“Our job is to show them [citizens, administrators] the art of what’s possible.” – Jose Lopez, Division Director, Enterprise Solutions at Miami-Dade Country, Florida
Public policy, public safety, smart cities, and citizen engagement were key topics discussed at the sixth annual Public Sector CIO Summit held last week at Esri headquarters in Redlands, California. More than 200 CIOs, GIS managers, first responders, and agency directors came together to explore, discuss, and collaborate on the use of location intelligence and GIS to address intriguing and challenging issues.
A Focus on Emerging Technology. Discussions around new tools and advances in location intelligence focused on several areas:
- Esri and Microsoft have been working together for years to bring the power Esri location intelligence and GIS to artificial intelligence and machine learning. Read the case study “Fight Blight with ArcGIS and Artificial Intelligence” to see how the two technologies can transform typical inspections and surveys .
- ArcGIS Indoors makes indoor mapping, real-time location tracking and wayfinding available inside buildings. The Los Angeles County IT department serves 93,000 help tickets every year. With over 35 departments consisting of 108,000 employees spread across 4,000 major public buildings, it can be challenging to find each person that requires assistance. Read their story to learn how the county is using ArcGIS Indoors to make life better for its employees and the citizens they serve.
- The Esri Geospatial Cloud is a virtual cloud that combines location intelligence with artificial intelligence and predictive analytics. It empowers decision makers and other professionals to analyze massive amounts of data and to deliver smart maps that can be used by anyone – not just GIS experts.
A Focus on Trends. Discussions around data driven accountability, location intelligence, and smart cities:
- Data Driven Accountability. Ron Galperin, Controller for the City of Los Angeles, talked about how building a better community requires improved citizen engagement and advocacy. Galperin used location intelligence technology to enable greater transparency by gathering data to stand up websites, portals, and other citizen communication channels. For example, the Controller’s office created this story map about policies related to affordable housing. The city also publishes detailed financial data as part of an effort to encourage city departments to purchase goods more often from businesses in LA. When visualized, these maps offer a view (and understanding) of policies and questions that develop and impact Los Angeles.
- Location Intelligence for Citizen Engagement. With 755,000 people and a healthy tourism industry fed by the largest national civil war battlefield and three professional sports teams, leaders in Cobb County, Georgia, know the importance of delivering information to citizens any time, in any place, and on any device. Sharon Stanley, Director of Information Services for the county shared how they use location intelligence to create story maps to help inform the public. Examples include a trail system map to help connect first responders to those in need, rapid damage assessment and resource deployment using the Survey 123 app, and citizen service requests for issues like non-functioning street lights and power outages. You can see more Cobb County story maps here. What’s next for the county? Utilizing ArcGIS Indoors, expanding 3D modeling capabilities, and leveraging VR/AR to help public safety initiatives.
- Smart Cities & Real Time Data. 40 million people visit Las Vegas each year, driving $1.1b in downtown gaming revenue. Michael Sherwood, IT Director for the City of Las Vegas, explained how they’re using data from the Internet of Things to better understand movement throughout the city. The city uses location intelligence and GIS technology to visualize real time data in ways that support informed decisions. For example, the city runs an autonomous shuttle that transports 40,000 people around the city each year and collects data on pot holes, traffic patterns and pedestrian density. Using Esri technology, city administrators can begin to understand where pot holes may form before they happen and identify areas that could be public safety concerns before an event occurs. Take a look here to learn more about Las Vegas’ connected corridors, autonomous vehicles, and smart city plans. The city also plans to use cameras to understand where trash is being dumped (a more cost-effective waste management system) and playground usage.
- Smart City Innovation. Esri and SAP have been working together to help cities like San Diego deliver smart city innovations. Jonathan Behnke, CIO of the City of San Diego and Bill Gough, Senior Director, Office of the CEO, SAP, shared the importance of having a data management platform that can fuel machine learning languages and advanced data analytics for initiatives like optimized land use planning and next generation transit solutions. 19 departments within the City of San Diego utilize location intelligence as a way to develop, deliver, and report on its sustainability initiatives. A comprehensive list of projects and results can be found here. Moving forward, the city plans to tackle micro mobility, asset management (storm water conditions), and AR for emergency response and planning.
A Focus on Wins. Location intelligence and geospatial infrastructure are producing amazing results across the country
- Connecting People with Government. “We exist to serve the people,” said John Thomas, Chief Performance Officer, District of Columbia Department of Transportation. The district has turned to ArcGIS Hub to connect with citizens and illustrate how the department is rolling out programs that align with community needs. From updates on transportation studies and major projects to and metro line updates, you’ll find it all on ArcGIS Hub. It’s for more than just transportation—the Urban Forestry Division uses ArcGIS Hub to educate and update residents on its plan to protect and grow open tree spaces throughout the city. It’s an interesting story – take a look here.
- Project Hope. The San Bernardino County Sheriff department uses Esri technology to better map and provide service to area homeless. Covering more than 20,000 square miles, this is no easy task for Michael Jones, Deputy Sheriff, and his four-man team at the department. The team uses the Survey 123 app to collect field data that immediately populates various dashboards. Why is this important? These dashboards offer real time situational awareness shared through ArcGIS Online to more than 350 service providers that help the homeless get the services they need. The results have been impressive with a 9% decrease in chronic homeless from 2014 to 2018. Watch this video to see how Project HOPE is making a difference in the lives of the homeless.
- Pasadena’s Rose Bowl. More than 1 million people come to Pasadena during its Rose Bowl festivities while an additional 82 million watch some type of broadcast coverage. With such a public platform, there’s no room for error. The City of Pasadena utilizes ArcGIS Online, Tracker, and Operations Dashboard to support cross city department operations such as road and traffic management and operations for the always-popular Rose Bowl Parade. Read their story about using real-time dashboards to keep the Pasadena Rose Parade on track this past year.
A Track Record of Success. Location intelligence technology helps government organizations integrate, collaborate, and engage their communities. It’s no small task. Esri technology is used by the US federal government in all 15 Executive Departments. In addition, Esri technology is used by all 50 U.S. state governments, more than half of all U.S. counties (including the top 100 most populous counties) thousands of non-profits, 90 of the Fortune 100, half of the Fortune 500 companies, and 7 million users around the world. All with a single vision – to help make our world a better place to live, work, and play.
