{"id":770157,"date":"2025-12-15T10:16:55","date_gmt":"2025-12-15T18:16:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/?post_type=arcwatch&p=770157"},"modified":"2025-12-16T13:38:51","modified_gmt":"2025-12-16T21:38:51","slug":"parks-management-group-streamlines-property-encroachment-inspections-with-app","status":"publish","type":"arcwatch","link":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/arcwatch\/parks-management-group-streamlines-property-encroachment-inspections-with-app","title":{"rendered":"Parks Management Group Streamlines Property Encroachment Inspections with App"},"content":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":5342,"featured_media":0,"menu_order":0,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"sync_status":"","episode_type":"","audio_file":"","castos_file_data":"","podmotor_file_id":"","cover_image":"","cover_image_id":"","duration":"","filesize":"","filesize_raw":"","date_recorded":"","explicit":"","block":"","itunes_episode_number":"","itunes_title":"","itunes_season_number":"","itunes_episode_type":"","footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[493304],"tags":[425592,465551,321,493306,170422],"arcwatch_issues":[493293],"class_list":["post-770157","arcwatch","type-arcwatch","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-parks","tag-arcgis-experience-builder","tag-arcgis-field-maps","tag-parks","tag-summit-metro-parks","tag-web-app","arcwatch_issues-december-2025"],"acf":{"short_description":"When a park\u2019s boundary is breached by unauthorized land use like illegal waste dumping, Summit Metro Parks tracks violation details online.","pdf":{"host_remotely":false,"file":"","file_url":""},"flexible_content":[{"acf_fc_layout":"content","content":"Summit Metro Parks (SMP), headquartered in Akron, Ohio, is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that manages 16 parks, 150 miles of trails, and several conservation areas across 15,000 acres. The lands that SMP oversees are heavily used, averaging 5.5 million visitors a year. With such a large area and so many visitors, efficient park maintenance is essential, but issues such as encroachment can make this challenging.\r\n\r\nThe SMP\u2019s parks\u2019 land shares borders with more than 1,000 neighbors in the community. When a park\u2019s boundary is breached by unauthorized land use, it\u2019s considered property encroachment. This type of violation can include extending a private yard into an adjacent park as well as illegally dumping waste or building fences or other structures within park boundaries.\r\n\r\nRon Arpajian, a project manager at SMP, conducts regular encroachment inspections for the preservation of conservation lands. He says that at any given time, there can be up to 700 active encroachments. To document inspections, Arpajian recorded findings on spreadsheets and documents, which was time-consuming and could lead to data inaccuracies.\r\n\r\nArpajian worked with Esri partner Argis Solutions, Inc., to streamline the inspections process. Argis Solutions created a web application with ArcGIS Experience Builder that allows the SMP team to more easily record and search for information as well as visualize data."},{"acf_fc_layout":"image","image":770166,"image_position":"center","orientation":"horizontal","hyperlink":""},{"acf_fc_layout":"content","content":"

A Digital Transformation<\/strong><\/h3>\r\nPreviously, when Arpajian found an encroachment, he entered its location in ArcGIS Field Maps<\/a> and then documented pertinent information such as violation type, description, and relevant photos in a survey created with ArcGIS Survey123<\/a>. Back at the office, he entered adjacent landowner information in a spreadsheet and used Microsoft Word to keep track of each encroachment and any communication sent related to it, such as copies of letters and emails and notes from any phone correspondence.\r\n\r\n\u201cIt was challenging because I wanted to be as efficient as possible in the field and office. It was hard to keep tabs in Excel on inspections and then letters in another drive and various folders,\u201d Arpajian says.\r\n\r\nArpajian began searching for tools and GIS development options he could use to better manage the inspection process. He found Argis Solutions via the Esri Nonprofit Program and had the team create a whole-product solution for SMP.\r\n

