Monthly Archives: August 2010

Jive Talkin’ with GIS, Work Orders, and Asset Management

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Have you ever sat through a GIS based asset and work order management software demo that sounded like this?

I have, and it stinks. I remember imagining how difficult it must be to actually use the software, given the nature of the lingo that was used during the demo. In fact, after the demo I remember wishing that the lady from this clip was around so she could translate:

Integrating work orders and asset management data with GIS should not require a crash course in Jive.

At the end of the day, integrating GIS with work orders and asset management data is not too big of a deal if it’s done properly. Believe it or not the process can be pretty painless and actually quite a bit of fun!

If you’d like a jive-free demo of some great GIS-based asset and work order management software just let us know!

Integrating GIS with Permits, Licenses, and Code Enforcement for Small and Medium Sized Utilities

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Raise your hand if:

  1. You’re reading this post and you work for a municipality or utility serving a population of less than 40,000.
  2. You use more than one application to manage your work orders, permits, licenses, and inspections.
  3. You’d like to be able to manage all of the above information in a GIS-based environment.

(way to go if you actually raised your hand)

Most people know about the GIS-based work management capabilities found in Elements (service requests, work orders, etc.).  However, a lot of small to medium-sized municipalities and utilities are using Elements to manage much more than just service requests and work orders so I thought I’d post a few examples here.

Building Department

The dynamic data management tools in Elements give users the ability to efficiently manage Building Permits, Inspections, Certificates of Occupancy and other construction-related items. Basic features include:

  • Customers and contractors can submit permit applications online
  • Notify customers and contractors of status changes and application progress via email or text message in real-time
  • Monitor interdepartmental approval statuses of each permit application
  • Manage fees, building valuations, and footage assessments associated with permits and applications
  • Create configurable inspections based on Permit Application types
  • Generate permanent and temporary Certificates of Occupancy
  • Monitor expiration and activity dates for certificates and inspections
  • Manage contractors, certification levels, identification numbers, and other contractor related data

Code Enforcement

Elements offers the necessary tools to manage and enforce municipal code. Users can manage nuisance calls, code violations, case files, and other code-related items including the ability to:

  • Monitor status updates for individual case files
  • Set follow up dates for code violations
  • Visualize code violation locations on GIS maps
  • Schedule field inspections and reviews
  • Manage fees associated with violations and permits
  • Allow customers to submit complaints and violation reports via the web

Licenses, Permits & Other Applications

Manage Business Licenses, Conditional Use Permits, and other applications specific to the unique needs of you organization with Elements. Typical examples of licenses and permits managed within Elements include:

  • Business Licenses
  • Inspections
  • Certificates of Occupancy
  • Solicitor Licenses
  • Home Occupation Permit
  • Alcohol Beverage Control
  • Animal Licenses
  • Firearms
  • Restaurant Licenses
  • Fireworks
  • Tobacco
  • Watercraft
  • Sign Permits

If you’d like to see how Elements can help manage permits, licenses, inspections, and code enforcement in a GIS-based environment you can request a live demo here.

Using ESRI for GIS-Based Asset and Work Order Management Software in Government and Utilities

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Recently I did a quick search on ESRI’s website for “work order software” and was surprised by the result: a couple of outdated articles from 2006 about Grand Prarie Texas and the City of Philadelphia.

ESRI Work Order Search Result

Search Results for "Work Order Software" on ESRI's Website

A search for “asset management software” returned more up-to-date results, but still not quite what I was looking for.

Search Results for "Asset Management Software" on ESRI's Website

If you’re looking to integrate your ESRI GIS data with asset and work order management here are some things to consider.

Full GIS Integration

Elements Management Software (www.novotx.com) provides a comprehensive set of GIS-based asset and work management tools in a single, standalone application giving utilities and municipalities the ability to:

  • Manage work orders, permits, licenses, inspections and other important data in a GIS-based environment using GIS data from any industry standard application including ESRI, MapInfo, Manifold, Autodesk, and more
  • Maintain assets and critical infrastructure in a GIS-based environment without requiring third-party GIS licenses
  • Tie work history and asset management data to any GIS asset
  • Associate asset and work management data to non-customer related assets and accounts
  • Take advantage of GIS-based asset and work management without incurring additional GIS expenses
  • Visualize work history and asset locations on GIS maps
  • Visualize geographic areas containing high concentrations of work orders and other data
  • Effectively distribute capital improvement funds by quickly finding problem areas and assets with high failure rates
  • Maximize existing GIS investments
  • Use GIS data from any source or application to manage assets and infrastructure in a visual, geographical environment
  • Powerful GIS Tools In a Standalone Application

Asset, Work Order Management, and GIS Data in a Single Application

Maintaining all of your data in a single, standalone application enhances the overall user experience and reduces implementation time.

