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SOLE SOURCE LETTER
Environmental Systems Research. Institute, Inc. (Esri)
380 New York Street
Redlands, CA 92373
Telephone: 909-793-2853, Ext. 1-1990
Email: jricks@esri.com
DATE: December 12. 2016
TO: City of Miami
FRO\I: Jackie Ricks, Esri Contracts and Legal Services
RE: Sole Source Justification for Enterprise Agreement (EA)
This letter confirms Esri. as owner and manufacturer, is the sole source provider of all U.S.
domestic Enterprise Agreements. while some products are available through value-added
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If you have further questions, please feel free to call me at our Contracts and Legal Services
Department at 909-793-2853, extension 1990.
' Ir1 erel\.
.frackic Ricks
Cot rict Coordinawr
• esri
Contracts & Lev,al Services Dept.
380 New York Street
Redlands, CA 92373
Voice 909.793 ?853 Ext. I -1990
Lricks J esri COON
J-8433-ELA.JR 12 12 3111b
Esri 380 New York S! . Redlands. CA 92373-8100. USA • TEL 909-793-2853
DEVELO1N3 A RESILIEN
Fort Lauderdale, Florida
Noa Gutterman, Assistant Project Manager, ICMA
T, SVART CITY
esri ICMtI
41.
COMMUNITY PROFILE:
Fort Lauderdale, Florida
Population Size: 176,013 (2014 US
Census estimate)
GIS Program: Centralized
Number of Departments Using GIS: 11
Total FTEs: 6
Core GIS Budget: $800,000
What is a Smart Community?
Lora' gover-me is a-e Icokrg for ways to w _ ld safe, heathy, resilient communl,es for their constituents Citizens are
calling or governments to be more transparent, efficient, collaborative, and productive. A government that meets these
ch ,- 'ergess is a Smart Community How will you stave to meet these needs'
Technology is the defining factor fora smart community. It is modern technology that erabies departmerts to increase
commurica',O . _ -_ :t veness, and openness Technology gives governments and their citizens access to powerful
informal on that they can leverage to make more informed decisions
Smart Communities promote efficiency. T.me ro longer has to be wasted in duplication of efforts by different staff
Ceoartmerts car now share relevant and t rneiy cnformavon throughout the organization, helping staff across all
departments collaborate and deliver a higher level of service With a common informaton system like GIS, staff have
access to the tools they need to create.. manage. and share authortative information and applications
doesn't rnatter how big or sma'I your community s. where you are located, or how unique your reeds may be,
any community car. be a Smart Cornrri,rity
2
E;n Smarr Ccrnmiinine; Ca;e S udy jenes
J
EVHLO3INC A RESILIFN
Fort Lauderdale, Florida
T. SVART CITY
LIke many tides facing both natural and man-made
events, Fort Lauderdale cortnually works to be
prepared to dea; w :h both. in Its many programs to
promote corrr^ur ty res.rlency, it often t.ses GIS as a
ve-
h;r!e to explore past sastars, react to JrCc ^g events, ar d make pred ct ors about the fut_re
Given that tourism is one of the city's top economic
drivers, ma rta r rgg Fort Lauderda'e's r'- ]str.cture and
beaches is a chre' ccrcern for local ,* cra.s Thus, with
comr-lur-zi e'cy as a or r---r ", -.:*or sourr;rc rrar.y
of its a , _ -ts A' _ expand GIS
S _ -. . :3t _ as a trac t'ona' mapping
tool As a coasts c:lty, Fort Lauderdale uses GIS technol-
ogy t ara'v:e ,an respord to issues soh as flooding,
v es. erosion Apw I Cis,' ors ha.,e been
`•t .. _ , ,..ped to pl.a' '-gerc es
With a vision for integrat,ng GIS technology in all aspects
of local government, Fort Lauderdale hired its first GIS
ccc; ilinator in 1998. In 1999, city officials set the wheels
Ir r r r _ r t` _ cltyw'de adoption of GIS techroio,y The
power of t'- -5 technology would erabie Fort Lauderda:e
to proact ,e a c the demands of its clt zees and its
erwronmert. Cry.. cticals saw the benef is of using GIS
to Inventory arc manage utdity infrastructure, especially
utilities such as pipes that were first installed in the 1960s.
