Needs Assessment for Emergency Generators Utilizing iDataCollect Software
The New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services (NHDES) contracted with Weston & Sampson to conduct a generator needs assessment for interested public water systems throughout the state of New Hampshire. The scope of work included:
- Conduct a facility tour to determine system-specific electrical loads
- Utilize a standardized electronic form to record on-site information
- Create a report of the system’s electrical loads
- Prepare a generator needs assessment report
The on-site inspections were performed by NH licensed master electricians via an iPad™ utilizing Weston & Sampson’s iDataCollect software. Data collected in this format eliminates the possibility of misinterpreting written notes, allows data to be uploaded to our secure server on a nightly basis and simplifies the generation of reports since the data is already in electronic format. For this project, Weston & Sampson populated a standardized form with electrical information, instantly inserted photos of significant features at the different facilities, and sketched line diagrams of the electrical system directly on the iPad™ for instant insertion into the form.
After the field data was converted into a report, Weston & Sampson evaluated the data and created an individual generator needs assessment for each of the participating public water systems. The needs assessment included:
- A summary describing recommended generator sizes for each facility inspected
- A detailed listing of required electrical system modifications for each facility inspected
- Opinion of optimal generator location on site, if applicable
- Recommended fuel type for generator
- Recommendation of permanent generator versus mobile generator hook up for each specific facility
- Generator’s impact on powering water pumps to meet maximum day water demands of the specific system