OVERVIEW
OUC is the second-largest municipal utility in Florida, delivering reliable electric and water services to Orlando and the surrounding region.
Services
- Custom App Development
- Product Strategy & Design
- UI/UX Design
- Ongoing Support
The Challenge & Opportunity
OUC previously used a single, citywide average wind speed to determine when it was safe to dispatch crews for power restoration following a storm. While this method prioritized safety, it often led to unnecessary delays in response times, especially during critical recovery periods.
With multiple wind monitoring stations already installed across Orlando, the team saw an opportunity to shift from generalized data to location-specific insights. By identifying areas where sustained wind speeds had dropped below 35 mph, OUC could create safe, early-access deployment routes. This would allow teams to begin restoration efforts much sooner and reduce overall downtime for customers. The key challenge was building a platform that could transform this data into clear, real-time guidance for decision-makers and field crews.
Summary
OUC plays a vital role in maintaining electric and water services for hundreds of thousands of residents across Orlando and surrounding areas. With the growing frequency and intensity of hurricanes and extreme weather events, the utility’s Emerging Technologies division recognized the need for smarter tools to enhance the speed and coordination of emergency response efforts.
To support this mission, Brandcoders partnered with OUC to develop a custom application focused on improving situational awareness and field communication during natural disasters. The goal was to create a scalable, secure platform that would help utility teams track outages, deploy crews, and respond more efficiently in high-pressure environments while maintaining the high standard of reliability OUC is known for.
Approach & How We Achieved Goals
The project began by aggregating real-time wind data from multiple monitoring stations across the Orlando area. Algorithms were developed to analyze the data and identify safe deployment zones where wind speeds had dropped below the 35 mph threshold. These zones were used to generate clear, up-to-the-minute route maps that enabled crews to be dispatched earlier than previous methods allowed.
The system, known internally as Breeze Board, was actively used during Hurricane Helene and contributed to noticeable improvements in response time. and resulted in noticeable improvements in response time. Ahead of Hurricane Milton, additional enhancements were made to the platform, allowing teams to safely deploy even sooner and begin restoring critical infrastructure without delay.
Breeze Board has since become an essential part of OUC’s storm response toolkit. It is now used in conjunction with other operational dashboards to support informed decision-making during weather emergencies, with continued improvements guided by the Emerging Technologies team.
Feature Highlights
Interactive Map Dashboard & Real-Time Weather Monitoring
- Real-time data from 25+ local weather stations and 8 major Florida airports, including Orlando International, Tampa International, and Melbourne Orlando International
- Tracks wind speed, direction, gusts, temperature, pressure, and lightning strikes
- Interactive map interface with all station locations and current conditions overlayed
- Historical line graphs of all weather data for trend analysis
Alerting & Safety Tools
- Built-in weather alerts from the National Weather Service
- Real-time lightning detection to assess storm severity and crew safety
- Visual thresholds to help identify safe deployment zones based on wind conditions
Administrative Dashboard
- Secure admin dashboard for system configuration and station management
- Manual overrides and monitoring tools for station-level controls and diagnostics