They worked with Flor rda At,art:c'University's P'arnirg De -
pa . ert tc la, _ ty's GIS _ _r'n, thereby a
Icc = r _ ti. s treat.::: enC
learn about the at-.:;:• c: = "_:• community
S;rcF its Incen._.r, the GIS program ha; nr nnwr to a staff of
t me - '1.i r Es' for' -.. i :g a _' ;'s on within the
,.ce Dec , • rent. Urder the
}f Techrcicgy
Esn Smart Communities Case Study Series
CFi cer M:ke 11_- et, and GiS lM,larager Ian W:rt, members of
Fort Lauderda s GIS staff have developed GIS applicators
to .rvertory assets and marage these assets it a
drgitai format, ", _ = ock rg to rtegrate G'S to the extent
we :an rn our 1; spera' ors Ir today's technology
word, rike GI3 make curiots easier" says Maier
GIS for Community Resiliency
Scec.r',cafly. the city has worked to develop GIS tools to
predict and map potertlal environmental d sasters, it also
works to incorporate GIS technology into its permitting
processes, 'and Issues, flood,rg issues, :: . _ .ssues.
"I' -we break Out rto ernerger . :re, GiS
.: our r^-c —p...ortant tools' says M i -
31 t 'CRhM Systems - r rl .a n., -
"rC`,+ =_ ,.I'i _ � ,r
? _ .,... ; _._plr oaf= - _
- Ef - a
situa'rors
4.ircLr h Fort Lauderdale falls w thin Froward County's re-
gional 31 1/CRM system, the city has developed its own 311/
CRNI system. O,`. e°-t`". Through this system. c,t.zens can alert
the city aboLt ; r r r such as damage from huricares
or floods, and tt':t: ; r-narage the ert,re c:t.zer request
process. from ^'.t. rorr,piet:on, ert.--2Iy online.
Stormwater Master Plan Project. Fort Lauderdale also
promotes community resiliency through its Stormwater
Master Plan Project To ensure that the city meets the
stormwater report ng benchmarks required by the Envi-
ronmental Protection Agency's Nattoral Pollutant Dis-
charge Elimination System (NPIJES) program. Fort Lauder-
dale has developed the Stormwater Operators Program
(SWOPS), which integrates GIS technology to save time
and money As part of this program, teams investigate
and cata'cg each stormwater asset w thin the city twice
a year Before the GIS-based system was implemented,
field inspections information was handwritten in the field
or paper maps, clerks had to be borrowed from other
departments to cog-piete data entry. a process that took
two clerks over four months a year Now, with the use of
Preparing for the Perfect Storm
The citys Stormwater Operations Program requires
members of Fort Lauderdale's stormwater utility
maintenance crews to inspect stormwater assets on
a semiannual basis. Below is a list of the information
the crews input directly into the GIS database:
• Address (Verify the address that is closest
to the inlet)
• Visible (Is the inlet visible — Yes/No)
• Operable (Is the inlet operable — Yes/No)
• Needs Repair (ls the inlet in need of repair —
Yes/No)
• Needs Cleaning (Is the inlet in need of
cleaning — Yes/No)
• Notes
• Inspector (System populated based on
user login)
• Initial Impaction Date
• Last User to Make Modification
• Date of Mast Recent WocWications
ArcGIS for Collector on Pads to catalog and manage as-
sets, each stormwater asset inspector inspects his or her
ceslgrated assets to determine whether they are operable
or require ary repairs The elimination of data entry from
the workload of the borrowed clerks has allowed these
Ind viduals to return to ther core acttv,tles and focus ad-
drt oral energy an the developn-pert and maragerrert cf
Fort Lauderdale's purchase card program to ensure that
all purchases made on behalf of the city are accounted for
and billed correctly.
