United Water's decision followed a comprehensive evaluation of WaterGEMS and three other GIS-based modeling software packages. The water utility based its selection on six critical areas, including: (1) overall value of software, maintenance, and support, (2) ease of use and graphical user interface, (3) technical support and expertise, (4) ArcGIS interface, (5) complete hydraulic modeling features, and (6) certified training courses. United Water also took into consideration how well each software package performed with one of its isolated distribution systems located in Boise and the surrounding communities.

"Based on the results of the evaluation, United Water selected WaterGEMS because it best fit our company's current GIS system connection requirements and future strategies, such as migrating to ESRI's ArcGIS and ArcObjects," said Jon Reichard, Automated Systems Analyst for United Water Idaho. "WaterGEMS was also most capable of conducting a daily analysis, as we found it to have the most powerful alternative analysis and scenario management tools."

United Water has already used WaterGEMS to assemble, calibrate, and model an updated version of the same isolated distribution system used in the evaluation. The results were used to prioritize system designs for achieving higher fire flows and additional emergency supply.

As the leading water utility in the state, United Water Idaho is currently developing advanced SCADA programs to capture peak season distribution data for use in WaterGEMS to calibrate and simulate stressed conditions throughout the system. The company also plans to use WaterGEMS in the future to assist with a number of crucial activities including daily steady-state and extended period simulations, master planning, rehabilitation, water quality, system security analysis, and additional SCADA integration, to name a few.

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