Challenge: DDOT needed a solution to help organize special events, create event site maps, develop health and safety plans, manage event incidents and assignments, monitor public health and safety operations, and create after-action reports.
Solution: SymGEO configured and deployed an ArcGIS Special Event Operations Solution to enable the hosting of comprehensive information about an event in one authoritative, collaborative place.
Client Feedback: “The Special Events solution has sparked a new level of excitement in preparing for special events in the city. With SymGEO’s technical help, DDOT now has improved internal communication and decision-making abilities. The training provided by SymGEO has been super beneficial – they are a treasure!” – DDOT Program Manager, Traffic Management Center
Esri’s Special Event Operations is a configurable solution that helps organize special events, create event site maps, develop health and safety plans, manage event incidents and assignments, monitor public health and safety operations, and create after-action reports. The District Department of Transportation (DDOT) recognized the value of having comprehensive information about an event in one authoritative, collaborative place, and asked SymGEO to help configure and deploy Special Event Operations for their internal use.
“The Special Events solution has sparked a new level of excitement in preparing for special events in the city. With SymGEO’s technical help, DDOT now has improved internal communication and decision-making abilities. The training provided by SymGEO has been super beneficial – they are a treasure!”
– DDOT Program Manager, Traffic Management Center
ArcGIS Hub was used to host the solution as it facilitated the understanding and workflow of how each individual component fits into the comprehensive picture.
The solution is built around a core data set of special events. Individual events are initially “registered” with the solution using an ArcGIS Survey123 intake form.
An ArcGIS Dashboard uses the event information to give managers an overview of upcoming (or past) events that can be filtered by venue type, expected crowd size, approval status, or other event characteristics.
The Special Event Manager is used to dive deep into specific events. From this interface, site maps or operation maps can be created, copied from past events, reviewed, and eventually approved.
The Special Event Site Map interface facilitates the creation of site maps linked to individual events. Site maps include the point, line, or area representation of event physical features. This may include signs, fire lanes, event perimeters, or other stationary event components.
The operations map includes mobile or distributed resources that will be actively deployed during the event. This may include trucks, traffic control officers, resource assignment paths, staging areas, or security perimeters.
During an event, assignments can be created and assigned from the Special Event Command Center. Assignment deployment, tracking, and in-the-field responses are managed using ArcGIS Workforce behind the scenes.
ArcGIS Notebooks are used to copy site plans and operations maps from previous events. This saves time, money, and the duplication of effort for annual or repeating events.
Talk to SymGEO today if your agency or organization is interested in managing special events using the power of Esri’s Special Event Operations solution – we are certified experts and here to help.
Client: Governors State University College of Business
Challenge: Collaboration and using the best available data are keys to success at academic institutions, however, finding authoritative data and relevant training classes can be difficult without guidance.
Solution: SymGEO built the pilot GSU COB Data Explorer Hub site, available for students and faculty to explore and engage with Esri geospatial technology and the larger GIS community.
Client Feedback: “For students in the College of Business at GSU, this website will help them find, visualize, and analyze geospatial data and applications relevant to the business world around us.” – Associate Professor, Governors State University
Challenge: Development within Washington DC is guided by a Comprehensive plan developed by the Office of Planning. Over the years, Ward7 has achieved its own distinct success, however, historic challenges have caused a rather sharp divide between Ward7 and some of its surrounding neighborhoods. Community outreach regarding what factors are considered by the plan and some of the challenges faced by Ward7 during the development process was required.
Solution: SymGEO built a community outreach site using ArcGIS Hub, designed to present a brief history of the area, a flavor of the neighborhood, the challenges faced due to a changing development landscape, and a call to action for the residents.
Client Feedback: “The genius of SymGEO was exactly what I needed to help jump-start a discussion on the DC Comprehensive Plan/Element Framework, transforming it from a boring review of data sets into an energizing discussion where people can clearly identify themselves in the data and endeavor to become change agents! SymGEO has taken community engagement and data collection to another level! #OneHappyCustomer” – Ward7 Outreach Committee Chair
Client: American Public Transportation Association
Challenge: Public transportation is a $79 billion industry that employs 430,000 people and supports millions of private-sector jobs. As the public transportation industry advocacy leader, the American Public Transportation Association (APTA) is dependent on accurate, current data to help inform critical decisions. APTA needed a platform to collect, analyze, and present key statistics at national, state, and local levels for their nonprofit work.
