SACRAMENTO, Calif., Feb. 28, 2001 — Hansen Information Technologies announced today that the City of Chicago is moving forward with its implementation of Hansen's Mobile Inspection Solution as part of the city-wide system for inspections, permitting, and code enforcement.
The implementation of the mobile devices will involve nearly 500 users across several City departments including the Department of Buildings, the Fire Prevention Bureau of the Chicago Fire Department, and the Chicago Department of Public Health. These departments are the first in line under the City's project to combine the activities of more than 15 separate city business units into the new Hansen enterprise system over the next three years.
"We are moving forward with the project and have released a Request for Services to select the right vendor who can work with the City and manage and support the hardware, wireless connectivity, and security involved with the project," says Chicago's Deputy CIO, Deborah McCann.
The City is requesting responses from those vendors who are pre-qualified with the City in the areas of management consulting and network design. "We are strongly encouraging our vendors to partner with companies who have a proven expertise in designing and implementing wireless field solutions."
The selected vendor team will be working closely with both the City, and Hansen's project team.
The mobile deployment will consist of two types of mobile devices. The first is a Pocket PC (Windows CE 3.0) PDA device running Hansen's new XML and HTML based solution. Users will also have the option of a full Windows version of the client software operating on a laptop or pen-top device running Windows 98, 2000, or NT.
Both devices will connect via wireless communication to the central Hansen database and will be managed using a Windows 2000 device management server. Digital cameras, portable printers, and global positioning system capabilities will also be used for certain field inspection activities.
The City of Chicago is implementing a complete Hansen solution to schedule inspections, track and report results, process violations, and generate bills and notices. The entire project is expected to increase the level of citizen services by improving the operational efficiency of the City and reducing the time it takes to complete inspections.
The use of Hansen's mobile applications will reduce the amount of time field inspectors are currently required to spend processing paperwork and provide a faster response to citizens' requests for inspections related to the building process. The City expects to begin the rollout of the mobile applications to the field in May of this year.
About the City of Chicago
Located on 29 miles of Lake Michigan shoreline, Chicago is a city of world-class architecture, a city of unsurpassed beauty, and a city with enormous civic pride. Chicago is in the heart of the nation and the Midwest and is considered the hub of the nation's highway, rail, and air transportation systems. The City of Chicago was incorporated in 1837 and now encompasses 228 square miles of area divided into 50 wards. The City employs 41,000 people who provide the services and support the infrastructure for the City's nearly 3 million residents.
About Hansen Information Technologies
Hansen Information Technologies is a leading software development company focused exclusively on Citizen-to-Government (C2G) and Business-to-Government (B2G) transactions. With over 180 employees in offices throughout the United States, Canada, Australia and New Zealand, Hansen's broad range of enterprise eCitizen Relationship Management (eCRM) solutions include Call Center, Building Permit, Business Licensing, Code Enforcement, Public Works, Work Management, Tax Administration, Transportation and Utility Billing applications.
Resulting from its Windows DNA development design, state and local government clients can implement one or more object sets utilizing a single integrated data model. The combination of Hansen's public sector business process models, implementation methodologies and technical expertise enables Hansen to deliver tangible economic benefits to state and local governments.
For more information, please go to the company's web site at www.hansen.com or call 800-821-9316.
