Page 10 - March-April2021 Vol 38 No 7

VIRTUAL CONFERENCE: TECHNICAL SESSION RECAP
Underground Asset Management:
It’s not 9 to 5, It’s 24/7
About
Smith Seckman Reid, Inc. (SSR)
is an employee-owned corporation,
headquartered in Nashville, Tennessee. Our
firm is focused on providing engineering,
commissioning, and technology services
across the United States and around the
world. Our quality services are based on
the in-depth experience and expertise
of our staff.
The City of Memphis Traffic Signal
Maintenance (TSM) division has partnered
with SSR to manage over 120 miles of
traffic signal fiber optic infrastructure
as required by the TN811 utility locate
notification system. SSR created a
Geographic Information Systems (GIS)
platform which serves as the backbone
for maintaining Memphis’ fiber optic
infrastructure.
SSR maintains a GIS database and sends
infrastructure network edits and updates to
TN811 and KorTerra, a company that uses
software that analyzes the GIS data. An up-
to-date GIS platform allows SSR employees
to locate fiber optic lines in the field and
monitor locate requests for Memphis.
To streamline the network editing
process, SSR has developed a mobile
application which allows their employees
to efficiently update assets to the fiber
network in the field. The GIS platform
streamlines a complex network system
and can be scaled up as the infrastructure
network expands over time.
Like many utilities, the fiber optic system Figure 1. TN811 Positive Response Portal Example.
is aging in Memphis, which means that
it requires constant care, monitoring,
updates, and staffing. While SSR provides
a solid platform, damage to the network,
caused by emergencies or lack of
notification, is possible, which degrades the
system. SSR staff is on call 24/7 to ensure
that the fiber optic line is marked in a
timely fashion when emergencies arise.
As each utility location request is
received, SSR employees check the
GIS platform to determine if the fiber
optic utility conflicts with the proposed
excavation. If it is found that a conflict
exists, then a field technician physically
will mark the location of the utility on site
10 TPW March/April 2021
By Michelle Field, Tyler Boone, and Kelsey Josephson
prior to any construction activities taking
place. Some of the biggest challenges SSR
employees face in the field include lack
of location knowledge, limited assets,
communication with other firms, and
keeping the system up to date.
The fiber optic system is for
communication between the signals,
gathering data about traffic speed, setting
signal timings based on gathered data, and
monitoring maintenance issues. All the
data gathered by the fiber optic system is
sent to the traffic engineering center, where
the traffic signal system can be monitored
without having staff be physically on
location.
Originally, data was transferred through
the phone network. Upgrading the system
to fiber optic cables has allowed for a more
timely and accurate transfer of the traffic
signal data. Signal timing and detection
systems all can be adjusted from the traffic
engineering center when needed. The fiber
optic network also is useful in directing
maintenance crews to locations where
signals are malfunctioning.
The Team
The SSR ticket response team consists
of Ian Engstrom, Michelle Field, Bari
Ikagbara, and Tyler Boone. Ian Engstrom
is the project manager. Michelle Field
manages the GIS database. Bari Ikagbara
is the 24/7 emergency locator and Tyler
Boone is the backup emergency locator.
When Tyler and Bari are both unable to get
to an emergency, two more employees who
are trained in utility location are available
to answer the emergency. Those employees
are Layne Dawson, a Transportation
Engineer, and Michael Williams, a Civil
Senior Designer. Kelsey Josephson, a Civil
EIT, is trained to assist with managing the
GIS data and clearing tickets.
Ticketing System
The ticketing system is the TN811
Positive Response Portal (Figure 1).
Excavators call TN811, and TN811
gathers this information, processes it
using their GeoCall Ticket/Mapping
system, and notifies underground utility
operators that may have utilities in the
area. The utility owners “then send
personnel to locate and mark/identify
their utilities” (TN811). TN811 sends the
emergency tickets to both SSR’s regular
emergency ticket e-mail, as well as their
backup emergency ticket e-mail.
Traffic Signal Maintenance also uses
KorTerra to send them the tickets from
Positive Response. KorTerra uses a
software called KorWeb which analyzes
the GIS data to determine if a normal, or
standard, ticket is in conflict. If the ticket
is clear, the system automatically closes
out the ticket as clear – no conflict.
GIS Database and Location Intelligence
SSR uses Esri products for their GIS, as
they are a Bronze Esri Partner. The GIS
database for TSM consists of the fiber
optic line, pull boxes, cabinets, and poles.
The database represents the complete