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“It’s exciting to see the increased interest in the tools we’ve built with VertiGIS technology. We plan on making them available to more and more departments in the future to expand our toolset.”
– Scott Moe, Operations Manager, GIS
The Challenge
The County of Monroe, NY was using a system called “Hansen” as their asset management system, which managed work orders for sewage assets (e.g. manholes, collection points) and facilities (e.g. buildings, floors, security cameras). This system was separate from their GIS and was used alongside their VertiGIS Studio-based “Utility Asset Viewer” application.
Field workers were required to manually record details of work that had to be done and radio the information back to the dispatch center to have a work order generated. It was a time-consuming, inefficient process that led to long lag times when creating work orders.
The County was looking to modernize their approach and standardize on a new solution. SAP® had been in use as the County’s financial system since 2005, and VertiGIS Studio was a natural fit due to its proven integration capabilities with SAP.
The Solution
Working with the VertiGIS team, the County built a new app for managing sewage and facilities work orders that integrated with SAP work order management tools and consolidated asset management with their GIS.
The application – called the SAP Viewer – streamlines the creation and management of work orders. Field staff can generate work orders with a quick series of taps on their tablets; they simply locate the asset on the map, select it, and generate a work order in SAP. VertiGIS Studio’s workflow capabilities have helped automate the process by querying and compiling relevant data before pushing it into SAP.
By creating a data link to their Oracle® database, the County can also access historical work orders for any given asset directly inside the app, allowing them to gain a better understanding of the lifecycle of their assets.
The Result
VertiGIS has helped Monroe County simplify the process of creating and managing work orders. Putting the power to generate work orders in the hands of field staff has resulted in considerable time savings; they no longer have to radio back to the office to have a work order created, freeing up office staff for more important work.
The County has also realized significant cost savings. Shifting away from custom development performed by outside consultants has allowed the County to leverage a framework that helps insulate them from disruptive technology change and take advantage of new software versions quickly. VertiGIS ensures that the County’s SAP Viewer and other GIS apps are compatible with future versions of SAP and Esri technology, removing the need for consulting work to upgrade their application(s).
Since implementing the SAP Viewer, the County’s field staff have noted considerable improvements over the old system. Many departments have expressed interest in accessing the SAP Viewer, including the Department of Transportation, who plan to use the tool to create work orders for their street signs and other transportation-related assets.
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