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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2009 01 27 Regular 609 KIVA/GIS InitativesNote: Regular Agenda Item "609" was originally listed on the January 26, 2009 Regular Meeting, but due to time constraints it was not heard. (Regular Agenda Item "609" from the January 26, 2009 Regular Meeting WAS discussed during the January 27, 2009 Special Meeting.) COMMISSION AGENDA ITEM 609 ~~ January, 2009 RP.g~alar Meeting -~a, ,~ Informational Consent Public Hearing Regular X Mg . / ept. Authorization REQUEST: Information Services wishes to present the Commission with an overview of the ongoing Kiva/GIS initiatives and requests that Commission provide direction on their priorities with regard to future initiatives. PURPOSE: To provide Commission with an overview of Kiva and obtain direction on Commission priorities with regard to future initiatives. CONSIDERATIONS: Kiva DMS (Development Management System) was first acquired in 2001/2002. Kiva is a group of application modules that provides the City's primary support for the management of land, permits, inspections, planning reports, business tax receipts, and code enforcement violations. Related applications such as ESRI ArcGIS and Electronic Field Study from Pictometry International Corporation provide geographical mappings and aerial images; they also play a role in the support of land management, permitting, planning, special events, public works, and law enforcement functions exercised throughout the various City departments. Since its implementation of Kiva, the City has passed many milestones. However, the City did not begin to fully realize the benefits of the Kiva system until the Kiva Administrator/System Analyst was hired in April 2005. Some of the major milestones are: CITY OF WINTER SPRINGS CITY COMMISSION REGULAR MEETING -JANUARY 26, 2009 REGULAR AGENDA ITEM 609 PAGE 2 OF 5 • KivaNet -add-on component deployed to provide timely access to land, permit, and inspection status information to the public. Project began in April 2006, was completed in May 2008, and deployed to the public in June 2008. • Accela Wireless -add-on component - a mobile government application that extends processing capabilities to the field for inspections, code enforcement, and service requests. Implementation commenced in February 2008. • ESRI ArcGIS -geographic information system (GIS) which integrates hardware, software, and data for capturing, managing, analyzing, and displaying all forms of geographically referenced information. ArcGIS and Kiva DMS will eventually be integrated by Accela GIS to tie the geographic data together with the information from the land management system. • Electronic Field Study (Pictometry) has been available for use within the City since August 2007. EFS maps each pixel of a digital land image to actual geographic coordinates and allows all features in a land image to be easily located and measured. • Reports -generated for various uses with varying frequencies. Reports are generated daily, weekly, monthly, or as needed for things such as arbor licenses, arbor permits, certificates of occupancy, job site cards, daily fee payments, fee listings, permit expiration warning notices, etc. Process Development, Documentation, and Training -the Kiva Administrator has worked with the various departments to refine existing processes, create new processes, and identify opportunities for abandoning processes which are no longer needed. o Modification of the inspection scheduling process o Creating new process for plans review o The abandonment of 6 monthly reports which were no longer needed o Creation of customized user documentation o Training provided for Kiva users o Project management provided as facilitator or project leader in order to keep the associated activities moving forward. Our goal is to improve business processes with the help of technology, improve employee productivity, and make it easier to do business with the City. Therefore, we are always looking for new services that can be rolled out or made available to the public. The following table contains some of those online initiatives. CITY OF WINTER SPRINGS CITY COMMISSION REGULAR MEETING -JANUARY 26, 2009 REGULAR AGENDA ITEM 609 PAGE 3 OF 5 *denotes items that we see as a riorit A lication Permits *Garage sale permits - New Available Now! -Can apply online; 1 business day turn-around (reason for 1 day turn-around is because of the 2 er ear er address restriction). *Accesso Structures *Fence Permits *Orphan Permits (apply and pay for online Mechanical, electrical, plumbing *Business Tax Recei is Banners/Si s S ecial Events Permits Arbor License/Waiver Demolition ermits Demo Mobile Homes PODS Tents A lication for Land Use/Develo ment Processes Conditional Use Re-Zonin Annexation Land Use Amendments Waivers/Variances Site Plans Sub-Division Plans Preliminary/Final En ineerin Conce tual Site Plans Re-Plats Vacations Comp Plan/Future Land Use Amendments CITY OF