GIS-Centric Asset & Work Management Resources for Government and Utilities
Posts tagged Asset Management Software
Using ESRI for GIS-Based Asset and Work Order Management Software in Government and Utilities
Aug 11th
Recently I did a quick search on ESRI’s website for “work order software” and was surprised by the result: a couple of outdated articles from 2006 about Grand Prarie Texas and the City of Philadelphia.
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
Aug 9th
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 and Work Management Software with Full GIS Integration and Industry Standard Compatibility
Jul 20th
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.
GIS, Asset Management Software, and Fred Savage
Jul 7th
The 80’s were great. Two of my favorite things that came out of the 1980’s were:
- ‘Fletch’ in 1985 with Chevy Chase
- ‘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).
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:
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.
How To: View Work Orders on GIS Maps
Apr 6th
Elements Management Software makes it quick and easy to view the locations of work orders and other important asset management data on GIS maps.
To visualize data on GIS maps using Elements Management Software:
- Pull up a list of the documents you’d like to see on the map. For example, you may want to find work orders that have been completed in the last 6 months, or building permits that are about to expire.
- Once you’ve found the documents you’re looking for, click “View on Map”
- Render the map to your liking, and enjoy!
In this short video we show how to quickly find all work orders that have been done within the last 6 months, locate those work orders on a GIS map, and color code the map to highlight all work orders that cost over $250.
Homer Simpson & GIS-Based Asset Management Software
Apr 5th
In a memorable episode of The Simpsons (Season 2, ‘O Brother, Where art Thou?’), Homer discovers his long lost brother Herb (who owns a car manufacturing plant). Homer and Herb bond while Homer gets the chance to design his own car (which he ultimately names “The Homer”).
At the end of the episode, “The Homer” turns out to be a monstrosity – a complete disaster to say the least. The car is green, with rocket-like fins, the horn plays “La Cucaracha,” and the price tag is north of $200,000.
What does this have to do with GIS-based work order and asset management software? A lot.
When searching for a GIS-based asset and/or work order management package it’s easy to fall into a trap searching for the do-everything-system that has every bell and whistle known to man in an effort to get the most bang for your buck. The problem herein lies. We’ve seen too many people end up with a budget nightmare that is too complicated for the staff to learn, far too difficult to use, and impossible to support in future years. In summary, they end up with “The Homer.”
We’ve seen too many people end up with a budget nightmare that is too complicated for the staff to learn, far too difficult to use, and impossible to support in future years. In summary, they end up with “The Homer.”
When searching for GIS-based management software, take a minute to step back, think about the true needs of your organization, and remember that in some cases, less is definitely more.
Read an article in Public Works Magazine about the original presentation here.
Watch this episode of The Simpsons here.