Three Important Questions for Every Municipal Organization
In my 16 years at Cartegraph, I’ve watched many agencies build their asset/work management and GIS solutions from scratch into some of the premier systems in the country. It obviously wasn’t easy. If it were, everyone would be doing it. Too often, the day-to-day stuff just gets in the way.
Golden, Colorado has become a municipal asset management “rock star.” Dan Hartman, Public Works Director, said when building a successful system, there are three important questions:
- Why should we do this?
- How do we get it done?
- What opportunities and benefits will we gain?
Why should we do this? Hartman believes it allows the city to track costs, earn credibility, reliability and responsibility. The reports his department generates are indisputable, making justification for additional funding almost a foregone conclusion.
How do we get this done? “First you have to start,” Hartman said. “It may seem overwhelming, so just begin anywhere. You are better off doing something – even if it’s wrong!”
You must have a goal that the community, Council, and employees embrace.
- Efficient government
- Better streets
- Lower costs
- Flood protection
- Safer water
Champions are critical. Hartman says you must have people like Quint Pertzsch, GIS Coordinator, who share the vision — and you have to support them! Success in one area often opens the door in others.
What opportunities and benefits have clients gained over the years? Where do I start?
- 10 years into using Cartegraph, Golden has received many returns on their investment – proactive pre-planned routine maintenance schedules, more effective inspections, little-to-no emergency response time, and intelligent decision making. The city was the first in the country to become GASB compliant and has won several awards. In 2010, Golden was recognized by the APWA Colorado Chapter for its work with Cartegraph on YourGOV, a web and mobile application for citizen requests.
- Over the course of 16 years, the City of West Des Moines, Iowa has grown more sophisticated in its approach to asset management. Today, the city uses wireless laptops to collect and maintain 20,000 signs, 92 signals, 2,500 segments, 4,700 sewer pipes and manholes, and 8,353 storm pipes. In addition, the city manages 286,900 miles of conduit using a fiber management program it developed in VERSAtools.
- In fewer than six months, the Kitsap County, Washington fleet group tracked 8,174 work orders, 713 vehicles, labor from 20 employees, and over 6092 parts in their materials inventory.
- Prior to Cartegraph, it took the City of Colorado Springs, Colorado nearly 24 different steps in their workflow process and 49 man hours to complete work orders. Andy Richter, Traffic Technician II, has since cut the process to six steps and 18 minutes of man hours to complete the same work orders. Richter also tracked crash billing and within two years was able to recover and invoice an additional $40,000 per year.
- In just six months, Colorado’s East Cherry Creek Valley Water used wireless laptops and Citrix to collect GPS points and attribute data for 328 miles of water pipes spread out among 25 square miles, as well as 175 miles of sewer lines. In those same six months, they went from a paper work order system to sending and receiving over 2,500 live work orders from the field.
How do you get started, or expand with the system you have?
I think Dan Hartman says it best, “Think big. Have large goals, but take small steps to get there”.
