As cyber and physical threats converge, utility executives have become increasingly visible, which means they can be and have been increasingly targeted. From sophisticated phishing and mobile device compromise to doxxing, impersonation, and AI-driven social engineering, today’s risk landscape extends well beyond the enterprise perimeter and into the personal digital lives of utility leaders.

What does the pathway look like from shiny new toy to core operational tool? That’s the trajectory drones have seemingly taken in many utility operations, highlighting that the hype was real an the future is now.

When people outside the energy sector think about the grid, it’s usually only after something goes wrong, such as a blackout or a surprise bill spike. Lately, the culprit for the public thinking about energy has come from a new source of consternation: data centers.

The utility industry is entering a construction boom unlike anything seen in decades. From electrification and load growth to wildfire mitigation and resilience investments, utilities across the country are racing to build and upgrade transmission and distribution infrastructure. But scaling up construction isn’t just about building faster, it’s also about rethinking the entire construction lifecycle, from planning and design to data capture and project closeout.

When we look to the future of the electric utility industry, what do we see?

Better data. More efficiencies. Smarter grids. Simpler asset management. At least—that’s what we’re all hoping for. 

To make it happen? It’s all about location, location, location. And that’s where GIS comes in: Moving into the future of power, GIS will be instrumental in challenging the status quo, improving utilities’ understanding of where things are (from outages to assets to customers), leveling up what regulatory compliance really means, and breaking down siloes across the power org.

“The value has been proven.”

That’s what Ryan Ciesielski, Group Head of Geospatial at National Grid, told us about the return on investment for utilities deploying GIS tech in asset management.

What do two GIS experts say when you ask them about the importance of data management for utilities?

“You can’t manage what you can’t see.”

“If the data is wrong, bad things happen.”

“Without data, you have no control.”

This week on The GISt, we’re diving deep into GIS as a tool to address latency, remove siloes, and help utilities do less on-prem…so they can do more overall.

At the core of running an efficient, resilient power system, there’s one singular need: interoperability.

Do you have one place where everyone, across teams and structures, can go to get the real-time information they need when they need it? Without that, utility leaders are setting themselves up for failure to meet the rising expectations from consumers.

As a GIS-centric systems integrator, UDC specializes in supporting its clients' projects and programs throughout the entire lifecycle—from conception to implementation. UDC’s services are tailored to utilities and infrastructure companies worldwide, offering geospatial technology solutions designed to maximize the return on enterprise digital investments.

Carbon capture and storage (CCS) is often discussed in terms of engineering, policy, and emissions reduction—but the success of any project also depends on something less technical and just as critical: public trust. In my work with Visage Energy on the Illinois Basin West Project, I helped develop a stakeholder engagement analysis focused on the questions, concerns, and pressure points most likely to shape how communities respond to CCS development, from safety and groundwater protection to land use, transparency, and long-term stewardship.