FEMA National Flood Insurance Program. In a similar
eFort to streami,ne processes and Increase savings,
Fort Lauderdale participates in FEMA's National Flood
Insurance Program Local goverrmerts can apply to
this program to lower their "Comrnurity Rating" scores
and thereby save their cor - _-nts money on trhe:r flood
insurance premiums Fort La_-:_ e uses GIS to analyze
flood -zone areas and create an Interactive web -based
application that a lows constituents to access food
desigratlon zones `or all areas of the city The rating Fort
Lauderdale received has saved corst tuerts mrl'rons of
dollars since the city joined the program
4
Esrr Smart Communrt:es Case Study Series
r.,
Clapping flood zones helps the city determine where resources should
be targeted during storms.
Evacuation Routes.
maps tee'..
route; r
for ee-eey_n
rr 7' r_
T. 3r—
r
-vrt
(uss' ... _._ . .r
' i .•1 r'be pr-_n Wired
pr'o,;itee deeisior
a bet-
-7
a'e t!-e r
sar ersure
Coastal Erosion. ry .. t- a ^afar
J try For: _ — ..3 St Y.] c rne. to
j 1 s a resr, t. _ '.{ crr ci3's
.p0 r ai..altea:shere'son The
,3 '..� take aer ai photographs of the
coast' a ;k ergs or, on a year-to-year bass Staff
they t an3 yze the data and corvey patterns
and trends i - erosion to decision makers and policy
makers. The visual data obtained from the yearly analy-
ses of the aerial photographs provide concrete evidence
of the ircreas rg erosion and he`p the city a.ndertake
measures to sa`ey_aed its beaoh`rort a~d. it tern, its
tourism industry
Demand for Data
With the integration of GIS technology into a diverse range
of software programs. GIS touches nearly all city depart-
ments and staff. Departments such as Public Works and
litlities, which have successfully integrated the technolo-
gy into their programs since 2001, are making significant
developments in their practice and application of GIS. For
example, the Public Works Department recently used GIS
to complete a sidewalk survey mapping all cracked or
damaged sidewalks in the city The increas rg number of
GIS proficient staff to all departments helps to open the
process of GIS applicator creation and des gn to almost
every city staff member
S
r -err 4t-
ill=; =;
i,1
pia •i
�9r F '•
wr.r.
T
As a coastal community, Fort Lauderdale places a high priority on the
protection of its waterfront and beaches.
Several of the city's GiS applications were built from Esri
ternpfates—Trost retably, ArcGIS for Local Government
Maps and Apps (http://arcg.is/1Xdt1 WI) and Web
AppBuilder (http://arcg.is/1TiGbPM). Mary of these
templates can be modified w th little or no programming
effort to fulfill a city need, for example, Fort Lauderdale
used the Arc; IS far Local Government Park Locator app
template (http://arcg.is/1 Yu2aV7) for Park and Recreation
Finder to create a new and improved version of its Park
Ender application. The city was able to adapt these
templates to fit its needs by adding an additional search
feature that allows users to specify their unique search
locations. By making such modifications rather than
build rg a completely new application, the city estimates a
savings of over 200 hours for the Park Finder app atone.
Neighborhood Engagement
Since Fort Lauderdale first implemented GIS technology,
city officials have tried to get the technology into as many
harts as possible 'r order to answer corn` tents' ques-
tions be' e -.Hey are even asked- Althoege the city does
not use a formai cit zen assessment con- ... ttee when
developing GIS applications, the GIS Department staffs
5
Esn Smart Communities Case Study Series
• op,•• ....0.*•4•00* • • • •,• a/ • r c
1=2.M.11.3
•
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umnar....• Ire 41...• .1.1•15 •Ily • -Ms ••••
The city's Property Reported app captures data for analysis.
a booth at the city's annuaor house, where
can Offer si.ggest:ons and rg and
futk..re GIS apc cng .,r.e
evert increases tne: !: ' s ro m5 ard app'.ca-
tons in the cornm:,....- •; ,Sr':),23 tO garner cons:stent
feedback frcar, r3motre,w technoio-
g.es to a w•cte a-c ..e!
