Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/41362
he city of Buffalo Department of Public Works con- tinuously strives to refine its business practices to improve operational efficiency and service to city residents. With responsibility for maintaining the city's large inventory of physical assets, GIS has proven to be an effective tool to streamline information collec- tion and dissemination to department staff, allowing more time to focus on projects and citizen service. In 2006, the department recognized that its use of desktop GIS, although helpful, limited the sharing of critical decision-making information among its seven divisions. The department's desktop GIS architecture included different users managing specific datasets, differing data maintenance practices, isolated and redundant data, and a need for GIS coordination. Finding a Better Way Although beneficial to operations, the desktop GIS architecture was limiting staff's ability to leverage the technology completely. To address these limitations, the department contracted with Bergmann Associates to review the department's GIS operations and detail a plan to improve quality and efficiency. From the assessment report's summary results, a few needs became immediately clear. Although the department embraced technology, it recognized defi- ciencies in its ability to fully manage and implement GIS. There were gaps in data reliability with concerns over completeness, ownership and accuracy. An overreliance on paper documents to manage daily work as well as historical information was seen as a decision-making bottleneck and potential liability. One of the most-important findings was staff's understand- ing and vision for GIS as a tool to improve their work. The report suggested an enterprise GIS based on Esri ArcGIS Server. As a Web architecture, custom data access and management applications were developed to support specific division workflows and data needs. The vision was to create simple, targeted GIS tools that would bring real value to users while simplifying data manage- ment and communication as well as improving service. Following the Path After the contract for application development was secured, the consultant worked with each primary user to define the applications' core functionality. A GIS Portal was created, allowing staff to access each of the different GIS applications from one central Web page. The Web GIS offered a browser-based interface to combine and visualize data that previously required several different actions and individuals to collect, streamlining communication and workflows. The suite of DPW applications is programmed with Esri's WebADF technology (9.3.1). The department The Portal page allows users to quickly access applications through a single Web address. A library of scanned and digital documents is readily available through map clicks or intuitive attribute linking. invested in a powerful server architecture with a SQL Server database server and a second application server. This architecture supported DPW's application and data needs, while opening GIS functionality to other city departments. "The GIS has allowed us to focus on getting our work done," notes Steve Stepniak, commissioner of Public Works. "Where we once found ourselves chas- ing information, we are now completing projects and proactively managing the city's infrastructure. The tools promote accountability while empowering our staff to make informed decisions." AUGUST 2O11 / WWW . GEOPLA CE . COM 19