Election Day May 19

With the statewide election coming on May 19, 2009 it might be a good time to check out the City of Redlands Polling Location map at http://gis.cityofredlands.org/polls. A printable version can be found at http://gis.cityofredlands.org/homepage/pdfs/Polls.pdf.
If you don’t know where you are supposed to vote you can find that information at http://gispub.sbcounty.gov/sbcwebs/ROV_PPL/search.asp. Just enter your address and it will show you your polling location.

"Smart URL" for Redlands GIS

We've been trying to find convenient ways to bring GIS into Council presentations and emails without a lot of steps or navigation. Using Geosmart, our ArcIMS middleware that allows the development of Internet Mapping Sites without a lot of extra programming, we've been able to make many sites available to the public. Gis.cityofredlands.org has a list of interactive mapping sites to view.



Here is an introduction in a Staff Report (for City Council). Context is a necessary piece of the equation for decision-making in government, and zoning is an important layer to view.

Staff recommends City Council adopt Resolution No. 6819 which provides for a 2-hour time limit parking zone on both sides of Eureka Street from Fern Avenue to Home Place with the exception of frontages of two adjacent residents located at the southerly end of the block who oppose the 2-hour time limit zone. The signs were recently posted and need to be revised to exclude the frontages at 456 S. Eureka Street.

The hyperlink for '456 S. Eureka' is below:

http://gis.cityofredlands.org/zoning/default.asp?MapFunction1=40&QueryName1=ParcelAPN&QueryValue1=017303214

The APN, or parcel number, for the property in question is "017303214." This opens the zoning mapping application zoomed directly on the parcel in question. No fumbling with navigation, only an immediate link.

This is relatively easy to use- all you would need to do is replace the APN with the APN you'd like to zoom into. This is built into the Zoning application right now, but we have the capability to do this with existing mapping apps or build a new application for your needs.

This is also used to bring Redlands GIS to EnQuesta. Instead of the APN, EnQuesta uses water meter numbers. This will allow customer service to automatically bring a map up for each customer during a call. Since CityWorks is GIS-based, QOL work orders are shared with customer service reps using EnQuesta- providing context to the customer service experience.

LA Times notices geocoding problem for LA's crime Mapping

On Monday it was a grand theft auto and two robberies, on Tuesday two more robberies and four aggravated assaults. By Friday the toll had risen to 39 major crimes.

And, according to the Los Angeles Police Department's website, that week late last month was pretty typical of the mayhem around the corner from City Hall.

Since the inception of the LAPD's online crime map three years ago, the 200 block of West 1st Street has consistently shown up as the most likely place in Los Angeles to be victimized by crime.

.... More here-

Quantitative School Bus Stop Risk Assessment of Redlands, California

This was a Major Individual Project for the University of Redlands working with Claiborn Lewis Phillips in 2005.


















The purpose of this Major Individual Project (MIP) was to identify public school bus
stops in the city of Redlands with certain risks. Those risks being violent crimes, drug
related crimes and the homes of convicted sex offenders. The MIP made use of the
Kernel density function along with the Getis-Ord Hotspot function in ESRI’s ArcGIS 9.1
software. These functions were both used alone and combined. The Kernel Density
function was used alone to derive a density surface that would be reclassified to produce
a risk surface that would identify the risk of the school bus stops. The Hot Spot Analysis
(Getis-Ord Gi*) with and without (z-score) Rendering were use in combination with the
Kernel Density function. The pairing of these two functions, Kernel density and Hot
Spot Analysis, was utilized to produce surfaces that would act as visual aids to better
identify hot and cold spots. These surfaces were generated by using the Hot Spot
Analysis functions to compute the Getis-Ord Gi* (with and without rendering) values.
Those values were then used as the Population field for the Kernel density function that
produced Hot Spot/Kernel density surface. These results were used to produce maps to
aid police officers, and school officials and produce an IMS site to inform the parents of
the community.

The project paper can be found here...

Using GIS to Manage the Redlands Bicycle Classic

This is Marilyn Dreuker's MSGIS Major Individual Project from 2003.

