customers to solve problems with their data or workflows. This has since evolved into solving the challenges around integrated Enterprise GIS and fully digital workflows.

MC: With over 20 years of experience in GIS solutions for electric, gas, and water industries, what key trends have you observed in how utilities utilize GIS technology over the years?

EB: In the early 90s, many systems replicated functionalities found in CAD or other GIS systems. Nowadays, GIS and GIS tools, including mobile field tools, enable better collaboration within the enterprise and support engagement with customers or the public. Data fidelity and access have significantly increased since I began working in the industry. Most organizations can easily leverage online data sources vs. entering much of the data into GIS through digitizing.

MC: Given your experience in supporting utilities with data sharing for wildfire mitigation, could you elaborate on the role of GIS technology in this critical aspect of utility operations?

EB: I have had the opportunity to work with customers on prepping and planning for some of the largest wildfires in California. GIS is being leveraged for wildfire management and public notifications on things like public safety power shutdowns (PSPS), with most utilities having a public-facing website to communicate these events. GIS layers and information are shared with the public and private sectors to help aid in wildfire planning, preparation, and response. Wildfires used to be a seasonal activity for utilities on the West Coast. However, recent years have dictated that wildfires must be managed as an ongoing, year-round activity, increasing the importance of the capabilities that GIS supports.       

MC: Looking ahead, what are the emerging trends or technologies that will significantly impact the utility sector, particularly regarding GIS solutions?

EB: I see emerging trends around utilities leveraging GIS data, focused applications, and machine learning to help predict assets at risk and where they should invest for reliability and customer satisfaction. Imagery and Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) technologies, along with the Advanced Distribution Management System (ADMS) and their relationship with GIS, will continue to drive many innovative projects at utilities.

MC: What are you most excited about when it comes to participating in the Energy Central Community? How do you hope to provide value to your peers while established as one of our Experts?

EB: I love the collaboration that Energy Central provides and the networking opportunities among utilities to share information on projects. If we collaborate and brainstorm as a group, we will accelerate these innovative projects at a much faster rate.

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Thanks to Eric for joining me for this interview and for providing a wealth of insights and expertise to the Energy Central Community. You can trust that Eric will be available for you to reach out and connect, ask questions, and more as an Energy Central member, so be sure to make him feel welcome when you see her across the platform.

The other expert interviews that we’ve completed in this series can be read here, and if you are interested in becoming an expert, you can reach out to me or you can apply here.