Data Informed Decision Making & Bringing the Digital Twin to the Field with Safe Software’s Don Murray

February 26, 2025

By Blake Marchand

Safe Software is a company specializing in data integration, acting like the ‘connective tissue’ bringing together an organization’s systems, providing a single unified view of business operations.

Bringing their systems together by utilizing Safe Software, company CEO, Don Murray explained to me that organizations can, for example, have processes run automatically and build data products so that everybody within the organization can have access to data.

Their flagship product, called FME by Safe Software, provides flexible data processing that can connect thousands of data sources with AI powered workflows in a no-code environment.

“Shell’s a good example of – they’re not quite a utility – but they’re an example where they used our stuff to build web front ends, then anybody can go up and get access to the data they need to do their business through an authenticated interface.”

Those types of data products can also enable people in the field to submit data themselves and validate that it is accurate.

Murray emphasized that the closer you can push data QA to the point of collection, the better the data quality is going to be.

“If you find out you’ve got bad data in your system and you’ve been making decisions on it quite a number of times, then you’re making decisions with bad data,” he noted, in that context, improving data collection and analysis becomes a cost saving measure.

Bringing the Digital Twin into the Field

Digital twins are becoming more sophisticated, which is something Safe Software enables, as well. An evolving trend Murray is witnessing from his vantage point is bringing the digital twin into the field with augmented reality.

“When we talk about augmented reality, we understand that utility workers are not going to wear a headset and then walk around the work sites. We’re targeting the all iOS Devices,” he said.

“[With an iPad] you can actually walk around your infrastructure and see things about your infrastructure, the data about the infrastructure that you wouldn’t see [otherwise].”

This takes the data you can achieve with the digital twin into the field so that utility workers have more information on hand when they are servicing equipment and making decisions on the job. It will also allow utility field workers to improve the data by adding in their expertise from a firsthand perspective when looking at equipment.

“With this you’re going to be able to inquire about it and if you see something, you’re going to be able to report on it.”

“Digital twins up to this point have been on a big screen. You can spin the digital twin. You can explore it. What this is going to do is bring the power of the digital twin to the field worker.”

The point is to bring more data to the field worker, while also bringing data quality assurance closer to the source. As Murray mentioned earlier, data quality improves the closer it is to the point of collection.

“That’s probably the most exciting thing that we’re working on now for utility workers.”

Making Data-Informed Decisions

Anywhere you are collecting data and organizing it to gain insight, Murray said, what Safe Software does is “enable people to see things with the data.”

That includes things like planning, maintenance, and customer billing.

An example Murray provided with respect to maintenance is, by using drones to collect information in combination with Safe’s software, utilities can detect insulators that need to be replaced, and measure sag on powerlines to determine where to do harvesting.

When it comes to the planning piece, an interesting area is ‘data cubes’, which allow you to see change over time. The changing climate is an instance where data cubes can be utilized, and certainly, having insight into how the climate is changing can inform strategic planning for utilities.

“Being able to see the trends can really help you plan – where are the oceans high tides going to be in 10 years? If I have an electrical substation near the shore and in a few years, it’s going to be underwater, that’s not a great situation.”

“Or where is drought growing? You know, again, if I have a hydroelectric dam and the water that used to feed my dam… the snowpack’s just not there, glaciers are retreating…”

“We have lots of organizations around the world who are using us to analyze these data cubes to try to understand the change that’s going on. And utilities, obviously are really front and centre,” Murray explained.

“Being able to see the trends helps these utilities plan – and again it’s the data, we’re a tool that enables them to easily see what’s going on.”

Along with using data to inform better decision making on the locations of infrastructure, it can also help with forecasting demand when and where it may be needed.

“Like any business, you want to have the capability there when you need it, but not before, right? And it’s all data driven,” said Murray.

As those in the utility space know well, along with the changing climate – colder winters, hotter summers – electrification is quickly increasing demand. Utilities and governing bodies are recognizing this and investing in new generation.

Companies are using Safe Software solutions to inform strategic planning around renewable resources like hydro, solar and wind.  Murray noted for example, in North Dakota, they have companies using Safe for wind maps to determine the best locations for wind farms.

Additionally, companies have developed solutions using Safe Software to help organizations and utilities manage wildfires and track lightning strikes in real time.

“Knowing where wildfires are in real time allows them to deenergize the line,” Murray noted.

Having data on where wildfires occur provides insight into what infrastructure needs protection. As well as allowing utilities to map those areas. “You’re never going to want to be uphill from a fire because fires race up hills. So, knowing where the terrain is, you can plan your attack.”

A key for Safe Software is making things easier for their clients by handling all different forms of data and providing an efficient, effective decision-making tool.

As Murray discussed, there are so many areas where data can improve decision making processes. Mapping terrain to determine the best locations for infrastructure as the climate changes the country’s landscape. Wildfires and drought create challenges for building resilient infrastructure. Having statistical information on these types of events helps utilities have a clearer picture and avoid operational disruptions. Streamlining maintenance programs and field services to promote reliability and resiliency. As electrification increases demand, data analysis can help determine where that demand is coming from, as well as enhance decision making when determining optimal locations for wind and solar.