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.

1. The most common types of work that take place within your organization, and
2. The important information that you need to track for each type of work

Here are a few quick examples:

These examples are maybe a bit oversimplified – but it should be enough information to get you headed in the right direction.  Be sure to write down the information – and remember, the more detailed you get the better off you’ll be when it comes time to implement your software!

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!

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.

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

Simple, affordable, and easy to understand, the Nintendo Wii has outsold both the Xbox 360 and PS3.

Feature for feature both the Xbox 360 and PS3 blow the Wii out of the water.  Far better graphics, faster processors, more storage, you name it.  The Wii doesn’t compare.  However, the Wii has proven a couple of things:

1. People like simple stuff.
2. People like stuff they can afford.

To illustrate the point: Remember back in the fall of 2006 when the only way to get a Wii was to pay two times the retail price?  Remember how you had to buy it from some punk kid who was making a killing that year selling Wiis? …so you gladly let him rip you off while you gritted your teeth and paid like $500 for the stupid thing so your kid could have a one for Christmas?  Remember one year later at Christmas time when Wii’s were still hard to find?

Nintendo could not manufacture the things fast enough.

Well, they’ve done it again.  This time it’s a 3D video game console (handheld) that works without 3D glasses.

So what does this have to do with GIS and asset management software?  More than you might think.

You see, you’ve got Microsoft (Xbox 360), Sony (PS3), and Nintendo (Wii) all playing in the same space here.  Microsoft and Sony have been focusing their efforts on making super-powered-all-in-one entertainment hubs while Nintendo has been doing nothing of the sort.  Nintendo’s strategy?  Stick to what they do best – video games.

And their strategy seems to be working.

Nintendo has sold at least 70.9 million Wiis – compared to only 35.7 million PS3s and 40 million Xbox 360s (even though the 360 has been on the market for almost a full year longer than the Wii).

At novotX, we like Nintendo’s strategy.  For those of you who’ve seen our GIS-based asset and work management software you know it’s much like the Wii – simple, affordable, and easy to understand.

For those interested in reading more Nintendo’s 3D device, here’s the source article:

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5hOgruq-9nbyzLje-SdR7w1KKI2hQD9GCELNG1

For anyone interested in checking out Elements, our GIS-based asset and work management software, you can contact us here:

http://www.novotx.com/Contact.aspx