"Mountaineer Gas moved from 'find it later' to 'capture it right the first time.'"
Casey Randolph, Engineering Manager
Mountaineer Gas
From Paper Maps to Pipeline Intelligence
6,000+ miles of pipeline across challenging terrain in West Virginia.
100+ Bad Elf Flex Extreme units deployed with Esri Field Maps.
Field teams often achieve accuracy within 0.4 inches.
Overview & Mission
Mountaineer Gas provides safe and reliable natural gas service across West Virginia, managing more than 6,000 miles of pipeline that supports residential, commercial, and industrial customers.
Crews operate across mountains, rock, rivers, and swampy terrain, where accurate asset mapping is both essential and difficult. Casey Randolph, Engineering Manager at Mountaineer Gas, oversees the Geographic Information System department and multiple compliance programs that support leak surveys, atmospheric corrosion surveys, rural tap inspections, and other safety-critical workflows.
The mission is clear: improve safety, strengthen compliance, and give field teams better tools to document gas infrastructure when and where the work happens.
The Challenge
Mountaineer Gas needed to close the gap between field work and reliable digital records.
Legacy Mapping Workflows
For years, the company relied on hand-drawn maps, legacy software, and limited GNSS data. Even after moving to Esri, early field workflows often captured data after assets were buried, making true installation locations harder to verify.
Missing Infrastructure Details
Important features, including fittings and customer service lines, were frequently omitted from records. These gaps increased long-term risk for maintenance, compliance, utility locates, and emergency response.
Regulatory and Accountability Pressure
Mountaineer Gas needed stronger tracking for valves, fittings, and pipeline assets. The team required more than a basic GPS receiver. It needed a simple, high-accuracy workflow that field crews would consistently use.
The Catalyst for Change: The Bad Elf Flex
Mountaineer Gas adopted Bad Elf GNSS to modernize field data collection with dedicated mapping devices that fit into existing Esri workflows. The company now uses more than 100 Bad Elf Flex Extreme units with Esri Field Maps and the West Virginia real-time kinematic network, often achieving accuracy within 0.4 inches.
That level of precision changed the value of field data. Crews could document assets with confidence, managers could trust the records, and compliance teams could rely on stronger documentation.
Why Mountaineer Gas Selected Bad Elf
1. Simple field use
Non-technical users could connect devices quickly and collect data with less friction, which improved daily adoption.
2. High-accuracy GNSS
Utility-grade accuracy supported confident mapping of valves, fittings, service lines, and other critical features.
3. Esri integration
Bad Elf worked with Field Maps and Survey123, allowing workflow improvements inside the existing Esri ecosystem.
4. Direct manufacturer support
Direct access to Bad Elf improved troubleshooting, implementation confidence, and communication speed.
5. Standardized procedures
Mountaineer Gas required Bad Elf for all track and trace jobs and kept spare units at service centers to reduce downtime.
Operational Impact and ROI
Bad Elf GNSS helps Mountaineer Gas improve data quality, strengthen compliance, and reduce long-term operational risk.
The interview did not provide exact labor rates, equipment costs, or avoided rework totals. The ROI summary below reflects operational facts from the interview and practical utility value categories.
| ROI Category | Operational Impact | Estimated Value |
|---|---|---|
| Data Accuracy | Crews collect high-accuracy GNSS data using Bad Elf Flex Extreme units, Esri Field Maps, and the state RTK network, often reaching 0.4-inch accuracy. | High value. Better locations reduce uncertainty during maintenance, locates, inspections, and emergency response. |
| Compliance Documentation | More than 75% of compliance data now integrates into the company database, including leak surveys, atmospheric corrosion surveys, and rural tap inspections. | High value. Better records support audits, reporting, and regulatory confidence. |
| Track and Trace | Mountaineer Gas now requires Bad Elf units for all track and trace jobs. | High value. Standard workflows reduce missing data and improve accountability. |
| Field Time | The workflow adds about 5 to 10 minutes to a worker's daily tasks. | Controlled cost. Added time improves data quality and reduces future uncertainty. |
| Curb Valve Mapping | Bad Elf improved mapping quality for curb valves that support gas shutoffs. | High operational value. Better valve locations can improve response time and field confidence. |
| Utility Locate Validation | Field staff use Bad Elf devices during line locating tasks, while 811 locate calls increased 50% over the past two to three years. | High risk-reduction value. Better data helps teams respond to growing locate demand. |
| Digital Records | Paper documentation is linked to the digital asset management system so crews can access GNSS locations and connected PDF records in the field. | Faster access to records supports better field decisions. |
| Device Availability | The company keeps extra Bad Elf units at service centers. | Spare units reduce downtime and keep crews moving. |
| Support | Mountaineer Gas works directly with Bad Elf for manufacturer support. | Direct support reduces friction and improves adoption. |
ROI Summary
Bad Elf did not simply replace a GPS receiver. It helped Mountaineer Gas build a better field data system. The strongest return comes from four areas:
- Better asset accuracy.
- Stronger compliance records.
- Fewer long-term data gaps.
- More consistent field workflows.
The daily field investment is small and measurable. The long-term value comes from better records, fewer unknowns, and stronger operational confidence.
Mountaineer Gas moved from "find it later" to "capture it right the first time."
Future Plans
Mountaineer Gas continues to expand digital field workflows. The team is evaluating Pix4D testing and locator units with built-in GNSS capabilities. Casey Randolph plans to test these workflows over the summer and make fiscal-year decisions in October.
The company is also expanding data collection for new service connections, leak repairs, and clamp installations. In parallel, Mountaineer Gas is moving from Workforce to a Task and Maps workflow and testing a migration to the Utility Network.
These plans reflect a broader strategy: GNSS is not treated as a single tool, but as part of a connected digital infrastructure program.
Advice to Other Utilities
Casey Randolph's advice is practical: test tools with real users before making a final decision.
- Do not choose technology only because the industry talks about it. Put devices in the hands of crews who will use them every day.
- Test the connection, the accuracy, the software, and the support.
- The best technology is the one your field teams will actually use.
Mountaineer Gas chose Bad Elf because it delivers high-accuracy GNSS, works inside Esri workflows, supports non-technical users, and provides direct manufacturer support.
For utilities that need better compliance data, stronger asset locations, and improved field accountability, Bad Elf offers a clear path forward to map smarter, document faster, and build stronger infrastructure records one point at a time.