Novara GeoSolutions (Novara), the industry’s leader in geospatial software and services for pipeline assets, announces Heather Rone has joined the company as a Quality Assurance Analyst assisting with software and data quality. In this new role, she will be reviewing and testing the company’s software products to help ensure the highest quality solutions for our clients.

Novara GeoSolutions (Novara), the industry’s leader in geospatial software and services for pipeline assets, today announced Karl Kemp has joined the company as director of software development in its Norwell, MA office.  Karl will lead Novara's software development for a wide range of GIS, consulting and mapping services.

Novara’s new website offers quick and easy access to industry geospatial information. The website also has a comprehensive Resources section so that viewers can create an account to gain access to videos, past webinars, publications and product information.

According to The Balance, “Hurricane Harvey was a Category 4 storm that hit Texas on August 25, 2017. It caused $180 billion in damage. That’s more than any other natural disaster in U.S history, except the largest estimates of Hurricane Katrina damage.” Even after months have passed, families are still struggling to rebuild their lives and homes. Novara GeoSolutions was inspired to help the Houston residents.

Achieving pipeline regulatory compliance continues to be a challenge that a mature GIS-based solution can help pipeline operating companies over-come. Such a solution does not come easy, however, as it requires investment of valuable resources, accessibility to reliable insight, and discipline to effectively prioritize the application of both. While it is certainly an undeniable fact that pipeline companies consistently and diligently work to maintain safe and responsible operations, inevitably things like data incompleteness, budgetary constraints, and evolving safety-related initiatives (such as the nation's 811 Call Before You Dig program) drive pipeline operators to prioritize and even compromise on how those priorities are addressed.

Frequently when I attend conferences, I like to ask Leak Survey and Operation Managers about the pain points they feel on a day to day basis while trying to complete work. Recently, one Operation Manger told me a story of how he thought the Leak Survey contractor he had hired was doing a great job, completing field work and returning all required paperwork in a timely manner. To his amazement, he discovered the crew members were sitting in a hotel room highlighting paper maps and turning them in as completed Leak Surveys. I wondered if this Leak Survey contractor was just lazy, or was this a result of not having the correct tools and workflows in place to do the job? 

The capital planning process allows local government, utility and pipeline operators to define and coordinate capital projects, engage external agencies, and share capital improvement plans. Capital projects are typically defined for physical assets and are used to maintain, improve, and/or enhance them. They are key initiatives as they stabilize debt and allow organizations to consolidate projects, reduce reactive work, promote partnership and ensure efficient use of funds. These projects are often highly visible and have significant financial impact on the organization.

 Asset Management is a critical task for any organization. Assets "live" in space; a location in the world. A GIS lets us visualize an asset's location, understand its relationship with other assets or features, interpret and ask questions about a feature and its connections, and analyze or interpret patterns and trends.

Novara GeoSolutions, LLC. (Novara) today has announced it has promoted Neal O'Driscoll as its new president. O'Driscoll will be responsible for overseeing all of Novara's strategic direction, diversified geospatial offerings through collaboration with CHA Consulting, Inc. (CHA). O'Driscoll most recently served as interim president of Novara, and will continue to spearhead Novara technology adoption and implementation across Energy industries, including Transmission and Distribution. O'Driscoll plans to expand operations into the Rail, Aviation and Security industries.