Building the Application<\/strong><\/h3>\r\nSince SMP is an established Esri technology user, Argis Solutions created a web application for property encroachment using ArcGIS Experience Builder<\/a>. Leland Henry, chief geospatial officer at Argis Solutions, says that he and his team like using Experience Builder because it \u201cprovides the framework to build user-friendly applications that work on both desktop and mobile devices and comes with many out-of-the-box widgets that can be customized as needed.\u201d\r\n\r\nThe goal of the property encroachment tool was to give park managers an efficient way to map and document encroachment occurrences in real time, automatically notify property owners, and add follow-up tasks to the staff\u2019s calendar. Arpajian explains that the new tool allows data to be amended and filtered for easier searching, and data can be exported to be placed in a letter on official letterhead for the property owner. Also, a corresponding calendar reminder to follow up on the letter is autogenerated.\r\n\r\nThe property encroachment web application was built with cross-platform compatibility between iOS, Android, and Windows because the SMP team works across these operating systems. Maps and feature services of the parks were set up to provide a spatial view of each violation and the closest impacted neighbor. This gives SMP staff the ability to view previous violations and update data related to the surveyed points as they relate to the parks.\r\n\r\nMaps of the parks as well as symbology marking encroachment violations are included along with SMP\u2019s logo and branding elements."},{"acf_fc_layout":"image","image":770167,"image_position":"center","orientation":"horizontal","hyperlink":""},{"acf_fc_layout":"content","content":"Users can now navigate property encroachment data by searching and sorting the data using fields such as date or type of encroachment violation, and they can create charts or graphs of selected data. The charts are dynamic; when the user\u2019s selections change, the charts update automatically.\r\n\r\nA widget allows SMP staff\u2014choosing from several letter templates\u2014to generate hard-copy letters on SMP\u2019s official letterhead to property owners about violations. As the violation notification letter survey is filled out, a separate website automatically generates the letter as an email. The templates are autopopulated with data from the selected encroachment record, including photos.\r\n\r\nAn automated notification system was also created to alert park staff when they need to follow up with residents about encroachments. Automated notification scripting was built using Python as well as Make, an automation software. The alerts are sent via email and can also be viewed in the application. SMP administrators can change the steps and timelines as needed, and staff can mark their follow-up tasks as complete.\r\n\r\nAn administrator also manages which users receive notifications and make edits within the application. Edits to the data captured include adding a landowner and address for each violation based on the location of the surveyed point as well as the nearest property address. The ability to edit is restricted to certain personnel to maintain a level of integrity. These items are integrated into Microsoft Outlook to create calendar invitations for staff. These invitations are reminders to follow up with the addressee in a timely manner.\r\n\r\nThe web application and automated tasks have enhanced SMP\u2019s ability to document property encroachments while ensuring a high level of accountability among its staff.\r\n

A New<\/strong> Inspection Process<\/strong><\/h3>\r\nThe updated inspection procedure now saves the SMP team time in the field and in the office. Arpajian uses Field Maps to display park boundaries and previously recorded encroachment sites on maps that he can follow while conducting field inspections. If an existing encroachment report needs updating, a link in the Field Maps record opens a survey made with Survey123 so that he can revise the information for a specific record. He also takes photos that are automatically attached to the inspection record.\r\n\r\n\u201cThis was huge, as it keeps the data consistent across the various apps,\u201d says Arpajian."},{"acf_fc_layout":"image","image":770168,"image_position":"center","orientation":"horizontal","hyperlink":""},{"acf_fc_layout":"content","content":"Staff can send notification letters straight from the field and select which letter to send from a variety of templates. Data collected in the field can be added directly to the letter.\r\n\r\n\u201cWith this new tool, I can go from one function to the next function and not feel like I am missing things and leaving them behind,\u201d says Arpajian.\r\n\r\nAlso, Argis Solutions used ArcGIS Hub<\/a> to create a site for SMP that provides a single landing page with links to property encroachment records and tree risk assessments. \u201cArcGIS Hub is a versatile platform designed to enhance collaboration inside and outside an organization,\u201d says Henry. With ArcGIS Hub, maps, apps, and resources can be shared to enable informed decision-making.\r\n\r\n\u201cThe dashboard in ArcGIS Hub allows me to go to board meetings and easily report on park activities. The charts show park patterns and trends, highlighting prevalent issues in a particular location,\u201d says Arpajian. \u201cThe new tools help us understand how to plan and focus our resources.\u201d\r\n\r\nEquipped with this technology, SMP\u2019s staff are better organized and informed. \u201cI\u2019m not a computer person, I\u2019m just a bit of a dreamer,\u201d says Arpajian. \u201cI knew there had to be a more efficient way. Now there is.\u201d"}],"references":null},"yoast_head":"\nParks Management Group Streamlines Property Encroachment Inspections with App<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"When a park\u2019s boundary is breached by unauthorized land use like illegal waste dumping, Summit Metro Parks tracks violation details online.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/arcwatch\/parks-management-group-streamlines-property-encroachment-inspections-with-app\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Parks Management Group Streamlines Property Encroachment Inspections with App\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"When a park\u2019s boundary is breached by unauthorized land use like illegal waste dumping, Summit Metro Parks 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