Integrating geographic information system (GIS) and automatic vehicle location (AVL) technologies for improving the emergency response capabilities of electric utilities

An integrated system combining Automatic Vehicle Location (AVL) technology, Geographic Information Systems (GIS), and analytical models is proposed for the improvement of the emergency response operations in the electric utility industry. The analytical models require real time accurate information related to the spatial distribution of the field units which is provided by the AVL system and information related to the underlying transportation network managed by the GIS.