Service area
Process Scenarios: Setting Service Areas
1. System Admin (IT Director)
Scenario 1.1: GIS Data Integration and Validation
The System Admin oversees the technical integration of service area GIS data with SMART360, ensuring proper data formats, coordinate systems, and database schemas while maintaining system performance with large geographic datasets.
Example: Tom manages the integration of 50GB of GIS boundary data covering 85,000 parcels, optimizing database queries to maintain sub-2-second response times for service area lookups.
Scenario 1.2: Multi-System Boundary Synchronization
The System Admin implements automated synchronization between SMART360 service areas and external systems including tax assessment databases, emergency dispatch systems, and regulatory reporting platforms, ensuring data consistency across systems.
Example: Karen configures automated daily synchronization of service boundaries with the county tax system and 911 dispatch center, ensuring 99.9% data accuracy across 125,000 service addresses.
Scenario 1.3: Service Area Performance Optimization
The System Admin analyzes and optimizes system performance for geographic queries and service area calculations, implementing caching strategies and database indexing to support high-volume boundary lookups during peak billing periods.
Example: Mark optimizes service area queries to handle 50,000 boundary lookups during monthly billing without system slowdown, reducing query response time from 8 seconds to 0.3 seconds.
Scenario 1.4: Security and Access Control for Geographic Data
The System Admin implements role-based security controls for service area data, ensuring only authorized personnel can modify boundary information while providing appropriate read access for operational staff across departments.
Example: Amanda configures security permissions allowing 12 utility administrators to modify boundaries while providing read-only access to 45 customer service representatives and 30 field technicians.
Scenario 1.5: Disaster Recovery for Geographic Systems
The System Admin ensures service area data is included in disaster recovery procedures, implementing backup strategies and failover systems that maintain geographic functionality during system outages or data corruption events.
Example: Steve implements automated hourly backups of GIS boundary data and tests quarterly disaster recovery scenarios, ensuring service area functionality can be restored within 4 hours of any system failure.
Scenario 1.6: Service Area Data Audit and Compliance
The System Admin implements automated audit trails and compliance monitoring for service area changes, ensuring all boundary modifications are logged, approved, and meet regulatory documentation requirements for utility service territories.
Example: Patricia configures automated compliance reporting that tracks all service boundary changes, generating monthly audit reports for regulatory submission showing 847 boundary updates across 23 rate zones with full approval documentation.
Scenario 1.7: System Scalability for Geographic Expansion
The System Admin plans and implements system architecture changes to accommodate significant service area expansions, ensuring database performance and storage capacity can handle growing geographic datasets and increased user loads.
Example: James upgrades database infrastructure to support a 300% service area expansion from acquiring three neighboring utilities, scaling from 45,000 to 135,000 service connections while maintaining system performance.
Scenario 1.8: Integration Testing for Boundary Updates
The System Admin coordinates comprehensive testing procedures when service area boundaries change, ensuring updates properly flow through all integrated modules including billing, work management, customer service, and mobile field applications.
Example: Michelle manages testing protocols for service area updates affecting 8,200 customers, validating that boundary changes correctly update billing zones, dispatch territories, and mobile field maps across all system components.
2. Utility Administrator
Scenario 2.1: Initial Service Territory Configuration
The Utility Administrator configures SMART360's service area boundaries for a newly acquired water district, importing GIS data and establishing rate zones, service classes, and billing parameters that align with existing utility operations and regulatory requirements.
Example: Sarah configures service boundaries for the newly acquired Riverside Water District serving 12,000 customers, importing GIS polygons and setting up 4 distinct rate zones with different tiered pricing structures.
Scenario 2.2: Service Area Boundary Dispute Resolution
The Utility Administrator must research and resolve conflicting service area claims between utilities, accessing historical records, property deeds, and franchise agreements to determine accurate service boundaries and update system boundaries accordingly.
Example: Mike investigates a boundary dispute with neighboring Metro Water over 150 properties on Elm Street, reviewing 20-year-old annexation records to determine which utility has legal service authority.