WINTER SPRINGS CITY COMMISSION REGULAR MEETING -JANUARY 2G, 2009 REGULAR AGENDA ITEM 609 PAGE 4 OF 5 Aesthetic Review PUDs Zonin Letter Lot S lit Schedulin of Ins ections Inspection scheduling online Unless otherwise noted, these initiatives will initially provide for online application only. The online payment and approval/issuance of each of these permits will have to be individually researched. KivaCitzen is a web-based application that allows public users and contractors to view permits and permit statuses. Users can view the status of permits and apply for new permits, and contractors can obtain a user name and password from the agency to access additional tasks such as requesting inspections and paying fees. Our goal is to deploy KivaCitizen sometime in calendar year 2009. We're also considering Permitting by fax. There are quite a few possibilities with Kiva. With any of the above initiatives, there is a process which must be followed before permit issuance and many times this process requires human intervention. The general route for implementation of any of these initiatives is as follows: • Application • Payment & Review • Permit sufficiency • Permit issuance Each of the initiatives listed in the table above will take time to implement. The timeframe is unknown at this time. Priorities must be established to allow the Information Services Department to be focused on preparing an implementation plan for each initiative deemed a priority by the Commission. Prior to any project implementation, there are certain steps that may need to take place and questions that need to be asked as follows: • Can we or how can we integrate this process within our Kiva system? • Software or hardware installs -sometimes there are add-on modules or 3~d party components to be installed. CITY OF WINTER SPRINGS CITY COMMISSION REGULAR MEETING -JANUARY 26, 2009 REGULAR AGENDA ITEM 609 PAGE 5 OF 5 • Design and flow of application to be presented online must be determined. • What happens once the application is submitted? o Routing o Approvals • Payment -how will the applicant make payment? Will we accept credit cards? Will we be able to set up escrow accounts? Who will manage this? We must work through internal business processes related to payments with the Finance Department. • Issuance -how the permit will be issued must be determined? Paper or digital? Online, in person, via mail or fax. • Testing & training phase -does everyone that needs to be involved in the testing process have time to set aside for the testing and training? ProjectDocs -There is another opportunity called ProjectDocs that we wish to explore that will streamline processes with regard to plans submission and review and will eliminate the need to image the documents into LaserFiche at a later time. ProjectDocs will encourage the digital submission of plans which is a big win for the City. Once the Commission determines their specific priorities, a realistic timeframe for each initiative can be established. Please note that these priorities may impact the 420 fund. FUNDING: No funding is required at this time. However, once priorities are established for each of these initiatives, funding will need to be provided for each of those items. RECOMMENDATIONS: We recommend that the Commission review this agenda item and the various initiatives, and provide guidance with regard to priorities. ATTACHMENTS: Attachment #1 - PowerPoint Slides - "Kiva and GIS Project" Attachment #2 -Kiva and GIS Initiatives document Kiva KIVA -the word has origins in the Pueblo culture and means a coming together for a community benefit. RSK 1/19/2009 2 ject "1343" Initiatives ~ Kiva Development Management System (DMS) ~ KivaNet •lw KivaCitizen ~ Accela Wireless ~ Accela GIS •lr~ ESRI ArcGIS ~ Electronic Field Study Reports •- Process Development, Documentation, and Training ~ Project Management •- Opportunities RSK t _ ........... .. 1/19/2009 3 iva DMS ,~ Foundation Architecture ~` Kiva Land Information Kiva Permit System Kiva Inspection System KivaWord ~~ Request for Service .~ Oracle Database Oracle Application Server ~~~-: _ .-_ ~~`+~: ,1 `i,~, a, ~. t Y Oracle Reports ~.;-~~~ ~~~~ ~- `,w' -~ z r . 4 ~:~ Ys:~ :~- °,HHH~i1 -.e.~~. ~~.. _. _~ ~.aa e ,es~ .~.~ _ ~ ~~~., a .u, y Q. s n ~ ~.N r~ ~,...m RSK 1/19/2009 4 ~ 2001 - 2002 Timeframe Consultant Study Completed Kiva DMS Acquired 8v Installed Deployment Commences with Consultant ~ 2Q 2005 ~ Kiva Hardware Server Upgraded OS Upgraded to Windows Server 2003 Oracle Database Upgraded to 9i Application Upgraded Through 4 Releases (7.0, 7. l , 7.2, 8.0) All Upgrades Performed ~ Training ~- Testing ~ No Impact to Production Operations Process Reviews Conducted Concurrently RSK 1/19/2009 5 ~.. 