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GIS Utility System
with Optional GPS Functionality

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The Village was looking for a way to help field crews locate utility assets. The field crew was equipped with GPS-enabled Toughbook computers. The objective was to integrate GPS with an existing GIS atlas. Using this application, Village staff now can be aware of surrounding utility assets by simply looking over to the laptop. The map is always centered to their current location.

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Robinson Engineering, Ltd. developed a GIS Utility System that can be easily transferred to any laptop that is configured with GPS. The system allows the Village staff to track their real time locations, identify the utility assets, and allows one to add field notes. The system uses ESRI ArcReader, which is a free GIS data viewer.

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Key Project Elements 

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  • Track the current location of the field staff and center the map automatically
     

  • Identify the utility assets close to staff current location
     

  • Add field notes for updates and use in the office
     

  • Track the status of a Permit or Inspection
     

  • Utility System for ArcReader: Considering the large number of field laptops that need to have the system installed, ArcReader, which is a free GIS data viewer, is used to browse the GIS data, so that there is no additional cost for the Village to purchase the software. The utility system for ArcReader was created and packaged to ensure that data can be easily transferred to laptops
     

  • GPS Locator for ArcReader: A customized tool was added to the system that allows the user to turn on and off the GPS layer to show and/or zoom into the current location

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Identify Tool: The system allows the user to identify all features in the system with detailed information, such as the pipe size, installation date, inspection date, etc.

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  • Field Notes Tool: The system allows the user to add notes for the specific location, so that corresponding actions can be taken later for system maintenance and update

  • GPS Port Configuration: The GPS port is configured so that multiple software applications can read GPS data simultaneously

  • Distribution Disk: The distribution disk has all files needed to set up the system on laptops, including the Installation and User Guide

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