Tempest Utility Consulting (TUC) has launched Tempest 365, a new app-based system using the Esri platform, for electric utilities to more quickly and accurately assess storm damage and speed up the outage restoration process. The company developed Tempest 365 to replace what is currently a manual damage assessment process for many electric utilities, particularly smaller municipalities and cooperatives.

“Many utilities are still using pen and paper, along with circuit maps, to assess and report storm damage,” said Lance Speer, vice president of operations for TUC. “Tempest 365 modernizes the process by allowing damage assessors to use their smartphones to pinpoint, photograph, and report the exact location of assets that need to be repaired, while also providing the utilities with an online dashboard to more efficiently track progress and manage storm restoration.”

According to Speer, Tempest 365 includes territory maps for each utility and is designed to allow assessors to report the type of damage and identify the equipment per a utility’s preference, such as pole numbers, substation names, and circuits. TUC’s app also includes features that help utilities track how much damage has been assessed real-time and the estimated time of restoration (ETRs). Dashboards can be shared with a utility’s public relations team to help keep customers informed of the progress in restoring power.

“Tempest 365 is especially useful for smaller utilities that may not have the manpower to quickly assess storm damage, and currently rely on paper maps and highlighters to report and track restoration efforts,” added Speer. “For those utilities, TUC can be an efficient resource to augment or even lead a smaller utility’s storm center operations, using our technology and our fully trained team of experienced damage assessors.”