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Northern Gas Networks Digitizes its Smart Gas Network

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January | 2023

Ambition

Northern Gas Networks (NGN) delivers gas to 6.7 million people in northern England. The utility introduced an Innovation Project to serve as an IoT solution model to showcase it’s vision for a Smart Gas Network initiative. By using new, innovative technologies, NGN believed it could better serve its customers, improve inventory management, all while also minimizing manual interventions in field engineering processes.

The NGN strategy needed to encompass a variety of digital capabilities central to its vision of becoming an upgraded gas network, including IoT, AI/ML, cloud, and cloud-based applications. These initiatives required the utility to integrate multiple applications and correlate disparate information, allowing improved data flow to support smart decisions. Once the Innovation Project was perfected, the model would be broadly rolled out across NGN’s entire network. 

Actions

NGN chose Wipro to design and orchestrate the applications, integration and data analytics, and Amazon Web Services (AWS) for cloud services. The cloud-native and serverless system leverages cloud-based services (AWS), an Android app and an IoT-based solution to deliver Industry 4.0 capabilities, including sensors to safeguard field employees and a planned integration with NGN’s SAP system. 

Ambitions Realized

NGN’s digital Innovation Project allowed NGN to better manage inventory, minimize downtime and advance the digitalization of its Smart Gas Network initiative. The solution focused on high-priority business use cases, delivering benefits that included:

  • Access to enhanced, real-time data: Cloud applications support enhanced data availability, including photos, dashboards and real-time insights that improve situational awareness and enable faster decision-making. 

  • Automated processes: Highly manual processes were automated with cloud-based applications and real-time data access. 

  • Risk mitigation: RealWear was deployed to report real-time results from deep excavation site inspections and reduce risks.

  • Improved communications: Replacing paperwork with cloud-based data eliminated delays in communication between field and onsite teams.

  • Worker safety: Wearable IoT sensors were employed to detect harmful gasses and monitor employee vitals, ensure the safety of site workers while they are out on critical jobs.

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