2006 Kiva Application Upgraded to Release 8.1 Process Reviews Continue ~ New Reports Developed ~ 2007 Kiva Application Upgraded to Release 8.2 Oracle Database Upgraded to lOg Process Reviews Begun for Planning ,~ 2008 Next Kiva Release Available in August with Planned Implementation During 1 Q 2009 RSK 1/19/2009 6 ivaNet Public Read-only Access Land Information . .n R ~ • ~ .. S ~. Permits -- tlome Lnnn ~flp Inspections Deployment Status Main Menu eem Started April 2006 ,.nd-,~r"~a~~__ Completed May 2008 °txuaME" The GIY pf Y~inter Spmgs U'esents S:5 hformaGOn as a service [U the Wbdc. Yae hev ned c rc Mat the in med n th rs ekccrenrc s ~ make ~ e. guarantee c mmq the a Challenges I vaaroncn"R cf t'~e c enures ~5<ssna accuracy anEareGabA y of mfonna:icn~ s~hm pons"baty of Che u er. Re use n advised :o earc~ o all possible spe'~Ang 5 of proper n elver tc maamize search resc',cs. The G!y shaq ne[ tx tiabk tore fined h«em or for any Damages conn<cbon aIM me use of Me mformat~,onpcpn[amed herent. Florida Statute 119.071 n:,~e~•~arianaa"f°~a°~Qero~Ta~e~~°~°_ ay a wMf« sp.anya • arv "w itia Esst biers awd 53a s WMI« 9prMgs, Fl • liana bac rtcarda s sN ae aelss«M slsalroslc msN to fFls sn"s« fend rn sdfke~ Benefits aaaaa~n~.a,"yWm .a=~,a. Faster access to information Replaced specialized reports Saves staff time RSK 1/19/2009 7 ivaCitizen •~ Defined User Access Apply for Permit Pay Permit Fees Online Schedule Inspections Deployment Status Begin February/March 2009 Target End December 2009 Challenges Developer Participation Online Payment Setup Benefits Time Savings for Developers Saves staff time Martin County, Florida ~- v„ - a_.~~...~..~, ..Kermit Search........ .e,,.,.ner :~ Emer me lnrormanon rW nno. a,e Pr•ss me r'- APPecatlOnll§rmM TYPa: ~ MumEer: { ACEress. ~........ NumGar Sheet .~ ~__ A~aleN= ~~~ Mumher: 1 ~Pa~nt i ........................ enrorea Date: (..._. '. 9Nrk to Nnw 5NxG11_.... ` ~- RegalreA f7<M Rryort Lnik Or Uthe Prubinn CopyngLt F 2(106 Ylmm~ Colery, Flanda, Al: rieA[s rcsmed and Omer Copirigfits APpI}-. m~a . v _ . R .~~ .~ .. RSK 1/ 19/2009' 8 ccela Wireless ~ Features Field Entry Inspection Data Access Permit Information Create New Violation Cases J Current User Base ~ Building Inspectors ~ Code Enforcement Officers J Challenges ~ Handheld Devices •~ Benefits Near Real-time Status Elimination of Paper City of Winter 8prNrpe u nEx+m~ < Impectbn Report ~...e~ w< . ~,. ,. ~..~ ~.~,x=.,: wu.... xr.emraa~~v, _~~.e.nnn_~w~s e..~.x.....r.. _..~ ~.~ ~.~.. , ~,tr H ~~ ,, .~,.~~~ .~t~.~~,~,.,t, M~a'. 11~4ra~wt~ ~ws Mu~~ M e W M1a p M!npwaon ~...,. ,.. ,,.m ~,_ . ~~ .~ 2 RSK 1/19/2009 9 ccela GIS Features View Geographic Data Geographic Data Integration Route Optimization Deployment Status Planned for 2010 .~ Challenges Funding Approval Benefits Faster Application Processing Improved Ad-hoc Reporting RSK 1/19/2009 10 ESRI ArcGIS ~ Features Geographic Data Management Utility Structures (Layers) .~ Users Public Works ..~~~F~~..~ rQS a a,i R-wp -; T_.. ~ r _.._ Engineering , -~ _ ._ 711 ; _ k 713 709 ~(J7 705 Planning ~ ~_.~ .~e qN ,.~,. ..C :._ ,03 7!!~ R~~~ ,_ 701 Storm Water ,~~ , - ,,, 71!! ~N ;..g 7!4 708 ;. -- Deployment Status ___ X13 Tll During 2001 _ ~1~ °` _'°~ X07 ,03 7©3 _ ~ ~ ~ , _ .. ~!ES(/$ r__r. -..701 ~- Benefits T~• ~ = " -~- ..b - . ~_ Data Visualization Property, Land Use, 8v Zoning RSK 1/19/2009 11 lectronic Field Study J Features ~ Digital Imaging ~ Free from County Appraiser Users Police Parks 8v Recreation ~- Engineering Community Development Deployment Status August 2007 Benefits Cost Effective Field Study ~~ ~ ;:, ;.~ .. ~~ ~~M 4 ~~ 'L.. '.'~'Y'f /'1' Y ~ i,~1 ~ ~ t ref 1. _ _ ~,; RSK 1/19/2009 12 ustom Reports J Types ~ Oracle Reports (6) Crystal Reports (52) ~- Kiva Word (4) ~ Rich Text Format (11) J Examples ~ Job Site Card Certificate of Occupancy ~ Request for Service Summary ~ Permit Expiration Notices J Benefits Consistent Recreate-able __ __ ~M O~~yRry -..___.. ^~n ~,,3q Csrti6cate of Oetupancy Cair of YMilm~ w~ r ys ~6.~n, i_.m, ~. ~~. µn, .~ ,.~y'.~'r.. " 4 Ch~W~ 1 f Pi. ~~ ~~ ~~ ~ -. ~0` > ~ ~ Th. ~ .,y A ~ ~v ._~ rv _.,,~ N ~y ,~~ ~, ti ., ~~~n~ .~~.~ ~ ~. . ~. _ . ~_. , M_ _o ~. Y RSK 1/19/2009' 13 rocess Development .~ Considerations Refine Existing Processes Create New Processes Replacement Opportunities Examples Inspection Scheduling - 10 steps in 2005 ~ 8 steps in 2006 - Currently 5 steps with AW Plans Review Elimination of Six Reports -~. °~~.; , nor Q:_ =:~M a ti~i.~g `l..: \r. ~ r 4~.w -~.. ~ ~ ~ ~-~ :~ ~~; ~r RSK 1/19/2009 14 ocumentation "°M„ a~.~ Fes, Types ~ s~~~~~q,.,E~~~,. ~ Process ~ ~~~ , System Configuration .~,~~W~.F,. ~ Custom Installation ~~~~~R ~~ ,~ Customized User Guides ~~~~~ J 1 ...~. ,.~ . ~~ ~ Examples ~ ~., ' Kiva Tips 8v Tricks ,~ Accela Wireless User Guide ~ _ 1 Kiva Arbor License Procedures ~``~~`~~-=~,~' Business Procedures for Permitting Processes ~- Positive Feedback Internal Departments Seminole County 8v Accela RSK 1/19/2009 15 raining ,~ Audience Individual one-on-one Department level External with KivaCitizen Kiva User Group Entire User Community Subjects General Usage New Features New Processes ~~~- .1~ Benefits ~-~~~,~~ On-site On demand RSK 1/19/2009 16 oject Management J Serve as Facilitator J Examples ~ Rollout of New Procedures Procedures for F.S. 119.071 Rollout of Accela Wireless Challenges .