Tag Archives: infrastructure
SnowCOP Helps Local Governments Efficiently Manage Cleanup during Snowstorms
Last week, we released version 1.0 of Snow Common Operational Picture (SnowCOP). SnowCOP is an ArcGIS Server and ArcGIS Viewer for Flex application that can be used by public works, road commission, or department of transportation staff to monitor snow event responses and determine which streets (or areas within a local government) aren’t getting enough attention. It is an interactive web application that allows managers and district operations leaders to correlate citizen complaints, snowplow assignments, current vehicle locations, and planned response activities to maximize the deployment of resources when responding to the event.
Address data management just got a lot easier with ArcGIS 10
This week, we released version 1.0 of the Address Data Management Template. This template is an ArcMap editing map, editor extension, and set of editing workflows for managing road centerlines with address ranges, facilities, site addresses, and related mailing address data. It is an editor that can be used by mapping technicians in planning, public safety or land records organizations to streamline the collection, maintenance and use of authoritative address information.
When you download the template, you’ll find it includes:
- A multi-scale ArcMap document designed for editing
- Two Add-ins and set of constructions tools that are added to your ArcInfo or ArcEditor installation
- The Local Government geodatabase with sample data from the City of Naperville, Illinois
The Address Data Management Template at ArcGIS 10
The Address Management Add-in and address construction tools contain a series of custom editing tools that improve the editing experience for ArcGIS users working with roads and address information. For example, there are tools that:
- Add new road segments and allocate existing address ranges to the new segments
- Flip road segments to the direction of the line and address ranges are in sync
- Add new site address points and compute the proposed address from the location along the road centerline
In addition to the tools, the Address Data Management template also includes an editor extension called the Attribute Assistant. This extension uses a series of pre-defined methods to automatically populate attributes for you when updating and/or adding new features to the geodatabase. For example, one method will populate the full road name on each road centerline and site address feature from a valid list of road names contained in a master street name table. Other methods will help you maintain the integrity of your address data by populating a unique identifier, last editor and last update date on each feature.
The template is a great place to start if you’re looking to modernize your address data management workflows and improve the quality of address information in your organization. It provides a configuration of ArcGIS 10 that will:
- Allow you to manage road centerlines with address ranges, and site address points for public safety, utility, permitting and other service delivery needs
- Associate one or more related postal addresses to a given site address
- Implement a master street name inventory that increases the quality of your address information
- Deploy efficient data management workflows
- Help you implement several national address standards (NENA, USPS, etc.) that promote system integration and data sharing
The editing workflows help you improve the quality of your address information
To support the Address Data Management Template, we’ve also released an update to the ArcGIS for Local Government Information Model. This simple, harmonized local government information model supports the maps and apps shared on the ArcGIS for Local Government Resource Center. It reflects specific application requirements and the cartographic requirements necessary to produce rich, multi-scale base maps and operational layers. You can download the Local Government Information Model from ArcGIS.com and migrate your content into this geodatabase design. When you do, you can quickly take advantage of the maps and apps published on the ArcGIS for Local Government Resource Center.
The latest release of the information model adds support for the address workflows contained in Address Data Management Template. In addition, it incorporates address standards from NENA (National Emergency Number Association) and the USPS (United States Postal Service). We’ve taken these standards and implemented them where appropriate in the Local Government Information model and provided local government users with a set of streamlined workflows to maintain authoritative address information for their community. The physical implementation of these standards supports a wide variety of system integration opportunities and is a foundation for state and national data sharing initiatives.
USPS and NENA Address Standards have been incorporated in the Information Model
Our goal is to provide local governments with a set of ArcGIS tools and workflows that simplify address management and improve the overall quality of their authoritative data. Later this winter we’ll add a complimentary web application that can be used to enlist feedback from your citizens on the quality of your address data. This simple web application will allow citizens to add missing site address information. Once added, the local government can then review the new address locations and decide whether they would like to incorporate them in to their master address inventory. In addition, this application could be used to enhance the data sources used by a Reverse 911 or other citizen engagement application in your community.
