GIS-Centric Asset & Work Management Resources for Government and Utilities
Posts tagged Government
Integrating GIS with Permits, Licenses, and Code Enforcement for Small and Medium Sized Utilities
Aug 18th
Raise your hand if:
- You’re reading this post and you work for a municipality or utility serving a population of less than 40,000.
- You use more than one application to manage your work orders, permits, licenses, and inspections.
- 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
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 and Maintenance Management for Small Utilities
May 21st
Utilities and public works organizations often face a daunting task when it comes to efficiently managing maintenance schedules and routine activities that are required to properly maintain public infrastructure.
The video below demonstrates a simple way to integrate maintenance management with GIS to easily keep track of calendar events and scheduled maintenance. We put this short video together to show how smaller utilities can benefit from the built-in calendars and scheduling tools in Elements while leveraging their GIS investment.
Rubik’s Cube vs. GIS-Based Asset & Work Order Management Software
Apr 30th
Raise your hand if you can solve a Rubik’s Cube. Don’t worry, you’re reading this by yourself and nobody realized that you didn’t put your hand up. The truth is not many people can solve them (if you solved yours by peeling off and rearranging the last 2 stickers it doesn’t count).
The original 3 x 3 x 3 Rubik's Cube. Working with GIS-based asset and work management software can be a lot like solving a Rubik's Cube.
The original 3 x 3 x 3 Rubik’s Cube was first introduced in 1974 and has since caused hours of confusion and frustration for people all around the globe.
GIS-based asset management software was introduced about 15 years later and has caused equal amounts of confusion and frustration – especially for governments and utilities. In fact, given the opportunity to choose between figuring out a Rubik’s Cube and figuring out some fancy new GIS-based asset and work management software, I best most people would take the cube.
When properly executed, combining GIS with asset management and work order software provides huge returns on investment for governments and utilities around the world every day. However if not done properly, attempting to implement a GIS-centric asset and work order management system can quickly turn into the deepest money pit you’ve ever seen.
Here are a few quick tips to avoid potential disaster:
- Start with a 3 x 3 x 3 cube. Have you ever seen those crazy cubes that are odd shapes and have many sizes? Yes, they look fun and exciting – but the more sides and the more twists and turns on a Rubik’s Cube, the greater the challenge. Same goes for your software – the more bells and whistles you cram into your GIS-based work order software, the more complications you are likely to encounter. You can always expand as needed – remember to keep it simple (especially up front) and make sure you select something that fits the needs of your organization!
- Don’t peel off the stickers. I know, it’s tempting… Just peel off those last two stickers and be done with the stupid thing. The truth is the cube will never look the same once you start peeling off the stickers – and the more stickers you peel off, the more likely you’ll never get them back to their rightful places. With your GIS-based asset management software the same principle applies – don’t cut corners – the more you try to hack things together and make do with the wrong tools, the more likely you are to face complications. And just like the stickers, once you’ve peeled off enough of those things the only way to fix it is to buy a new cube. Luckily cubes are cheap, software is not.
- Don’t give up! Even the 3 x 3 x 3 cube can be a challenge at first. But remember, just like the Rubik’s Cube, if you read the instructions (and maybe get a little bit of training) you’ll be just fine (if your software didn’t come with instructions or training you’re in trouble).
As a side note, I’d be interested to see how many people who read this post can solve a 3 x 3 x 3 cube. If you can solve a cube, leave a comment and I’ll compare that to the number of hits this post receives over the coming weeks and I’ll post the results for anyone who’s interested!
GIS & Work Management Software: 6 Quick Tips for Government & Utilities
Apr 21st
Utilities and government face a unique set of challenges when selecting work management software. Here are a couple of things to keep in mind as you go through the selection process:
1. Keep it map-based.
Governments and utilities can maximize their GIS investments and save big dollars by selecting work management software that integrates with the organizations mapping infrastructure. Several work management software applications allow integration from any industry-standard GIS technology including ESRI, MapInfo, Manifold, Autodesk, and others.
2. Keep it simple.
Avoid work management software that is complicated to understand or that involves an extensive learning curve. Remember – even though you may understand the technology, many people who will ultimately be using the system may not be so tech savvy. It may not be a bad idea to have a few of the end-users sit in on a demo or two and see if they think the software is easy enough to understand.
