CSDC Systems has announced newly enhanced GIS integration capabilities in its AMANDA citizen service platform that will transform the way governments deliver services.

These GIS capabilities will help departments and agencies conduct building inspections, while improving the efficiency and speed of their inspection and permitting processes. It will also provide greater transparency into government operations for residents concerned with local development projects.

"Many government agencies use GIS systems, but don't fully integrate them with departmental operations," said Eric David, EVP of Strategy at CSDC Systems.

"AMANDA's open approach allows almost any GIS system, from publicly available solutions like Google Maps, to internal systems such as ESRI, to work with processes like inspections, permitting, licensing, and planning. This provides a more efficient and transparent experience for residents, businesses and government employees."

Attributes within the AMANDA system such as property layers can be added to GIS viewers, and then made available online through the AMANDA Public Portal.

That enhanced transparency - for instance, into proposed development projects - reduces the amount of phone inquiries that departments need to manage as residents try to keep up with changes in their communities.

The enhancements also simplify the distribution of public notifications for zoning variance requests. AMANDA uses a GIS buffer area around a property to identify nearby property owners and addresses automatically, so the department can notify them of proposed changes quickly and efficiently.

"AMANDA also helps when planners are determining if a proposed development is in an environmentally-sensitive area like a wetlands," said Eric David.

"AMANDA pulls those details from the GIS system, depicts them in the planning system and can automatically trigger additional reviews such as an Environmental Impact Report."

In addition, building inspectors can use AMANDA Mobile to take advantage of the GIS integration while working remotely. As reports are entered on a mobile device, GIS coordinates are stored in the report to denote specific details, such as the location of a water well or gas line.

With AMANDA mobile, inspectors can retrieve a complete history of blueprints, deficiencies, violations, and complaints made against a property or person directly from their mobile devices, all without having to return to the office. By adding GPS integration, inspectors can access driving directions within the AMANDA schedule and view these on a map.

AMANDA's open approach to GIS allows governments to integrate with popular GIS viewers including Google Maps and Latitude Geographics, as well as GIS technologies from ESRI, Latitude Geographics, Intergraph, Autodesk, OnPoint, and GeoNorth. It also works with other open source or custom GIS solutions.

AMANDA's integration with GIS also helps in the following areas:

+ Committee reports are easily compiled by importing GIS details and relevant proposals from AMANDA

+ Snapshots of maps are saved in AMANDA to provide a history of changes for future reference, even if GIS details are updated over time and development plans change

+ GIS aerial photos are integrated to monitor issues like business compliance with parking lot capacity requirements