Most electricity distribution companies in India operate networks that were designed and built decades ago. The documentation — where it exists at all — lives in paper maps rolled up in engineering offices, hand-written pole registers, and staking sheets that haven't been updated since the network was last extended.
When a feeder trips at 2am, the operations team has no reliable way to identify exactly which section of the network is affected, which consumers are impacted, or where to send the fault crew first. This is the cost of operating an invisible network.
Replete's work with CSPDCL in Chhattisgarh is a case study in what changes when a power utility finally maps its network with GIS.
A power network GIS is a spatially referenced model of the entire distribution network — every pole with GPS coordinates, every transformer with its make, rating, and installation date, every feeder route traced from the substation to the last service connection.
In a connected GIS network model, the software understands the topology of the network — which poles feed which consumers, which transformer is upstream of which feeder section. This enables you to answer questions that paper records cannot: "Which consumers will be affected if this transformer trips?" or "What is the load on this feeder during peak hours?"
Building a power network GIS starts with a GPS field survey. Survey teams follow every feeder route from the substation, capturing each pole with coordinates and attributes — pole type, height, condition, equipment mounted. Transformers are recorded with their ratings, installation dates, and consumer count. Feeder routes are traced as connected line features.
The first step is a scoping assessment — understanding the scale of the network, what documentation already exists, and the key operational priorities. From there, we design the survey approach, select the right tools, and build the network model in a format that integrates with your SCADA and billing systems.
If you're a DISCOM or state electricity board interested in starting a GIS project — or if you have questions about power network GIS in general — get in touch with our team.