The city a' Fort h)sts an anrual event caied
Neigrbor Support t Ti 'vs c:ty depart-
rrents and --s• with their °ors:1J-
ents and bLi'd pub c arer ess, of relevant .ssues Th,s
•
1 ° 1 •
1
1,i 1,1 .1 r 114: i B '1
(IL °Nags 7.1
9..••• 4.• • .•••• •• •
slorm.ASSUILT SWOPS. 3141 nw 88
)1.11
n 1 ., YI14
•
I
anin Niotl twan.ng new 11005
1)717 SPIN ,4,1713
Fort Lauderdale's SWOPS application, which is used to carry out the
NPCES stormwater activity mandated by the State Department of
Environmental Protection, saves numerous labor hours,
s e.scecia, •-,_ "cr among
:nd• = : gerera !i reed tD be reedto
take care c' ,es and their re:ghbors rup to
severty-tw an emergency or crisis The
IT Sery ce---• be
has pla,.::2•: 3 7.1 '.I- new
GIS ai:dt-ca: 3-3 each yea' L:--•?!.•(:„'ees of the event are
able to aclore preae:- and future GIS applications
on computers, tablets, and mobile 'snores, ard GIS staff
are avalable to help dernonstrate tnese applicat,ons and
answer any re_evant questions.
The city of Fort Lauderdale uses maps to engage neighborhoods in planning for community resilience.
Esn Smart Communities Case Study Series
"We're in an area that's susceptible to tropical storms and sea level rise. From a
geography standpoint, understanding and promoting community resiliency is one
of our main objectives."
—Lee Feldman, city manager
Plans for the Future
All these ach.:everrents rotn/rthst_ardrng, the city contin-
Les to look ahead Er*.erpr se resource planning (EPP)
systems . _ :v , , es t_, .. 'ne r reso' roes more e fec-
tively by stream irirg processes, ccnsul dating v:arous
components of etch de:::a-..rient, and a"!ocat ng budgets
Fort La_de-dalaoLnnnir. t; develop an ERP
sysc r:;lli ore that
car sgy and
appi cat.one.
S>,,eral new GIS..acn as well,
a ! _ ,sre r '-_.,- , sw users to
t.'
- heeade a GIS-based t
e i LC.
t,-•e.The
_ map
r.;:ve
"r _ 5 g, hoc A-H ..tl:•cfe the
t ; to c;re. _ s'Ize the
ef'ects of planning policies on the urban environment.
The tool will address requests such as "show me a 3D
render!rg of the downtown area If we chanced the zorirg
cede to allow buildings of over 700 feet ir height." It w'll
then show vistas from different areas ir the aty w:th the
requested potert.a' zonirg code change.
These upcornIrg GIS applicatlors and ir:t°atives only
scratch the surface of ,AThat city cFc;als have planned for
Fort Lauderda e G'S sew '.s cars-stert'y grow as we
put more applicat'crs o'.t there and demand cort,n es to
grow," says Ma+er
Study Participants
Lee Feldman, rC;ty,Ulanager
Mike laser, Chief Technoicgy ✓f cer
Ian Wint, GIS Manager
Acknowledgment: ICMA would like to thank Fort Lauderdale, Florida, for its contribution of photographs and other graphics used in
this case study
7
Err Smart Cornmunoties Case Study Series
About Esri
Esri inspires and enables people to positively impact the future through a deeper,
geographic understanding of the changing world around them. Our technology enables
organizations to create responsible and sustainable solutions to problems at local and
global scales.
At Esri, we believe that geography is at the heart of a more resilient and sustainable
future. Governments, industry leaders, academics, and nongovernmental organizations
(NGOs) trust us to connect them with the analytic knowledge they need to make these
critical decisions that shape the planet.
esri.com/smartcommunities
About ICMA
ICMA, the International City/County Management Association, advances professional
local government worldwide. The organization's mission is to create excellence in
local governance by developing and fostering professional management to build better
communities.
