REPORT TO COUNCIL
SUBJECT
Title
Informational Report Regarding Bi-Annual Project Status Report of the GIS Services Program
Report
COUNCIL PILLAR
Deliver and Enhance High Quality Efficient Services and Infrastructure.
BACKGROUND
On October 29, 2019, Arini Geographics was awarded a contract for enterprise GIS consulting services. The contract was awarded as a three-year professional services agreement, with an additional two-year term option. The City is in the final year of the two-year option. In approving the contract, the City Council requested a bi-annual status report on GIS services. The purpose of this report is to provide that report for the reporting period of December 2023 to May 2024.
DISCUSSION
This enterprise information management system serves as a core component for collaboration among various departments in the City by consolidating information and integrating this data into other critical business systems. Enterprise GIS integrations ensure collaborative city-wide accessibility to up-to-date parcels, streets, addresses, and ownership data, fostering transparency, trust, and accountability. GIS initiatives also prioritize the public’s needs by providing user-friendly interfaces and interactive maps for residents and business owners, thereby enhancing engagement and responsiveness to community concerns.
The GIS program consists of two components-Projects and day-to-day operations. The following table provides a status update for each project which is then followed by a narrative summary.
|
Project |
Current Reporting Period Dec 2023 - May 2024 |
Next Reporting Period Jun 2024 - Nov 2024 |
|
Parks & Recreation Asset Management Upgrade* |
Complete |
|
|
Retired Parcel Document Access via infoMap |
In Progress |
Completion Planned |
|
Stadium Common Operational Picture (COP) Upgrade (COP)* |
In Progress |
Completion Planned |
|
Employee Web Map Viewer Upgrade infoMap 4.0 |
In Progress |
Completion Planned |
|
Enterprise GIS Upgrade to ArcGIS 10.9.1 |
In Progress |
Completion Planned |
|
Public Web Map Viewer Upgrade MapSantaClara |
|
Completion Planned |
|
Storm Drain Digital Map Book Update |
|
Completion Planned |
*Continued from the last period
Projects Completed
Parks & Recreation Asset Management Upgrade: The Parks and Recreation Department (PRK) relies on the integration between GIS and the Enterprise Asset Management (EAM) system to maintain accurate asset data and to generate work orders. A major part of the work done every day by PRK staff is the maintenance and upkeep of park assets such as swing-sets, benches, and buildings. This project was undertaken to help PRK staff maintain the thousands of assets under their control and to keep better records of the work performed every day, in every park. PRK management was given a dashboard to view work completed and work remaining by park. GPS-located assets for 12 new parks were added to the EAM, making it possible to create work orders for their upkeep and record the work performed. The record-keeping capacity was also improved by reconfiguring the EAM to work better with the enterprise GIS. Mobile daily checklists of tasks for field staff were implemented, a long-requested improvement that reduce the overhead involved in maintenance. The result of this project is an improved asset management system, more proactive field staff, and more informed management team, with enterprise GIS at the core of these achievements.
Projects currently in progress:
• Retired Parcel Document Access via infoMap: This project enables quick location-based access to documents related to current and historical parcels through infoMap, leading to significant City staff productivity gains and better customer service. Per the request of the Community Development Department, integration will be implemented between infoMap and the Electronic Document Management System (Laserfiche) repository where City documents are stored. This integration will provide access to retired parcel documents which reside in Laserfiche but are not available through the City’s online permitting portal.
• Stadium Common Operational Picture (COP) Upgrade: The COP is a comprehensive real-time web-based application providing multi-agency coordination and a shared view of stadium operations. This reduces response times, improves situational awareness, and enhances overall coordination. The GIS team provides live situational awareness critical to public safety for events at Levi’s Stadium.
• Employee Web Map Viewer Upgrade infoMap 4.0: infoMap serves as a vital tool for streamlining access to GIS data layers. This internal web map viewer not only provides convenient web-based accessibility but also integrates essential one-click analysis tools, including generating mailing lists, locating addresses, parcels or creating property reports. This upgrade underscores the significance of preserving this access, ensuring its seamless functionality and efficiency for continued support of City operations.
• Enterprise GIS Upgrade to ArcGIS 10.9.1: The Enterprise GIS serves as the central hub for storing, maintaining, and sharing all city-location data. As it is directly integrated with multiple business critical systems, it must be continuously maintained and improved. This upgrade ensures a seamless transition, minimizing any potential disruption to essential city services. The enterprise system will have increased capacity to deliver data to integrated business systems used for asset management and permitting. It will provide greater support for mobile map access for field teams, providing faster data services as demand grows due to new integrations and a larger user base.