So that is a quick overview of Esri’s Address Data Management Template at ArcGIS 10. If you’d like to see the address workflows in action, you can watch a short video we’ve posted on the Resource Center. In the future, we’ll share blog posts on other Address Maps and Apps you can find on the ArcGIS for Local Government Resource Center. As always, feel free to contact us if you have any questions when you begin to leverage the new address data management workflows in ArcGIS 10.
ArcGIS for Local Government UC Wrap Up
We wanted to take a minute to thank everyone who attended our sessions at the UC last week. The feedback we got was outstanding and we look forward to working with you in the near future.
If you couldn’t make the UC Tech Workshops, we’ll try to get the video for the ArcGIS for Local Government: An Introduction Tech Workshop published on the Resource Center later this summer. In the meantime, the presentation is attached to this blog post for reference.
We’re excited to incorporate what we learned at the conference in to our plans and we’d also like to take this opportunity to share with you our plans for the next 60 days (rest of the summer here in Michigan…).
New Maps and Apps:
We will be adding a series of maps and apps to the ArcGIS for Local Government offering. They include:
Maps and Apps Gallery: A web application that provides citizens a single gallery of maps and apps you’ve published for your organization. It also allows external developers who are leveraging your authoritative data to submit their apps for inclusion in your gallery.
Address Editing Map: An editing map that helps planning, public safety, and land records organizations in local government maintain road centerlines w/ address ranges, site addresses, and related postal addresses.
Service Request for HTML 5: A HTML 5 application that allows citizens to submit non-emergency requests for service from a mobile phone, desktop computer or tablet device.
Community Planning: A web application that allows citizens to propose community master plan design alternatives.
Park Finder: A web application that allows citizens to find a park nearby, or list of parks that Offer recreation activities you’re interested in.
Sign Inspection: A universal iOS application that allows public works and DOT field staff to collect new street signs and conduct inspections on existing signs.
Campus Editing Map: An editing map that helps facility managers maintain interior spaces and exterior assets found on building grounds or a campus.
Campus Basemap: A multi-scale basemap for facility managers that can be used as a backdrop for facility applications and to enhance content found in your local government basemaps.
Campus Room Finder: A web application that allows users to find an office, conference room, or other interior space in a building or among many buildings on a campus.
Easier to Deploy:
In addition to adding a new set of maps and apps, we will be taking several steps to make it easier for you to deploy ArcGIS for Local Government in your organization. In doing so, look for:
Quarterly Releases: A consistent quarterly release schedule that includes new maps and apps, updates to existing maps and apps, and any bug fixes reported by users. Our first quarterly release will be in October 2011.
On-premise Offering: A single ArcGIS for Local Government download that is simple to install and configure. This single download will replace the individual downloads on the Resource Center today. It will also allow you to identify one or more ArcGIS for Local Government modules you’d like to deploy in your organization; and install the individual applications contained within each module.
Online Help: An ArcGIS for Local Government online help system for users and partners deploying the system.
Partner Offerings:
Esri is committed to developing a community of partners who are actively engaged in selling and delivering ArcGIS for Local Government. It is through collaboration with its partner community that Esri best meets the needs of local government customers.
In order to make this collaboration with Partners repeatable and successful, Esri has created the ArcGIS for Local Government Specialty designation within the Esri Partner Network. It is designed for Partners who are focused on the local government marketplace and who want to work more closely with Esri.
Several Esri Partners approached the ArcGIS for Local Government team at the UC and are ready to add their applications to growing ecosystem. We will be working with these partners to ensure the applications can be deployed with the Local Government Information Model and simply by users. We look forward to highlighting the good work these partners are doing in local government.
Thanks again for the tremendous feedback at the UC. We were delighted that many of you took the time to attend the sessions we had. As always, feel free to contact us with any specific feedback or questions you may have.
New release of Local Government Information Model supports upcoming Address and Facilities Maps and Apps
ArcGIS for Local Government provides a simple, harmonized local government information model that supports a series of maps and apps used by local governments. The information model reflects specific application requirements and the cartographic requirements necessary to produce rich, multi-scale base maps and operational layers. You can download the information model from ArcGIS.com and migrate your content into this geodatabase design. When you do, you can quickly take advantage of the maps and apps published on the ArcGIS for Local Government Resource Center.
The Local Government Information Model in ArcCatalog
This release of the local government information model includes a series of major updates.
