Tree Permitting

| Kevin McMaster

Did you know that any Washington DC resident or contractor who wishes to plant, prune, or remove a tree within the public right of way must first obtain permission from the District Department of Transportation (DDOT) and the Urban Forestry Division? However, knowing when, where, and how to get the right permit for tree work in DC can be a complicated process. Fortunately, DDOT has a new resource available to make it easy! Check out the Tree Permitting Hub site to answer all tree permitting questions.

SymGEO built the Tree Permitting site using ArcGIS Hub technology, which leverages ArcGIS Online mapping and graphic examples to help explain what type of permit is needed based on tree location, property boundaries, and tree size. The site also explains the benefits of the Income Contingent Hazardous Tree Mitigation Program that provides assistance with the removal of a hazardous tree on an owner’s private property.

As an example of “good to know” information, Washington D.C. is unique in that it has dedicated park space along most streets. This “parking” area is generally used for landscaping, retaining walls, trees, and other greenery. Just like on private land, all landscape elements (including trees) in this parking area are the responsibility of the homeowner to maintain. On the other hand, all trees located in the public “sidewalk” area are the responsibility of the city to maintain. However, these trees may be negatively impacted by development or construction projects and need to be considered before projects begin.

Talk to our industry experts today if your agency or organization is interested in community engagement with the power of Esri’s ArcGIS Hub or mapping with ArcGIS Online – SymGEO is here to help!

One Main Street Initiative

| Kevin McMaster

SymGEO is pleased to launch the One Main Street Initiative website produced in collaboration with our local commercial development volunteer committee. This website is powered by ArcGIS Hub technology and is designed to engage business owners and residents in the transformation of the Main Street of Kentlands into a vibrant, family-friendly, retail destination. This was accomplished by summarizing the key findings of a detailed local study conducted by Live Work Learn Play that charted a path forward to energize the Main street through a combination of events, physical improvements, dedicated leadership, and community involvement.

Each key component of the study was summarized and shared using a combination of text and graphics to facilitate community understanding, discussion, and evaluation.

After presenting the key findings, ArcGIS Survey123 was used to gauge public reaction to the importance of each component.

Finally, ArcGIS Dashboards was leveraged to create and share a helpful Main Street Explorer tool (desktop or mobile) for residents to see which businesses are already on Main street and where opportunities for new businesses are located.

Talk to our industry experts today if your community is interested in harnessing the power of Esri’s ArcGIS Hub to share and amplify your development plans – SymGEO is here to help!

Tree Preservation

| Kevin McMaster

Did you know that trees are so important to Washington DC that they are protected by the Urban Forest Preservation Act and the Tree Canopy Protection Act? This means that before performing any excavation or construction activity on private property, it is important to consider any potential impacts to the trees on site. To facilitate this process, SymGEO is proud to help DDOT launch a new resource, the Tree Preservation Hub site, for property owners and construction companies to identify which trees need to be protected and how to best take care of them during home renovations or new construction projects.

Built using ArcGIS Hub technology, this site leverages ArcGIS Online mapping and graphic examples to help explain what type of permit or protection plan is needed based on estimated tree size. Tree sizes were estimated using LiDAR processing, which in turn is used to estimate the critical root zone and structural root zones that need to be protected during construction. Modeling several hundred thousand trees at the same time has its challenges; however, ArcGIS Pro, ArcGIS Enterprise, Arcade expressions, and hosted image services were used to efficiently capture and share the modeling results.

Talk to our industry experts today if your agency or organization is interested in community engagement with the power of Esri’s ArcGIS Hub or data processing with ArcGIS Pro – SymGEO is here to help!

Arbor Day

| Kevin McMaster

“Every day is Arbor Day in the City of Trees!” – these wise words from Dr. Kasey Yturralde, the Forest Health and Community Outreach Specialist at DDOT’s Urban Forest Division (UFD), are a great indicator of the passion and excitement possessed by the entire UFD team keeping our city green and beautiful.

With that in mind, SymGEO is pleased to announce a brand new interactive Arbor Day at Home resource for communities and individuals who share the same passion for our neighborhood trees. This dynamic website, built with ArcGIS Hub technology, showcases a number of best-practices when planting or caring for trees, as well as fun activities for the whole family in identifying local tree varieties.

Talk to our industry experts today if your agency or organization is interested in community engagement with the power of Esri’s ArcGIS Hub – SymGEO is here to help!

Now in the ArcGIS Marketplace

| Kevin McMaster

SymGEO is thrilled to have our services and solutions listed in the ArcGIS Marketplace, the top destination for users to search, discover, and acquire apps, content, solutions, and professional services from Esri’s ecosystem of providers for use within their organization.

