Field Operations

Collector and Trimble Catalyst at City of Centennial

Since its incorporation in 2001, Centennial, Colorado aimed to be a small government, partnering with other agencies and the private sector for most its services. Working as an extension of the city, CH2M provides public works services to more than 106,000 residents – delivering a broad range of services from traffic engineering to snow removal – while being flexible to the city and citizen’s needs.

To adapt to these changing needs, CH2M has assisted the City with the implementation of ArcGIS Online. The ArcGIS Online maps and applications aid numerous Public Works disciplines. Collector for ArcGIS provides a simple, easy to use tool to update the City’s data in the field from mobile devices. Although successful, with high adoption across Public Works departments, there was one key ingredient that was at times missing. Location accuracy. Many off-the-shelf mobile devices that were being used cannot provide reliably accurate location data.

As a participant in the Esri Early Adopter Program for Collector and Catalyst, CH2M saw an opportunity to help Centennial with a remarkable new product, the Trimble Catalyst GNSS receiver.

Trimble Catalyst is an exciting new technology that features a subscription-based software GNSS receiver. Using the Catalyst DA1 antenna with your Android phone or tablet’s USB port you can achieve high accuracy whenever and wherever you need it.

CH2M approached John Londo, from the City of Centennial Colorado to participate in CH2M’s beta testing program for the Trimble Catalyst GNSS receiver and DA1 digital antenna within Esri’s Collector App.

When asked about the opportunity to preview this game-changing technology. “I am excited about this product for its ease of use, the ability to use the product alongside Collector, and its low-price point. To improve their accuracy for such a small cost would be a big improvement to the work they are doing as well as a value add to the project”.

John tested out the Catalyst GNSS receiver with Collector at Centennial’s Civic Center Park by collecting light poles, hardscape – edge of pavement and retaining walls, and electric junction boxes.

“My experience was very positive and even after only an hour or two worth of testing I would recommend this product for use by all of the projects I work on. The interaction is smooth and seems as though they were created for the sole purpose of working together. I think all of my projects would be excited to have this product on site and with the cost being so affordable it’s an easy sell.”

Collector for ArcGIS and Trimble Catalyst will be showcased this following week at Esri’s 2017 International Users Conference. Please stop by the Esri Showcase as well as Trimble’s Showcase area to learn more about this amazing new offering!

About the author

Jeff Shaner is a Senior Product Lead with the software products team at Esri. With 27 years experience, Jeff is focused on delivering apps that enable users to work more productively, safely, and effectively. In his spare time, you are likely to find Jeff on the golf course or hockey rink. 

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