Major Updates:
The Address feature dataset was updated to support the active management of site addresses. The SiteAddress feature class was retired and three new feature classes were added to the local government information model. This update supports a series of Address Editing apps currently under development. The new feature classes and a PostalAddress table in the local government information model are a physical implementation of the FGDC United States Thoroughfare, Landmark, and Postal Address Data Standard and were adapted to support site address maintenance in local government.
The FacilitiesStreets feature dataset was updated to support the active management of facilities and campuses.This update supports a series of Facility/Campus management apps currently under development. For many who have already begun to use the features in this dataset, you’ll find we’ve done some pretty extensive work on the data model for features like, signs, streetlights, and signals. In addition, we’ve incorporated portions of the Building Interior Space Data Model (BISDM) to support building/interior space management and extended it to support exterior features found on government grounds, parks, and even campuses. Much of this work will also support Public Works apps that require information about paved areas, pavement markings, poles, signs, signals, etc.
This update to the information model also supports a new campus basemap we will release later this summer. When you begin to use this information model, you will be able to produce a great basemap for your government facilities, downtowns, and campuses.
The new campus basemap with sample data from the Esri Campus
This release of the local government information model also includes a series of more minor updates.
Minor Updates:
The Parcel Fabric, contained in the ParcelEditing feature dataset now supports the active management of PLSS Sixteenth Sections. A new parcel type was added to the ParcelType domain to accommodate this requirement.
The ParkRecInfo table was added to the local government information model to support the Parks and Recreation Finder application currently under development.
The ServiceRequest feature class in the CitizenService feature dataset now supports the creation of service requests within buildings. The building floor and interior space attributes were added to the feature class to support Facilities Management applications currently under development.
Known Issues:
There are a few known issues we’re working to resolve in future releases.
Your imagery and surface models must be added to this schema manually.
Layer Packages (LPKs) do not currently support standalone tables in the geodatabase. After you’ve created your schema, please copy the ten stand alone geodatabase tables from the sample dataset in a recent application download. Refer to the Data Dictionary for a complete list of the standalone tables you’ll need to complete the Local Government Information Model.
If you are using ArcGIS Desktop SP1, the ParcelType domain will have to be applied to the Type field in the Parcel fabric class manually after you create your schema.
Quick Summary:
We continue to evolve the local government information model as we add new maps and apps to the ArcGIS for Local Government system. Your feedback is vital. So don’t hesitate to let us know what you think about the information model and what maps and apps will help you in your local government.
We’ve got some exciting things coming this summer and early fall so keep a close eye on the Local Government Blog or follow us on Twitter if you’d like to learn more about how ArcGIS for Local Government can help you effectively deploy GIS.
ArcGIS for Local Government at the 2011 UC
Sorry for the recent blogging sabbatical, the team was on the road the entire month of May rolling out the ArcGIS for Land Records Seminar Series. It was a great experience. We got to interact directly with users implementing the land records maps and apps we’re providing in the ArcGIS for Local Government system and received a lot of feedback – which is critical. But we can’t take any time off – the 2011 Esri User Conference is right around the corner.
And because its coming up so quickly, we wanted to take a minute to highlight several sessions for those interested in learning more about ArcGIS for Local Government and how the maps and apps available within each module (Land Records, Water Utilities, Public Safety, etc.) of the system can help you. This year, we have a whole track dedicated to ArcGIS for Local Government (search the conference planner for “ArcGIS for Local Government”) and we’re really looking forward to getting your feedback and addressing any questions you may have.
Monday (Plenary Day)
8:30 – 3:30 – The Plenary Session
This is a must see event. Lots of great ArcGIS 10.1 product demonstrations. If you are new to the ArcGIS for Local Government product offering, we hope you’ll catch a glimpse of the maps and apps we’re offering and begin to understand how ArcGIS for Local Government can help you.
4:00 – 8:00 – The Map Gallery
A great time to catch up with old friends and see some great maps submitted by your peers.
Tuesday (Tech Workshops Begin)
8:30 – 9:45 – ArcGIS for Local Government – An Introduction
This session will provide an introduction to ArcGIS for Local Government and a set of downloadable maps and apps for Local Government users.
