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Geoff has recently joined NM Group where his primary focus is on business development initiatives for the Western US and Canada. Geoff Dean is a Geomatics Professional with a diverse background including 7 years of Hydrographic Survey utilising primarily Multibeam and LiDAR technology.  He has over 15 years of experience in contract negotiation, business development and key account management. In this interview he discusses his previous role and where he sees the biggest challenges to the power industry.

Could you introduce yourself and provide a bit of background on your previous industry experience? 

Certainly. I graduated from Geomatics Engineering at the College of the North Atlantic in St. John’s Newfoundland and then went immediately into the Maritime industry doing Hydrographic survey projects mostly as a data processor.  I then began working for Jeppesen Marine, a division of Boeing where I began my Business Development career by negotiating data contracts with National Hydrographic Authorities.  I’ve also done Business Development for small startup firms in both Geospatial and IT verticals.

What transferable skills and expertise are you bringing with you to NM Group? 

Having done hands on data processing for LiDAR data in a different industry, I bring that knowledge and unique perspective. I definitely see a lot of synergies between the processes involved in Hydrographic survey work and LiDAR data analysis for utilities.  I hope to use that to contribute to NM Group by providing a consultative approach to clients to understand their needs and where NM Group can provide the best solutions and value.

What has been the best experience in your career so far? 

I would have to say the travel and the people I’ve met along the way.  I’ve been to nearly every continent and have worked with people from many countries and backgrounds on all kinds of projects.  That said, landing on a ship at sea in a helicopter – very cool.

There are lots of technologies out there that can help networks. What do you see as being the most important one right now? 

Geospatial technology, and by that I more-so mean the software tools and processes to analyse the large amounts of data being collected.  Data collection technologies are advancing every day, but the key is knowing how to best utilise the collected data to drive business decisions.

From your experience at NM Group so far, what would you say are the main challenges facing power utilities? 

In the short time I’ve been with NM Group I can see that Safety is a driving factor in this industry.  Monitoring large networks to ensure compliance is a significant undertaking especially using traditional ‘boots on the ground’ patrols.  I also see Asset Management becoming a driving factor going forward as with EAM technology advancements today, there is a push for industries to utilise those technologies to become more efficient and reduce cost of operation and drive profitable business decisions.  All this of course is tied to big data and knowing how to bring all this information together is a huge challenge.

Can you offer any thoughts on how to meet these challenges? 

I’ve been very impressed with the Vegetation Analytics capabilities at NM Group.  Utilising LiDAR data to enable identification of hazards to the network and to be able to produce an auditable risk assessment can certainly contribute to maintaining a compliant and safe network.  This can also trickle down to positive budgetary impacts by reducing other expenditures such as cutting and trimming costs and providing more targeted maintenance.  And with the current trends in EAM, obtaining and maintaining a robust data model on the network will ensure a smoother transition to a full Asset Management program.