3. Keep it accessible.
Whichever application you select, make sure you can access your data while on the go. Real-time access (via the web) to GIS and work management data is critical to field workers and remote operators. By taking advantage of the web and real-time field access, dispatchers and receptionists are also likely to smile a bit more because communication between field and office staff will improve – making their jobs much easier.
4. Keep it open.
Few things are worse than having lots of great data locked down in a proprietary database. It’s your data – make sure you can get it when you need it! It’s also a great idea to find something that’s built on an industry-standard open platform (such as the Microsoft .NET framework) so you can integrate with third-party applications if necessary. Governments and utility systems can greatly benefit by integrating their work management software with utility billing, financials, and other applications.
5. Keep it affordable.
Remember, you get what you pay for. We’re not looking for free here – we’re looking for a solid application that fits our needs and fits our budget. Enterprise work management software generally entails a bit of configuration to match the specific needs of your organization. Also, if you select a firm that knows what they’re doing you’ll likely receive some pretty good consulting and best-practice information along the way.
6. Keep it manageable.
If you don’t have a large IT department and a large staff, avoid work management software that requires those things. Remember, once the software has been implemented and your staff has been trained, you’ll have to support this thing. Work management software comes in all sorts of packages, so be sure to consider all of your technological options before you purchase (hosted solutions, software as a service (SaaS), on-site deployments, etc.).
Comments? Experiences selecting work management software that you’d like to share? Let us know!
GIS, Work Order Software, & Kate Gosselin
Apr 20th
Kate Gosselin on ABC's Dancing With the Stars
Anyone who was able to stay awake through Kate’s completely uninspiring performance on Dancing with the Stars deserves some recognition. You can watch it here, starting at 41:44.
http://abc.go.com/watch/dancing-with-the-stars/93512/258773/week-five
Of course my mind began to wander as I suffered through the dance. Oddly enough, I began to draw several parallels between that particular performance and integrating GIS with work order software.
With Kate’s painfully boring performance in mind, here are a few quick tips for utilities and local governments looking to implement GIS-centric work order management software:
1. Select software that’s a good match for your company.
Unfortunately Tony Dovolani (Kate’s dancing partner) did not get to choose who he danced with. Luckily, you do. Remember, you’re entering a long-term relationship with both the work order software and the vendor – so choose carefully! Tony put it best when he said “Kate has no motivation and I have to push her each week, it gets exhausting.” Nobody wants to say that about the work order software they selected (or the vendor responsible for the implementation)!
2. Simple is best.
Let’s face it; Kate’s performance was painful for everyone – judges, spectators, and even Ms. Gosselin. As simple as the dance routine seemed, it was evidently way too complicated for the mother of 8. Remember, your GIS and work order software will be used by field staff and other workers who are not familiar with GIS. You’re likely to face a steep learning curve if you overcomplicate things – so when it comes to GIS and work order software, make it easy!
3. Get the attention you deserve from your vendor.
Kate’s excuse for such a terrible performance was that her children were in town that week (yes, all 8 of them) and she had little time to rehearse. Remember, if the vendor you select is too busy with their boat load of children (other customers), performance will suffer. Make sure you’re the important customer. Be the big fish in their pond – the customer that gets all of the attention because you are the most valuable client to that particular vendor.
In summary, there was nothing exciting about Kate’s performance – except that it ended. Implementing new technology (especially neat tools like GIS and asset management software) should be exciting! It will save time, save money, and make your job much easier if it’s done correctly.
GIS, Work Orders, and Asset Management
Feb 2nd
First, a few thoughts on GIS in general.
In the United States, the words GIS and ESRI are often times used in the same sentence. Why? Because according to Wikipedia, ESRI products (particularly ArcGIS Desktop) have one-third of the global market share, and are used by nearly 80 percent of GIS users worldwide from all professions.
However, GIS and ESRI are not the same thing. ESRI provides GIS software, and there are multiple other vendors who do the same (MapInfo, TatukGIS, and Manifold to name a few). While we are huge fans of ESRI, we are also huge fans of other GIS vendors and applications for various reasons.
With that in mind, we have built Elements Management Software to be 100% compatible not only with ESRI products, but with other GIS applications as well.
Part of our thinking is that not everybody uses ESRI – a lot of people do, but some don’t. The other part of our thinking is that some day you may want to (gulp) switch from your existing GIS software to something else. I know, it’s a stretch – not likely, right? Well the good news is it really doesn’t matter to us what you use for your GIS – whatever it is you use, Elements will work for you.