For 19 years, the City of Redlands has been hosting the Redlands Bicycle
Classic which is considered one of the most fun races in the U. S. by some
cyclists. This national event has endured longer than any other cycling event in
the U. S. For 6 days, this professional cyclistsí race takes place not only in
Redlands, but also in the cities of Riverside, Highland, and Yucaipa. The race in
April 2003 had almost 250 riders covering a total distance of approximately 348
miles for the menís races and 280 miles for the womenís races. There were nearly
1000 volunteers and an estimate of 50,000 spectators. (Oberjuerge 2003).
There is no question that credit for the raceís success has to be given to the
race committee, made up of the Redlandsí community and the police department.
Their well-organized efforts to run things smoothly makes the race enjoyable for
everyone. But to plan such a big event as the Bicycle Classic, especially
managing the number of people involved and the associated problems, takes a
great deal of time and effort. Everyone would benefit if there is a more efficient,
easier way to manage security, spectators, traffic, and road closures when planning
for this type of event.
This project addresses a better way to solve this planning problem by using
GIS to integrate the data, visually display the information on maps and perform
visual and spatial analysis of the integrated data sets. Using GIS, the police
department can improve the effectiveness of the planning by displaying the
integrated data on a map to see where problems have occurred or are likely to
occur. Visual or spatial analysis can help with planning the logistics of the event,
planning for security and medical emergencies, easing traffic problems, and
maintaining order.
This report communicates how GIS can be used as a tool to help with the
planning and implementation tasks. It begins by looking at other GIS applications
that relate to this activity. It then provides a concise look at the goals, scope and
objectives of this project and specifies the design, development and analysis that
were taken to address the issues. The report contains the products that will be
delivered to the client ñ the Redlands Police Department. Finally, conclusions and
recommendations for further study are provided.

Entire pdf located here (94 pgs)

Using ESRI’s Districting Tool in Policing

From the Geography and Public Safety Bulletin



Environmental Systems Research Institute’s
(ESRI) districting tool1 is a free extension
for ESRI’s ArcGIS Desktop that allows analysts
to create new police districts in a city or region.
The redistricting tool initially was designed to
help governments draw congressional district
lines or create school districts, but has been
co-opted to help police departments outline
new beats. It helps them draw boundaries
and review the outcomes (e.g., predict new
workloads and crime rates) for the new districts.
The tool provides summary statistics for every
boundary selection. It does not automatically
create districts from preexisting data; rather, it
can be used to aid police communication and
make geographic information systems (GIS) a
central part of the redistricting process.
Preparing the Data
The ESRI districting tool requires an agency
to have GIS data entered as a polygon feature
class2 with attribute data. These polygons must
be smaller than the intended districts. Analysts
should use polygons that coincide with naturally
occurring boundaries and main thoroughfares.
Police departments must divide a city or region
into discrete boundaries to balance service and
distribute responsibilities into organizational
branches. This task requires departments to join
years of incident data (the point feature class)
to the chosen polygon feature class. This helps
ensure that a proportional number of incidents
is allotted to each geographic region.
The process of joining incident data to
polygons in ArcGIS to achieve a count of
incidents in each region is the same process that
an analyst would use to create a choropleth3
map that depicts different incident counts. To
join incident data to a polygon feature class, an
analyst should do the following:
1. Right-click the polygon layer...
(More Here)

InPrint: Remote Implementation of CityWorks in Redlands CA

This was just published in "InPrint" (Azteca's industry publication). Authors: Philip Mielke of Redlands, Matt Harman from Azteca