Planned projects over the next six months:
• Public Web Map Viewer Upgrade MapSantaClara: The City’s decade-old public web mapping application, MapSantaClara, allows current and potential residents and business owners to explore Santa Clara and find the perfect parcel for their new home or enterprise. Serving thousands of users monthly, the web mapping application is a first stop for interested citizens to engage the City’s enterprise GIS for zoning and general plan information, or for the easy generation of specific property reports., Due to the depreciation of the underlying technology behind the existing tool, MapSantaClara will be upgraded to ensure continuity of service.
• Storm Drain Digital Map Book Update: The City’s Storm Drain Digital Network and Map Books, used to manage and maintain the network, has not been updated since 2014. Maintaining storm drains is a critical component of City operations, especially before and during storm events. To prepare and improve the City’s response, the GIS team will update the network by editing the digital network to add in all the changes that have occurred over the last decade. To achieve this, the GIS team will review all available documents describing these improvements and digitally adjust the storm drain network. In addition, printed map books (used by field teams to maintain storm drains and pipes) will be created from the updated digital network. Finally, the improved storm drain system will be integrated into the Enterprise Asset Management program, making for better storm drain maintenance records and management activities.
Day-to-Day Operations
The Enterprise GIS program enables city operations by consolidating, enriching, maintaining, and sharing hundreds of datasets for various City departments in the central database known as the Enterprise Geospatial Repository (EGR). The EGR supports critical areas such as public safety, utilities management, community development, parks maintenance, capital investments, and public engagement, and achieves its goals through real-time integrations with City systems as well as other data sharing partnerships.
Presently, the EGR contains an extensive collection of over 280 distinct geospatial and attribute layers covering the City and its surroundings comprehensively. These layers encompass diverse datasets, including pipeline utilities, tree information, public safety resources, City facilities, General Plan data, and park assets, among others. To provide perspective, the cumulative effort dedicated to day-to-day operations amounted to over 4,000 hours in FY 2022/23.
Enterprise GIS Basemap - At the core of the Enterprise Geospatial Repository (EGR) is the Enterprise GIS Basemap, composed of essential data layers that form the backbone of the City's geospatial information system. These foundational layers comprise a diverse array of critical data, including addresses, streets, parcel information, ownership details, general plan and zoning designations, multiyear aerial imagery, and associated attributes. These layers play an indispensable role in supporting the City's day-to-day operations across various functions, such as processing building permits, managing field work orders, ensuring environmental compliance and sustainability, and facilitating core public safety functions like handling 911 incidents. By providing comprehensive and accessible geospatial data, the EGR enhances the City's efficiency, effectiveness, and overall ability to serve its residents and stakeholders.
Statistics and information related to Enterprise GIS activities can be found in the attached updated infographic (Attachment 1), which indicates record counts in the EGR by department and MapSantaClara usage statistics by functionality. For instance, the statistics show a 16% increase in MapSantaClara property reports created by the public over the last 6 months.
System Updates and Data - Critical updates are essential for maintaining the security, functionality, and performance of our systems and are continually being performed in the areas listed below.
• MapSantaClara: A web-based application that provides tailored access and reporting functionality to the public (https://map.santaclaraca.gov). This popular application received over 20,000 visits over the current reporting period offering insights to the public on GIS-related data. It includes custom-built tools to help explore the attributes of each parcel.
• Open Data Geospatial Portal: A web-based repository providing public access to GIS datasets, the Open Data Portal benefits the community by providing access to important datasets for mapping, analysis and reporting (<https://public-gis-missioncity.opendata.arcgis.com/>).
Story Maps: Specialized web-based GIS interactive maps that facilitate information dissemination and increase the level of service to the public, including Development Projects (<http://santaclaraca.gov/devprojects>) and Live Traffic Cameras (<http://santaclaraca.gov/trafficcam>). By working with the Communications Team and Community Development Department, the Development Projects application is frequently updated to showcase how the City is growing.
• Public Safety: GIS integrations and dedicated datasets are in place supporting the Police and Fire Departments, and are being maintained with regularity, including map data for the Computer Aided Dispatch (CAD) system and police mobile data computers (MDCs). The GIS team supports GPS functionality built into every response vehicle, as well as the central command capabilities for events at Levi’s Stadium and around the City.
• Enterprise Permitting: Integration with the Enterprise Permit Management System provides location validation for over 500,000 existing permit records. This real-time integration makes all accurate addresses and parcel numbers available for search to confirm the status of properties where citizens require permits to build or modify homes and businesses. By using data stored in the Enterprise Geospatial Repository, all permits are validated, improving the accuracy and validity of critical City records.