“ArcGIS Marketplace makes it easy to connect with users, provide free trials, generate leads, and sell your products and services with e-commerce.” – Esri

We were fortunate to have three of our listings accepted into the marketplace. The first is our ArcGIS Online and ArcGIS Hub solutions configuration and implementation services. These services focus on our expertise with the ArcGIS Online environment, data analytics and visualization, application configuration and deployment, and community engagement using ArcGIS Hub.

Our second listing is a partner solution focused on an ArcGIS Hub configuration called Downtown: Energize!. This solution is configurable for cities or communities looking to energize their downtown core with retail that fits the needs of the local population. This solution empowers the local community to explore retail in their area and to voice their opinions on what types of new commercial development they feel would do well.

Our third listing provides information about our 3d building modeling capabilities. This solution leverages ArcGIS Pro for 3d model production, ArcGIS CityEngine for model texturing, analysis, and landscape refinement, and Unreal Engine by Epic Games for rendering and visualizations. Whether the goal is a digital twin or proposed development scenarios, the end result is a virtual environment that can’t wait to be explored!

To learn more about our marketplace listings or any of our services, contact us to set up a time to talk – SymGEO is a certified Esri specialist and is here to help!

SymGEO Awarded Esri System Specialty Partner Status

| Kevin McMaster

SymGEO is pleased to announce we have been awarded Esri’s ArcGIS System Ready Specialty designation! This honor is for partners that are highly focused on delivering services, content or solutions leveraging the latest versions of ArcGIS technology.

“ArcGIS is a platform for organizations to create, manage, share, and analyze spatial data. It consists of server components, mobile and desktop applications, and developer tools. This platform can be deployed on-premises or in the cloud (Amazon, Azure) with ArcGIS Enterprise, or used via ArcGIS Online which is hosted and managed by Esri.” – Esri

Only a few hundred Esri Partners have been awarded this specialty (out of almost 3500 partners), so we are grateful to be among the top 10 percent! SymGEO has been fortunate to work with great clients on projects that have now appeared at Esri plenary presentations around the country. We are really thankful for the opportunity and trust that Esri has placed in our skills and services with the Release Ready Specialty designation, and we look forward to continuing to develop as GIS professionals over the coming years!

DDOT ArcGIS Hub projects and website development

American Public Transportation Association (APTA) application development and data processing.

World Bank Croatia Rail Dashboard development and data processing

To learn more about these projects or any of our services, contact us to set up a time to talk – SymGEO is a certified Esri specialist and is here to help!

Hub Specialty Designation

| Kevin McMaster

SymGEO is pleased to announce we have been awarded the ArcGIS Hub Specialty designation from Esri! This prestigious honor is bestowed upon partners to recognize their expertise and delivery of solutions and services that help customers build a bridge between government departments and communities using ArcGIS Hub technology.

“ArcGIS Hub is an easy-to-configure cloud platform that organizes people, data, and tools to accomplish Initiatives and goals.” – Esri

SymGEO has been fortunate to work on community engagement projects for municipal and local government clients and has enhanced our partnership with Esri to gain valuable insight into best practices and emerging Hub technologies. We work diligently with our clients to identify their core messaging, digital assets, targeted audience, and corporate branding. We then typically implement a Hub site comprised of pages and initiatives that feature a range of ArcGIS Online solutions, including Survey123, Web AppBuilder, ArcGIS Dashboard, Collector, and 3D WebScenes.

To show a sampling of our ArcGIS Hub work, we offer the following examples:

SymGEO partnered with the District Department of Transportation (DDOT) Urban Forestry Division (UFD) to build an ArcGIS Hub site that showcases their work, data, and configurable applications. Upon completion, we then developed an initiative for their group that features Urban Wood Reuse in Washington, DC. The site is designed for schools that are interested in ordering products from DDOT made from urban trees so that school children can appreciate the continued benefits of the urban forest. The site uses Survey123 to capture order information, and ArcGIS Dashboard (on the backend) to track request status as the orders are being processed. Most recently, we have made a page for their group that explores Urban Forest Health issues.

SymGEO worked with guidance from the Kentlands Downtown Working Group to develop Kentlands Downtown: Energize!, an ArcGIS Hub-powered site that aims to connect the community with the economic development team to voice their opinions on what would do well or is needed in the Kentlands. The site leverages Survey123, ArcGIS Dashboard, and a number of unique design elements, including a 3D “virtual” fly-through. The realistic textured 3D environment was developed using a Local Government solution (Local Government 3D Basemaps) that used building footprints, LiDAR data, and CityEngine.

