Service areas

Service areas are the districts, circuits and territories where outages are reported. Each has a code, a name, a contact, an address and an eligibility note that records anything special about it, such as hospitals on the circuit or restricted access roads. Areas belong to an organization and can be made inactive without losing their history.

Cases are recorded against a service area, so the open cases, affected units and restoration times for each area can be seen together. The contact on the area is the person the coordinator calls when an outage there needs local knowledge.

The admin maintains areas; coordinators work cases within them.

• Every case in an area. Cases are always tied to a service area.
• Notes that matter. Eligibility notes flag critical customers or access constraints.
• Contacts on hand. Each area names its contact.

Agree how your network divides into service areas and how they are coded, matching your outage reporting and network records. Agree what goes in the eligibility note, such as critical customers, access or safety constraints. Decide who keeps area contacts current. Prepare examples of an outage crossing two areas, an area with a hospital and an area being retired.

The storm affects two circuits. Each has its own service area, so the coordinator sees open cases and affected units per circuit. One area’s note flags a dialysis clinic, so its case is triaged first and the area contact is called to confirm access to the substation.

When the storm has passed, the manager compares the two areas. One had most of the affected units but was restored faster because the crew could reach the substation easily. The other had fewer customers out but a longer restoration time because of a flooded access road noted on the area. That comparison comes straight from the cases recorded against each area.

• Active service areas — Areas with codes, contacts and notes.
• Open service cases — Cases by area.

• Report to restoration: How areas shape triage.

Check the data model before loading areas.