RRAD Geospatial Services

03/10/2026

Huntsville is in our DNA.

At RRAD Geospatial Group, being locally owned and operated is not a slogan. It is a business decision, a values decision, and a long term commitment.

We are proud to build from Huntsville, Alabama, the birthplace of the American space program. This is a city known for engineering, problem solving, and doing serious work with serious purpose. That mindset shapes how we approach our clients, our software, and our company.

We believe local ownership still matters.

It means decisions are made here, not handed down from a boardroom somewhere else.

It means our clients get direct access, real accountability, and a partner touch instead of a polished sales handoff.

It means we stay close to the work, close to the customer, and close to the reality on the ground.

It also means we are choosing to grow intentionally and gradually.

We are not building RRAD to flip it.

We are not inviting in outside private equity to force speed over substance.

We are building it the way we believe it should be built ... carefully, honestly, and for the long haul ... so we can stay locally owned and operated.

That approach shapes our technology too.

We build practical, field minded tools for electric utilities, fiber networks, and geospatial operations. We care about transparency, usability, and operational truth. The goal is not to impress with hype. The goal is to solve real problems for real people doing real work.

Huntsville taught us that innovation is not about noise. It is about discipline, engineering, and ex*****on.

That is the standard we want RRAD to represent.

Local ownership.
Intentional growth.
Transparent technology.
Partner first mindset.

That is RRAD Geospatial Group.

12/29/2025

RRAD LightFlow LITE is arriving January 2026!

Geospatial Consulting • Mapping Services • Aerial Imaging Custom GIS Enterprise Deployments Located in Huntsville, AL (Rocket City USA)

11/19/2025

Today is GIS Day, so it’s a good time to call out the quiet work GIS does for the communities we serve.

At RRAD Geospatial Group, GIS isn’t just about making maps look pretty — it’s the engine behind:
• Keeping the lights on for rural electric cooperatives and small/medium munis
• Planning and managing modern fiber networks
• Giving engineers and operations staff live, trustworthy views of what’s really in the field

We’ve been all-in on open-source: QGIS, PostGIS, and a growing family of RRAD tools like PowerFlow Studio, LightFlow Studio, and CU Studio. The goal is simple: give utilities real engineering-grade analytics and decision support without locking them into a black-box platform.

On GIS Day, we’re especially grateful for:
• Lineworkers and field crews who rely on accurate maps when the weather is at its worst
• System operators and engineers who use spatial data to make fast, high-stakes decisions
• Forward-thinking co-ops and munis who are willing to modernize their stack and try something new

If you’re responsible for keeping an electric or fiber network running and you’re still fighting old tools, this is a good day to ask what your GIS could be doing for you.

Happy GIS Day from RRAD — locally owned, Huntsville-built, and focused on the utilities that keep our communities running.

10/24/2025

https://www.rradgeo.com/news-and-events

Geospatial Consulting • Mapping Services • Aerial Imaging Custom GIS Enterprise Deployments Located in Huntsville, AL (Rocket City USA)

10/07/2025

Coming soon: Transformer Loading & Risk in RRAD PowerFlow Studio

We’ve been heads-down polishing a module that makes transformer loading analysis fast, transparent, and GIS-aware—right inside QGIS.

What’s included with Transformer Loading and Risk:

Two aggregation modes: Feeder coincident peak and per-transformer daily peak.

Peak Timestamp column to pinpoint exactly when each unit peaks (per-xfmr in daily mode, feeder-wide in coincident mode).

What-if planning: Add EVs and heat pumps with adjustable coincidence factors; apply a diversity factor across services.

External meter demand CSVs (optional): Load one or two interval files, treat kWh as energy (convert), set interval length, and choose start/end timestamp fields.

Robust data ingest: Flexible timestamp parsing (AM/PM, ISO Z, epoch sec/ms, Excel serial) and clean CSV export that matches the table’s current sort/filter.

Clear risk signals: Utilization, % loading, adjusted kVA, kvar, and headroom kVA—with quick filters and sort.

GIS-native workflow: Map-driven field mapping, feeder filters, and zoom-to-selected—all in one pane.

Why it matters: quicker validation of transformer headroom, clearer overload risk, and faster “what-if” iterations for EV/HP adoption—without leaving your GIS.

If you’d like early access or a demo, drop a comment or DM.

09/25/2025

Coming soon: Coordination Workbench — QGIS-native TCC & coordination

Protection coordination shouldn’t force you out of GIS. Coordination Workbench (CW) runs 100% in QGIS—no Esri required—so you can select devices on the map, open a preloaded TCC, check margins, and export, all in your daily GIS.