-..... .`.'.- K.ra Prgeu Tbrary .. f --~~ ~-« -.E __ ,~_x x ,~~...~s~~..~~~ a M._ ~~ _ ._ Interdepartmental Participation Benefits Keeps Activities Moving Forward RSK 1/19/2009 17 Issue Plans Management ~ Paper Bound ~- Unwieldy for Communication Potential Solution Proj ectDox Challenges Paradigm Shift ~~ Funding Benefits Elimination of Paper Drawings Manage Risk More Efficiently Make Better Decisions Faster F ~. RSK 1/19/2009 18 Kiva and GIS Initiatives The Kiva Development Management System (DMS), a grouping of application modules provided by Accela Government Software, Inc., provides the city's primary support for the management of land, permits, inspections, planning reports, business tax receipts, and code enforcement violations. ArcGIST"' from ESRI and Electronic Field Study'"" from Pictometry International Corporation, that provide geographical mappings and aerial images respectively, also play roles in support of land management, permitting, planning, special events, public works, and law enforcement functions exercised throughout the various city departments. In the 2001 timeframe the City of Winter Springs, on the basis of a special study conducted on behalf of the commission, first acquired the base Kiva DMS consisting of the Land, Permits, Inspections, and KivaWord components. Follow-on projects recommended by the study included public and assigned user Internet access to the land management and permitting information; remote wireless access for resulting building and code enforcement inspections in the field; and interfacing geographical mapping information with land management and permitting. During the years following the initial commission decision to carryon with the Kiva/GIS project deployment activities have continued and have grown from the original focus on Community Development and Police to now touch every department within the city. The sections below further describe the current initiatives along with their status. Kiva DMST"" The foundation of the architecture, known as the Kiva Development Management System, is comprised of the'Kiva Land Information System', 'Kiva Permit System', `Kiva Inspection System','KivaWord', and 'Request for Service' basic component modules. Initially deployed by Accela via a contracted consultant from their Professional Services organization, the system was used solely by the Community Development and Police departments. This user community continued for approximately four and a half years with upgrades occurring neither to the Kiva application software nor to the underlying Oracle Database management system on which Kiva was developed. During 2005, with new emphasis on expanding the use of Kiva within the city, upgrades to the entire Kiva application environment took place. Upgrades including the installation of a new hardware server, new operating system from Windows Server 2000 to Windows Server 2003, four releases of the application software (i.e., 7.0, 7.1, 7.2, and 8.0), and to the 9i generation of the Oracle Database software were completed. These upgrades successfully completed without impact to the end-user community in terms of downtime in the production environment related to these upgrades. All testing and training conducted in a separate Kiva development environment prior to deployment to production facilitated the smooth transitions. 2006 saw the upgrading of the Kiva application to the next available release (i.e., 8.1). In 2007 the Kiva application upgraded again to the current release (i.e., 8.2) while the Oracle Database upgraded to Oracle 10g. Information Services (rsk) Page 1 The most current release of the Kiva application software, which became available during the August 2008 timeframe, is presently planned for implementation during early 2009. Integral to all upgrades were major revisions to the supported business processes to maximize the use of new features and functions introduced with each application upgrade cycle. KivaNetT"" KivaNet is the first of the group of Kiva add-on components deployed to provide access to land, permit, and inspection information to the public. The initial hardware and software installation activities completed during the first quarter of 2006. One of Accela's consulting engineers assisted with the initial installation and application configuration on the new Windows Server 2003 server platform prepared by various members of the City's Information Services staff. Anew ColdFusion application server deployed as well as part of the overall KivaNet architecture. The process flowed without incident relative to any technological issues and earned positive criticism as to the level of success from Accela's engineer. This preparedness led to the savings of a day of consulting time, cutting a day from the schedule time originally allotted. As the new capability began its rollout to production status, a new coincident sub-project was spawned in April of 2006. The