Azteca Systems provides two implementation methods to
assist clients with their deployment of Cityworks — standard
implementation and Remote Implementation Support (RIS).
A brief description of both methods follows. Both involve an
Azteca Project Manager (PM) assigned to manage the effort
and deliver the tasks from beginning to end. Several of
Azteca’s customers have experienced great success (and cost
savings since the bulk of the work is performed in-house)
with RIS. Most recently the City of Redlands, CA, chose RIS
to deploy Cityworks.
Standard Implementation
In a standard implementation, the Azteca PM is responsible
for a larger portion of the workload and configuration. The
tasks typically include a kickoff meeting, configuration/
implementation of workflows, review and installation of the
configured database/system, administrative training, end
user training, and rollout support. This method averages
about three months from start to finish, depending on the
number of departments being implemented and the number
of users being trained.
Remote Implementation Support
In this approach, the Azteca PM meets with the organization’s
representative through a series of webcast meetings to
implement the Cityworks software. (Meetings average
2-3 hours and are billed incrementally.) RIS is made
up of two primary tasks — implementation and training.
Implementation provides hands-on instruction for the
installation of the software and database, and all the
necessary configuration in Designer. (Designer is the
Cityworks administration tool used to define workflows and
related elements.) At the end of each meeting, the client’s
“homework” is to complete what was covered. When the
work is completed, a meeting takes place for the next lesson
and the process is repeated until the implementation is
complete. There is a standard list of lessons/topics covered
but, similar to the standard implementation, the content can
be tailored to the needs/goals of the organization.
Once the database and system configuration is complete,
training can be provided onsite or remotely via webcast. Or,
in some instances the client has been able to conduct their
own internal training as a result of the education gleaned
through RIS. Delivery time is subjective and moves at the
pace the organization sets.
Redlands GIS
Redlands is a city of approximately 70,000 nestled in the
San Bernardino Mountains in the Inland Empire of Southern
California. Since May of 2008, Azteca has
been working with Phil Mielke (Interim GIS
Administrator) and Marc Rolle (Database
Analyst) to configure Cityworks for the Quality
of Life and Municipal Utilities & Engineering
departments. Redlands has a variety of land uses and levels
of development, so providing service to the people and
businesses presents unique challenges. Like many cities,
Redlands has a growing need to reduce spending and take
measures to increase efficiency of work crews. Central to
that need is a work order system that utilizes a Geographic
Information System (GIS) to process work orders from call to
assignment through to completion.
The Redlands Information Technology Service Department
has incorporated GIS into nearly every aspect of City
operation. The Redlands Police Department has been a
long-time user of ESRI products and practices efficient
community policing through the sharing of information and
mapping through GIS. Citizen COMPASS, a tool developed
to share crime data with the public, is accessible through
gis.cityofredlands.org/compass. Redlands GIS Department
utilizes ESRI’s enterprise GIS licensing and supports 20
individual deployments, including instances of ArcGIS Server,
ArcSDE, and ArcIMS. Part of the philosophy of the enterprise
deployment allows users to take ownership of their use of
GIS. People with the domain knowledge take responsibility
for the quality of their data and become more knowledgeable
about the way their data can interact with other City
information.
Phil summarizes the City’s approach to maintaining their
operation. “Cityworks is the perfect solution for us to
incorporate GIS users from customer service to supervisors
to line-level operators. Information is easily accessible and
delivered through a clear and easy-to-use interface. Reports
give decision makers the information they need to be able
make informed decisions about where work is being done,
what materials are used, and how much money is being
spent for work orders grouped by any date interval
required. Cityworks saves the City of Redlands money
and is a great way to make the power of GIS accessible
to a broader group of users.”
Redlands RIS
At the beginning of the project, the project outline was
provided covering the steps required to complete the
implementation. Each week thereafter, web meetings
were held to train Phil and Marc on how to configure
the Cityworks topic for that week. These meetings are
hosted by Azteca Systems via the GoToMeeting software
produced by Citrix Systems. GoToMeeting allows both
the Azteca PM and the new client to view and control
each other’s computers via the internet. This web
meeting interaction allows for more effective training as
both the trainer and trainee can actually view what is
being described during the conference call.
Marc says, “The web meetings via GoToMeeting were so
convenient and very helpful during the implementation
process of Cityworks. There was no lag in connectivity
whatsoever! Having the capability to view each other’s
computer screen makes it much easier to learn the
system remotely. It seemed as if Matt was sitting next to
me showing me what to do. Also, we were able to record
the meetings (both audio and visual). So if we need a
refresher of how to do things, we simply go back to the
recordings and follow the step-by-step solutions that Matt
illustrated to us.“
The outline of the project progresses through each
component of Cityworks, building upon each other until
the software is ready to be used. Meeting durations
were typically 2 hours, during which the week’s topic
was demonstrated on a completed Cityworks database
(running on Matt’s machine) and then Phil and Marc
added the information and configured the week’s topic for
their database. The goal of the weekly meetings was to
provide sufficient training so both Phil and Marc could add
to the database throughout the week, circling back with
follow-up questions as needed. Cityworks administrators
gain valuable knowledge by actually performing these
tasks themselves.
In addition, the RIS approach also allows for training end
users on Cityworks via GoToMeeting. In Redlands, once
the database was ready to use for service requests, a
web meeting was set up to train some of the call takers
on the software. They received basic training on creating
service requests. The training sessions were recorded so
they can be used at a later time to train other users or as
a refresher for existing users.
As the project progressed, both Phil and Marc gained the
knowledge necessary to perform the remaining tasks to
complete the configuration of the software. At this time,
they are currently running live with service requests. As
for future use of the software, Phil and Marc dictate the
pace of the project themselves, asking for assistance
Project Outline
as needed. They plan to move forward with work orders and
include additional departments as time permits over the coming
months. At a later date, on-site training will be conducted for
the remaining end users.
RIS is an excellent option for those municipalities looking for a
more cost-effective and hands-on implementation of Cityworks.
GoToMeeting provides a virtual office environment in which
the Azteca PM can interact effectively with the City staff to
demonstrate, train, assist, and oversee the configuration of the
Cityworks software.

