Geographic Information Systems Division

This division of the Information Technology Department is responsible for managing two strategic technologies: Geographic Information Systems and Enterprise Asset Management.

Geographic Information Systems

Geographic Information Systems (GIS) integrates spatial data (maps) and tabular data (informational databases) through computer technology. In doing so, it revolutionizes the way that information can be used.

GIS is one of the basic building blocks of the City’s technology offerings. The goal is to deploy GIS throughout the organization, improving the way services are delivered to residents and businesses. To this end, GIS supports the databases, develops applications, and provides technical assistance to a growing base of users.

It has been suggested that more than 80 percent of the information maintained by municipal organizations is "geographically referenced." This means that information is tied to a location on the earth's surface by a street address, a depiction on a map, or through some similar technique.

Examples of geographically-referenced data include aerial photography, addresses, crime incidents, water customer locations, and vehicle routes.

Last Year's Highlighted GIS Projects

• City Command Center Web GIS Viewer (internal)
• Fire Inspections / Incident / Preplan application
• ArcGIS Server Web Mapping Applications (internal)
• Facilities Maintenance to EAM
• Collaboration on rewriting Building Inspections system
• Vehicle routing creation and optimization
• New planimetrics detests
• US Census LUCA address update
• Stormwater infrastructure inventory
• Stormwater impervious fee calculation
• City Command Center application
• ArcPad housing condition survey
• Contact Center support
• ImageNow and GIS integration

Software - Greensboro uses the ESRI ArcMap Suite of products. For users of personal computers, this includes ArcMap version 9.3.1 The City maintains 13 licenses of ArcInfo, seven licenses of ArcEditor, and 30 licenses for ArcView. Wide arrays of ArcMap extensions are also available. More than 150 users, spread across nearly every City department, regularly use this software. Increasingly, we are delivering GIS technology via “server side” applications using a combination of ESRI’s ArcIMS and ArcGIS Server products.

Hardware - The typical platform for ArcInfo is a Dell Precision workstation running Windows XP and Windows 7. The typical ArcView platform is one of several models of Dell personal computers. Personal computers at the City operate on Windows XP and Windows 7.

Multiple servers provide data to GIS users; this includes a pair of clustered, enterprise-wide Dell file-servers that host all SQLServer based data (including ArcSDE layers as well as non-GIS data). Another pair of clustered enterprise-wide Dell application servers supports ArcIMS and ArcGIS Server applications (along with non-GIS applications). A prototyping file-server is also used for application development and testing.

Application Development - The application development platform for GIS combines a number of technologies, including ESRI’s ArcObjects and Visual Basic for Applications (VBA). From Microsoft, GIS uses both Visual Basic 6.0, VB.net, ASP.net and Silverlight. Most database management occurs in Microsoft’s SQLServer. GIS operates in a Client / Server environment running Windows XP and Windows 7 on the desktop and a variety of Windows Server products on file-servers and application servers. While GIS provides direct application development services for many GIS-centric applications, the division frequently partners with the Application Services Division of Information Technology in applications that are traditionally IT applications, but which can be enhanced by GIS functionality.

Enterprise Asset Management

The delivery of municipal services to residents rests on complex systems of public infrastructure that are both varied and extensive. Here are a few examples:

• Drivers travel through Greensboro on 1,500 miles of streets (if laid end to end, they would stretch to Colorado). Rain water running off of these streets is collected by 34,000 curb inlets that are interconnected by 800 miles of pipes. More than 45,000 street signs regulate traffic along these streets. At night, they are illuminated by 19,000 street lights.
  
• Your drinking water starts in one of four lakes and is treated in one of two plants. Then it travels through 1,600 miles of pipes that are controlled by 33,000 valves and measured by 100,000 meters. When fire strikes, water is delivered to firefighters through 15,000 hydrants.
• When you’re done using the water, it flows through 1,600 miles of sewer pipes pushed by one or more of 117 lift stations until it reaches one of two waste treatment plants.
• Residents frequently visit some of the 500 City-operated sites. These comprise 5,500 acres and range from undeveloped open space to athletic fields to branch libraries to complexes containing multiple buildings. Buildings can be as large as the Greensboro Coliseum (covering 600,000 square feet) or as small as a picnic shelter.

Through the use of asset management technology, it is possible to track repair histories and coordinate service delivery involving multiple departments. It enables the City to provide speedy service delivery and minimize costs to our customers.

The City uses Infor’s Enterprise Asset Management (EAM) software to manage the work necessary to sustain and enhance this infrastructure. Beginning in 2004, departments have been migrating to EAM. Today, EAM is used to manage maintenance of:

• Streets
• Stormwater infrastructure
• Traffic signs and signals
• Street cleaning
• Solid waste collection and recycling
• Wastewater treatment
• Water treatment.

2008-09 Highlighted EAM Projects

• Facilities maintenance
• Right-of-way (mowing, etc.)
• Parks and Recreation athletic facilities
• Telecommunications
• Parking

2010 Highlighted EAM Projects

• Water and sewer field infrastructure

Today, the City manages more than one-half million assets though EAM. This number is expected to double in the next three years.

Software - Infor’s EAM software, version 8.2, is used by the City. Core asset and work management modules are used, as well as extensions that integrate EAM with the City’s financial, GIS, and Contact Center systems. EAM software is web-based, so it is available to users throughout the City.