User Conference 2007 - Special Achievement in GIS

A Geographic Information System (GIS) facilities management program developed at Collier County Public Utilities Engineering Department is being recognized by ESRI, the world’s market leader in GIS technology. The unique Collier County Public Utilities GIS, which provides a single repository of information for service areas encompassing approximately 225 square miles and affecting more than 60,000 customers, will receive a “Special Achievement in GIS” award at ESRI’s 27th Annual International User Conference, to be held at the San Diego Convention Center on June 20, 2007.

Trevor P. Trinkaus, Asset/Modeling Manager for Collier County Public Utilities, called the Special Achievement in GIS award a significant achievement for our organization and will showcase our cutting-edge efforts in the industry.

Business Problem Solved

“This recognition represents a major accomplishment for GIS in Collier County,” said Jim Hunt, GISP, a WilsonMiller GIS Regional Manager, “and helps put the Collier County Public Utilities Engineering Department on the map as recognized experts in the field of public utilities in GIS.”

Trinkaus and Hunt led the Collier County and WilsonMiller professional teams that incorporated GIS expertise in developing the facilities management tool that currently maintains the utility’s water, wastewater, and irrigation geodatabases. The GIS had to be built from the ground up, which meant collecting, analyzing, and converting mounds of data by designing and developing a whole new database to capture data from multiple departments.

Technology Implemented

Global Positioning System (GPS) technology was used in conjunction with ESRI’s ArcPad software to fix valve locations, and high-accuracy GPS data collected in the field were used to spatially reference utilities information. Tablet personal computers, which can provide spatial views of the system, were developed for field crews to monitor system attributes and assist in emergency management. In addition, the system allowed the county to streamline its business and accounting practices and improve its level of customer service--responding to situations better, faster, and less expensively than in the past--while staying in compliance with local, state and federal regulations.

According to James DeLony, Public Utilities Administrator, the Collier County Public Utilities Division is striving for ways and means to comprehensively, sustain, and manage division assets to obtain the maximum cost benefits.

Development Team Biography

In making GIS its business tool of choice, Collier County Public Utilities now has a complete picture of its utilities system, a better method of tracking and maintaining system resources, and a means whereby line breaks and system failures can be pinpointed, analyzed, and rapidly addressed. GIS also assists in asset management, inventory, and customer service, helping the county make informed planning decisions.