Case Studies

Solution In February 2014, the City engaged Esri Canada to develop the online Report a Pothole application. Working closely with the City's GIS department, Esri Canada's project team conducted a thorough needs assessment to develop design specifi cations that clearly defi ned the project scope. The project team used Esri Canada's Canadian Municipal Data Model (CMDM) and the Citizen Service Request template as a general framework to confi gure the online application. Based on HTML5/JavaScript programming language, the Citizen Service Request template required minimal customization to ensure that personal information, such as a citizen's name, email address and phone number captured when a user reports a pothole, remained within the City's IT infrastructure. Pothole location and attribute data stored in SQL Server 2012, as well as the map service served by ArcGIS for Server 10.2, were confi gured to be hosted in the cloud. The ability to view and edit the status of potholes was enabled through the City's ArcGIS Online subscription. After production testing was complete, the Report a Pothole application launched on schedule on the City's Web site in March 2014. The Web-based application allows citizens to reference a detailed map of the City and report potholes by selecting an area of road, fi lling in a pop-up form—including an option to include a photo—and submitting a service request. The interactive map gives users a complete picture of all potholes fl agged by citizens. Automatic email confi rmations sent to citizens who submit repair requests provides a timely update that the City roadways section will investigate reported potholes. Benefi ts By switching to a GIS-based system and allowing photos to accompany submissions, locating and repairing potholes is now more effi cient. Citizens appreciate the ability to quickly check the status of their report, which is updated as the locations are repaired. Three weeks after the application launched, 500 potholes were submitted by the public or City staff. During the City's spring pothole blitz (March - June 2014), close to 2,500 potholes were initiated through the Report a Pothole application. The next version of this application will include a workfl ow process for an integrated system that can more accurately capture the full picture of the pothole program. With reporting and updating capabilities shifted to an easy-to-use, GIS-based Web app, the City also experienced a reduction in pothole-related calls. The application's combination of on premise and cloud system architecture lessened the City's reliance on its own IT infrastructure, which saved investment costs and expedited application development time. Using Esri Canada's pre-existing CMDM and Citizen Service Request template, the City saved additional costs and the time to create a custom application—a key factor in the project team's ability to meet its delivery date. To further enhance its Building Better Roads program, the City also launched additional interactive Web-mapping applications: Road Restrictions and Construction Projects, Saskatoon Services and Schedules, and Utility Cuts and Repair Schedules. City of Saskatoon engages citizens and improves pothole reporting and repair updates with GIS-based Web app | Esri Canada 2 Citizens of Saskatoon can report potholes on a computer, mobile device or tablet quickly and accurately using an online app powered by ArcGIS (saskatoon.ca/go/maps). Once a pothole is reported, citizens can check its repair status using the Report a Pothole app. The app has reduced pothole-related calls to the City. " Esri Canada provided expertise in the setup of the Report a Pothole online app, delivering professional services to meet our specifi c needs within the required short timelines." Dale Clancy CGIS Manager City of Saskatoon

• Cover