Since 2010, Baxter & Woodman, Inc. has been an implementation business partner with Cityworks–Azteca Systems, and they continue to assist local government agencies in implementing and configuring Cityworks software.
A city with a population of about 13,900, Wood Dale went live with Cityworks in mid-2013 after a successful implementation carried out by Baxter & Woodman. Wood Dale currently uses Cityworks Server AMS for streets, water, wastewater, and storm sewer.
GIS Focus
The GIS-centric nature of Cityworks ties in with the workflow of Wood Dale’s GIS. The city uses server-based GIS and focuses on a geo-centric approach, meaning all GIS data is stored in a centralized repository for use in multiple systems, including desktop, web, and mobile solutions. Cityworks ties directly into this geo-centric system, taking advantage of the city’s single data source. The benefit of this design is that, when centralized data is updated, all applications have instant access to that change. Therefore, referenced data is never out-of-date or needlessly duplicated, eliminating redundancy and confusion.
“Implementing Cityworks has helped bring focus to Wood Dale’s investment in GIS,” says Peter Ferretti, GIS coordinator/developer at Baxter & Woodman. “The ability to utilize existing GIS data as a basis for generating work orders creates a powerful relationship between the two. This connection brings a wealth of information to the fingertips of supervisors and field crew.”
Planning and Analysis
Utilizing Cityworks has decreased paperwork and helped create an ongoing record of the work activities documented in the system. The ability to retrieve information down the road for planning and analysis is a major driving force behind using the program. The historical data will help the city make more informed decisions and future plans, as well as help with budgeting purposes.
Enhanced Communication
As a cloud-based system, Server AMS has unified departments, providing a means for otherwise separate departments to be more closely integrated. This has increased interdepartmental communication and made departments more aware of what is going on throughout the city. Due to satisfaction with the solution, Wood Dale plans to implement Cityworks for tree maintenance in the near future.
About Baxter & Woodman
Baxter & Woodman specializes in municipal engineering, transportation services, water and wastewater management, construction services, storm water management and GIS.