Every now and then someone will ask me if Elements is a “GIS-Based” or “GIS-Centric” application.  My answer?  I’m not sure (and does it matter?) -  I haven’t found either term defined in a real dictionary anywhere and to be completely honest, when building the application we weren’t too concerned with terminology – we were more concerned with solving the problems at hand.

With that in mind, here are a few questions we’ve received about the GIS integration methods in Elements:

Question:  Is the ESRI ArcGIS geodatabase the asset and feature data repository in Elements?

Yes.  Or No.  Elements clients can select whether they want to use the ESRI ArcGIS geodatabase as the asset / feature repository or if they want to use a different GIS integration method.  For those who choose to do so, whatever they’ve got in their ArcGIS setup is what comes across in Elements.  Elements users read directly from (and write directly to) the ArcGIS geodatabase.  Using this method GIS is not duplicated or synchronized and all GIS asset data is created and maintained using ArcGIS software.  For clients who don’t use ESRI products or who have limited access to GIS resources there are other GIS integration methods available that do not use the ArcGIS geodatabase as the asset and feature data repository.

Question:  Does Elements synchronize my GIS data?

That depends; clients using the ESRI ArcGIS integration method described above will not be synchronizing data.  Period.  Clients using other GIS integration methods usually won’t synchronize data either – but depending on how Elements has been configured, it is possible to synchronize GIS.

Question: Is there any data duplication with Elements?

There is no data duplication using the ESRI ArcGIS integration method in Elements; all users are reading directly from (and writing directly to) the ESRI geodatabase.  Other GIS integration methods in Elements allow users to “Link” GIS files, which also does not duplicate data.

Question: Is the asset management data stored in the same database as the GIS data?

Nope.  The asset management data including work orders and other documents are stored in a separate database.  In the early years of Elements all of the data was contained in the same database, but that has since changed.  Why?  Because Elements has evolved as a complete asset and work management application designed to manage both GIS and non-GIS assets as well as Heavy Equipment, Fleet, Facilities, Customers, Meters, Locations, Permits, Licenses, Inspections, and several other things that are better maintained outside of the geodatabase.

As you work to implement a new GIS-based asset and work management system (or improve your current system), a key component that often gets overlooked is the current value of all inventory on hand.

With such a strong focus on GIS assets, sometimes this critical component gets left behind. However, every time a Work Order is completed, inventory items are used.  Big or small, expensive or not, it’s important to manage the parts that are being used on your Work Orders.

Determining the Value of Your Inventory On Hand

At any given time it’s important to know the value of inventory on hand at any given location.  Your inventory locations might consist of one or more parts warehouses, service vehicles, inventory storerooms, or a combination the three.

When parts are used on a work order, it’s important to track where that part came from.  If we use a widget on a Work Order – did it come from Jon’s truck, Mike’s truck, did it come from the Warehouse, or somewhere else?  How detailed you want to be is up to you, but however you decide to manage your inventory, make sure you can pull the reports you’re going to need at the end of your fiscal year.

To property manage the value of your inventory you’ll need to decide which accounting method you’re going to use (if you don’t already have one in place).  You’ll get different results for each accounting method, so make sure you use the one that will give you the result you’re looking for!  (As a side note, we’ve found that almost all government and utility companies use the FIFO method).

As illustrated in the following examples, we can see that using the same dollar amounts and the same parts, the value of your inventory on hand will differ with each accounting method:

1. FIFO – Inventory on hand will be valued at $10
2. LIFO – Inventory on hand will be valued at $5
3. Weighted Average – Inventory on hand will be valued at $7.50

Here are how the values are determined for each method:

1. FIFO (First In First Out)

When using a part on a Work Order the oldest price you paid for that particular part will be used against the Work Order.

For example, lets say you have 2 widgets in your warehouse: you paid $5 for one widget on January 1, and $10 for the second widget on January 2.  You now have a total value in your warehouse of $15 ($5 + $10).  Now, after using one of these widgets on a Work Order, the oldest price paid gets used first, so the total value in your warehouse is now $10 using the FIFO method ($15 – your total warehouse valuation, minus $5 – the oldest price you paid for the widget).

2. LIFO (Last In First Out)

When using a part on a Work Order the most recent price you paid for that particular part will be used against the Work Order.

Again, lets say you have 2 widgets in your warehouse: you paid $5 for one widget on January 1, and $10 for the second widget on January 2.  You now have a total value in your warehouse of $15 ($5 + $10).  Now, after using one of these widgets on a Work Order, the newest price paid gets used first, so the total value in your warehouse is now $5 using the LIFO method ($15 – your total warehouse valuation, minus $10 – the most recent price you paid for the widget).

