...So that when your power goes out, you can go online to see who is affected. Think about this one, folks... Greg
http://uaelp.pennnet.com/Articles/Article_Display.cfm?ARTICLE_ID=259168&p=22 NES website provides outage map Nashville, TN, July 3, 3006 -- When the power goes out, Nashville Electric Service customers turn to the Internet. NES unveiled a new website in July 2005. One of the most popular features was an online outage map with live, continuously updated outage information -- a public service that continues to drive heavy traffic to the site, www.nespower.com, said the company. Teresa Corlew, NES spokesperson says, "It's been a hit with our customers and the media who depend on the information to be accurate and timely." The map provides information during a power failure. Users can view all outages across the NES service area or narrow their search to a specific neighborhood. Not only can they see the number of customers who are experiencing outages, but the streets that are affected and if crews have been assigned to the problem. The information is updated every 10 minutes. NES officials have tracked results in the number of visitors to the NES Web site, specifically the outage map. Nashville Electric had over 2,700 unique visits to the outage map on August 30 when Hurricane Katrina hit the Gulf Coast and brought stormy weather to Nashville. The number of visits normally averaged less than 500. NES experienced a similar spike in April 2006 when tornados ripped through Middle Tennessee and left 17,000 customers without power. "The functionality of this map helps customers and media alike know where outages have been reported and how widespread the problem is," Corlew says. "We've noticed a huge drop in the number of calls from media representatives requesting the latest information for news reports. It's all right there on their computer screen. We can only assume it's made a similar impact for our customers who used to flood our customer service line looking for answers." The outage map was developed in-house and is linked to the data on NES' outage management system. Very little maintenance is required. Gregory S. Williams [EMAIL PROTECTED] Reply with a "Thank you" if you liked this post. _____________________________ MEDIANEWS mailing list medianews@twiar.org To unsubscribe send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