ICMA identifies leading practices to address the needs of local governments and
professionals serving communities globally. We provide services, research, publications,
data and information, peer and results -oriented assistance, and training and professional
development to thousands of city, town, and county leaders and other individuals
and organizations throughout the world. The management decisions made by ICMA's
members affect millions of people living in thousands of communities, ranging in size
from small towns to large metropolitan areas.
www.icma.orgilocalgovtechalliance
esri ICMA
152333
Esri SMART COMMUNITIES
THE BENEFITS OF GIS FOR ALL
Carver County, Minnesota
by Cory Fleming, Senior Technical Specialist, JCMA
esri ICMA
COMMUNITY PROFILE:
Carver County, Minnesota
Population Size; 97,162 (2014 US
Census estimate)
GIS Program: Hybrid (Centralized and
Decentralized)
Number of Departments Using GIS: All
Total FTEs: 4 plus a summer intern
Core GIS Budget: $546,793
What Is a Smart Community?
Local governments are looking for ways to build safe, healthy, resilent communities for their constituents. Citizens are
calling on governments to be more transparent, efficient, collaborative, and productive. A government that meets these
challenges is a Smart Community. How will you strive to meet these needs?
Technology ;s the 7.1erinon,; facer for a smart community. It is modern technology that enables departments to increase
communication, effectiveness, and openness. Technology gives governments and their citizens access to powerful
information that they can leverage to make more informed decisions.
Smart Communities promote efficiency. Time no longer has to be wasted in duplication of efforts by different staff.
Departments can now share relevant and timely information throughout the organization, helping staff across all
departments collaborate and deliver a higher level of service. With a common information system like GIS, staff have
access to the tools they need to create, manage, and share authoritative information and applications.
It doesn't matter how big or sma,l your community is, where you are located, or how unique your needs may be,
any community can be a Smart Community.
5,'.,.dv 5enes
THE BENEFITS OF GIS FOR ALL
Carver County, Minnesota
Carver County was an early adapter of GiS technol-
ogy, first implementing a system in the mid-1990s.
Initially. there were a small number of users; these
were in departments that focused on land use. Over time,
however, the use of GIS spread throughout the county.
GIS was presented as a service that provided an enter-
prise -wide platform with access to centra'i:ed data for
all departments.
In 2000, Carver County's Information Technology De-
partment began a push to expand GIS technology to ail
departments. A few county departments had changes in
leadership that opened up new opporturit;es to invest in
GIS technology, resulting in more top -down support for
the technology in those departments. The need to collect
data on county assets and public infrastruct-,re 'iainte-
nance led to re'wwork assignments. The ir't'
Esri's ArcGIS Online —a coilabc, a- ,e u'1S that. ;ws
users to create and share maps, scenes, 3 ps, layers. ana-
lytics, and data — in 2009 greatly enhanced the expansion
effort.
One of the first tasks undertaken at this stage was to take
existing county technology, processes, and procedures
and rrake them mobile. This enabled county field crews
to use new applications on smartphanes and tablets. No
longer were data collected in the field on paper forms and
later loaded into a spreadsheet for analysis; now they were
collected directly into a database, and new data layers were
created. Data were automatically synced in the system,
eliminating most paperwork and achieving a higher degree
of accuracy.
The Growth of New Users
The growth in county personnel using GiS has been
extremely rapid: from 15 desktop users before the intro-
duction of ArcGIS Online to 175 active accounts after
implementation. Several county departments — Land Man-
agement, Planning and Water Management, Environmental
Services, Emergency Management, Public Works, Sheriff,
Property and Financial Services, Information Technology,
The county has benefited from up-to-date focationai data for county
assets and infrastructure.
Health and Human Services, Facilities, and Employee
Relations — depend on maps for their work, for example;
Public Works uses maps for establishing infrastructure
maintenance plans. Among these departments are about
thirty people who are classified as power users and serve
as resident GiS experts within their own departments.
