Azteca Systems and Miner & Miner Combine Efforts to TackleAsset Management for Public Works and UtilitiesPublic works, utilities, and energy companies are among the pioneers of GIS, having deployed spatial data technologies to manage infrastructure since the early 1970s. Software developers have focused on building applications to meet the needs of these customers for as many years. Companies like Miner & Miner and Azteca Systems are dedicated to building such applications exclusively in Esri's technology. Recently, these two long-time Esri Business Partners joined forces to combine their industry-leading applications to benefit water/wastewater and electric/gas GIS users. "Azteca Systems has maintained their focus on municipal water and wastewater--traditional public works--while Miner & Miner has long provided their ArcFM solution to electric and gas utilities," said Jack Dangermond, president, Esri. "With both products based exclusively on ArcGIS, it was an obvious path for them to leverage each other's core competencies to offer a superior solution to these customers." Two Products, One GISThe ArcFM solution provides GIS-based design and work flow management tools for infrastructure development while Cityworks provides GIS-based asset management tools for ongoing infrastructure maintenance and management. Together, ArcFM and Cityworks provide a comprehensive solution for public works and utilities-from design to construction to ongoing maintenance management. With Esri's ArcGIS providing a common development platform and Esri's geodatabase at the core, both Azteca's Cityworks and Miner & Miner's ArcFM function as extensions. Highly complementary, Cityworks and ArcFM are both configurable using the ArcCatalog environment and other standard tools in ArcGIS. In addition, both maintain full support for Oracle or Microsoft SQL Server making it feasible to combine the best of both products. Cityworks and ArcFM are both three-tiered client/server, Windows-based applications with similar 32-bit graphical user interfaces and a standard Windows-based look and feel. This provides an easy-to-use environment with reduced implementation time and a short learning curve. Working together, Cityworks and ArcFM create a single entry system for both graphical and attribute data with no need for redundant tables. Phased ApproachInitially, the focus will be on public works, water, and wastewater users. Both firms have identified a select group of customers to provide an integrated solution. The pilot projects are expected to take place in the fall of 2001 with a fully integrated product available in the spring of 2002. Benefits for Public WorksMiner & Miner's ArcFM advanced editing tools combined with Azteca's Cityworks give public works users CAD-like capabilities for geographic data creation and manipulation. All within Esri's ArcGIS user environment, Cityworks' asset management and ArcFM software's editing tools combine in a consistent user interface to provide users with powerful tools. Benefits for Electric and Gas UtilitiesElectric and gas users can combine Cityworks software's asset management tools to manage their ongoing infrastructure maintenance. For municipal owned systems, they can also tap into Azteca's GASB 34 reporting tools to deal with the newly implemented asset valuation requirements. The ArcFM solution represents a powerful set of spatially enabled enterprise tools to manage facility and asset data and support work order design and network analysis activities. For more information, visit Azteca Systems at www.gocityworks.com or call 801-523-2751, or visit Miner & Miner at www.miner.com or call 970-223-1888. |