Scenario 2.3: Regulatory Compliance Boundary Updates
The Utility Administrator updates service area definitions to comply with new state regulatory requirements for service territory reporting, ensuring all geographic data meets updated standards for environmental impact assessments and infrastructure planning.
Example: Lisa updates service boundary data to include new environmental zone classifications required by the state environmental agency, affecting 8,500 properties in the northern service district.
Scenario 2.4: Rate Zone Reconfiguration
The Utility Administrator reconfigures service area rate zones based on infrastructure investment needs, creating new geographic billing segments that reflect different levels of service enhancement and associated cost recovery requirements.
Example: David creates three new rate zones within the existing service area to implement infrastructure surcharges for the $2.8M water main replacement program affecting 3,200 customers.
Scenario 2.5: Cross-System Integration Validation
The Utility Administrator validates that updated service area boundaries correctly integrate with billing, customer service, and work management modules, ensuring geographic data consistency across all SMART360 components and external GIS systems.
Example: Jennifer validates that boundary updates for the Oak Hill subdivision correctly populate in billing (450 accounts), work management (12 active service orders), and customer service (3 pending applications).
Scenario 2.6: Emergency Service Area Expansion
The Utility Administrator rapidly configures temporary service area extensions during emergency situations, establishing interim billing and service parameters for customers receiving emergency water service outside normal boundaries.
Example: Robert quickly sets up emergency service boundaries to serve 300 customers from the fire-damaged Westside district, establishing temporary billing codes and service classifications for 90-day emergency service.
Scenario 2.7: Franchise Agreement Implementation
The Utility Administrator translates complex franchise agreements and municipal contracts into system service area definitions, ensuring boundary configurations accurately reflect legal service obligations and territorial restrictions.
Example: Carol implements service boundaries based on the new 25-year franchise agreement with Millbrook Township, configuring 15 distinct service zones with varying development fee structures affecting 22,000 potential connections.
Scenario 2.8: Service Area Master Data Management
The Utility Administrator maintains master data integrity for service areas, coordinating with multiple departments to ensure boundary information remains accurate and up-to-date as development, annexation, and infrastructure changes occur.
Example: Brian coordinates monthly service area updates incorporating 45 new subdivisions, 12 annexation changes, and 8 boundary corrections, ensuring data accuracy across customer service, billing, and field operations.
Scenario 2.9: Special Service District Configuration
The Utility Administrator creates and manages special service districts within larger service areas, establishing unique billing parameters, service levels, and regulatory requirements for specialized customer segments or infrastructure zones.
Example: Nancy configures a special industrial service district covering 28 large commercial customers with unique rate structures, water quality requirements, and direct billing arrangements totaling $1.2M in annual revenue.
Scenario 2.10: Service Area Capacity Planning
The Utility Administrator analyzes service area capacity constraints and growth projections, working with engineering and planning departments to establish development moratoriums or expansion priorities based on infrastructure limitations.
Example: Kevin analyzes capacity data showing the Eastside service area at 94% capacity, implementing development restrictions for new connections exceeding 2-inch meters until the $4.5M pump station upgrade is completed.
Scenario 2.11: Inter-Utility Service Agreements
The Utility Administrator configures service boundaries to reflect wholesale water agreements and mutual aid arrangements with neighboring utilities, establishing billing and service parameters for temporary or permanent service transfers.
Example: Rachel sets up service area configurations for the emergency water supply agreement with three neighboring utilities, enabling seamless customer transfers during the 6-month main transmission line replacement project.
Scenario 2.12: Service Area Reporting and Analytics
The Utility Administrator creates and maintains service area performance reports, analyzing geographic trends in consumption, revenue, infrastructure needs, and customer satisfaction to support strategic planning and regulatory compliance.
Example: Daniel generates quarterly service area reports showing consumption trends across 8 geographic zones, identifying the Northwest district's 15% consumption increase requiring $800,000 in infrastructure improvements.