  • Reduce costs and minimize the learning curve
  • All information, including GIS data, is accessible in a single application
  • Full GIS integration is provided without requiring third-party GIS licenses
  • Reduced learning curve; third-party GIS applications are eliminated
  • Reduced maintenance and overhead for support staff
  • Quicker overall implementation

Industry Standard Compatibility

Elements Management Software also allows municipalities and utilities to maximize their GIS investment, regardless of which GIS technologies are currently being used by the organization.

  • Full GIS support for any industry standard GIS application including ESRI, MapInfo, Manifold, Autodesk, and others
  • Organizations with little or no GIS can use Elements to take advantage of GIS-based asset and work management by obtaining GIS data from resources such as counties, state, and local governments then using that data with Elements
  • GIS data from varying sources and multiple applications can be used together to manage assets and infrastructure

Elements Management Software integrates with ESRI and other GIS applications to provide GIS-based asset and work management tools for utilities and government. To learn more about Elements and related products offered by novotX visist www.novotx.com .

3 Quick Tips for Selecting GIS-Based Asset and Work Management Software

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When selecting GIS-based asset and work management software, companies can save a lot of headache (and money) by doing a little bit of homework upfront.

So for those of you who are currently evaluating your options for GIS-based work order and/or asset management software, here are a few quick tips:

“Ready, Fire, Aim!”

There’s only one person in the real world who can consistently find success using this approach:

Seriously, check out those balloon shots at 1:08!

So, unless you’re buying your GIS-based asset management and/or work order software from Bob Munden (featured in the above video), you may want to avoid vendors that don’t aim before they fire.    Look for a vendor that will take some time prior to contract signing to carefully analyze your business processes and clarify how their software will address the specific needs of your organization.  This takes more than a demo or two – often times this takes several weeks or even months to complete.  You may end up paying for this service from the vendor, but the time and money savings down the road will be well worth the extra effort up front!

Surprises are awesome on your birthday; not-so-awesome when you’re buying new software.

Here’s a good example of how awkward things can be (for both parties) when expectations are not clearly laid out ahead of time:

When you buy a new iPod, headphones are in the box – and it’s a good thing, because you need them.  Make sure you know what’s “in the box” (and what’s not) before you sign any contracts.  Remember, there’s nothing worse than finding out after the fact that the single most important feature you saw in the demo is part of an additional module or third-party application that you need to buy separately… especially when you have to go through the entire budget process (again) to purchase the required module.

Sometimes “no” is the best answer.

Remember the movie Yes Man?  Sometimes I think that certain vendors put their sales reps through the magical “Yes” course in the movie:

Believe it or not I’ve had people tell me that they prefer vendors who say no once in a while – as in “no, we don’t have that feature” or “no, we don’t support that type of data” or maybe even “no, our software is not the best choice for your company.” They say it indicates honesty and a trustworthy vendor.  Now – obviously if a vendor tells you that their software is not the best choice for your company, I would recommend not purchasing their software.  However, if a vendor says “no” to certain features that you may be looking for, I wouldn’t give up hope – I would suggest digging a little deeper and looking to see if the vendor has a possible workaround or maybe a different  (possibly better) solution for your problem.

In summary, selecting GIS-based asset and/or work order management software can be a daunting task.  Remember to take your time, make sure everything is clearly explained (for both parties) before signing any contracts, and don’t be afraid to hear an honest answer from a vendor.

Have an experience selecting software that you’d like to share?  Let us know!

GIS-Based Asset Management & Seamless Utility Billing Integration

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Integrating GIS, Asset Management, and Utility Billing is critical to many organizations.  The Elements UMS.net integration provides a seamless integration to CUSI’s innovative utility billing software giving utilities and municipalities the ability to:
  • Manage Service Orders and Work Orders in the same application
  • Manage backflow devices, transformers, and other assets pertaining to water, sewer, and electric companies
  • Access UMS.net billing and financial data in the field via the web
  • UMS.net integration provides improved accuracy of residential and property data in asset management software
  • View UMS.net data on GIS maps to visualize high usage areas, potential problem areas, top revenue generating areas, and other important data
  • Access important financial and utility billing data directly from UMS.net.

The seamless utility billing tools in Elements have been specifically designed to match the look and feel of the UMS.net application to minimize the learning curve and improve communication among departments.

For more information or to request a demonstration visit www.cusi.com or www.novotx.com.