Dublin, Calif., July 18, 2003 -- Accela Inc., the provider of government enterprise management solutions, announced that the Department of Environmental Resources Management (DERM) has selected the company's web-based software solution, Accela Automation™, to be implemented within the Department.
The new system will become DERM's Environmental Enterprise Operations System (EEOS) and will give the Department the tools needed to streamline its services and preserve the Florida environment.
The mission of DERM is to protect and conserve the land, water, and air resources of Miami-Dade County, which is composed of 31 municipalities and is home to more than 2.2 million people. The new system provides DERM with an integrated computerized system to streamline the many requests coming through its various business units-Pollution Control Division, Natural Resources Division, Water Management Division, Water & Wastewater Division, Office of Plan Review, Air Quality Management Division, and Enforcement Division.
With Accela Automation, all divisions will have access to data and information about a license, permit, or other department information from a central database. Using the product's GIS viewing functionality coupled with the department's own GIS system, DERM employees will have direct access to view geographic representations of all land-use and zoning information associated with a permit, a task that they currently perform manually.
"The goal for DERM was to find a web browser based solution that would provide the Department with the necessary tools to efficiently and accurately provide its services to the public and safeguard the environment," remarked Jerry Crawford, Chief, Computer Services at DERM. "Accela's solution was selected because it will effectively connect all of our business units and will allow us to perform our tasks better and faster."
"Accela's end-to-end technology enables government agencies to streamline their services for the public," states Robert P. Lee, Accela's president and CEO. "In the case of DERM, this increased efficiency will greatly help them in meeting their main mission of protecting and conserving the Florida environment."
DERM joins more than 20 other agencies within the state of Florida utilizing Accela products. These include: Altamonte Springs, Bay County, Clearwater, Gainesville, Hillsborough County, Jackson County, Key Biscayne, Lee County, Leon County, Martin County, Miami Beach, Miramar, Orange County, Orlando, Osceola County, Pinellas County, Plantation, South Florida Water Management District, Tallahassee, and Winter Springs.
In July 2003, Miami-Dade County awarded Accela a master contract for implementing its e-government solutions and DERM is the first agency in the County to make use of the terms of this contract.
Established in 1974, DERM is now considered one of the leading local environmental regulatory and natural resource management programs in the United States. For more information on Miami-Dade County and DERM, visit http://www.co.miami-dade.fl.us/derm.
About Accela
Accela develops award winning enterprise systems for asset management, bioterrorism alert, emergency response, licensing, permitting, planning, public health, and many other processes for government agencies of all sizes. Accela's software solutions manage critical public sector applications for thousands of departments in major metro areas, cities, and counties such as the San Francisco Bay Area, Washington D.C., Miami-Dade County, Atlanta, Kansas City, San Diego County, and many others. Accela is headquartered in Dublin, Calif. For more information, please visit www.accela.com.
