Case Studies

Challenge Serving almost 21,300 students and employing approximately 2,300 professional and support staff, SPS relied on a legacy desktop GIS to plan curriculum, educational programs, available facilities and other resources. The system offered very limited access to data as only a handful of staff knew how to use the tool. Timeliness of data was also an issue. Updates would need to be sent to an external vendor who would make the edits and send the data back to SPS staff. With many new students entering the division's schools, this process was creating significant and problematic delays. SPS staff were also unable to integrate any new datasets. The legacy system was limited to integrating student demographic data and enrollment patterns derived from Statistics Canada. This prevented the SPS from conducting critical analysis in other areas. For example, the school division wanted to be able to integrate data from the human resources department so that they could check the availability and location of staff during times when schools needed to be kept open after hours. With significant growth occurring in the City, students and parents also required access to information about available schools, curricula and programs. To better communicate with residents and more effectively serve its growing student population, the SPS leveraged Web GIS technology to build an external and internal-facing Web application. Saskatoon Public Schools (SPS) harnesses Geographic Information Systems (GIS) for critical insights into school planning The population of Saskatoon is expected to boom over the next several years, with an additional 35,000 residents migrating to the City by 2017. Saskatoon Public Schools (SPS) is the largest school division in the province operating 43 elementary schools, 10 secondary schools, and two associate schools. With many new students expected to enroll in the next several years, effective planning is critical to SPS. To support planning, the organization has leveraged Esri's server technology and built a powerful Web application that integrates a wide range of data, expands access to information across the enterprise and allows users to gain invaluable insights into current and future educational needs. 1 Esri Canada | Saskatchewan's largest school division meets challenges head-on with Web-based GIS planning tool

• Cover