Consumer indexing software for DT and feeder mapping

Why indexing comes before everything else

Consumer indexing is the unglamorous survey at the start of a rollout. Someone walks every lane, finds every premises, and ties each consumer account to the pole, distribution transformer (DT) and feeder that supplies it.

It matters because almost everything after it depends on it. Under RDSS, communicating meters on feeders and DTs exist to make energy accounting possible. If 40 consumers are mapped to the wrong DT, that DT's losses look terrible and the neighbouring DT looks suspiciously good, and nobody trusts the numbers. Indexing also gives the installation crews their list: which premises, where exactly, and what meter is there today.

What the indexing form captures

PIEBENCH ships a Consumer Indexing template that starts simple: a photo of the meter or premises, and a GPS fix. Most DISCOMs then add their own fields in the form builder. A typical form ends up with:

• Consumer ID and account number, checked against the imported list
• DT code and feeder code, often scanned from a plate or chosen from a list
• Pole number, if the DISCOM tracks it
• Existing meter serial and make, with a photo
• Meter location (outside wall, inside, meter room) and access notes
• Connection type and sanctioned load, if they need verifying
• GPS fix with its accuracy, and a photo of the premises

Fields can be text, number, dropdown, checkbox, checklist, barcode, photo, GPS or counter, and any of them can be required, so a surveyor can't skip the DT code to finish faster. Changing the form needs the workflow builder, which is part of the Pro plan.

How an indexing drive runs

1. Import the consumer list. Load consumers from a CSV export of billing, or pull them from the billing system through Connectorly. Each becomes a service point, at the stage "imported".
2. Split the area. Group service points into work orders by area, feeder or surveyor, and assign them to teams.
3. Survey offline. Surveyors work through their list in Scout, the Android app. Everything is saved on the phone and syncs when there is signal.
4. Review. Supervisors check submissions in the approval queue and send back anything incomplete with a note.
5. Watch progress. As each survey is completed, the service point moves to "indexed". Filter the service points list by stage to see what is done and what isn't.
6. Hand over to installation. Indexed service points are ready for installation work orders, and the same record carries through to "installed".

Finding the consumers who aren't on the list

Every indexing drive turns up premises that billing doesn't know about, and accounts that point to an empty plot. Tags help here. Supervisors can tag service points (for example "not found", "unauthorised connection" or "needs revisit"), and Smart Views turn each tag into a working list for follow-up. Surveyors can't add new service points from the app today, so unlisted premises go back to the office to be added and assigned.

Accuracy you can check

An indexing record is only useful if the location is right. Every GPS fix is stored with its accuracy, so a reviewer can tell a precise fix from a rough guess, and PIEBENCH tracks each surveyor's GPS accuracy over time. Photos of the meter and premises let a supervisor confirm the survey from the office instead of sending someone back.

Offline, on cheap phones

Indexing happens in exactly the places with the worst signal: dense old city lanes, basements, the far end of rural feeders. Scout is offline-first and runs on Android 7.0 and later, so surveyors can use the phones they already have. See the offline field app.

Consumer indexing runs on every plan, starting at $199/month; see pricing. If you are indexing for an RDSS project, the RDSS guide explains why it matters for energy accounting.