Category Archives: GIS

GIS and Asset Management: 5 Ways to Make Life Easier

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I love getting feedback from our customers – when it comes to our software I love hearing what customers like, hate, would like to change, and so on.

With that in mind, I’ve decided to quickly post a few of the things that make life easier for some of our customers in the GIS-based asset and work management world.

We’ll start with the Home screen.  There’s nothing fancy here – just a plain old simple, easy to understand screen that displays basic information about work that is taking place, who’s taking care of it, and which problems haven’t been addressed yet.

Home Page in Elements Management Software

Nothing fancy here - just a plain old simple, easy to understand screen that displays basic information about work that is taking place, who’s taking care of it, and which problems haven’t been addressed yet.

Surprisingly enough, this is one of the favorite ‘features’ as described by our customers – here are 5 reasons they like the Home screen:

  1. One click and you’re there. Just click on the ‘Home’ button in the navigation panel and you’ve got a nice overview of all of the work that’s currently taking place throughout your organization.
  2. Work Orders. This is a great way to quickly see all of the Work Orders that are currently in progress, who is responsible for the work, and which type of work is taking place.
  3. Service Requests. Ever wonder where to quickly find a list of all problems in your department (or entire organization) that have not yet been addressed?  Here’s your answer.
  4. People are busy and they don’t want to see everyone else’s projects and problems here – “just show me the stuff that’s assigned to me and I’ll take care of it.”
  5. Scheduled maintenance coming up?  Do I have an appointment scheduled for today?  Here’s where I can see my date-driven events and appointments.

So there you go, I’ll be posting more customer favorites in the coming weeks – so stay tuned!

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.

GIS-Based Asset and Work Management Software with Full GIS Integration and Industry Standard Compatibility

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If you’re looking to integrate your GIS with an asset management package there are several options to consider.  Elements Management Software offers the following features in a single, standalone application.

Full GIS Integration

Elements 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 others
  • 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

Elements provides asset, work management, and GIS data in a single application – reducing costs and minimizing 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 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 visit www.novotx.com.

iPads, Lattes, and the ESRI 2010 Conference

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Most of the people who read this blog are conference attendees who faithfully tweeted about conference happenings.  Since I did not attend the conference this year, I thought it would be great to share a few things that I learned about the conference while sitting at my desk miles away.

Here’s what the conference looked like on Twitter:

  1. According to the t-shirt, it’s pronounced ez-ree.
  2. Thanks to the iPad, booth traffic was through the roof.
  3. Also thanks to the iPad, nobody knew what the vendors actually had to offer (other than free iPads).
  4. Judging by the number of tweets about waiting in line for caffeine and lattes, the real winner at this conference may have been Starbucks, not ESRI.
  5. Apparently vendors can tell what kind of budget you have by looking at your exhibit badge, and they give you attention accordingly.
  6. Yes, it’s true.  Another product called ArcGIS.  Map Store, App Store, something like that.
  7. 19, 20, 21 = 19 Cities with populations of 20 Million plus in the 21st Century.
  8. There’s a reason the presenters don’t explain which extensions are required to do the cool stuff shown in the sessions.
  9. The bigger the vendor booth, the bigger the chance you’ll never afford whatever it is they’ve got.
  10. Don’t worry, Apple will be giving away free cases and bumpers.

Got something to add?  Leave it in the comments!

GIS-Centric Asset Management and the ESRI 2010 International User Conference

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The annual ESRI International User Conference is always incredible, but this year novotX was nowhere to be found – no booth, and no people sitting through classes.  Are we crazy?

Maybe.

Online plenary presentations, Twitter, Foursquare, and LinkedIn groups helped us make the decision.  The biggest factor in our decision, however, was our customers.

So where were we?

At our office, working – just like most of you.

The fact is, this year we’ve been absolutely swamped with implementations and new customers coming onboard with our GIS-based asset and work management software.  So, instead of putting our resources into an exhibit hall and buying alcohol for anyone at the conference that could possibly buy our software, we decided to put our money into our existing customers.

Our goal is to keep our customers happy and provide GIS-based asset management software that works.

I’ll be the first to admit – there’s not a better place to see the latest technologies, learn from experts in the industry, and meet new geo-peeps.  These conferences have also proven to provide excellent resources for GIS admins to find information on asset and work management software applications that integrate with ESRI and other GIS products.

So for those of you who made it to the conference, hopefully we’ll see you next year.  For those of us who didn’t make it to the conference?  I guess we can count ourselves lucky that we didn’t have to walk through a crowded exhibit hall full of sales reps trying to Jedi Mind Trick us into buying whatever it is they’ve got to offer.  Exhibit halls are funny places, but I’ll save that for another post.

If you’d like to find conference information related GIS and Asset, Infrastructure, or Work Management (whether you attended the UC in person or not) you can join our newly formed LinkedIn group GIS in Asset, Infrastructure, and Work Management for Government and Utilities.

Elements Management Software integrates with ESRI and other GIS applications, providing GIS-centric asset and work management for government and utilities.  For more information visit www.novotx.com.

GIS, Asset Management Software, and Fred Savage

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The 80’s were great.  Two of my favorite things that came out of the 1980’s were:

  1. ‘Fletch’ in 1985 with Chevy Chase
  2. ‘The Wizard’ in 1989 with Fred Savage

Actually, there are some other pretty great things that came out of the 80’s (like Billy Ray Cyrus and B.U.M. Equipment clothing) but we’ll save those for another post.

Recently I was showing our GIS-based asset management software to a company when I was reminded of a scene from the 1985 hit ‘The Wizard’ starring Fred Savage.

I hope you all remember that movie – if you didn’t see it in 1985 you should definitely check it out as soon as you get a chance.  Here’s the scene I was reminded of:

My favorite is the last line of this clip: “I love the Power Glove, it’s so bad.”  And it was.  The Power Glove was indeed ‘so bad’ – it was terrible.

Does anyone remember that thing?  …that insanely awkward and uncomfortable NES controller that never really worked right no matter how many times you calibrated it and no matter how many times you typed in that stupid game-matching code on the keypad (yes, I owned one, so I’m speaking from experience).

Power Glove

The Power Glove was introduced in 1989 as a revolutionary new NES controller.

So how could it be so bad?  With all of those buttons and that awesome glove it was sure to be incredible, right?  Wrong.  Turns out this controller was way better:

NES Controller

The simple design of the original NES controller proved to be much more efficient and practical than the Power Glove.

The original NES controller was easier to understand, your hand didn’t get all sweaty, you didn’t have to calibrate it, left-handed people could use it too, you didn’t have to type in a bunch of codes for each game you played, and most of all – it worked.  Every single time.

And that’s how we feel about GIS and asset management software.  GIS and asset management should be simple.  Our ‘Elements’ GIS-based asset and work management software is intentionally designed to be under-complicated – it’s simple, quick to learn, quick to implement, and it works.

Just like the original NES controller, our combination of GIS and asset management software provides the same data (and most of the same functionality) as some of the more complicated systems out there, but with a little less stress and confusion.

I guess if I could have tried out that stupid glove before I bought it I would have kept my $100 and put it toward a Wii 20 years later.  So if you’d like to try out our ‘Elements’ GIS-based asset management software you can contact us here and we’ll be glad to set you up with a trial.