ID Task Name
1 Database Creation
2 Install RDBMS on Server (if necessary)
3 Install Cityworks on Server
4 Create New Cityworks Database
5 Create User Azteca
6 Create PWDP USER Role
7 Create ODBC Connection
8 Run DB Manager
9 Cityworks Domains
10 Add Super User Login
11 Add Domain Names
12 Add Domain Administrators
13 Designer Preferences per Domain
14 Domain Groups
15 Create Employee/Security Domain Groups
16 Add Employees to Groups
17 Employees
18 Import Employees with Rates
19 Create Logins on Server
20 Add Employee Custom Fields
21 Add Skills
22 Set Employee Relates
23 ArcGIS Setup
24 Review Geodatabase Model
25 Add Required Attribute Fields
26 Define Asset Groups
27 Assign Assets
28 Define Relationships
29 Create .mxd(s)
30 Import/Enter Data
31 Contractors
32 Equipment
33 Materials
34 Customer Accounts
35 Street Codes
36 Request Templates
37 Define Problem Codes
38 Add to Hierarchy
39 Questions/Answers
40 Security
41 Custom Field Templates
42 Work Order Templates
43 Define Work Order Activities
44 Import Work Order Descriptions
45 Tasks
46 Custom Field Templates
47 Security
48 Print Templates
49 Service Request
50 Work Order
51 Codes
52 Add All Codes (Priority, Status, etc.)
53 Final Review and Rollout
54 Review Databa

Cityworks Utilized to Track and Manage Utilities and Code Enforcement

I wanted to include this news of Coon Rapids using Cityworks for Code Enforcement, since it's the direction we're heading to close a gap between our Quality of Life (Public Works), Utilities and Law Enforcement. This is especially important while we're facing a crisis in foreclosures.

Sandy, UT — Azteca Systems, Inc., the leading provider of GIS-centric management solutions, announced today the City of Coon Rapids, Minnesota, has demonstrated substantial benefits utilizing Cityworks software in various departments throughout the organization. Most recently, the Code Enforcement Department deployed Cityworks to track foreclosures and vacant properties.

Prior to Coon Rapids’ Cityworks implementation, all maintenance paperwork was done by hand. After extensive research, the City selected Cityworks, valuing its compatibility with GIS. Cityworks was initially implemented in the Sanitary Sewer Department and then in Water, Streets, Stormwater, and Forestry. The City experienced substantial results entering historical information and tracking customer service requests, work orders, resource scheduling, and rotation plans. In the spring of 2008, the City expanded the use of Cityworks to include the Code Enforcement division. The City is now able to easily share information regarding water shut-offs to vacant homes due in the community. Code Enforcement is able to more easily identify properties where excessive use charges apply by using Cityworks instead of looking at a paper file.

With easy search and reporting, management is able to understand an array of information with the click of the mouse. The Public Works department receives a monthly report showing open service requests and/or work orders with the number of days each has been open. Vacant homes are monitored on a weekly basis to ensure any new vacant properties are inspected.
More here...

Identifying in PDF created from ArcMap

Sometimes it's important to have a deliverable that can be consumed by someone who doesn't have access to GIS. A paper map serves some immediate needs, but it's important to be able to see a lot of the information behind the layers.

It's a fairly easy process to export your project to a pdf, you'll just need to go through one extra step in ArcGIS 9.3. After clicking 'save as' and selecting 'pdf', you'll need to go to the 'options' section, click the 'advanced' tab and under layers and attributes, select "Export PDF Layers and Feature Attributes".

From here, I created a video for end users of the pdf. Finding the equivalent to an identify tool can be a little challenging for a new user.

City of Redlands Community Map

The Community Map is an ArcIMS service that can be reached at http://gis.cityofredlands.org/communitymap.

This map service provides information that is of interest to the general public such as parcel address and apn number, trash collection and street sweeping schedule and zoning. Weblinks are also available for Points of Interest such as theaters, the Smiley Library, schools, parks, trails, fire and police stations.

