TACOMA, WA, Feb. 4 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ - CGI Group Inc. (TSX: GIB.A) (NYSE: GIB), a leading provider of information technology and business process services, will partner with Tacoma Power, a division of Tacoma Public Utilities, to automate outage and network operations utilizing CGI's PragmaLINE Distribution/Outage Management solution (D/OMS).
CGI will manage the integration of JCMB's Fusion solution suite, which will extract and generate connectivity for the PragmaLINE D/OMS, as well as LiveData's RTI architecture, in order to establish a real-time ICCP interface between the supervisory control and data acquisition/energy management (SCADA/EMS) system and D/OMS solution.
As part of system implementation, interfaces will be developed to Tacoma Power's current customer information (CIS), work management (WMS), and geographic information (GIS) systems, as well as to its SCADA/EMS solution. An interface to Tacoma Power's new interactive voice response (IVR) application is also critical to support customer service and will be completed as part of this project.
CGI's PragmaLINE D/OMS will provide state-of-the-art tools for managing all trouble dispatch for Tacoma Power's electric distribution networks. PragmaLINE will analyze operating data to help predict and monitor potential distribution network failures, allowing Tacoma Power to handle day-to-day network operations more efficiently. Under outage conditions, the system will accept customer outage calls from the IVR and a manual call taking application and indicate the probable source of failure, reducing restoration time and improving customer service levels. Integration with Tacoma Power's work management system will also allow the automated transfer of outage jobs to field personnel who currently receive their work wirelessly through a mobile dispatch application, as well as the accurate recording and reporting of the steps taken to restore service.
Gary Armfield, Tacoma Power superintendent, remarked, "Integraging the advanced capabilities of CGI's D/OMS with Tacoma Power's existing systems will contribute to faster outage prediction and restoration, streamlined switching operations and improved safety of our field crews and customers."
"CGI is committed to providing Tacoma and its customers with critical solutions in the key areas of customer service and delivery reliability through its end-to-end distribution/outage management solution" concluded Andre Bouchard, Sector Vice-President of CGI's Utility Solutions and Services.
CGI's utility solutions and expertise span the horizontal workflow between customers, control rooms and crews, bringing benefits to a global customer base rooted in the electric, gas and water utility markets. CGI enables the real-time management of business-critical processes by offering a modular and highly configurable solutions portfolio that includes outage, network and mobile workforce management as well as power engineering analysis tools. Utility clients include Exelon Energy Delivery, Baltimore Gas & Electric, Hydro-Quebec, Hydro One, Idaho Power, Oklahoma Gas and Electric, Public Service Electric and Gas and Southern California Edison.
About CGI
Founded in 1976, CGI Group Inc. is one of the largest independent information technology and business process services firms in the world. CGI and its affiliated companies employ approximately 25,000 professionals. CGI provides end-to-end IT and business process services to clients worldwide from offices in Canada, the United States, Europe, Asia Pacific as well as from centers of excellence in North America, Europe and India. CGI's annual revenue run rate stands at $4.0 billion and at December 31, 2008, CGI's order backlog was $11.4 billion. CGI shares are listed on the TSX (GIB.A) and the NYSE (GIB) and are included in the S&P/TSX Composite Index as well as the S&P/TSX Capped Information Technology and MidCap Indices. Website: www.cgi.com.
About Tacoma Power
Tacoma Power serves 165,000 customers in Pierce County, Washington including the cities of Tacoma, University Place, Fircrest and portions of Fife, Lakewood, Federal Way and Steilacoom, as well as Fort Lewis, McChord Air Force Base and other portions of Pierce County. www.tacomapower.com.
About JCMB
JCMB Technology provides innovative software technologies and services to the Electric, Gas and Water industries. Established in 1995, JCMB has extensive experience in Distribution Network Modeling and Mobile Computing Systems, focusing on Distribution Network data accuracy and connectivity. The company's website: www.jcmb.com.
About LiveData
Specializing in real-time integration and display technology, LiveData builds state-of-the-art systems for healthcare, utility, manufacturing, and government organizations. LiveData software brings together data from any number of sources and presents it as meaningful information on easy-to-read graphic displays. Leading medical institutions, including Massachusetts General Hospital, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, and NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital, have selected LiveData OR-Dashboard(TM) to enhance patient safety, improve team communication and streamline perioperative workflow. Founded in 1991, LiveData is headquartered in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The company's website is www.livedata.com.