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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
The 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 The 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.
The 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.
Operational Impact
Quantitative Benefit
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