Why has this interest and growth in GIS occurred? County
staff rrade a conscious effort to assess the business needs
of departments and brainstorm how GIS applications could
help meet those needs. As employees saw how others were
using GIS, they began coming up with their own ideas for
using GiS in their departments.
3
Esrn Smart Communities Case Study Series
County Applications
A high demand for data collection existed among several
county departments. As personnel recognized the value of
GIS technology for managing workloads, they advocated
for access to that technology for their departments. The
Assessor's Office was among the first departments to
embrace GIS. The manual processes that the department
had been using to store property photos, taxation data,
and evaluation data were quite lengthy and time-consum-
ing. The new automated business processes enabled staff
to upload data into GIS while they were in the field, thus
improving their efficiency and freeing up time for other
activities.
PrctuNd s a dasnboa,d for rght of -way acquisition projects.
Water management data collection was another priori-
ty area.The county's Planning and Water Management
Department has implemented six applications, all collector
driven, for improved water management. Having Iocational
data on such items as septic systems, sewer lines, and soil
borings has been especially helpful from an environmental
management perspective. Knowing what is underground
helps the county stay compliant with state regulations; it
also speeds up the permitting process for homeowners
and developers. Having the GIS database helps protect
the county in case issues ever go to court. It is also helpful
for simply looking up data — for example, a recent water
quality analysis.
Public Works has become one of the heaviest users of
GiS technology. Significant organizational changes in
the department have created an environment where GIS
use has expanded rapidly. First, a progressive director
who was visually oriented and interested in using maps
to communicate county plans took over department
leadership, Then, staffing changes in 2010 dramatically
changed the culture of Public Works: remaining staff
had a vested interest in technology to improve business
processes and overall efficiency. This was followed by a
reorganization that created two dedicated GIS positions
within the department. Since then, Public Works has
leveraged GIS technology to better maintain the county's
existing infrastructure, using it to accomplish tradition-
al asset management tasks, document the location of
publicly owned assets around the county, and establish a
maintenance program for those assets.
Some of the GIS projects undertaken by Public Works
help manage work. The department uses Web AppBuilder,
Collector, and Operations Dashboard to plan, schedule,
and manage traffic counts, Public Land Survey System
monument maintenance, and tv154 (storm sewer) com-
pliance inspections- Mobile GIS also supported a curve
study focused on sign placement; after the study identi-
fied unnecessary curve signs, many signs were removed
and a significant savings was realized. When the county
needed to replace 1,200 signs that were widely dispersed,
it contracted with a sign installer and used maps and apps
to efficiently track the installer's work progress, inspect the
installer's work, and ensure that postinstallation data main-
tenance was completed.
The Right -of -Way Department implemented an Opera-
tions Dashboard solution as a way to track and report the
status of acquisition projects to upper management and
showcase staff performance.
Highway prioritization has been another important area of
GIS. The county has used GIS to capture roadway charac-
teristics, which, coupled with performance measures such
as safety, congestion, geometric defciencies, and project
readiness, help to establish priorities for future roadway
projects and secure sufficient funding.
Field crews can enter locational data directly into the county's GIS system
while in the field rather than having to wait until they return to the office.
4
Esrl Smart Communities Case Study Series
The Sheriff's Office is increasingly turning to GIS technol-
ogy for its work. For example, staff wanted an application
that would provide them with easy access to crime maps
and a dashboard to track what crimes were taking place
across the county.
The Sheriff's office is findir*c; new ways'.o use CIS in an,dyzing creme data
n da,hhaards.
Data sharing among county departments Has also been
growing over time; for example, the Sheriff's Office has
accessed data on licenses for day care providers and
matched those data wi:h the location of sex offenders,
Another county software system that has been integrated
with GIS is a customer relationship management (CRM)
system maintained by the departments of Land Manage-
ment, Environmental Services, and Planning and Water
Management.The CRM system is used to track progress
with permits issued in the county. The Assessor's Office
links GIS parcel data layers with assessment data for
calculating property values.