sub-project, which dealt with Florida Confidentiality Statutes, resulted in the creation of an inter-departmental team to introduce the mechanisms and processes required by all groups within the city relative to the statute. A conscious decision was made to withhold the release of KivaNet to the public until such time that the specific controls for managing the confidentiality issue were completed and implemented by each of the city departments. The Kiva Administrator was tasked to facilitate the effort, working with staff from the City Clerk's Office, City Attorney, Finance, Fire, Community Development, General Departments, Parks and Recreation, Public Works, and Police to develop and document the procedures necessary for statute compliance. During the interim period, upgrades to the KivaNet environment continued concurrently with the upgrades made to the Kiva DMS. With the completion of the sub-project in May of 2008, the final deployment of KivaNet to the public took place in June 2008. With its introduction, more timely information is now available regarding the status of inspections, permits issued in subdivisions for homeowners associations, etc. It also enables the elimination of two reports that have been available via the document search function on the city website. Creating these reports consumed valuable staff hours each week; time that no longer needs to be expended. KivaCitizen'"" KivaCitizen, originally planned to be the second Kiva add-on deployed by the city, had its schedule bumped back in lieu of the confidentiality conformance activities impacting KivaNet. KivaCitizen is a web-based application that allows public users and contractors to view permits and permit statuses. Users can view the status of permits and apply for new permits, and contractors can obtain a user name and password from the agency to access additional tasks such as requesting inspections and paying fees. Information Services (rsk) Page 2 This project establishes the need for a special marketing program that actively solicits participation from a select group of the local developer and contractor community. Participation in this initiative mandates custom training on the use of this feature, specific authorization credentials, and a willingness to work with the city staff to configure the KivaCitizen environment to best meet the needs of the developers, contractors and other business professionals. Planned deployment for KivaCitizen is during calendar year 2009. Accela Wireless'"" As part of the long-term implementation strategy for the Kiva application, the introduction of Accela Wireless add-on technology was the next step in the process. Accela Wireless is a mobile government application that extends processing capabilities to the field for inspections, code enforcement, and service requests. Accela Wireless ensures that even when inspectors are out in the field, they are never out of touch with the office. Inspections can be assigned, rescheduled, or canceled at the last minute and an alert can be sent automatically to the inspectors via the mobile device. Inspectors do not waste time driving to and from inspections, maximizing their time in the field. The implementation of the wireless technology to expand the Kiva environment in the city commenced in February 2008. Although Accela Wireless is advertised as compatible with handheld computing devices running on the Microsoft Mobile operating system and the first choice of the Building Department due to the multi-functional aspects of the handheld device, a decision was made to move to the laptop platform running Windows XP instead. After three months of rigorous testing and nearly daily communications with Accela, Motorola, and Microsoft the handheld platform would not work reliably so it was abandoned. During the ensuing months, the Building Department staff assessed numerous laptop and tablet computer platforms with the Panasonic Toughbook device being the final selection. After completing the acquisition process; upgrading the Accela Wireless software to the latest release (i.e., 6.6.0 -two generations beyond the initial 6.4.2 level on which the handheld implementation began); loading and configuring the Toughbook devices with the operating system, networking, and client software; developing customized user documentation for both the Building and Police departments; and delivering the training to building inspectors and code enforcement officers the application deployed to production status in November. With Accela Wireless, the Building Department's inspectors are able to enter inspection results directly into Kiva, greatly reducing the amount of redundancy that existed in the preceding processes. Prior to the deployment of the wireless platform, inspectors handwrote notes regarding inspections on their daily status sheets and paper notepads as well as on the job site permit card. By using the wireless devices, inspectors enter inspection results and any comments or notes directly into the Kiva