Case Studies Mobile Data Collection Makes for More Efficient Council Inspection Service

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	Mobile Data Collection Makes for More Efficient Council Inspection Service

Mobile Data Collection Makes for More Efficient Council Inspection Service

Technology Category	Platform as a Service (PaaS) - Connectivity Platforms Functional Applications - Remote Monitoring & Control Systems Application Infrastructure & Middleware - Data Exchange & Integration
Applicable Industries	Cities & Municipalities
Applicable Functions	Field Services Quality Assurance
Use Cases	Remote Asset Management Predictive Maintenance
Services	System Integration Software Design & Engineering Services Training
Challenge	In May 2010, Logan City Council's Information Services (IS) team and its City Standards branch began working together to solve a common problem: how to provide a mobile data collection capability so that Council inspectors could spend more productive time in the field rather than being back in the office attending to paperwork. Previous attempts had failed due to poor technology performance, cumbersome laptops, poor battery life, and lack of reliable disconnected-mode operation. This time, IS was determined to try something different by reviewing and documenting the business processes involved in inspections before approaching vendors with two key requirements: the solution must work with any mobile device, anywhere, any time, and it must make it easier to conduct business with and within the Council. Read More
About Customer	Logan City Council is home to more than 280,000 people from over 185 different cultures. It is a youthful, vibrant community where around 50% of the residents are aged 30 or younger. The residential areas range from older, leafy suburbs to urban housing developments, new residential estates to established acreages. Ideally situated between Brisbane, Ipswich, and the Gold Coast, Logan provides easy access to some of South East Queensland’s premier business and recreational destinations. The city boasts a lively restaurant and café scene and offers employment opportunities in the region’s thriving light industries. Read More
Solution	After assessing responses and viewing demonstrations, Logan City Council selected a Blink Mobility Platform solution from OneBlink, along with implementation and support services from mobility specialist, RYPE. The securely hosted OneBlink service enables the rapid creation and deployment of customized electronic forms that can be completed and uploaded to Council systems using various commonly available tablets, phones, and laptops. The solution also provides the capability to build and deploy many different applications from one management platform, allowing the Council to extend the service across the entire organization. To avoid past problems, RYPE and Logan City Council IS staff spent considerable time determining the scope and exact requirements of the solution. They spoke to inspectors and other users to identify who needed what information, when, and in what format. A simple business process was designed to take the critical inspection data recorded in BlinkForms using mobile devices and upload it onto the appropriate Council system, ensuring a complete record of the inspection would be saved in the enterprise document management system. Read More Log in to view content
Contents

Technology Category

Platform as a Service (PaaS) - Connectivity Platforms

Functional Applications - Remote Monitoring & Control Systems

Application Infrastructure & Middleware - Data Exchange & Integration

Applicable Industries

Cities & Municipalities

Applicable Functions

Field Services

Quality Assurance

Use Cases

Remote Asset Management

Predictive Maintenance

Services

System Integration

Software Design & Engineering Services

Training

Challenge

In May 2010, Logan City Council's Information Services (IS) team and its City Standards branch began working together to solve a common problem: how to provide a mobile data collection capability so that Council inspectors could spend more productive time in the field rather than being back in the office attending to paperwork. Previous attempts had failed due to poor technology performance, cumbersome laptops, poor battery life, and lack of reliable disconnected-mode operation. This time, IS was determined to try something different by reviewing and documenting the business processes involved in inspections before approaching vendors with two key requirements: the solution must work with any mobile device, anywhere, any time, and it must make it easier to conduct business with and within the Council.

About Customer

Logan City Council is home to more than 280,000 people from over 185 different cultures. It is a youthful, vibrant community where around 50% of the residents are aged 30 or younger. The residential areas range from older, leafy suburbs to urban housing developments, new residential estates to established acreages. Ideally situated between Brisbane, Ipswich, and the Gold Coast, Logan provides easy access to some of South East Queensland’s premier business and recreational destinations. The city boasts a lively restaurant and café scene and offers employment opportunities in the region’s thriving light industries.

Solution

After assessing responses and viewing demonstrations, Logan City Council selected a Blink Mobility Platform solution from OneBlink, along with implementation and support services from mobility specialist, RYPE. The securely hosted OneBlink service enables the rapid creation and deployment of customized electronic forms that can be completed and uploaded to Council systems using various commonly available tablets, phones, and laptops. The solution also provides the capability to build and deploy many different applications from one management platform, allowing the Council to extend the service across the entire organization. To avoid past problems, RYPE and Logan City Council IS staff spent considerable time determining the scope and exact requirements of the solution. They spoke to inspectors and other users to identify who needed what information, when, and in what format. A simple business process was designed to take the critical inspection data recorded in BlinkForms using mobile devices and upload it onto the appropriate Council system, ensuring a complete record of the inspection would be saved in the enterprise document management system.

Impact #1	The pilot program involving nuisance tree and food premises inspections was deemed a success, delivering increased productivity and efficiency for officers.
Impact #2	Inspectors found they could stay in the field longer and didn't have to return to the office as frequently to input collected data.
Impact #3	The mobile computing technology eased the load on inspectors by increasing the number of inspections they could undertake.

Impact #1

The pilot program involving nuisance tree and food premises inspections was deemed a success, delivering increased productivity and efficiency for officers.

Impact #2

Inspectors found they could stay in the field longer and didn't have to return to the office as frequently to input collected data.

Impact #3

The mobile computing technology eased the load on inspectors by increasing the number of inspections they could undertake.

Benefit #1	Food inspection capacity increased from two inspections to three inspections per day.
Benefit #2	Nuisance tree inspection capacity increased by up to six to eight inspections per month.

Benefit #1

Food inspection capacity increased from two inspections to three inspections per day.

Benefit #2

Nuisance tree inspection capacity increased by up to six to eight inspections per month.

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Overview

Mobile Data Collection Makes for More Efficient Council Inspection Service

Operational Impact

Quantitative Benefit