GIS Applications
Enterprise Asset Management System
Author: Infor Inc. and City of Greensboro GIS Division
Tools: Infor’s D7i EAMS and Greensboro’s GIS
Description: With the creation of a one-call center (see Contact Center below) to handle all non-emergency requests for City services, it became imperative to consolidate the numerous incompatible departmental work order and asset management systems into a single system. Infor Inc. was selected to provide the software for this new consolidated system. The software is integrated with both GIS and the Contact Center. Currently, D7i is utilized by our Transportation and Public Works departments. Typically, users of D7i will use the embedded ArcIMS map to locate and select an asset needing service. From within this GIS module, work orders can be created and attributes of the asset reviewed. Beyond GIS, Infor’s EAM is used in Waste Water Treatment Plant (where we integrate D7i with our SCADA system) with Water Treatment and the balance of our Water/Sewer system being implemented in 2007/08. When fully implemented in 2009, the system will track more than 1 million City assets.

Author: City of Greensboro GIS Division
Tools: ASP.NET, ArcIMS
Description: This application was developed to support the City’s new Contact Center. The Center provides a single contact point for citizens to ask about City services and make requests for services. The application includes a knowledge base of City policies, practices, and services so that a small team of Citizen Service Representatives (CSRs) can answer questions on nearly all aspects of the City organization. It is also integrated with the enterprise-wide asset and work order management system, allowing service requests taken by a CSR to be seamlessly transferred to operating departments.

The embedded GIS mapping functionality is through an ESRI ArcIMS map service that is tied to our enterprise GIS data using ESRI’s ArcSDE middleware. Web services technology provides the integration with the Datastream-based asset management system. High levels of system availability are ensured by clustered application servers and clustered database servers. Telephone technology uses Cisco’s Voice Over Internet Protocol (VoIP).

• Work Order Entry Module ~ This spatially-enabled module allows the operator to enter a work order and identify the work location by street segment or park. A map window embedded in the entry form provides a GIS interface that allows the operator to view the location of the work to be performed. The operator can also see the locations of  work in progress. Work orders are queued for downloading to the field crews’ laptop computers.
• Field Works Module ~  This module runs on a laptop computer. The Field Works Module provides a spatial element by presenting a map of the City or district that displays work locations as points on the map. These points can be color-coded on work priority, allowing more efficient daily route planning.
• The work order form can be displayed by clicking on a point on the map or by selecting it from a drop-down list. The Field Works module provides the ability to track time spent on the job, as well as materials, equipment, and labor costs.

Pavement Management

Author: City of Greensboro GIS Division
Tools: Map Objects, VBA
Description: Each year the City of Greensboro repaves roughly 30 miles of streets at a cost of $3 to $4 million dollars. The GIS-based pavement management application provides staff of the Transportation Department with a tool to evaluate street pavement conditions and to use this information to manage its street repaving efforts in a cost-effective manner. The application is laptop-based, allowing the inspector to take his computer into the field. Once the inspector arrives at the street to be evaluated, he or she reviews the pavement’s condition and enters a score for each of 10 different factors that measure pavement condition. The application then automatically calculates a composite score for that stretch of pavement. Ultimately, these scores are transferred to ArcView version 9x for subsequent analysis and map composition.