application for near real-time updates making them immediately available to all parties using Kiva, especially Customer Service. And rather than having to write the results of an inspection, a printout of the results is now waiting for the inspector upon returning to their vehicle that can be left in the permit box. While in the field responding to reported code violations, code enforcement staff often comes across additional violations that have yet to be reported -abandoned vehicles, illegal signage, or lack of landscape maintenance for example. Accela Wireless allows the officers to view current parcel data or Information Services (rsk) Page 3 code violation history by remotely accessing the land management database. Officers can then create new cases on the spot using the most current information available. The Police Department is further benefitting through the deployment of wireless technology to its officers who are able to enter comments and inspection results directly into Kiva while in the field. This saves time for the administrative staff by not having to enter this information into Kiva that the code enforcement officers were formerly bringing back to the office, thus freeing them to issue violation notices and follow-up correspondence that is a much more efficient use of their time. Accela GIST"" The final recommended Kiva add-on component per the original consultant study is Accela GIS Accela GIS gives staff direct access to view geographic representations of all land-use, zoning, and infrastructure information associated with a parcel, permit, inspection, or plan. The Accela GIS application reduces time in the field and lowers associated costs through map analysis. Field inspectors spend a lot of time traveling to and from inspection sites and often, travel times come at the expense of being able to complete additional inspections. Route optimization, an optional feature of Accela GIS, can help minimize the time spent traveling between various inspection sites by mapping the most expedient path based on the locations of the inspections scheduled for that day. Inspectors maximize their time in the field and complete more inspections per day. Accela GIS enables bi-directional data exchange between the city's GIS database and the Kiva land management system. Alerts can be created that trigger when anend-user tries to initiate a permit or license that fulfills a certain geographic criteria. If there is a potential violation, the permit is automatically stopped in the process, saving time for agency staff and minimizing frustration for the applicant. Map layers created with Accela GIS are available to every employee across multiple departments. Enabling staff to look up property, land-use, and zoning information as well as water, sewer, and electrical maps with just one click means that decisions are made more quickly and applications are processed much faster. The current plan has the implementation scheduled to occur during 2010 ESRI ArcGIST"' ArcGIS from ESRI is the geographic information system (GIS) used by most city departments in some capacity but most heavily by Public Works, Utilities, Engineering, and Community Development. ArcGIS integrates hardware, software, and data for capturing, managing, analyzing, and displaying all forms of geographically referenced information. ArcGIS allows the staff to view, understand, question, interpret, and visualize data in many ways that reveal relationships, patterns, and trends in the form of maps, globes, reports, and charts. It also helps in answering questions and solving problems by looking at data in a way that is quickly understood and easily shared. The maps typically shown during commission meetings are often presented through the use of ArcGIS. ArcGIS and Kiva DMS are the two base information systems that will be integrated by Accela GIS to tie the city's geographic data together with that from land management. Information Services (rsk) Page 4 The Kiva Administrator installs and maintains the ArcGIS software as required while the geographic data maintenance is outsourced to Southeastern Surveying and Mapping. The city staff is also able to access the geographic data maintained by Seminole County for use with ArcGIS. Electronic Field Study'"" The Electronic Field Study (EFS) application from Pictometry® International Corporation is available from the Seminole County Tax Appraiser at no cost to all municipalities and agencies in Seminole county. It has been available for use within the city since August 2007. EFS is a digital imaging process and software program that maps each pixel of a digital land image to actual geographic coordinates. It allows all features in a land image to be easily located and measured. This application has made it possible to efficiently map and depict the earth's surface with photographic detail never before possible. This technology is the most efficient and cost effective way to perform field study observations using high quality images. The