CW is one of 9 modules in RRAD PowerFlow Studio (built now: Coordination Workbench, Schematic Studio, Load Flow).

Why CW over WindMil/LightTable + WindMilMap

GIS-native, no context switch.

No Esri dependency or Esri licensing/maintenance costs.

Open & auditable: curves + impedance via CSV/JSON; exports PNG/PDF/SVG + CSV.

Faster “map → TCC” loop: deep-link loads DS/US + margin; upstream search with “retry wider.”

Lightweight & extensible: Python/QGIS, no vendor lock-in; built for small teams.

What CW does today

Device diagnostics: choose Primary/Devices, one-click Map devices → nodes with snap distance; table shows status/details/node/distance.

Curve library & linking: point to CSV/JSON; link curves to devices; Curve Library Manager for import/export, edit, sort, validate.

TCC for speed: add from picker/selection/upstream; Ignore feeder, Max hops; Compare DS vs US with margin → PASS/FAIL + min Δt; Fit/Reset, legend; per-curve time/current scaling; view settings persist.

Deep link (S6-A): Open TCC for selected result preloads failing DS/US and margin (or last batch).

Fault-current markers: manual, auto from selection (FAULT_A/IFLT_A/I_FAULT), or compute from impedance CSV (3φ/1LG) with R1/X1 and optional R0/X0; inputs persist.

Batch & export: feeder-wide checks; results CSV; annotated FAIL charts (DS/US, margin, min Δt); export PNG/PDF/SVG with smart filenames.

Part of RRAD PowerFlow Studio (9 modules)

Built: Coordination Workbench, Schematic Studio, Load Flow

Next: Voltage Map, Transformer Loading & Risk, Protection Check, Device/Data Audit, Hosting Capacity, Phase Imbalance & Re-phase Adviser

Interested in early access or a pilot? DM me—Coordination Workbench is almost ready.

09/07/2025

Stop Paying Twice for GIS

Here’s the reality with the legacy GIS vendors:

1. You pay them for their core platform licenses.
2. Then you pay again for 3rd-party solutions that only run on top of that core platform.

That’s double spend, every single year.

RRAD takes a different approach. Yes, our solutions have recurring license/support costs—just like any serious software offering. But here’s the difference:

• You’re not paying a base tax to a legacy vendor just to have the platform.
• Our solutions run on open source core technology—PostGIS, QGIS, GeoServer—no hidden platform fees.
• Every dollar goes directly toward the tools you’re actually using, not to keep someone else’s stack alive.

The result? Utilities get advanced GIS + engineering solutions with lower total cost of ownership, no vendor lock-in, and room to innovate without hitting a paywall.

Open source stacks backed by RRAD aren’t just cheaper—they’re smarter. They let you invest in capability, not in keeping a legacy platform afloat.

09/06/2025

Coming in 2026: RRAD GridTruth

A self-healing, time-aware digital twin that reconciles your GIS with real measurements—then lets you replay reality and run counterfactuals, all inside QGIS.

Most planning and analysis tools assume your model is right. In the real world, connectivity drifts, phases go wrong, UPSECTION trails get stale, and studies suffer. GridTruth flips that script.

What it does

1) Sync & Diagnose (Self-Healing GIS)

• Fuses AMI voltage traces, OMS events, and SCADA/regulator moves with your GIS model.
• Auto-flags precise fixes: “Service Location 8459 should be on SECTIONNUM 18-142; phase B→C (confidence 0.91).”
• You approve → GridTruth writes back to PostGIS with full audit, versioning, and rollback.

2) Time Machine (Replay Reality)

• Scrub a timeline to replay an actual event hour: voltages, flows, energized islands, and customer counts.
• See what really happened during storms, switching, or peak days—on the map and the schematic.

3) Counterfactual Sandbox (What-If on the Real Past)

• Clone the measured state at time T, then try: open 19100, add +2 taps at R1, stage a 300 kW BESS, close a tie.
• Run QSTS on the actual load/DER traces from that period and compare deltas: voltage compliance, losses, customers affected, protection margins.
• Export switching steps and TCC updates into your coordination workflow.

4) Optional Safety Envelope

• Map-centric fault current and touch/step potential overlays derived from the reconciled model—produces focused crew job briefs.

⸻

Why this matters

For Power Engineers

• Start from a model validated by measurements.
• Reproduce outages exactly, test fixes on the same baseline, and push curve updates with evidence.