3. Weighted Average

This method uses the weighted average of all prices paid for a particular part to determine the value that will be used against the Work Order.

Again, you have 2 widgets in your warehouse: you paid $5 for one widget on January 1, and $10 for the second widget on January 2.  You now have a total value in your warehouse of $15 ($5 + $10).  Now, after using one of these widgets on a Work Order, the weighted average of these parts is calculated and used against the Work Order: $15 (total price paid) divided by 2 (number of units) yields a $7.50 average meaning the total value in your warehouse is now $7.50 using the LIFO method ($15 – your total warehouse valuation, minus $7.50 – the average price paid for the widget).

Did we forget something? Anything else to add?  Leave us know in the comments!

1. Easier to use, and
2. More affordable.

Usually they explain that they purchased a nice GIS-based asset and work order management system 5-10 years ago and it just never really got adopted.

Unfortunately, of all the cruise ships on the ocean, it’s not very fun to find yourself in this particular boat.  Someone probably spent a lot of time and money up front on the software, and let’s face it: breaking up can be hard.

However, if you find yourself in this boat, you ultimately have two decisions – you can either:

1. Get back up to speed on the application and force everyone to start using it, or
2. Dump your current GIS based asset management system and get something that your people will actually use.

Before jumping ship to a newer, flashier ocean liner, here are a few quick questions to help you evaluate the situation:

1. Why is your software not being used?
2. How much money and time will it take to get back up to speed and use the application to its full potential?
3. Even if you had all the time and money in the world, could your field operators use the thing? Or is it just too complicated?

Many times we’ve found it to be quicker and less expensive to get a new application than to resurrect the old one.   At any rate, make sure to examine your current situation carefully before jumping ship – spending a bunch of money on one lousy cruise is bad enough, no one wants to go on two.

When selecting asset and work management software for government and utilities, here are a few things to keep in mind:

Usability

There’s a fine line between powerful software and an application that’s too complicated for people to use.

The nature of powerful software often entails processes that can be difficult and/or confusing to the end user.  My recommendation would be to have some end users sit in on a demo – by this I mean end users like the guys in the field who will be filling out work orders, and end users like the office admins who will be logging the phone calls – not necessarily end users like the IT staff.  If the office and field personnel are confused in the demos, you can count on them being confused when it comes time to actually use the thing.

GIS Integration

Do you need to purchase additional GIS licenses?

Depending on your GIS setup, this may or may not be an issue.  For smaller systems with limited resources, this is definitely an area where you can save some money, depending on which work order / asset management package you select.

Do you need to ‘synchronize’ your GIS data between your main GIS application and the asset management software?

This can save money, but be careful – when pushing data back and forth wires can get crossed and you can quickly run into data integrity issues with your GIS if you’re not careful.

Is the application built exclusively on top of a single GIS vendor?

Let’s face it – most people in the United States use ESRI for their GIS.  However, you may want to incorporate GIS data from multiple vendors into your asset / work management application – so keep that in mind.  We’ve seen some of our clients use their asset management software with MapInfo and other vendors as well.

Scalability

Can the application grow with your organization?

Remember, today you may only be interested in work orders, but next year you may want to integrate things like business licenses, permits, and inspections.

Is the application modular?

By this we mean do you have to buy each piece of the software separately or is it an all-in-one type application?  For example, do you need to buy a Work Orders ‘module’ and a separate Storm Water ‘module’?  The good news is, you only pay for what you need – the bad news is, you usually need more modules than you initially expect – and the dollars can add up fast.

Implementation and Maintenance Fees

How much is the annual maintenance?

Nobody likes maintenance fees, but unfortunately these fees are what make the world turn (in the software world at least).   20% of the software purchase price is pretty much industry standard, although software vendors vary on this and you may end up paying more or less depending on a) the vendor you select and b) your negotiating skills.

How much will you be paying for technical support?

Some companies offer an introductory period where you won’t pay for technical support.  Other companies are not so excited about giving away free support hours.  This is definitely an area that will vary with each vendor – but remember that support for niche products in niche markets typically doesn’t come cheap ($150-$250 per hour is industry standard).

How long will the implementation take?

For smaller cities and utilities (populations less than 10,000 or so) this can be fairly quick – sometimes as quick as 30-60 days or less.  For larger systems you can expect up to a year or more, depending on how complicated the workflow processes are and how much data needs to be converted.

What did I miss here?  I’d love to hear your comments and/or experiences.

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.

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!

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.

• 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

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).

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.

To visualize data on GIS maps using Elements Management Software:

1. 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.
2. Once you’ve found the documents you’re looking for, click “View on Map”
3. 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.