Managing Millions in Assets with Cost-Effective Solution
Sandy, UT – Accurate and organized maintenance data combined with enhanced GIS-based asset information has made reporting and analysis easier and more efficient at the city of Columbia, South Carolina. As a result of Cityworks, the leading GIS-centric management solution from Azteca Systems Inc., the city has recorded significant Return on Investment (ROI) since deploying Cityworks via an Enterprise License Agreement (ELA) in 2010.
Rolling the system out in June 2010, Cityworks has proven to be a vital tool for tracking assets and work efforts throughout the enterprise. From managing pipelines and meter servicing in the Water Division, to trees and horticulture in Forestry, to radio systems and street light repairs in Traffic Engineering, Cityworks quickly became a strong asset to the organization.
“By acquiring Cityworks as an ELA, Columbia is well positioned to gain return on our investment each time new users and departments are added to the system,” said Carmen Flemming, Project Manager of Integrated Systems, city of Columbia. “With several divisions already live and using the system, and others eager to get on board, Cityworks’ ‘smart-licensing’ options made this a cost-effective acquisition for Columbia. We manage millions of dollars of assets – from installation to replacement. Cityworks streamlines and enhances our business processes, operations, and reporting.”
Upgrading to Cityworks Server AMS, Columbia was able to place easy to use mapping tools in the hands of personnel at all levels. Clerical staff, foreman, and upper managers can log in to Cityworks to manage activities such as resolving citizen requests, completing work orders, and understanding their progress and performance to specific assets or groups of assets throughout the city.
“With Cityworks’ robust querying functionality and ability to export to common applications like Microsoft Excel, we have much better control of our data, making reports and analysis of work efforts far more meaningful,” continued Flemming. “The ability to see our work on a digital map view (as event layers) is a big hit among our users. Seeing a red car symbol on the screen is immediately recognizable as an open Traffic work order, making it amazingly easy to communicate and schedule resources around the city and in real time. Add to that the ability to easily see the location of adjacent assets – trees, manholes, water mains, etc. – helps us keep our crews and citizens safe and refine our efforts. The map view is also handy for quickly redirecting citizens to county or state agencies for servicing those assets outside the city.”
Cityworks is a success with the city’s top management. Quickly enabling managers to balance and organize work, Cityworks produces a level of confidence that helps expedite implementation timelines, strengthen departmental communication, and motivate user acceptance.
“Cityworks offers management a unique tool to see and understand workloads and the associated costs in real time,” said Missy Smith Gentry, Assistant City Manager, city of Columbia. “I am excited and encouraged by the opportunities to enhance training, improve operations, and better utilize resources that Cityworks creates, and in knowing the city will continue to be positively impacted by its use.”
“It’s a true success for everyone in the city of Columbia – citizens, staff, and management,” said Tom Palizzi, Vice President, Azteca Systems. “The productivity gains generated by Cityworks Server and ArcGIS help agencies like Columbia provide safe, healthy, and reliable public services well within their budget. Our success is measured by our ability to provide innovative, functional, and affordable solutions that meet that profile. Our partnership with Columbia, and hundreds of other organizations, exceed that expectation.”
About Columbia
The capital of South Carolina, the City of Columbia is home to 130,000. With a mission to maintain a quality of life residents have come to expect, the City proudly provides a wide array of public services, from curbside recycling to effective storm drainage and enforcing public health ordinances. The City’s Water Utilities delivers more than 150 million gallons of water per day to more than 375,000 customers, while the Metropolitan Wastewater Treatment Plants service approximately 63,000 connections. A 24-hour per day, 365 days per year operation, the City maintains some 2,400 miles of water lines and 1,000 miles of sewer lines.
About Azteca Systems, Inc.
Since 1986, Azteca Systems Inc. has been providing innovative GIS-centric Management Solutions to agencies that own and care for critical infrastructure, capital assets, and property. Built exclusively on Esri’s ArcGIS technology, Cityworks is a powerful, scalable, and affordable solution for asset management, permitting and licensing. Time-tested and proven technology, Cityworks is Empowering GIS™ at more than 450 user sites around the world.