SymGEO was honored to partner with DC’s Ward7 to design and launch a community outreach site 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. The site features a history of the development and a map showing the rather sharp economic divide between Ward7 and some of its surrounding neighborhoods.

SymGEO is focused on empowering state and local governments to better use their data and digital assets and to facilitate 2-way engagement with their constituents and communities. We leverage configurable Esri applications to deliver cost-effective solutions to our clients and pride ourselves on delivering a tailored, successful experience during each engagement. Talk to our industry experts today if your neighborhood, department, or organization is interested in community engagement with the power of Esri’s ArcGIS Hub technology – SymGEO is a certified specialist and is here to help!

Graduated, Certified, and Ready to Partner

| Kevin McMaster

SymGEO is pleased to announce that we have graduated the Esri Startup Program a year and a half early and have joined the Esri Partner Network as a Silver Tier partner. This elevated partnership status is a direct result of our focus to integrate best-in-class ArcGIS technology into our products and our determination to benefit our clients with a long-term Esri partnership.

“The Esri Partner Network is a rich ecosystem of organizations that work together to amplify The Science of Where. Partners deliver solutions, content, and services using the Esri Geospatial Cloud. Alliances are industry leaders aligned with Esri’s high level goals, joining forces to advance shared initiatives.”

– Esri

We have also been included in the Esri ArcGIS Online Specialty program in recognition of our proven set of value-added services and solutions that help users implement and optimize ArcGIS Online within their organizations.

Finally (for now!), SymGEO is honored to be part of the Esri ArcGIS for Local Government Specialty program. This designation is for promoting and implementing ArcGIS apps, maps and solutions for local government.

“As a proud Esri business partner, we are so grateful for all the support, encouragement, and technical resources that Esri has generously shared with SymGEO. We have benefited tremendously from Esri’s business guidance, shared best practices, and professional friendship!”

– Kevin McMaster, Principal, SymGEO

Talk to our industry experts today to hear more about our innovative, cost-effective, mapping solutions that leverage Esri technology – SymGEO is here to help!

Ward7 Community Outreach

| Kevin McMaster

“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

The Ward7 Community Outreach site is built on Esri’s ArcGIS Hub framework which offers exceptional design flexibility and mobile responsiveness. The site begins by presenting what makes a successful neighborhood and how Ward7 has achieved its own distinct success.

Historic challenges have caused a rather sharp divide between Ward7 and some of its surrounding neighborhoods. This divide was best illustrated with demographic data showing income and education. This mobile-responsive data exploring application was built using Web AppBuilder.

The site discusses how long-term planning and development within Washington DC is guided by the Comprehensive plan, what factors are considered by the plan, and some of the challenges faced by Ward7 during the development process.

Suggestions on how to improve the plan are offered, and community input is solicited using Esri’s Survey123 for ArcGIS,

Finally, social media is embedded into the site so that the community can stay up to date with the many events happening in and around Ward7.

Talk to SymGEO today if your agency or organization is interested in community engagement with the power of Esri’s ArcGIS Online platform – we are certified experts and here to help.

Urban Forest Health

| Kevin McMaster

SymGEO is pleased to announce the launch of a Forest Health website for DDOT’s Urban Forest Division (UFD), designed to educate the community on how DDOT (and DC residents!) help keep the urban canopy vibrant, healthy, and productive. In a natural ecosystem, there are many checks and balances to keep a forest healthy. Urban environments present many challenges to trees, which include the urban heat island effect, degraded soil, limited growing space, and the introduction of exotic pests. This can lead to pest infestations and canopy damage if not caught quickly and mitigated efficiently. Fortunately, at the DDOT Urban Forestry Division, dedicated specialists prevent and respond to urban forest health issues on a daily basis.

“We are excited to share our forest health programs with the public in this new format. The new forest health website is dynamic and easy to use, it allows users to learn about pests and pathogens to look out for, while also giving them the opportunity to report their observations.”

– DDOT Urban Forestry Division

The new Forest Health site discusses a range of preventative measures the UFD takes against pests, including the Early Detection Rapid Response (EDRR) and the Cryptic Wood-Borer Insect (CWBI) programs, as well as how DC residents can identify and report invasive species.

The site leverages Esri’s ArcGIS Hub framework for design and mobile responsiveness and Esri’s Survey123 for ArcGIS for pest reporting. Information is gathered through the website, including pest species, life stage, or signs/symptoms, and is passed to the survey to help the reporting process along.

A Pest Vulnerability Matrix (PVM) is also presented which enables urban foresters to evaluate the overall vulnerability of the urban forest and evaluate the potential impacts of emerging pests and diseases.

Talk to our industry experts today if your agency or organization is interested in community engagement with the power of Esri’s ArcGIS Hub – SymGEO is here to help!