From data to heat network safety: Elomatic helps Lempeä Lämpö manage geospatial data
Estimated reading time: 4 minutes
When energy company Lempeä Lämpö set out to modernize its geospatial information system, it chose Elomatic as its partner and implemented the GroundWork platform. The new system’s flexibility has made further development seamless, while significantly enhancing safety.
Lempeä Lämpö, a subsidiary of the Suur-Savon Sähkö energy group, provides heating to homes in Finland’s lake region. Committed to responsible and efficient energy use, the company sources 85% of its district heating from local forestry by-products.
A few years ago, it became evident that Lempeä Lämpö needed a new geospatial system to accurately track the location and construction history of its underground district heating pipelines. “Geospatial data is essential for planning expansions, renovations, and maintenance,” explains Ossi Pöyry, Sales Manager at Lempeä Lämpö.
A partnership-driven approach
Prior to the procurement, Lempeä Lämpö made a strategic decision on which tasks to handle in-house and which to outsource. “We needed a comprehensive geospatial provider to support us in various areas so we could focus on our core business,” says Janne Kortelainen, Solution Architect at Lempeä Lämpö.
Elomatic, a consulting and engineering company, was selected as a partner due to the capabilities of its GroundWork system and proven expertise across various tasks. Ville Korpinen, who is responsible for the service at Elomatic, explains that they assist customers with a broad range of responsibilities – from evaluating the feasibility of building a pumping station to solving everyday challenges. “We are able to see the big picture while also addressing day-to-day issues,” he says.
Supporting continuous improvement
The web-based GroundWork system offers ease of use and flexibility, allowing customers to activate only the features they need. According to Kortelainen, the system’s adaptability enables development in entirely new ways.
“The platform demonstrates solid technical performance, and its versatility is impressive. From a user experience standpoint, it is highly functional and intuitive,” says Kortelainen.
“GroundWork is also quick to use,” adds Pöyry.
Since geospatial data plays a crucial role in Finland’s security of supply, it must not fall into the wrong hands.
Focus on safety
Since geospatial data plays a crucial role in Finland’s security of supply, it must not fall into the wrong hands. Korpinen explains that Elomatic has carefully considered procedures for scenarios where the system might suddenly stop functioning.
Kortelainen emphasizes that the development of data security is an ongoing priority for both parties. “We aim to maintain transparency on both sides, as it is in our mutual interest to follow best practices and operate securely.”
According to Kortelainen, the new system has made it easier to address security considerations. For example, ensuring operational continuity has improved with the enhanced technical performance of the platform.
Streamlining billing with integrated water flow calculations
GroundWork’s versatility allows it to address multiple needs at once. For example, water flow calculations for billing – previously managed in a separate system at Lempeä Lämpö – can now be done directly within GroundWork, enabling district heating charges to be based on actual usage.
“This new feature helps ensure billing accuracy, so pricing is always fair to customers. The component also allows for further development, such as creating price components based on tariff structures,” explains Pöyry.
Kortelainen tells that, to implement this feature, Lempeä Lämpö first acquired calculation expertise from Elomatic. Once the calculations were completed, the modeled feature was easy to integrate into the system.
The system’s adaptability enables development in entirely new ways.
The all-in-one approach facilitates everyday operations
Kortelainen sees significant added value in the fact that Elomatic provides not only system development and geospatial data management but also a wide range of other services, such as district heating pipe design, network simulation, and construction procurement.
“Even when dealing with different types of assignments, it is beneficial to have the experts working side by side. There is no need to start from scratch explaining things, as they already have a good understanding of our needs”, he says.
“Elomatic’s experts quickly grasp what I mean,” adds Pöyry.
Ongoing mutual development of expertise
Korpinen highlights Lempeä Lämpö as an excellent example of co-development. “We have collaborated on both large and small developments, responding to their needs, which has contributed to improving the overall system.”
Pöyry confirms the strong partnership with Elomatic, with challenges tackled through open dialogue. “Trust in Elomatic is strong,” he says.
Kortelainen is excited about the development possibilities enabled by the new system. First, they plan to enhance the role of network maintenance and make the tool accessible to relevant users. From there, the potential for further improvements seems endless.
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