UMD PhD Research: Broken Windows Policing: A Randomized Experimental Evaluation of its Impacts on Disorder, Fear and Crime in Three Cities

The RPD is providing Crime data and committing to this GIS-centric Criminology study with the University of Maryland. This is Josh Hinkle's PhD project.



David Weisburd, Josh Hinkle, Christine Famega, and Justin Ready
Over the last two decades, "Broken Windows Policing" has become a central component of police strategies to combat crime and disorder. But surprisingly, Broken Windows Policing itself has not been subject to sustained empirical examination. In this project, we address this knowledge gap by conducting a randomized, experimental evaluation of Broken Windows Policing in three cities in the San Bernardino Valley area of California. Questions addressed in this study will be whether broken windows policing reduced fear, made residents feel safer, and increased collective community efficacy. This project is being funded by the National Institute of Justice and is conducted in conjunction with researchers at the University of Maryland and California State University, San Bernardino.

Over the last two decades, "Broken Windows Policing" has become a central component of
police strategies to combat crime and disorder. But surprisingly, Broken Windows Policing itself
has not been subject to sustained empirical examination. We propose to develop a block
randomized experimental evaluation of Broken Windows Policing in three cities in the San
Bernardino Valley area of California. Specifically, we would test the impact of a Broken
Windows Policing approach upon approximately 180 street segments (divided equally into
treatment and control locations) that evidence relatively high levels of disorder at the outset of
the study. Our study would examine the impacts of Broken Windows Policing on the actual
and perceived level of minor offenses and disorder at targeted locations; its effects on fear of
crime and perceptions of police legitimacy in the areas that are targeted; and possible impacts on
crime during the study period. The experimental treatment would be delivered over a 6-month
period by special units formed within each of the three police departments. At the outset of the
study, site visits will be made by the Broken Windows Policing Unit of each department to the
"treatment" segments in their jurisdiction to assess the levels and types of disorder problems
present. After this assessment, the unit will meet and develop treatments to deliver to each
segment. The treatments available will include issuance of citations and arrests for disorderly
behaviors and minor crimes; repairs to sidewalks, streetlights and other state maintained items in the treatment segments; issuance of citations for code violations in an effort to induce repairs and clean ups; and general clean-up efforts in the treatment street segments. Our study would rely on two main types of data collection: official data on disorder and crime drawn from the police, and measures of fear of crime, perceptions of disorder and crime, and related features of citizen attitudes toward police legitimacy and community drawn from a panel survey of residents in the study area. Official data on disorder and crime would be provided by the police departments participating in the study. The panel survey will be conducted via telephone at two waves by selecting 10 households from each street segment in the study prior to the intervention, and then re-interviewing the same respondents after the intervention period.

Thanks Josh!

GIS Project Proposal #2 MSGIS

Why do this project?
The City of Redlands is an average-sized city that is rapidly becoming a representative example of ESRI’s market base. For this reason, Redlands stands to be the model city for the adoption of GIS technology. GIS has been a part of the police department’s regular business process since the mid 90’s, and there are two crime analysts and a database technician that will be available to facilitate your success with this project.

The City of Redlands holds an enterprise GIS license and is also a user of the Omega Group’s CrimeView, one of ESRI’s most active business partners. There is an explicit need for this project, and there is a culture of acceptance and data sharing with the Redlands Police Department and the City of Redlands. Here is your chance to work with an emerging field of GIS.

There are two very attractive features to partnering with us:
1. We are close enough to meet with frequently.
2. Your client has been through the U of Redlands MSGIS program, and understands what
the MIP process entails. Scope creep will be minimized and we’ll tailor your project to suit
your needs and interests.

20 Years of Crime
Crime analysis units work with pieces of data at a time.
Windows of time. Some procedures group incidents by the
most recent set of a week; some procedures compare one
month to the previous month; some compare 3 recent
months to the previous 3 months. This is a different
approach.

The Redlands Police Department has 20 years of geocoded crime
data, and there have been some changes over the
years. There are 2 sets of Census data available to correlate
values to (1990 and 2000). There may also be a possible
preliminary 2010 Census data set available.
Population has changed. Landuse has changed.
The infinite set of human variables are constantly changing what
is the effect?

Product
There is flexibility for what the data-product will entail.
The MIP and presentation will be the final deliverable, and
ideally we would like to see animations that depict the
changes that have occured over time. We can assist in the
development of these animations.
Support for your MIP will include regular access to our
network and our staff. For this reason, a light background
check will be necessary.