10:15 – 11:30 – ArcGIS for Local Government – Engaging your Citizens
This session will provide an introduction to ArcGIS for Local Government’s citizen engagement applications. The maps and apps are for organizations that want to deploy applications that interact with their citizens and leverage social media content.
1:30 – 2:45 – ArcGIS for Land Records – An Introduction
This session will provide an introduction to the ArcGIS for Local Government land records module. The set of downloadable maps and apps are for organizations that manage tax parcel and related property information.
3:15 – 4:30 – ArcGIS for Land Records – Parcel Maintenance Solution
This session will provide an introduction to the Esri’s Parcel Maintenance solution at ArcGIS 10.
Wednesday (More Tech Workshops)
8:30 – 9:45 – ArcGIS for Land Records Implementation Examples
This session will provide an overview of the ArcGIS for Land Records implementations by the City of Calgary and the City/County of Denver.
10:15 – 11:30 – ArcGIS for Land Records – Migrating Your Data
This session will provide an introduction to the Parcel Fabric data model and data migration strategies.
1:30 – 2:45 – ArcGIS for Public Safety – An Introduction
This session will provide an introduction to the ArcGIS for Local Government public safety module. The set of downloadable maps and apps are for organizations that manage response and recover activities.
3:15 – 4:30 – ArcGIS for Public Safety – Configuring
This session will describe how to configure the ArcGIS for Local Government public safety maps and apps.
3:15 – 4:30 – ArcGIS for Water Utilities – An Introduction
This session will provide an introduction to the ArcGIS for Local Government water utilities module. The set of downloadable maps and apps are for organizations that manage water, sewer, stormwater, roads and other public assets.
Thursday (Nearly the Last Day of Tech Workshops)
8:55 – 9:15 – ArcGIS for Local Government’s Planning Apps – An Introduction
This session will provide an introduction to the ArcGIS for Local
Government planning and development module. The set of downloadable maps and apps are
for organizations that manage land use cases, public comment, code enforcement, and other planning activities.
10:15 – 11:30 – ArcGIS for Water Utilities – Configuring
This session will describe how to configure the ArcGIS for Local Government water utilities maps and apps.
1:30 – 2:45 – ArcGIS for Land Records – Configuring
This session will describe how to configure the ArcGIS for Local Government land records maps and apps.
3:15 – 3:35 – ArcGIS for Local Government’s Election Apps – An Introduction
This session will provide an introduction to the ArcGIS for Local Government election module. The set of downloadable maps and apps are for organizations that manage election results, precinct information, and redistricting efforts.
4:05 – 4:25 – ArcGIS for Land Records – Improving Data Quality
This session will provide an introduction to a set of tools provided with the ArcGIS Desktop Parcel Editor toolbar to improve the accuracy of parcel data.
Each of these Tech Workshops will be an opportunity for you to interact directly with individuals from Esri who are responsible for developing ArcGIS for Local Government and the maps and apps provided in each module. We’re excited to hear directly from ArcGIS for Local Government users and want your feedback.
If we miss you at one of the Tech Workshops, stop by the Industry Islands or catch us on Twitter during the conference.
Enjoy the UC and we look forward to seeing you there.
How Healthy is your Water Utility Data?
One of the most over-looked components in any GIS implementation is the accuracy of your data. This year at UC, we’re introducing 30-minute “health checks” where our water utility experts can perform a diagnostic on your data to help you assess its overall quality. Using the ArcGIS Data Reviewer extension, Esri staff will run various automated checks on your water, wastewater, and stormwater data in file or personal geodatabase format.
If you’re interested in having your data analyzed, stop by the Geodatabase Management island in the Esri Showcase. Our experts will be available between 9 a.m. and 5:30 p.m. on Tuesday, July 12th and Wednesday, July 13th, and between 9 a.m. and 1 p.m. on Thursday, July 14th.
To ensure an appointment for your “Health Check” you can schedule in advance by emailing datareviewer@esri.com with your name, organization, contact information, and preferred data and time.
If you can’t make it to UC, here are some other resources to help you QA/QC your water utility data:
-
Data Reviewer for Infrastructure Template-Download this free template that includes pre-configured validation rules specific to water utilities.
