As you read this, already the second quarter of the year will be well under way, and we should be starting to see not only more details about how and when the looming economic challenges we are all facing will be addressed, but also how our industry will fare in that process. It seems that everyone I talk to these days has passionate and deep-seated feelings about how to fix the economy, often emanating from widely polarized positions. However, we have some of the best minds in the world working on it, and I for one, remain optimistic that we’ll pull out of this slump and regain the higher ground as the balance of 2009 unfolds. But, however it finally turns out, and whatever the time frame, it seems likely that major changes are afoot.

A common element of even the most divergent views is that an unprecedented level of investment is warranted in both energy and conventional infrastructure, regardless of how it is ultimately financed and carried out. Needless to say, these two areas – energy and infrastructure – go hand-in-hand, and both are clearly in need of a massive rejuvenation after decades of neglect and unrealistically deferred attention. I suppose one could say that it’s finally time to pay the piper, but the size of the task – both in resource and economic terms – is daunting, to say the least.

One piece of good news is that most industry analysts, investors and others I’ve spoken with recently agree that the energy and utilities sector is probably better positioned to withstand the sluggish economy than practically any other major vertical market – at least for the near-term, but quite possibly in the longer term as well. The very fact that electric power is so vital to our economy, our security and especially our quality of life, portends a fundamental need for investment that simply cannot be overstated.

As you probably know, it has been widely reported that critical grid transformation investments are probably in the $1.5 to $2 trillion range over the next ten years, but even that level of commitment may prove insufficient to keep power flowing smoothly unless we start taking bold steps toward shoring up the elements that are among the most critical and vulnerable in our decaying T&D infrastructure.

But there’s also more good news: Now that most utilities have returned to core business – following a rather disturbing foray into non-regulated businesses a decade ago when deregulation was the hot topic – investors are once again turning to utilities; not just as a safe, stable environment, but also as a rich field of new and exciting opportunities to move toward a more sustainable and secure energy future. Moreover, having long been a safe haven during economic downturns, utilities are once again drawing interest from the investment community. This renewed interest includes not only large institutional investors and venture capital firms but also smaller, industry-specific firms and individuals alike. With such a pronounced emphasis, it’s hard to imagine how our recovery could possibly NOT include a huge boost for longstanding energy supply, delivery and efficiency goals – many if not most of which have been delayed for far too long.

As you probably noticed from our cover and table of contents, this issue is primarily focused on Geospatial, Mobility & Field Automation applications, and among the key areas of investment being considered within the context of the economic recovery is the creation of a National GIS database. And none other than the man who is virtually synonymous with geospatial technology – Jack Dangermond, president and CEO of ESRI – spearheads this bold initiative.

You will learn a lot more about the architectural structure, salient benefits – and even the estimated cost – of a National GIS in the second installment of our 2009 Automation/IT Leadership Series interview with Jack Dangermond and Bill Meehan, the latter being the person responsible for overall corporate direction for ESRI’s infrastructure industries, including electric and gas utilities, transportation, water and telecommunications.

This issue also offers a diverse collection of articles and features that cut across the entire energy/utility market landscape. These range from insights into major Clean Tech projects among the largest of utility enterprises – featured in our second LightsOn™ installment – to innovative product, system, service and application articles designed to enrich your own work experience, whether as a supplier, user, consultant or third-party participant.

Judging by the editorials contained within the covers of this issue, it should be clear to even the most casual observer that there is a lot of innovation going on and that the solutions such innovations produce are in higher demand today than perhaps ever before. Our future is now; it starts today, so let’s all do our part to make sure we get on with it sooner rather than later… tomorrow might be too late. – Mike Marullo