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GIS Day 2020 with WHUD
Virtual fun for students on GIS Day...and every day!
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Every year, Esri, a global leader in geographic information systems, hosts GIS Day -- a day to help our communities learn about the power of geographic information systems (GIS). White House Utility District (WHUD) relies heavily on GIS to locate assets (main lines, meters, valves, etc.), quickly find and fix leaks in our distributions system, create smarter routes and manage workloads, analyze trends and prevent disruption, and a multitude of other operational tasks. We also use a number of GIS applications to provide better our customers' experience, things like an online Customer Problem Reporter , a full set of online tools to help customers manage their service, a service area map , an outage map , and more.
Esri offers free GIS access to every school in the U.S. Click here to learn more .
In 2019, the district hosted GIS Day at Jack Anderson Elementary , a STEM school in our service area. Our goal was simple: To introduce the students to GIS and give them an idea of how utilities operate. The students built water filters, got a hands on lesson in gravity and pressure, and saw first hand how we use GIS to manage water and wastewater operations across our 600-square-mile service area.
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This year, due to the pandemic, WHUD is offering a virtual GIS Day for our local students. Keep scrolling for a crossword puzzle, a word search, and an interactive scavenger hunt!
But first, here's a quick look at the water treatment process and our water treatment plant. Providing safe and reliable water and wastewater service is the reason we exist. These videos will give you a glimpse into why GIS is so important to our district.
Where does water come from?
Water Treatment Process
Just like the earth's natural water cycle, the water we drink, bathe in, and use to wash our clothes comes from natural water sources. And once we use it, it is treated and sent right back to nature.
BTS at Plant
The water treatment process is complex and never stops. We have two treatment plant operators on call 24 hours a day, seven hours a week. This short video walks you through some of the key processes.
Distribution and Collection Systems
Our distribution and collection systems consist of more than 1,100 miles of pipe. If you stretched it all out end to end, it would reach from White House, TN to Ottawa, Canada!
With a service area that covers three counties, and more than 600 square miles, we have a lot of materials to maintain. In order to keep them functioning properly, we use Esri's geographic information system (GIS) and several applications that are based on the maps. Not only does GIS help us locate these materials, but it also helps us monitor for changes in the system (leaks), create smarter routes (reading meters), manage workloads (installing taps), analyze information (water pressure's impact on lines), and more. Our water service area is outlined in blue below; our wastewater service area is in green.
Service Areas Web Map
Here comes the fun part!
The interactive map below combines three of our commonly used GIS-based applications: a web map, a dashboard, and a Survey123 form. The first is an interactive map with assets pinpointed. The dashboard allows us to view several items in one place. And the survey allows us to gather information. See if you can answer the questions on the left and locate the answer in the map using the legend.
Scavenger Hunt Map for GIS Day ( click here for an answer key )
Here are some other activities you can do to learn more about GIS and utilities: a crossword puzzle and a word search. Click the images to download and print a copy.
Thanks for taking the time to learn about utility services and GIS. We hope you enjoyed it and learned something new!
ps - This entire page you're looking at is a story map, which is another tool offered through GIS!