Project Profile

Enterprise GIS Business Plan

Client:
Virginia Information Technologies Agency (VITA)
Virginia Geographic Information Network (VGIN)

Location:
Statewide, Virginia

The VITA Information Technology Investment Board (ITIB) designated the provision of geographic information systems (GIS) services as an “enterprise system.” To implement the intent of the ITIB, the Chief Information Officer of the Commonwealth contracted Timmons Group for the development of a Business Plan for the provision and operation of enterprise GIS services.

Business Plan Goal and Objectives
The goal of the VITA GIS Business Plan is to demonstrate how existing decentralized GIS resources and activities can be marshaled into a comprehensive enterprise suite of GIS services, providing improved business support at the same or lesser collective total cost of ownership. To accomplish that goal, the plan met the following objectives:

• A common definition (i.e., model, template) of what constitutes a GIS resource, in terms of hardware, software, common geospatial data layers, personnel, and related support services
• A comprehensive inventory of GIS resources in the 20 Virginia State agencies with current GIS operations.
• Based on GIS resource inventory, a compilation of geospatial applications and their related data layers.
• Reviewed best practices of states recognized as leaders in GIS services
• Identify technical issues (i.e., security, network capacity) that may impact the delivery performance and interoperability of geospatial services
• Identify Enterprise GIS options for GIS consolidation, including services, the appropriate technical architecture/configuration, related hardware/software requirements, staffing and organizational structure. Estimate the cost/benefit for each option associated with the enterprise consolidation.
• Identify any factors potentially impacting transition from the existing GIS landscape to the optional enterprise operations outlined above.

Town Hall Meetings
To facilitate agency participation and group discussion/feedback, the project plan included collateral development and facilitation of several (7) GIS Town Hall meetings. Survey forms we generated across multiple functional areas including data, applications, web services, and other resources. The initial Town Hall meeting was hosted by the Commonwealth’s CIO Lem Stewart. The focus of this meeting was to illustrate why GIS Services are an excellent candidate for cost savings and improved services via a “shared services” approach, as well as opportunities for state agencies to participate in the business planning process. Over 30 representatives from 14 state agencies with current or proposed GIS operations, including agency heads, deputies, and GIS managers, participated in this session.

Additional Town Hall meetings included a technology/security issue overview, discussion and overview of the GIS survey instruments given to each agency, the results of the survey instruments and a final analysis overview of the Business Plan.

Project Profile

Artesian Water Company GIS Implementation

Client:
Artesian Water Company

Location:
Newark, Delaware

Artesian Water Company (AWC), the utility subsidiary of Artesian Resources (NSDQ:ARTNA.O), is the oldest and largest public water utility in the state of Delaware.  In operation since 1905, AWC distributes and sells water to residential, commercial, industrial, governmental, municipal, and utility customers throughout the state.

AWC contracted with Timmons Group in 2005 to design, develop, and implement an ESRI ArcGIS-based Enterprise Geographic Information System (GIS).  The scope of the implementation includes business process analysis and improvement of facility mapping and asset management related activities; water and sewer data model development and database design (SQL Server); water and sewer facility GIS data migration, conversion, and spatial adjustment (AutoCAD to ArcGIS); software installation, configuration, and end-user training; custom data maintenance and viewing application design, development and configuration; and hydraulic model integration, calibration and analysis.  Additionally, AWC has asked Timmons Group to facilitate the integration of the water and sewer GIS databases with the existing Peoplesoft ERP business application.  Finally, Timmons Group also assisted in the solicitation, evaluation, and selection of an EAM solution targeted to replace the company’s existing Hansen solution.

Prior to the GIS implementation, AWC was maintaining all of their as-built and facility mapping data within the AutoCAD desktop environment.  The Enterprise ArcGIS solution will result in the migration of all map maintenance functions to the ESRI GIS application suite, using web services as much as possible.

The Business Process Analysis and Improvement workshops conducted at the outset of this project established the foundation of the numerous inter-related system design and implementation tasks including data modeling, application development, water model development, and training.  Additionally, the newly established business processes and work flows, drove the selection of a new commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) EAM\CMMS package.  Through detailed review and analysis of several CMMS software applications, facilitated by Timmons Group, AWC selected Datastream 7i as their new EAMS.

Timmons Group Services:

• Business Process Analysis and Improvements
  
• Enterprise Asset Management System (EAMS) Review and Selection
  
• Data Model Development
  
• Planimetric Data Development
  
• Data Migration, Conversion, and Spatial Adjustment of AutoCAD Source Data
  
• Quality Control
  
• Custom Desktop Data Maintenance Application Development
  
• End User Training
  
• WaterGEMS-GIS Hydraulic Model Integration, Creation, Calibration, and Analysis
  
• Datastream 7i EAMS Implementation Management, Installation, and Configuration Services

Project Profile

Dominion Joint-Use Inventory Survey

Client:
Dominion Resources, Inc.

Location:
Statewide, Virginia

An expansive project lasting nearly three years. Timmons Group provided GPS, GIS and consulting services to field locate and verify Dominion’s pole inventory and joint-use pole ownership in all common Dominion and Verizon service areas. Included in the survey were 625,000 Dominion-owned poles, 130,000 Verizon joint-use poles, for a combined total of approximately 330,000 joint
-use power/telephone poles.

As a data collection application and quality-control measure, Timmons Group created an ArcGIS-based “joint-use collection tool” whereby surveyors performed in-field adjustment of GPS located poles to Dominion’s GIS Landbase.

Deliverables

• GIS and associated databases were provided to Dominion and Verizon on a weekly basis and were subject to stringent quality assurance standards for attribute and pole count accuracy.
• GPS field location of Dominion poles/Verizon joint-use poles within the Verizon services area overlap
  
• Adjusted ESRI shapefiles of Dominion pole locations relative to Dominion’s GIS Landbase
  
• “Joint-use collection tool” application development
  
• Technical reports and documentation to support verification and inventorying activities

Technologies Used

• ArcGIS
  
• Trimble SDK Tools
  
• Trimble PathFinder Office
  
• Trimble PathFinder GPS Systems