STATE OF MAINE                                                    Docket No. 2001-284

PUBLIC UTILITIES COMMISSION

 

                                                                                    November 20, 2001

 

PUBLIC UTILITIES COMMISSION            

 

 

I.          Summary

 

            We adopt the following Technical Specifications to implement the Commission’s requirements for Utility Service Area and Infrastructure Maps contained in Chapter 140 of the Commission’s Rules.

 

 

II.         Background

 

            On October 19, 2001, the Commission adopted Chapter 140 of its Rules, Utility Service Area and Infrastructure Maps.  That Rule became effective on October 29, 2001.  Section 1(E) of Chapter 140 “delegates to the Director of the Technical Analysis Division the responsibility to establish additional technical specifications for maps filed with the Commission” pursuant to the Rule. 

 

            That provision requires that the Director “consult with the Maine Office of GIS, the Maine Department of Transportation, and the Maine Drinking Water Program” before establishing such specifications.  On November 1, 2001, the Director forwarded a draft of this document to those agencies for comment, and we have reflected their comments in the Technical Specifications below.

 

 

III.        Technical Specifications

 

            Pursuant to Section 1(E) of Chapter 140, in addition to requirements stated in that Rule, utilities filing maps required by Chapter 140 shall comply with the following technical specifications:

 

            A.        Paper Copy Maps

 

                        1.         Maps must include at least four points of known geographic location (e.g., latitude and longitude) evenly distributed across the map.

 

            B.        Electronic Copy Maps

 

                        1.         If paper copy maps are used as a source for digitizing, they must be prepared using a 1:24,000 scale base and conform to National Map Accuracy Standards (NMAS).  If data are collected by other means (e.g., GPS, imagery), techniques must be sufficient to ensure compliance with NMAS for 1:24,000 scale data.

 

                        2.         Electronic copy maps should conform to applicable provisions of the most recently approved edition of the Maine Office of GIS (MeGIS) Data Standards published on the MeGIS web site at http://apollo.ogis.state.me.us/.

 

                        3.         Electronic copy maps must be provided on a 3½” diskette, a 100 Mb or 250 Mb Zip disk, or a CD.

 

 

IV.       Notice;  Effective Date

 

            Section 1(E) of Chapter 140 requires the Director to “provide notice of proposed additional or changed specifications to all utilities 30 days prior to their effective date.  That provision requires that “the notice must state that utilities may provide comments to the Director of Technical Analysis no later than 10 days prior to the effective date.”  Pursuant to these requirements, utilities may file comments on these Technical Specifications by December 10, 2001.  Comments should be addressed to Faith Huntington, Acting Director of Technical Analysis, Maine Public Utilities Commission, 18 State House Station, 242 State Street, Augusta, ME 04333-0018, and should refer to Docket No. 2001-284. 

 

These Technical Specifications will be effective on December 20, 2001. 

 

 

 

Dated at Augusta, Maine, this 20th day of November, 2001.

 

 

BY ORDER OF THE DIRECTOR

OF TECHNICAL ANALYSIS

 

 

_____________________________

Faith Huntington

Acting Director of Technical Analysis