Another reason we did not build Elements exclusively on one particular GIS platform, is because we’ve seen a lot of problems with asset management (and other) vendors trying to keep their software up to par with the GIS vendors. For example – let’s say we were built exclusively on “Platform A“ when “Platform A” makes a change we have to make that change in our software, like it or not. And that ultimately means that “Platform A” is now controlling our software – which is a strange concept to think about.
On Asset Management
I wish I could count how many times I’ve asked a municipal authority if they had some sort of asset management in place and their answer was “Yes, we’ve already got that – it’s uhh.. Arc-something”
“ESRI you mean? For your GIS?”
“Yes, that’s it!”
Earlier in this post I mentioned that GIS is not ESRI. Well GIS is not asset management either. Although GIS helps with asset management, and we use GIS together with asset management data, GIS in and of itself is not asset management. GIS specifically relates to geographic information. Asset management consists detailed information such as repair history, work orders, maintenance schedules, inventory control, asset lifecycle evaluation, cost information, and much more. The key is to combine your GIS data with a solid asset management package for a powerful combination of GIS-centric asset management.
In conclusion, a few thoughts on work orders.
A common data management method we’ve found among smaller utilities and municipalities is the good old “write it, stack it, can it” method. What’s that? That’s when you write something down on a sticky note or napkin, put it in a stack on the desk, and when the stack gets big enough, you move it to the can.
Another common practice is to use spreadsheets and Microsoft Word to keep track of work history information. While this is certainly a step up from the “write it, stack it, can it” method, there is still room for improvement.
After all – with Microsoft Excel, Google Docs, Open Office, and everything else that’s out there you should be able to come up with something to manage your work orders at pretty much no cost, right? The short answer is yes, you can probably use some combination of these programs to come up with something that will appear to do the job. The question is, when you need to find work orders that relate to a specific asset (a section of pipe, or valve, for example) will you find yourself searching through folders, opening and closing spreadsheets trying to find what you’re looking for? Or when you need to determine the expected lifecycle of an asset (based on repair history) can you do it? When you need to see the locations of all work orders that were completed last year, can you find the data?
The fact is you can light your house with candles and cook with a brick oven if you don’t want to pay your utility bill, but I’d rather pay the bill and use a light switch!
About novotX – Our Story
Jan 25th
Recently a lot of people have been asking us how Elements Management Software came to be. For those of you who aren’t familiar with Elements, feel free to check out these Videos.
It was late 2004 when we began discussions with a local secondary water system that was looking for a GIS-based work order and asset management solution. Before we finished the initial meeting I could already see how this would play out – the water system would pay us a lot of money to build some great software package, then right smack dab in the middle of the project they would come to us all fired up because they would find a commercial product that did the same thing for a fraction of the price. Not good. With that in mind, the first we told them was to take a look around and see what was already out there. Given our experience in the software world we figured the chances were slim to none that we’d ever hear from them again – certainly there had to be a commercial product out there that would suit their needs – not only would it suit their needs, but they would be able to implement it much quicker and easier than developing an entirely new software package from the ground up.
After doing a bit of homework, they began conversations with us again. What did they find? Two things. First, they found that yes, there were commercial products available that do this type of thing. However they also discovered that with all of the licensing costs that would be involved, they would never be able to afford one of these fancy-schmancy packages. Not only would the software break the bank, but even if the water system had unlimited funds, the packages were so dang confusing that they wouldn’t be able to figure out how to use it anyway.
Well, we were back on track. We worked closely with them to put together a GIS-based management package that would be a fraction of the cost of other systems and much more user-friendly. How did we do this? By implementing several unique GIS integration methods that allow all users to access GIS data and tie asset management data to the GIS without purchasing any third-party GIS licenses. Next, we came up with the ‘Folios’ concept – which made finding and organizing data much simpler than what was available in the existing systems.
In short, we finished the product and it wasn’t long before other water systems and municipalities found out about it. Elements is now sold as a commercial product across the United States to utility systems and municipalities who are looking to take advantage of their GIS investment without spending a lot of money (and without spending a lot of time learning how to use complicated software).
If anyone has questions about Elements or novotX that they would like to see answered on our blog, please feel free to leave them in the comments!