Stevens Point Wireless ArcIMS Application

Stevens Point Water and Sewerage Department recently began the process of creating and maintaining their utility infrastructure information in ArcInfo. With their infrastructure data now available in a GIS, the Department saw the advantage of accessing the GIS data from their field vehicles through CDMA cellular phones. This paper highlights the challenges and benefits of the ArcIMS-based wireless application and provides a look at ways to customize ArcIMS. INTRODUCTION Stevens Point, Wisconsin, is located in the central part of the state and has a population of 24,551. In 2002, the Water Department pumped 2,666,211 gallons of water for and average of 7.3 million gallons per day. Stevens Point Water Department serves about 8,000 customers. The physical water system consists of approximately 144 miles of pipe, 2,045 valves, 1,050 fire hydrants, and 5,944 services. In December 1999, Earth Tech submitted a GIS Needs Assessment to the Utility detailing the need to automate the Utility’s GIS processes by developing a water distribution system database. This system would support the Utility’s long-term business plans. In February 2000, Earth Tech began the process of implementing a GIS for the Utility. > This included converting 89 quarter-section maps to create a seamless GIS dataset. Datasets to be extractable from these maps included: mains, hydrants, hydrant leads, valves, and services. Parcels and other land base datasets, were to be supplied by the Portage County Planning and Zoning Department. In October 2000, the Stevens Point Water Department contracted Earth Tech to create a Wireless Intranet GIS that would provide field and general office staff access to a GIS web server implementing ESRI’s ArcIMS. Top priorities such as streamlined workflow and data accuracy for both field and office use would be met by making information accessible through a GIS with a standard Internet Explorer web browser interface. The Stevens Point Water Utility used a labor-intensive process to locate services for Diggers Hotline. For each locate (approximately 270 per month), office staff searched through a tremendous number of hardcopy Utility records, which include thousands of feature cards, job sheets, and as-built drawings. Photocopies were made and passed on to field crews stopping at the Utility twice daily to pick up the locate information. Lastly, the field crews traveled throughout the Utility’s service area to locate each service in question. The following figures show how using the Intranet GIS greatly reduces information access time.