Tag Archives: Work Orders

Mobile Work Orders and GIS: Pros and Cons of Three Different Technologies

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At the end of the day there are basically 3 technologies available for field workers to access GIS and other asset management data while on the go.

Data Check-In / Check-Out

Overview: Using this method a mobile device grabs a file from the server and checks it out – just like you check out a book at the library.  The file is then locked and no changes can be made to that file until it is checked back in by the mobile device.

Pros: Data remains accurate because only one person at a time can make changes to a file.

Cons: Current data is not available for files that are currently “checked-out” and current versions of the files are not available until they are checked back in.
Best For: Systems with multiple mobile devices that do not have internet access in the field.

Data Synchronization

Overview: Similar to synchronizing an iPhone or other handheld device, a user will synchronize his mobile device with the server while on the local network.  Changes are detected and new data from the mobile device is transferred to the server and new data from the server is transferred back to the mobile device.

Pros: Simple concept, easy to use, great for a single mobile device.

Cons: Difficult to manage with more than a single mobile device.  The nature of this method means somebody will always be out of sync – the guy who synchronizes first will not have the changes from the guy that synchronizes after him.

Best For: Systems with no more than 1 mobile device that do not have internet access in the field.

Real-Time Connectivity via Web

Overview: The most accurate (and reliable) method of transferring data, Real-Time Connectivity means that when a customer service rep creates or updates a file in the office, the updates are instantly transmitted to the field worker’s mobile device.  The same holds true for the opposite situation – when a mobile operator creates a work order, the data is instantly available to the office staff.

Pros: Everyone is always up-to-date and data is always accurate.

Cons: Requires an internet connection (obviously), and some remote areas may not have access to mobile broadband technology.

Best For: Anyone with internet access in the field.

So, if you’ve got decent mobile broadband coverage in your service area we strongly recommend Real-Time Connectivity.  Yes, you’ll pay a small monthly fee for the mobile broadband access, but the time and money savings make the investment worth every penny!

Elements Internet Server is a product designed specifically to address this issue – to learn more check out this video:

GIS, Work Orders, and Asset Management

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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!