How to make geographic information systems (GIS) implementations sustainable using a “Project Delivery Model.”
Over the past year, LaBella’s Data Intelligence Group has assisted our clients in developing innovative technology and improving the utilization of their data. One of our specialties is helping our municipal sector clients with GIS. As we know, there are many applications of GIS in a municipal setting. Just a few examples of these uses are:
Field Data Collection
GIS, in conjunction with mobile technology, can be used to easily capture assets in the field. This can be done using high accuracy GPS/GNSS receivers for utility data such as storm sewers, but it could also be photographs of code violations, notable trees, or other landmarks – just about anything of interest in the community that is spatial! (Hint: just about everything in our world has a geographic or spatial component!)
Environmental Assessments
Use GIS to assess the environmental health of your municipality. There are many datasets available to the public that map factors such as wetlands, floodplains, water bodies, sensitive habitats, and more. This data can be combined with your own data (field or desktop created) to produce a picture of your community’s environmental status.
Land-Use Management
Use existing datasets such as the National Land Cover Database (NLCD) in combination with real-property data collected from assessors to derive a picture of land-use patterns in your municipality. You can also use this GIS data to develop “what-if” scenarios to model future land use and zoning changes.
Asset Management
Being a spatial platform, GIS is ideal to map the location of your municipal assets such as hydrants, manholes, light poles, sewer and water lines, etc. The attributes behind a GIS dataset also allow us to track more than just the location of the asset, but additional features such as year installed, condition, depreciation information, etc. Software such as ArcGIS can be easily linked and integrated into other asset management tools (e.g., CityWorks) as well as financial and accounting software, provided each asset feature can be uniquely identified throughout the system databases.
Emergency Planning and Response
This application for GIS is very timely, given the current COVID-19 global pandemic. GIS has been used globally to map and track COVID-19 cases. One such example is the Esri ArcGIS Online COVID-19 Dashboard (the Johns Hopkins map so many of us have seen). These tools are being used on a local level as well. Counties across the United States have taken advantage of these “out of the box” dashboard tools to map cases in their own community. In addition, GIS is being used to track resources and emergency responses. Examples include tracking hospital capacity, mapping closed facilities, locations of testing centers, and more.
Emergency response GIS is not limited to pandemics, but is also often used in response to natural disasters. Some examples of how GIS is used in this case include mapping power outage areas, road closures, supply distribution centers, etc. In one specific example, communities in New York and New Jersey very effectively used a combination of GIS field data collection apps and social media (e.g., tweeting photos of damage with the phone’s location services turned on) to quickly catalog locations of damage after Hurricane Sandy in 2012.
All of these applications for GIS require resources. First and foremost on this list of requirements are software, followed by data, and for online solutions, hosting capacity. While all of the above uses for GIS can be very beneficial to a municipality, it can be difficult to get started, Many architecture, engineering, and construction (AEC) firms will share data with municipal clients during a project using its own ArcGIS Online infrastructure. But where does that go after the project is complete? In this model, it’s difficult to build a sustainable GIS. Online sites may get shut down once the specific task order is complete without the municipality having its own online capabilities.
To address these situations and provide a framework for better building these projects into long-lasting, sustainable GIS implementations, Esri’s AEC team has introduced the “Project Delivery Model”. This approach allows a firm to work with their client to produce online content during an active project, but then provides the option for the municipality to continue to use the resource after the project ends by acquiring the ArcGIS Online accounts and credits needed to continue updating the map.
The benefits of working with this approach are several:
- Project Management – We can work with you more efficiently throughout the project life cycle by providing an online mapping tool to provide updates, and even collaboratively manage and edit data.
- Providing a Data Source of Record – This online spatial data repository provides a single location for project data that can easily be seen and managed by both the vendor and the client. This improves efficiency by reducing the need to continually transfer files and improves accuracy by reducing the risk of looking at out-of-date data.
- Scalability – ArcGIS Online and the AEC “Project Delivery Model” are a great way to build upon the work of a single mapping project. Esri’s ArcGIS Online platform works very well for small to modestly sized implementations, but also can be scaled to larger solutions by using their vast collection of Online Apps, ArcGIS Enterprise, etc.
- Ownership – The AEC “Project Delivery Model” allows the municipality to acquire ownership of the creator license and credits needed to continue with the online mapping site. This empowers the municipality to continue to move forward even when there may not be budget to continue to engage outside assistance.
If you’re interested in learning more about using this new Esri Project Delivery approach to build/grow your GIS presence, contact us today!