And once again, people are always thinking of different
applications that could be developed. A new dashboard
enables the county to share taxation impacts on proper-
ties with elected officials and other community leaders.
Public Works is working on building dashboards to share
performance metrics with management staff.
Regional Collaboration
Since geographic data do not end at governmental
boundaries, GIS technology lends itself well to regional
collaboration. The more geospatial data that are collected
and available for analysis, the greater the understanding
of how decisions can affect a region, In 2009, county
leaders decided to invest in a small government enterprise
agreement (EA) to expand GIS further across departments
without the annual budget constraints. Shortly after the
EA went into effect, Esri introduced ArcGIS Online as a
complimentary service to small local governments with
an EA. The EA enabled the county to expand access to
GIS without having to manage more desktop licenses. The
county received 250 accounts for ArcGIS Online, more
than enough to provide county personnel as well as city
staff with access to the software.
One outcome of more widely available GIS technology
is the opportunity for the county to offer ArcGIS Online
to the cities. Six cities — Chaska (population 25,000),
Chanhassen (population 24,000), Waconia (population
11,500), Victoria (population 8,500),Watertown (popu-
lation 4,200), and Norwood Young America (population
3,700) — took advantage of the opportunity and invested
in the new technology. Without any major limitations on
who could or couldn't have a user license, the county was
able to make GIS technology available to nearly everyone
who needed or wanted the software. This arrangement
was especially beneficial for the cities, which had limited
access to desktop and web -based GIS and could not have
otherwise taken advantage of the technology,
City Applications
The collaborative environment that exists between the
county and the cities has benefited all the jurisdictions
involved. As already noted, it has provided cities with GIS
expertise and other resources they couldn't afford on their
own. Allison Kampbell, a GIS specialist whose position is
shared between the county and the cities, notes, "it's just
a matter of identifying the right person in each city who
can help others understand the benefits of GIS"
Utility data proved to be a driving force in the expansion
of GIS technology to cities. Data updates were done once
a year, but field crews wanted more up-to-date data. GPS
units can capture utility data with one- to three-foot accu-
racy. Moreover, engineers and consultants are not needed
to maintain city data at this stage as city staff have been
trained to do so. Having easy access to and the ability to
maintain these data on their own is a huge asset for cities.
The ability to collect housing data has simplified process-
es for the city of Waconia. Waconia has rental housing it
must manage. Converting the work flow to an in-house
digital system has enabled the city to more efficiently
maintain its housing data. In Norwood Young America,
snow -plowing records that used to be kept in a spread-
sheet are now kept in GIS.
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Esri Smart Commurities Case Study Series
The county has the server capacity and space available to
function as a data repository for its cities. When the county
installed a new fiber line in 2013, it enabled the cities to
directly access their data as well as whatever Jive county
data they might need,The intention is to move away from
static maps by maintaining live data. While paper maps
serve a purpose. the county has become much more
dependent on technological applications.
Training and Peer -to -Peer Sharing
Despite the large growth in GIS users, the need for for-
mal training has been minimal. Most training is handled
internally within departments and is primarily focused on
teaching staff how to collect data for the technology. For
this purpose, the county and cities have taken advantage
of both online courses offered by Esri and classroom
training available locally.
The county holds a GIS users'group meeting every quarter.
The cities hold their oven separate quarterly meetings as well.
During these meetings. power users demonstrate new apos
they have developed and distribute help sheets for users to
reference later on if they need additional information. For ex-
ample, a power user in Water Management built a story map
that other departments can adapt for their own purposes.
During monthly GIS team meetings, staff share the apps they've
developed for their work.
Public Applications
Development and GIS Supervisor Peter Henschel estimates
that 80 percent of the GIS applications developed are for
internal use, with the remaining 20 percent available for
external or public purposes.The most popular external-
ly facing app is the county's public property map, which
receives 13,000 visits a month. Story maps are another
recent innovation; along with maps, citizens can access
"The sky is the limit with what GIS can
offer," says GIS Analyst Nate Christ.
text, images, and multimedia content to tell a story. The
Planning and Water ivlanagement Department has used
this tool to convey information on water quality in county
lakes and rivers, while the county is exploring new ways of
making water quality data available to the public.