Solution: SymGEO worked with our partners at GeoMarvel to develop the APTA Industry Footprint, providing insight into APTA membership, public transportation providers, transit service, manufacturing supply chains, and congressional/legislative contact information.
Client Feedback: “We are happy with the results of our partnership with SymGEO. They produced a website that equals our ambition and stature as an association.” – APTA Director of Policy Research and Development
Challenge: With a long history of caring for the extensive forest canopy in DC, the Urban Forestry Division (UFD) has meticulously assembled data sets and applications to help in their forest management mission and to communicate with a variety of audiences. The UFD needed a way to effectively communicate the depth and breadth of service and resource offerings.
Solution: SymGEO built a digital platform designed to engage and interact with the DC community and provide information about the many services and resources offered by the Urban Forestry Division (UFD) using ArcGIS Hub technology. This platform was also featured in Esri’s State and Local government solutions newsletter.
Client Feedback: “SymGEO is a remarkably flexible and responsive company. They listen carefully to requirements and deftly blend customer vision with technological capabilities.” – DDOT Associate Director / State Forester
Challenge: Trail Rangers are a consistent and helpful presence on DC’s mixed-use, paved trails, charged with assisting trail users, improving trail conditions, and working with local agencies to keep the trails clean, bright, and clear of obstacles. To record their daily helpful activities, every trail service, maintenance task, work order request, or trail-side event needed to be captured by location with optional notes or photographs and tagged to the appropriate trail.
Solution: SymGEO configured and deploy an ArcGIS QuickCapture application for the DC Trail Ranger nonprofit team to facilitate the data collection process and quantify work efforts, and then used the collected data to populate a public-facing dashboard. This work was featured in the Esri case study “GIS-Driven Initiatives Promote Active Transportation in Washington, DC“.
Client Feedback: “As a field team that does a wide variety of outreach and maintenance tasks, ArcGIS QuickCapture has been great for record-keeping and storytelling of program impact. I can confidently say that staff stopped to sweep up broken glass in February 97 times!” – Trail Ranger and Outreach Director, Washington Area Bicyclist Association
Challenge: The District Department of Transportation’s (DDOT‘s) mission is to enhance the quality of life for District residents and visitors by ensuring that people, goods, and information move efficiently and safely with minimal adverse impact on residents and the environment. To accomplish this goal, many transportation capital projects are being funded, designed, and constructed throughout the city.
Solution: To help organize and communicate capital project status and information, SymGEO collaboratively built an interactive engagement portal called DDOT Capital Projects using ArcGIS Hub technology.
Client Feedback: “The SymGEO team has helped DDOT transform our digital presence into a highly engaging, well-organized platform. They leverage GIS best-practices and Esri technology to produce visually informative and actionable solutions.” -DDOT Chief Performance Officer
Challenge: With 6000+ bikes covering 180+ square miles of the region, Capital Bikeshare is a great way to explore Metro DC and travel to and from various destination points. The network of 600+ bike stations is constantly expanding, and community feedback is an important part of deciding where to locate new stations.
Client Feedback: “The SymGEO team helped DDOT quickly implement a complex, public-facing tool with a simple user interface to help us gather a high volume of public input data, which is extremely useful for Capital Bikeshare planning purposes. Their knowledge of GIS and ESRI products helped make a challenging project with many stakeholders simple and quick to turn around.” – DDOT Project Manager
Challenge: The World Bank partnered with a group in Croatia to gain insight into the country’s rail network, an effort that would lead to improved safety and the more efficient transport of goods. As part of this effort, the two teams inventoried Croatia’s railways to better identify sections that were at risk of deterioration and in need of maintenance or that could become commerce choke points. In the inventory, however, some of the data were shown in different systems of measurement, and a lot of the schematic diagrams were rudimentary, which made it difficult to view and manage the data.
Solution: To enhance and streamline the railway’s existing data management system, the World Bank and the local teams in Croatia joined forces with Esri partner SymGEO. Over the course of two months, SymGEO worked with staff from the World Bank to develop a high-resolution, unified dataset and create a dashboard solution that improved data management and analysis. This solution was featured in ArcNews as a success story entitled “World Bank Deploys GIS Dashboard to Improve Railway Safety in Croatia” highlighting how to effectively develop and deploy a dashboard solution.
Client Feedback: “This is superb and exactly what the client needed and what I was imagining.” – World Bank client
