2024 SAG Award Winners

County of Olmsted

Project Goal

Human Services departments are responsible for numerous programs that contribute to the well-being of their communities. Social services, food banks, environmental health, housing, and more are all crucial services for promoting healthy communities. However, these programs are typically siloed, and unless prompted, staff usually do not regularly share internal data, such as available resources or programs across other internal departments. Lists get duplicated or information becomes cluttered and disorganized. Olmsted County Minnesota’s Health, Housing, and Human Services (HHH) division believed that to provide the community with the best care, its data must be available in one central location. Therefore, they turned to geographic information system (GIS) technology to improve delivery of vital services, streamline workflows, and find gaps in services with: “The Tank”.
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Business Problem Solved

The Tank is an ArcGIS Hub application providing Olmsted County staff easy access to a single location of community resources. Each category like “Clothing” or “Food” has its own page, with a category gallery on the site’s home page. Each page uses ArcGIS WebApp Builder/Experience Builder to provide simple tools to search and sort through categories. Widgets like “Near Me” and “Filter” help sort through over 350 resources and locate resources most relevant to the client. Staff members with access add new resources or edit resources making sure information stays up to date. Resources are reviewed and approved before being released. This uses a couple of Survey123 Connect forms, harnessing the power of URL parameters. Mapping meant a general resource list is now in the third dimension. Incorporating Survey123 forms meant standardizing collection, adding attachments, all in a user-friendly format. Resource information is used to provide community analysis, highlighting resource deserts.

Technology Implemented

ArcGIS Hub
ArcGIS Experience Builder
ArcGIS WebApp Builder
ArcGIS Survey123
ArcGIS Survey123 Connect
Hosted Feature Layer Views
Power Automate Surevery123 Connectors

Development Team Biography

Teresa Blader, Olmsted County GIS Analyst - GIS Solutions
Stevan Huber, Olmsted County Mental Health Professional
Olmsted County Think TANK
Janice Chezick, Olmsted County GIS Manager
Olmsted County GIS