city's Police, Parks & Recreation, Community Development, Public Works, Utility, and Engineering departments use the `Pictometry' application. These departments have included images, via Pictometry, in many of the presentations recently made to the commission where aerial photographs were involved. The Kiva Administrator installs and maintains the software as the staff requires and as updates become available. During the past year, all users' desktops have been upgraded from the initial 2.6 release of the software to the latest 2.7 version. Reports The basic Kiva DMS provides a set of canned reports for extracting information from the underlying Oracle database. These reports may be customized as necessary or new ones may be written in order to meet the needs of the business. During the initial rollout of Kiva, ten (10) reports were either modified or newly written under contract with Accela. Of these ten (10) reports, two (2) were written using the Kiva interface to Microsoft Word with the remainder written using Oracle Reports. In addition, two other report types are available that include Rich Text Format (RTF) and Crystal Reports. Since the second quarter of 2005 a total of six (6) Oracle Reports have been modified and five (5) new ones have been written; four (4) new reports have been written using KivaWord; eleven (11) new reports have been developed using the RTF report format; and fifty-two (52) new reports have been created using Crystal Reports. Except for the five (5) new Oracle Reports, all of the others have been either modified or newly created by the Kiva Administrator. Reports are generated for various uses and with varying frequencies. Many of the reports are generated on a daily or weekly basis for such things as arbor licenses, arbor permits, certificates of occupancy, job site cards, daily fee payments, fee listings, permit expiration warning notices, etc. A number are generated on a monthly basis, while others are generated ad hoc or as needed. The reports are used by Information Services (rsk) Page 5 audiences ranging from a staff member checking the integrity of the information contained in the database to the public checking on new permits that have been issued in a certain subdivision. Process Development, Documentation, and Training The Kiva Administrator working with the various departments to refine existing processes, create new processes, and identify opportunities for abandoning processes expends a significant amount of time in these areas. Examples include the following: Modifying the inspection scheduling process in 2005 from - o having an inspector check the inspection line messages o handwrite the information on a sheet of paper o enter the same information into an Excel spreadsheet o print out multiple copies of the spreadsheet and distribute to each of the inspectors o discuss each inspection as a group o assign it to an inspector using their own color coded highlighter o conduct the inspection o handwrite an inspection violation report in the event of a failed inspection o record the results on the spreadsheet printout o bring the spreadsheet back to the office for a customer service representative to enter the results information into Kiva to revised process in early 2006 timeframe - o having a customer service representative check the inspection line messages o enter the inspection information directly into Kiva o generate an inspection worksheet for each inspector o assign inspections to various inspectors o conduct the inspection o handwrite an inspection violation report in the event of a failed inspection o record the results on the worksheet o bring the worksheet back to the office for a customer service representative to enter the results information into Kiva to this further revision with Accela Wireless now deployed - o having a customer service representative check the inspection line messages o enter the inspection information directly into Kiva o download inspections to laptop (Chief Building Inspector makes assignments that are then picked up by each of the field inspectors when they download) o conduct inspection while entering status and comments into Accela Wireless client application to update Kiva (Note: inspection information is at this point available to public by using KivaNet) o print inspection violation report as necessary and head to next inspection Creating a new process for plans reviews that now culminates in providing a single consolidated report from Kiva that clearly identifies all of the conditional items and/or corrections from all reviewing departments required to be satisfied by the applicant before a permit is issued. Prior Information Services (rsk) Page 6 to the definition of this new process the procedures led to disjointed, incomplete information being communicated back to the applicant. Process abandonment is exemplified by the identification of six (6) reports that were being generated on a monthly basis but, after some questioning and investigation, were