For GIS Managers

• Replace guesswork with measured truth.
• Close the loop: suggested edits → review → commit → audit trail.
• Track hard metrics: % of meters tied to the correct transformer & phase, % of sections with reconciled UPSECTION, time-to-fix.

For Operations & Reliability

• Faster post-event analysis, cleaner switching plans, fewer truck rolls, clearer SAIDI/SAIFI/CEMI causality.

⸻

Built for your stack (open, on-prem, practical)

• Platform: QGIS + PostGIS (on-prem).
• Engines: OpenDSS/GridLAB-D for replay and what-ifs.
• Data: Runs “light” with AMI + OMS; scales with SCADA, DER, and weather when available.
• Model Assumptions: Primary Conductor with SECTIONNUM/UPSECTION/FEEDER/PHASE, conductor impedance CSV, transformers and service locations (meter→xfmr linkage).
• Governance: All changes are explainable, queued for approval, audited, and reversible.

⸻

3-step workflow

1. Pick Feeder → Sync & Diagnose. Review ranked suggestions and approve.
2. Replay. Drag the timeline; see reality on map & schematic.
3. What-If. Test alternatives against the real past; export switching/TCC/GIS change sets.

08/29/2025

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Street-level imagery, powered by collaboration and computer vision.

08/29/2025

Local matters. Don’t forget who you’re for.

The Cracker Barrel news this week—founders saying leadership “just doesn’t understand” the original country-store idea—is a simple reminder: when you lose the plot, you start designing for the boardroom instead of the people who put you on the map.

At RRAD Geospatial Group, we’ve written our operating rules to prevent that drift:
• Locally owned, operator-run. No private-equity control. No roll-ups. Period.
• National reach, local stewardship. We serve utilities across the U.S. with a local shop mindset: a named partner on every project, in person when it matters.
• Crew-first tools. Live in your GIS, on-prem viable, no forced exports to legacy packages.
• Open by default. PostGIS/QGIS with pragmatic Esri bridges. Your data stays yours.
• Stability over theater. Drop-in ZIPs, predictable upgrades, clear docs. No surprises.

We’re building for the people who keep the lights on—co-ops, munis, and utilities that value straight talk and repeatable results. If that’s you, we should work together.

07/15/2025

Introducing RRAD’s Reliability Metrics Reporting Tool
A web-based outage reporting engine for modern utilities

RRAD Geospatial Group has launched a new web-based feature within our Historical Outage Tracker product — the Reliability Metrics Reporting Tool — built specifically for electric utilities that want fast, meaningful insight into service performance.

This tool generates exportable outage summaries over any user-defined date range, making it easy to quantify system reliability, track trends, and support both internal planning and regulatory reporting.

What the Tool Reports

SAIDI (System Average Interruption Duration Index):

Average number of minutes each customer was without power during the selected period. A lower SAIDI means better overall system reliability.
Example from report: 1.35 minutes

SAIFI (System Average Interruption Frequency Index):

Average number of outages per customer. Indicates how often customers are interrupted.
Example from report: 0.04 outages/customer

CAIDI (Customer Average Interruption Duration Index):

Average restoration time per customer that experienced an outage.
Example from report: 35.92 minutes

Total Outage Events & Duration:

Get a clear count of outage events and the total cumulative minutes out (e.g. 794 events, 28,519 minutes out), to evaluate overall impact.

Outage Duration Buckets:

Breakdown of short (4 hrs) outages, helping utilities assess grid resilience and recovery speed.

Peak Outage Hour & Most Affected Day:

Identifies when outages are most likely to occur.
Example: Peak = 7:00 PM | Most affected weekday = Sunday

Recent Significant Events:

Highlights major outages with timestamp, affected customers, average duration, and weather at the time — supporting outage reviews and incident documentation.
Example: 440 customers at 7:14 PM on 7/13/2025 under overcast skies

Why It Matters

This tool helps utilities:
• Benchmark reliability KPIs for RUS or PSC reporting
• Spot patterns in outage timing and severity
• Justify system improvements using clear, defensible data
• Respond faster and more confidently to major events
• Communicate performance to boards, stakeholders, or customers

No heavy software installs. No complex interfaces.
Just fast, flexible, and field-ready analysis — available through any modern web browser.

Part of RRAD’s growing suite of outage intelligence tools — available on either open-source or ESRI-based platforms.

Want to see it live?
Email us at [email protected] to schedule a walkthrough.