In its report on the 2014 winners, the Center’s judges were impressed with Dublin’s social media presence, pervasive use of community engagement tools, and systematic use of GIS.
Michelle Crandall, assistant city manager, attributed Dublin’s high ranking to the city’s focus on two main goals: boosting staff efficiency, and getting information and tools to business and residents alike.
Regarding the first goal, Crandall said “We want to provide employees with the technology that they need to do their jobs efficiently and effectively, along with providing the support and training they need to use the technology to its fullest extent.” Cityworks is key among those technological tools.
Dublin first implemented Cityworks in 2006, and currently has around 40 active users taking advantage of their Server AMS deployment. The City is in the early stages of implementing a Freeance mobile solution, with 15 staff members currently involved in the prototype session. Brandon Brown, GIS administrator at the City of Dublin, said they hope to add an additional 20 users in spring 2015.
“We are a younger city and have been in ‘building’ mode for the past couple of decades,” Brown said. “Now some of our earliest infrastructure is getting to the point of needing more monitoring and maintenance. I think the committee [The Center] recognizes us for implementing a system to keep track and manage our assets in a digital and open manner.”
Brown also said Cityworks has given city employees a much better operational awareness when assessing infrastructure issues because they can track the maintenance history of each asset. “Our residents have benefited from the efficiencies our staff has gained as a result of monitoring work activities,” he said.
According to Brown, the City of Dublin is also exploring the integration capabilities made possible by Cityworks’s APIs and web services, especially the use of data visualization software. “We look forward to providing metrics in a way that people don’t have to ask for them, they can just find them.”
“We congratulate the city of Dublin and are pleased to be a part of their success,” said Brian Haslam, President and CEO of Cityworks. “Providing the technology that public agencies use to ensure the quality and dependability of the services their citizens depend on, gives us tremendous pride. And when our customers are recognized by premier organizations like the Center for Digital Cities, it confirms the benefits and value of the Cityworks GIS-centric platform.”