found no longer necessary because no one needed them. Hence, the reports were dropped from the schedule. The Kiva Administrator has developed customized user documentation for many of the processes now being followed by the various departments; custom installation guides that identify specific configuration settings and idiosyncrasies; and user guides that offer suggestions to better navigate through the Kiva application. A few examples include "Business Procedures for Permitting Processes," "Kiva Arbor Permit Process Procedures," "Kiva Arbor License Procedures," "Kiva Problem Reporting Procedures," "Kiva Certificate of Occupancy Process Procedures," "Kiva Tips & Tricks," and "Accela Wireless User Guide for Code Enforcement Officers". Positive comments have been made about the quality of the documents not only by other staff members within the city but also by individuals at Seminole County and Accela as well. The Kiva Administrator has provided training to large groups, small groups, and at an individual level covering topics from general use of Kiva to the specifics of new processes that integrate with Kiva to training on the use of new features that have been added to Kiva. Another action taken to facilitate the sharing of ideas relative to process re-engineering was the formation of an internal Kiva user group, chaired and orchestrated by the Kiva Administrator. Project Management Due to the scope of some initiatives, the Kiva Administrator played the role of facilitator or project leader in order to keep the associated activities moving forward. Examples include the rollout of the revamped business procedures for permitting, the development of procedures for meeting compliance with Florida Statute 119.071, and the rollout of the Accela Wireless platform. The documentation created as part of these efforts is being used as a model for other initiatives underway in the city. Opportunities A tremendous opportunity exists to improve upon the handling of documents during the plans review process, especially with regard to large projects that typically have numerous sets of architectural drawings. Currently for major development projects as an example, a developer must submit twelve sets of plans to staff and the commission for review. This paperwork is bulky, consumes a large amount of physical storage space, is prone to be misplaced, and is costly to the developer to produce. Further, although many of the staff comments are now being captured in Kiva, there are still a number of them that are written directly on the plans themselves that may or may not make it back to the developer as intended. These pieces, that fall through the cracks so to speak, are most often the source of awkward situations that serve only to complicate a project as it progresses towards completion. Information Services (rsk) Page 7 To address this issue, agencies such as Osceola and Martin Counties, both users of Accela products, have invested in an Accela Business Partner's product known as ProjectDox°. The product allows plans documents to be submitted to the agency in a number of various formats that include such file types as PDF, AutoCAD, Text, Excel, etc., and can be e-mailed, presented on a CD, transferred via FTP, or entered directly into the ProjectDox application via the web. Once the agency receives the plans, they are locked from the developer and set up as the base from which the review takes place. Each reviewer enters comments and recommended changes directly into their own layer that is mapped over the base plans. Once all reviews have been completed the layers become a part of the first revision that is then released back to the applicant /developer for corrections. The process is repeated until final agreement is reached so that permitting may begin. Based on Osceola's experience, paper documents were no longer used by the agency for plans within the first two weeks of the production deployment of ProjectDox since the planners became comfortable and proficient with the new product that quickly. ProjectDox keeps an agency's intellectual property and other critical data under its control within the community environment. The process is managed through granular access controls and a comprehensive audit trail of documents and correspondence, complete with sequencing, timing, and other details needed for resolving disputes. When ProjectDox is deployed early in the project lifecycle, it helps the review team prepare for and then manage critical risk factors that can impact the project and stakeholder perception. ProjectDox facilitates better and faster decisions by automating the notification process and expediting the latest, most accurate information between managers, architects, design engineers, contractors, and subcontractors -keeping response time to a minimum. Other products with similar capabilities may exist in the marketplace, however, only ProjectDox has existing interfaces to Kiva and other Accela products. Information Services (rsk) Page 8