Virginia Beach Public Utilities Selects ArcGIS 9 for Enterprise GIS

The Virginia Beach Department of Public Utilities (Public Utilities) selected ESRI's ArcGIS 9 software for its enterprise GIS solution after an extensive evaluation period. Implementation is scheduled for completion by September 2005.

"The scope of work will address a needed upgrade in Public Utilities from a previous legacy GIS," said Wayne Phelps, program manager for the Virginia Beach Department of Public Utilities. "It will create interfaces between GIS and the existing Hansen's Infrastructure Management System and water and sanitary sewer hydraulic models. It will incorporate GIS for raw water infrastructure that has not been updated since 1997. The solution will allow us to move from an eight-year-old, heavily customized legacy GIS, albeit a very successful system in past years, to a more current and efficient GIS."

ESRI will provide software, services, and other deliverables such as system installation, documentation, configuration/work flow reporting, geodatabase design documentation, on-site data migration, user training, and rollout support.

The city of Virginia Beach is the most populous city in the Commonwealth of Virginia and is the 38th largest city in the United States. Public Utilities provides raw water transmission, water distribution services, and sanitary sewer wastewater collection services to Virginia Beach residents and businesses.

The impetus for the system implementation stemmed from the Public Utilities' recognition of the need to upgrade from an existing legacy system and to consolidate disparate information systems and applications. The department wanted to minimize software customization to reduce GIS life cycle costs. In addition, Virginia Beach wants to streamline internal infrastructure information processes ranging from project planning, design, and construction to operations and maintenance management of the department's facilities.

"This is an opportunity to integrate previously disparate data and work processes, optimize utility information management and utilization, increase overall efficiency and productivity, and minimize life cycle costs for GIS services," adds Phelps. "It is expected to improve the quality and timeliness of GIS services rendered to staff and customers."

Inventory records, valuations, map products, service calls, work order management, records maintenance, and more will be managed within, or depend on, the system. The implementation will also include a major redesign of utility infrastructure data models; improved data maintenance through versioning and metadata; and deployment of maps to the field.

Source: ESRI