-
Data Reviewer Videos-Learn more about using ArcGIS Data Reviewer for water utilities and see how to take advantage of the Infrastructure Template.
-
ArcGIS Data Reviewer Evaluation Software-Request a free, 60-day trial of ArcGIS Data Reviewer to start performing your own health checks.
-
Coming Soon – GIS Data Quality Best Practices for Water, Wastewater, and Stormwater Utilities. This new whitepaper provides an overview of quality assurance and quality control techniques to help ensure the quality of your data.
The Water Development Lab
Been a while since we posted anything on updates to the templates, but that’s because we’ve been busy doing some updates. A lot of good things are in the works. We’ve heard from many users that migrated their production environment over to ArcGIS 10 in the last few months and as part of that migration are deploying the templates. So their organizations are building new workflows and modifying old ones to take advantage of the templates. We’ve gotten some very useful feedback from these users and the below are some of the results of that feedback.
New fields in the Dynamic Value Table
GENERATE_ID Table – You all have asked and we listened. We are restructuring the Generate ID table to have two columns, Sequence Name and Sequence Value. Each row will represent a sequence value.
RUNORDER – This will allow to you specify the order the rules are processed. The previous extension processed the rules in the order of the fields. This caused issue when trying to chain together steps. The runorder is more of a hierarchy, so numbers can be repeated.
ON_MANUAL – Users have asked for a way to only run certain rules when I click a button. The on_change button is great, but does not allow for only manual rules. There will be a button to fire on_manual rules.
Modified Rules – We have updated a few rules, below are the changes.
X_COORDINATE
Y_COORDINATE
LAT
LONG
These rules now have a value method that for lines you can choose to get the centroid, start or end coordinate.
C – Extract the coordinate value from the centroid
S – Extract the coordinate value from the Start
E – Extract the coordinate value from the End
JUNCTION_ROTATION – New option to list the diameter field.
New Rules – To many details to mention, but we will have detail info in the doc.
MINIMUM_LENGTH
NEAREST_FEATURE_ATTRIBUTES
SPLIT_INTERSECTING_FEATURE
MULTI_FIELD_INTERSECT
INTERSECT_STATS
FEATURE_STATS
TO_EDGE_MULTI_FIELD_INTERSECT
FROM_EDGE_MULTI_FIELD_INTERSECT
TO_EDGE_STATS
FROM_EDGE_STATS
New Trace
We are working on redoing the trace to allow it to be exposed to web applications better, as part of this, we are adding a secondary isolation trace function. This will temporary set all valves as inoperable, run the trace from the trace point and return the results.
Operational Viewer
We are anxiously awaiting the release of the Flex 2.3 viewer. We this release, we will update the Operational dashboard to run on this release.
Citizen Engagement
Ne new version of the applications allow your customer to submit a service request as well as share information with them. Coming Soon.
Update – You can find all beta releases on the Forum – http://forums.arcgis.com/threads/20000-Beta-Versions
Create great basemaps for your community with the Local Government Basemaps Template
This week, we published a new Local Government Basemaps Template for our local government users. This download aggregates a series of local government basemaps previously provided in separate MPKs into a single download. In addition, it adds more recent basemap designs for public safety and planning applications you’ll find on the Resource Center; and mobile basemap designs you’ll need for day-time and night-time field work activities. In this blog post, we’ll take a close look at the content in the basemaps template and how you can use it to publish great maps for your local government.
The Local Government Basemaps template is a set of ArcGIS Map Documents that can be used to author the essential basemaps in a local government. The template will help you publish a series of high-quality basemaps using your authoritative content. These basemaps are the foundation for a variety of desktop, mobile and web mapping applications deployed throughout local government.
The Local Government basemaps provide a consistent geographic context needed across all local government departments and agencies. They provide important reference information that supports daily decision-making. The basemaps orient map users and are typically combined with other map layers that represent operational information managed by a department and/or agency within local government. In some cases though, the basemaps themselves may serve as a finished product that can be used in a map atlas or other hardcopy product.
The Local Government Basemaps template includes the following basemaps:
General Purpose: Provides context for a wide range of people and supports a variety of application needs within a local government.