• Enterprise Asset Management (EAM): The ongoing expansion of this successful program benefits the City through better record keeping of maintenance, better upkeep of City-owned assets, and strategic improvements in resource management via mobile applications and dashboards. Due to the benefits to operations and maintenance activities, there has been widespread adoption of the asset management and GIS systems. With the recent addition of water meters and irrigation valves, and the scheduled integration of the storm drain network, this program now supports the work order and asset maintenance needs for Streets, Water and Sewer, Parks and Recreation, and multiple Engineering teams. Expanding the integration even further will enable seamless assignment of work orders to all city assets and facilitates efficient tracking of maintenance activities. Consequently, it strengthens preventative maintenance initiatives and supports lifecycle infrastructure management endeavors.
• Regional GIS Collaboration and Coordination: The IT Department regularly collaborates with neighboring cities, the County of Santa Clara, and other government agencies to ensure timely data acquisition and sharing of regional information. Through an ongoing agreement, the City receives fresh high-resolution aerial imagery on an annual basis, which is the foundational GIS layer for the City Basemap. In addition, building footprints derived from the high-resolution aerial imagery data were collected and integrated into infoMap, the City’s web mapping application. This data is used by multiple departments to measure the changes in the built environment. Another benefit gained from the regional collaboration was high resolution elevation data known as LiDAR, which is used to support engineering projects both above and below ground. The cost savings gained via this collaborative effort makes it possible to collect this data regularly, allowing for smarter analysis, inspection, and planning efforts.
• Real-Time Business System Integration: Using Enterprise GIS data in City business systems via real-time integrations (APIs) enables city departments to rely on up-to-date geographic information. By facilitating real-time data sharing and collaboration, Enterprise GIS integration helps eliminate data silos, ensuring that all departments work with the most current information. Enterprise GIS is integrated into the permitting system, Enterprise Asset Management, sewer inspection software, and multiple public safety applications. Through real-time API integration, the Enterprise GIS program makes it possible to promote better record keeping of maintenance activities for the DPW Engineering, Streets Division, Water and Sewer, and Parks and Recreation. With GPS-located asset data such as water systems, playgrounds, and boulevard islands stored in GIS, these field teams can get auto-generated daily maintenance tasks, record the work performed, add any notes or concerns, or create new work orders in the field when unplanned maintenance is required. This smart approach to asset management is also seen in integrations with public safety applications, where the requirement for accurate and up-to-date information is paramount.
• Steady State GIS: Fulfilled requests from various departments, including: additional development projects added to the popular Development Projects story map; including library locations in the EGR; ongoing monthly parcel ownership updates in collaboration with the County Assessor’s office; GIS software training sessions for city employees; zoning data updates to reflect City Council resolutions; Water & Sewer system improvements; the addition of painted utility boxes to the City Art story map; large-scale council district maps; and new large-format citywide maps for Emergency Operations.
• GIS User Group: To facilitate greater communication and direct interaction with City users, the GIS team has established monthly user group meetings. These have yielded results in the form of new data layers being published, data issues being resolved, and fostering greater user engagement. Meetings have been attended by staff from CDD, Public Works, Parks and Recreation, Water and Sewer.
ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW
The action being considered does not constitute a “project” within the meaning of the California Environmental Quality Act (“CEQA”) pursuant to CEQA Guidelines section 15378(a) as it has no potential for resulting in either a direct physical change in the environment, or a reasonably foreseeable indirect physical change in the environment.
FISCAL IMPACT
There is no cost to the City associated with this report other than administrative time and expense.
PUBLIC CONTACT
Public contact was made by posting the Council agenda on the City’s official-notice bulletin board outside City Hall Council Chambers. A complete agenda packet is available on the City’s website and in the City Clerk’s Office at least 72 hours prior to a Regular Meeting and 24 hours prior to a Special Meeting. A hard copy of any agenda report may be requested by contacting the City Clerk’s Office at (408) 615-2220, email clerk@santaclaraca.gov <mailto:clerk@santaclaraca.gov> or at the public information desk at any City of Santa Clara public library.
RECOMMENDATION
Recommendation
Note and file the Bi-annual Status Report on the GIS Service Program.
Staff
Reviewed by: Gaurav Garg, Director of Information Technology/CIO
Approved by: Jovan D. Grogan, City Manager
ATTACHMENTS
1. Infographic - Enterprise GIS Program Activity