There are increasingly more applications being developed
for the public. An open data portal, for instance, enables
citizens to access county property and recreation data.
The cities especially like to have "live" applications for zon-
ing, trails, shopping, and electric service providers.
Benefits
The day-to-day use of GIS applications can be seen in
nearly every department. While the county has not con-
ducted any formal return -on -investment assessment,
the Assessor's Office reports that, despite a doubling in
the number of land parcels in the county as well as an
increase in the number of inspections that must be per-
formed, it has not created any new staff positions in the
past ten years. Essentially, every system that was paper
based is now handled digitally.
To recap, the county has identified the following benefits
as a result of its widespread adoption of GiS:
There is a greater sharing of data between the county
and the cities.
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Residents in Carver County have easy access to maps of recreational
trails throughout the county.
., 1
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Esn Smart Communities Case Study Series
TMeWater Management and'lanneng Departmert Nas among .the `Ir;t to
use monde apes for code:ting water quality data Nhife in the 5eid.
The cities have the benefit clan enterprise architec-
ture that they would not be able to afford on their own.
• The cities pay a portion of the GiS system costs
based on their population size, which amounts to sig-
nificantly less than paying for a desktop system.
• New applications that can be used with a tablet or
smartphone provide crews with instant access to data
while they are working in the field.
Challenges
While there are benefits to being at the forefront of using
new technology, early adoption of any new technology
comes with challenges — gaps and limitations that require
troubleshooting to resolve. In that sense, there have been
challenges to opening up GIS technology to the whole
county organization. Developing the system architecture
in order to integrate different software solutions with GIS
took time. This challenge occurs every time an application
is upgraded.
"We've generated support up and down
the line for GIS,"says Peter Henschel.
One of the primary challenges has been managing the
rate of expansion. The growth and demand for services
can outpace available staff time, budget, and the ability
to delivery services and provide necessary system secu-
rity. Moreover, not all GIS users have technical know-how.
Thus, with limited technical staff, there can be challenges
in both managing and maintaining the system.
Advice
Support from top leadership is crucial. In Carver County,
leaders have been shown the value of GIS for manage-
ment and administrative purposes.The GIS Department
has made every effort to heir county personnel under-
stand that the technology is not just for making maps. In
fact, only 5 percent of what it does is making maps.
Methodology
The author conducted individual interviews with person-
nel from Carver County. Minnesota. A standardize set of
interview questions guided the discussions. The author
used a conversational interviewing technique to more fully
explore the participants' experiences and perceptions of
the GIS program. The interview was tape recorded and
reviewed in compiling notes for this report. The author
sought written permission prior to attributing quotes to
the individuals interviewed. The author wishes to thank
the Carver County for taking the time to discuss its GIS
program. Its contribution to the study was invaluable.
Study Participants
Peter Henschel, Development & GIS Supervisor
Perry Clark, Asset Manager — Public Works
Nate Christ, GIS Analyst
Charlie Sawdey, Water Resources Program Specialist,
Planning & Water Management
Nate Kabat, Planner, Planning and Water Management
Allison Kampbell, GIS Specialist
Acknowledgment: ICMA would like to thank Carver County, Minnesota, for its contribution of photographs and other graphics used
in this case study.
1 Esri Smart Communities Case Study Series
About Esri
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the critical decisions that shape the planet.
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ICMA, the International City/County Management Association, advances professional
local government worldwide. The organization's mission is to create excellence in
local governance by developing and fostering professional management to build
better communities. ICMA identifies leading practices to address the needs of local
governments and professionals serving communities globally.We provide services,
research, publications, data and information, peer and results -oriented assistance, and
training and professional development to thousands of city, town, and county leaders and
other individuals and organizations throughout the world. The management decisions
made by ICMA's members affect millions of people living in thousands of communities,
ranging in size from small towns to large metropolitan areas.
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