Cities Reap Benefits by Creating Software Marriages

Public works directors and city IT managers around the country are being tasked with creating simple integrated software solutions to collect data and use their various technology tools more efficiently.

For cities conducting CCTV pipe inspection surveys, one successful marriage of software systems has been the Hansen Information Systems program and flexidata™ pipe survey software.

A common problem facing directors/managers is finding a way to eliminate double data entry and have all of the data in an easy to access electronic format. For Hansen Information Systems users, some double entry issues are related to data collected from CCTV pipe inspection surveys.

The City of Salem, OR, currently has its own crew conducting inspections throughout its sewer system and the operators are equipped with a laptop running Hansen. The operators conduct the survey, logging defects into the CCTV inspection system survey software, run reports and then that data is transferred by hand to the Hansen system on the laptop.

Recently, the city needed to use a contractor to inspect 360,000 feet of storm lines. The contract stipulated that the contractor must use data collection software that would interface with Hansen. The solution was the flexidata survey software along with Hansen's Neztek Data Exchange Utility (NDEU).

With these two packages, Salem is able to provide all of the project and work order information to its contractor very quickly. The work order/project data is imported into the contractor's flexidata software program through the NDEU and the contractor is ready, possessing all of the information required to begin its projects. When the project is completed, the contractor data is exported back through the NDEU into Hansen including picture files and the database is updated seamlessly.

It has exposed improved efficiency opportunities for Salem, said Ronald Williams, Hansen Database Coordinator.

"Since we've seen what can be done with this outside contractor, it is making us rethink what software we should be using for our own inspection crew. With these packages, we can bypass our laptop situation and eliminate double entry," he said.

In Northern California, Noel Russell, Underground Construction and Maintenance Foreman for the El Dorado Irrigation District, realized that his organization had yet to tap into the full potential of its Hansen system and other maintenance/data collection programs.

Russell had been using flexidata on the district's Pearpoint CCTV truck for about four years and the Hansen system for about two years. The organization generates the bulk of its repair scheduling through CCTV inspection. By using the Hansen system along with flexidata and NDEU, Russell and his team are now able to produce an accurate account of what their system requires.

Like other users, double data entry existed at one time, but by implementing the data exchange, the database is becoming an efficient time-saving production tool. One important benefit has been the ability to stay ahead of the inspection crews.

Fifty percent of El Dorado's system is in the older areas in utility easements without access roads, primarily in back yards. By having the inspection and Hansen data readily available, Russell can pinpoint the manhole to the address, the customer and contact them by phone vs. the old way of hang tags, knocking on doors and waiting for the callbacks.

The work is now scheduled efficiently and with the least amount of inconvenience to the customer.

"The improved contact with customers through using just this one small part of our integrated system has been a big help," Russell said.

Taking Full Advantage of the Relationships

The Public Works Department of the City of Riverside, CA, is an excellent example of several great software marriages. It too at one time dealt with the double entry dilemma for its pipe survey data collection. A Hansen user since 1993, Riverside has seen many changes and growth since implementation.

Riverside uses CADME by ESRI and it is linked to Hansen. The CADME program is used to indicate where there are laterals or manholes and provides overlays for all of the utilities for the city along with overhead photos. When changes are logged, they occur in both CADME and Hansen. With this up-to-the-minute accurate information, the city can answer customer concerns and address complaints quickly.

For the collection of its pipe survey data, Riverside initially used a Pinnacle screen capture, created MPEG files and at the same time would run its video recorder. The district used a CD version of CADME in the field and all of the data would then be compiled in an Excel form. This Excel form was then sent to the city engineering office where corrections and input were made to the database.

Often the workload would become burdensome and could not be completed in a timely fashion so the Public Works Department would pitch in. Then, the City learned about flexidata and Hansen's NDEU and with its implementation, all of the individual software products previously used and the input of the Engineering Department for the collection of accurate pipe survey data were no longer needed.

"Now we can correct these problems ourselves and the Engineering Department is freed up to do what is priority work for them, what they are being paid for — engineering," said Ernie Meloy, Field Maintenance Supervisor.

Video inspection is just a small part of what the Riverside Public Works Department does but is considered a vital function.

"I've noticed that the more technically proficient you become, the more people who aren't, accept what it is that you're doing or you're telling them. For example, with the ability to access information instantly, a video of a line can be brought up on a laptop for a contractor, the problem is pointed out – there's no argument, they'll just fix it, what else can they do. That's just one great benefit of technology," Meloy said.

Meloy summed up the importance of software implementation and data marriages quite appropriately, "You can see your system changing, it is a very living thing. At this particular point in history and time, what we're doing with this technology and data will affect everything that will be done in the future. It will carry on for literally generations and generations and that is pretty exciting."