Imagery Reference Overlay: Provides road centerline, facility site, and other labels for context when using high-resolution imagery. This reference overlay was designed to be used with a true color imagery basemap. You can combine the layers in this map with your imagery and created a fused Imagery Hybrid basemap if you so choose.
The Imagery Reference Overlay design provides context for high-resolution true color imagery
Topographic: Provides context for physiographic features and supports a variety of recreational and open space planning needs.
Parcel Public Access: Provides a consumer representation of parcel information that can be used with infrastructure and parcel information. This basemap uses design elements found in the General Purpose basemap but adds additional content at larger scales.
Public Safety: Provides context for public safety data (incidents, events, resources. etc.). This basemap uses design elements found in the General Purpose basemap but emphasizes critical facilities found in a community.
The Public Safety Basemap design emphasizes critical facilities in a community
Mobile Day: Provides context for field workflows and data on a mobile device. This basemap uses design elements found in the General Purpose basemap but has been simplified so features are visible on field devices, in outdoor conditions and during daytime hours.
Mobile Night: Provides context for field workflows and data on a mobile device. This basemap uses design elements found in the General Purpose basemap but has been simplified so features are visible on field devices, in outdoor conditions, and at night time.
The Mobile Night Basemap design supports mobile work activities in low light outdoor conditions
Zoning: Provides boundaries of zone districts and included as part of the zoning ordinance. At smaller scales, this basemap aggregates individual zoning categories into general patterns that identify trends in a given community.
Current Land Use: Provides a description of how land is occupied or utilized. At smaller scales, this basemap aggregates individual land use categories into general patterns that identify trends in a given community.
Future Land Use: Provides a description of how land should be used in the future. At smaller scales, this basemap aggregates individual land use categories into general patterns that identify trends in a given community.
The Future Land Use Basemap design shows land use trends at small scales and parcel level designations at larger scales
Each basemap is encapsulated in its own unique map document and organized around the scale ranges defined in the Microsoft Virtual Earth/Google Maps tiling scheme for ArcGIS Server. The data frame in each map document is re-projected to the Web Mercator Auxiliary Sphere Projection (WKID 102100 / 3857) but the source data in the geodatabase is maintained in its local State Plane Projection. Structuring the TOC by scaled group layers allows you to save layer files that contain all data sources, symbology, and label classes required for each scale level. This can be helpful when resolving cartographic issues found in the cached map at specific scales.
All of the Local Government basemaps use a single information model called the LocalGovernment.gdb. The Local Government Information Model at ArcGIS 10 supports a series of maps and apps used by local governments and demonstrates how ArcGIS can be configured to support specific business needs in your organization. It reflects specific application requirements and the cartographic requirements necessary to produce rich, multi-scale base maps and operational layers. You can download the information model from ArcGIS.com and migrate your content into this geodatabase design. When you do, you can quickly take advantage of the maps and apps published on the Local Government Resource Center.
You can use the content provided in this template to produce the local government basemaps with your own data. Once you have created your own geodatabase, you can load data and connect the maps to your geodatabase to make this and other templates work with your data. If you’re responsible for implementing GIS in your community, the Local Government Basemaps Template and sample data from the City of Naperville, Illinois is a good example of the work required to build local government GIS data and related basemaps.
We look forward to your feedback and hope to see great basemaps for your community online soon.
Response to ArcGIS Data Reviewer Valency check for from/to nodes idea posted on the Ideas site
Recently, one of our users posted an idea for ArcGIS Data Reviewer on the Ideas site. The user provided some examples of how they would like to implement the Data Reviewer Valency check in their work environment. These were:
- Ensure inverts of incoming pipes are >= elevation at bottom of manhole.
- Ensure invert of outgoing pipe at manhole is = elevation at bottom of manhole.
- Ensure a main pipe never flows into a lateral.
Although Srinivas had discussed configuring the Valency check for various common scenarios in our previous blogs, he did not address any user-specific examples such as the above. In this blog, I wanted to highlight how to configure the Valency check for examples 1 and 2.
The configurations provided below use the sample data provided with the Infrastructure Editing Template on the Water Utilities Resource Center. If you’re interested in testing the configurations you can download this template as well as the Data Reviewer for Infrastructure Template from the Water Utilities Resource Center that contains additional checks in the form of batch jobs for validating water / wastewater / stormwater data.
