April 19, 2007

City of Gävle, Sweden, Uses GIS to Speed Building Permit Process

Intranet Permitting Application Saves Time and Increases Efficiency

Redlands, California—The City of Gävle, Sweden, is using ESRI geographic information system (GIS) software to accelerate its building permit application process. The intranet-based GIS will deliver accurate, up-to-date information to city staff in a single user-friendly application, replacing the use of static paper maps to verify property boundaries, land-use information, and zoning regulations.

Based on ArcGIS Server, the new department-wide service allows City of Gävle staff to request building permits and bypass the cumbersome research process altogether, which previously involved accessing multiple paper-based sources that were often out of date. With the new system, building permits staff can easily update parcel IDs, land-use information, and zoning data thanks to the intuitive editing functionality of ESRI software. This will save the City of Gävle significant time and fiscal resources that would be better allocated to more high-priority tasks.

Says Eddie Larsson, GIS manager at City of Gävle, "With this new application process, the only information applicants need to know is the location and size of the building footprint. From there, the database returns all relevant information, including proximity to neighbors, neighbor permissions requirements, and zoning laws, so that the builder can make the appropriate decisions."

The city has plans to extend the permitting application to the Web in the future so the citizens of Gävle can also access the service.

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