Pairing of Augmented Reality and Rich eBook Content to Make Training of New Gas Utility Workers Faster and More Effective

Williamsburg, Va. – Index AR Solutions announced today it has partnered with MidAmerican Energy Company to launch a combined augmented reality (AR) and eBook training application for its gas apprentice students that boosts engagement, knowledge retention and worker safety. Purpose-built to help gas utilities develop new technicians efficiently and effectively, the Index AR application is the second offering available to industry in its emerging SuperApp® library.

The gas technician AR and eBook application replaces paper-based materials with a rich and highly visual, complete training platform. It features an interactive multimedia eBook paired with an AR learning experience that is loaded on each apprentice’s work tablet for use in both training and in the field.

In addition to rich text, video and photos, the application includes 3D models, AR overlays, animations, and step-by-step navigations that teach company-approved procedures and best practices that are further enhanced with tribal knowledge from the company’s most experienced gas technicians. Important safety and equipment warnings are also built into the application, presented to the worker at just the right step of a given process or equipment visualization.

MidAmerican Energy Company is a subsidiary of Berkshire Hathaway Energy, wholly-owned by Berkshire Hathaway Inc. (NYSE: BRK.A; BRK.B). Serving some 751,000 natural gas customers in Iowa, Illinois, South Dakota and Nebraska, MidAmerican Energy Company will use the SuperApp to train its Gas Tech Apprentices beginning this year.

The gas apprentice SuperApp® is the latest in a series of SuperApp® AR product offerings from Index AR that are tailored to address common workforce challenges associated with an industry. SuperApp® offerings pack the power of Index AR’s custom-built applications, with product development that is performed in the field using real-world scenarios and hardware. Index AR is building a library of SuperApp® products over time, giving clients a selection of robust AR solutions that can be rapidly procured and deployed to meet specific business needs.

With Westar Energy, Index AR introduced its LineAssist SuperApp® in May, a highly visual mobile training and field application that helps electrical utility linemen perform complex maintenance tasks more safely and faster

The new gas apprentice SuperApp® is available for purchase by utilities through Index AR Solutions, with pricing and terms based on a co-marketing agreement with MidAmerican Energy Company.

“The ability to train, retain and keep workers safe has taken on a new sense of urgency as demographics have shifted in recent years,” said Chris Biernacki, Operations Manager at Index AR Solutions. “We are delighted to work with MidAmerican on this project, creating a way for utilities to modernize their training with highly visual and intuitive tools that workers can use from the classroom to the field.”

In addition to developing the SuperApp® library, Index AR offers custom-built AR apps to help teams in industrial settings work smarter and safer – improving inspection, work instruction, training, workflow management and other operations. Many organizations using an Index AR app have seen a two to four times increase in worker productivity.

For more information, visit https://www.indexarsolutions.com/.

About Index AR Solutions

Index AR Solutions is a leading American enterprise augmented reality (AR) solutions provider, creating applications that make workers more capable and productive. The privately held company offers custom and off-the-shelf AR applications, proprietary AR software, and client retreats. In collaboration with clients, Index is also building a library of SuperApp® AR products to address common workforce challenges across industry. Index AR is hardware agnostic, delivering quantifiable results across all the major mobile platforms, with clients reporting two to four times increases in worker productivity. For more information about Index AR Solutions, visit www.IndexARSolutions.com.

About MidAmerican Energy Company

MidAmerican Energy Company is an energy provider serving 770,000 electric customers and 751,000 natural gas customers in Iowa, Illinois, Nebraska and South Dakota. It is headquartered in Des Moines, Iowa. Information about MidAmerican Energy is available on the company’s website, Twitter, Facebook and YouTube pages, which can be accessed at MidAmerican Energy Company’s website www.MidAmericanenergy.com.