| Summary: | This study is a thesis work at Uppsala University initiated by the Cross Country Team for Operate Networks at Fortum Heat. The team requested an analysis of the current situation of the functions, processes and systems regarding geographic information systems, GIS, for the district heating networks within Fortum Heat. GIS software is used to store, analyse and visualize information in digital maps. This study aims to investigate in which processes the use of GIS can contribute to facilitate and make operations more effective. The potential of utilizing GIS for the district heating networks was found to be: geographic and technical documentation, visualization, maintenance management, locate potential customers, sales, customer communication, risk analysis and other types of analysis. The situation regarding documentation, maintenance management and customer management differs a lot between the district heating networks within Fortum Heat. The general conclusions and recommendations for improvement are to implement GIS for those networks that do not utilize GIS for documentation today. These networks are situated in Plock, Czestochowa and Jelgava. A further recommendation is that there should be one target system for GIS within Fortum Heat. The advantages of using the same system in the whole heat division are that there would be more users with knowledge about the systems, which could benefit from collaboration with each other. The maintenance management system for a district heating network should include an asset register where the network is well defined and where all parts of the network are represented as individuals. Since a district heating network in opposite to a heat plant is spread over a large geographical area is a map of the district heating network necessary for planning and execution of work. To meet these requirements either a module for maintenance planning in a GIS or integration between the current GIS system of a district heating network and the maintenance management system Maximo could be used. A large potential of utilizing GIS is to locate potential new customers, sales and customer communication. More active use of GIS in when locating new potential customers and analysis of where non-connected buildings near existing district heating networks are situated would result in more targeted marketing.
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