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New Brunswick wins award for their innovative use of GIS

New Brunswick’s Department of Transportation and Infrastructure wins ‘Making a Difference’ award 

TORONTO —November 18, 2020 — On the day that celebrates a Canadian invention – geographic information systems or GIS – Esri Canada is pleased to present the New Brunswick Department of Transportation and Infrastructure (NB DTI) with the “Making a Difference” award for their outstanding use of GIS technology. They implemented applications that streamlined their field operations, improving their summer and winter maintenance programs. This makes it easier for budget planning as well as increases preparedness to respond to public concerns. 

“The apps NB DTI developed solve immediate tasks like reporting road deficiencies and long-term planning like replacing aging culverts. They were also easy for non-GIS users to use. This was very innovative and took vision to implement and resulted in major cost savings for New Brunswick taxpayers,” said Alex Miller, president, Esri Canada.

NB DTI covers six districts with 23,000 kms of highways and rights of way, about 5,700 bridges and large culverts, along with about 40,000 other small culverts. It takes calls from people reporting road concerns and tracks larger projects like culvert maintenance and vegetation management.

Previously, districts had different ways of recording public concerns through email or a spreadsheet. Now, they are coordinated and using the same system that flags and tracks concerns. This system is better for the public and provides the department with a much more comprehensive picture of the condition of the province’s assets along its roads and highways.

Two DTI developers created the mobile field applications and dashboards within the ArcGIS Online platform. These applications have led to improved coordination among offices and field crews. Now, field crews are sending back information that is much more up to date, making planning repairs and maintenance more efficient.

“We were already using ArcGIS for things like asset management. With the ArcGIS Online technology, we can readily deploy customized field applications adapted to our needs. This technology will greatly expand the usefulness of GIS within NB DTI. Having enhanced data on our assets and maintenance programs in one system makes for improved public service delivery,” said Roger Dick, GIS analyst with NB DTI.

See the story map on how NB DTI uses ArcGIS for field maintenance surveys.

About New Brunswick Department of Transportation and Infrastructure
The Department of Transportation and Infrastructure is a part of the Government of New Brunswick. It is charged with maintenance of government facilities and the province's highway network. More information can be found here.

About Esri Canada  
Founded in 1984, Esri Canada provides geographic information system (GIS) solutions that empower people in business, government and education to make informed and timely decisions by leveraging the power of mapping and spatial analytics. These solutions enable organizations to better manage their resources, plan their future and collaborate within and beyond their organization. Esri Canada’s products and services help advance successful digital transformation. The company serves 12,000 organizations from 16 offices across Canada and is based in Toronto. In 2019, Esri Canada achieved Platinum Club status with the Canada's Best Managed Companies program by retaining its Best Managed designation for seven consecutive years or more. More information can be found at esri.ca. Follow Esri Canada on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, Instagram and LinkedIn.

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