As technology has evolved at the University of Mount Union over the last 25 years, the institution’s underground network of utilities has grown more complex. In addition to water, gas, electric, and phone lines, coaxial cable for television and fiber-optic cable now wind through the property, providing essential infrastructure for the university’s digital capabilities.
Up until 15 years ago, Mount Union was keeping track of all these underground utilities—as well as the trees, light poles, and sprinkler systems on the surface—through analog means. The staff relied on paper diagrams and maps or had to climb into manholes to examine the infrastructure.
“There was a ton of print documents—some were done professionally and some that were just sketches with dotted lines that didn’t have great reference points,” said Dave Smith, director of IT for security at the Alliance, Ohio, institution. “There was a lot of guess work and a lot of use of underground locators.”
Seeking a better way to manage the growing infrastructure, Mount Union learned that engineers working for Stark County had been using Esri’s ArcGIS software to digitally manage utilities. The university already owned a license for the technology, which was being used in a geology course, and so several members of the IT department enrolled to learn how to use it, said Tina Stuchell, executive director of IT and chief information officer at Mount Union.
After purchasing a GPS receiver and a handheld locating device, the IT staff spent the next two years physically locating all of the utilities and surface structures and digitally mapping them in ArcGIS. The effort has paid off for the university in various ways, Smith and Stuchell said.
The ArcGIS license, acquired through OARnet’s statewide purchasing program (see sidebar for details), has helped the institution save time during construction and maintenance projects, and also will aid in planning future property uses. When a dig is planned, the IT office can now predict with high confidence how close the work will come to the underground utilities.
“A lot of this work is about catastrophe avoidance and risk mitigation,” Smith said.
Mount Union’s old core utility network has 36 inches of concrete around it, and a construction crew would quickly notice when they’ve struck it on a dig. But it’s easier for a crew to damage the newer utilities that were buried in a different manner, such as the fiber optic cable, before they realize they’ve hit something, Smith explained. Mount Union experienced this scenario a few years ago, and the remedy was challenging and expensive.
“Trying to find a 400 pair copper phone line nowadays is next to impossible,” Smith said. “We had to have one built. We had to buy a 100-foot section, had to have it manufactured and freight shipped on a truck from California just to do the splice because it was needed for so many things at the university, such as elevators and emergency services.”
In addition, the university can respond to emergencies quickly with the use of ArcGIS. When a gas company needed to dig to investigate a possible issue with a line on campus, Smith was able to verify the location of other utility lines around the site promptly so that the company could move ahead with the work confident that it would not disrupt other services.
Mount Union also employs ArcGIS to help the athletics department and physical plant map out practice fields for sports teams and high school marching band camps, Stuchell and Smith said. ArcGIS ensures accuracy and speed, which is necessary when demand for athletic space is high at points during the year.
In addition to its usefulness for the university administration, more faculty are using the ArcGIS license to teach students in engineering and geology, Stuchell said.
Mount Union will continue to invest in ArcGIS, undergoing routine hardware upgrades and training new staff, as it can support both current and forthcoming infrastructure needs. The university has used the software to help map out areas for future building or land uses that would not disrupt existing resources or the many old trees on campus.
“If you’re not using it, I would recommend you take a hard look at it,” Stuchell said about the impact of ArcGIS. “It’s a wonderful tool.”
OARnet offers Esri product discount for higher education
OARnet provides access to Esri and ArcGIS products to Ohio higher education institutions at a significant discount to make these resources affordable for administrative offices, faculty members, and students.
Esri is the world’s leading supplier of GIS and spatial mapping software that includes location intelligence and geo-analytics. Higher education applications include classroom instruction, public safety, transportation, agriculture, and earth sciences.
OARnet highlighted how the University of Mount Union and Case Western Reserve University are using ArcGIS at its Spring 2024 OARnet Member Meeting. Esri features a case study on its website about how Miami University students used ArcGIS for a recent research project.
Thirty-eight institutions currently participate in OARnet’s contract, which is open to all OARnet higher education members. More information about the Esri/ArcGIS contract is available on the OARnet site.
Written by Andrea Gibson
Since 1987, OARnet has delivered technology-based solutions that reduce costs, increase productivity and improve customer service. As a division of the Ohio Department of Higher Education's Ohio Technology Consortium, OARnet serves Ohio's education, health care, public broadcasting and government communities. Other members of the consortium include the Ohio Supercomputer Center and OhioLINK.
