esri eruc 2014 - easy automation for process efficiencies
TRANSCRIPT
Easy Process Automation to Develop Work Efficiencies
• Presented by: Tammy Kobliuk• City of St. Albert
Today’s Objective• To give you ideas you may not have thought of• To see new uses for old tools
Organization Overview• Municipal Government organization• St. Albert, AB – population 63,255• 585+ Employees • City of St. Albert administration:
• Corporate GIS group in IT Services> Total Corporate GIS Staff: 2.12 FTE (3)
• Overall GIS structure is hybrid> GIS’ish staff in two other departments: 4
• Esri users since…2000
System Environment• ESRI Small Local Govt ELA • ArcGIS Desktop 10.1• Microsoft Office 2007• FME ESRI 2014 (think Data Interoperability Ext.)
• File-based central data warehouse • SDE installed, but no data loaded • VM Ware virtual server environment
• Development, Test, and Production environments• Currently data stored on 4 different servers
Why Automate?
Why Automate?• Efficiency• Accuracy• Repeatability• Documentation• Transferability• Brainstorming
Automation ROIOtherwise known as so much work, so little time...
• Increase work capacity• Increase speed of tasks• Decrease manual tasks• Decrease the chance of mistakes• Transfer tasks to other staff
...and more• No misunderstanding instructions• The same process every time• No forgotten steps• No more typos
Why Not Automate?
“I don’t have time”“I don’t know how”
“I didn’t know I should”“I didn’t know I could”
“I only have to do it once”
Automation:Can you afford not too?
Automation Toolkit
The Best Tool for the Job Is:• What you have• What you know• What you can afford• Sometimes what somebody else has already developed: don’t reinvent the wheel
Key Available Tools• Modelbuilder• Data Driven Pages• Data Interoperability Extension (FME) - $• Python
Modelbuilder• Data replication• Data processing and extraction• Geoprocessing or process discovery• Geoprocessing automation• Workflow automation• Geoprocessing documentation• Task reassignment
Server Data UpdatesOne master file, one central data warehouse, three server environments, five servers
Data Driven Pages• Map series type projects• Automated image extraction• Pre-filled form generation
Data Interoperability Ext.• The “FME starter kit” for ArcGIS users• ArcGIS non-core extension (not in ELA’s)• Sample uses:
• Data extraction• Spatial and non-spatial joins/overlays• Attribute field restructuring – names, field order, type• Complex attribute filtering, parsing, reassigning• Database QC and cleanup• Data prep for input into other applications• Data format conversion
Census Preparation
Python• Extend data driven pages• Extend modelbuilder• Hack someone else’s code• We don’t know it• We use it anyway
AutomationTips & Tricks
Be Practical• Simpler is sometimes better• Multiple simple models not one big complex one• The information doesn’t always need to be in GIS
• Excel• Text files• Non-spatial RDBMS files
• Empower your end users• Enter their own data• You just generate the final (map) product
Automation Shouldn’t be Last• Start with automation
• Not an afterthought• Assume you should whenever possible
• Automation can:• Affect how you build your data• Affect how you design your maps• Affect how you approach your project
• Build your model/script as you discover your steps and parameters
• Ensures you remember all of your steps
Case Studies
Dispatch Map Data Extraction• 9-1-1 application interactive map
• 17 data layers• Various formats• Various locations
• Output indexed shapefiles• Quarterly data updates
Dispatch Map Data Extraction
Dog Park Maps• New Animal Bylaw• 20 off-leash and dog-friendly parks• Deliverable 1: internal planning maps• Deliverable 2: downloadable printable maps for the City website
• GIS not part of the project team• Information constantly changing• Non-technical team members• The need for speed (fast turnaround)
Dynamic Text: date
Data Drive Page Name
Data Drive Page attributes:Site Attributes- From joined Excel table- Entered by non-GIS staff
Data Drive Page attributes:Site Comments- From joined Excel table- Entered by non-GIS staff
Planning Maps
Data driven page name
Data driven page attribute
Website Maps
Static comments- Same each page
Dynamic Text:Date
Data driven page attributesFrom Excel spreadsheet
Photo Radar Forms• Operator forms• Pre-set information for each site• To provide information to each operator• To help meet audit requirements• Information subject to change• Information to be entered by Admin staff• Each form requires an integrated map• GIS index is a point shapefile
Sample Form
Static layout set up inArcMap
Static TextData Drive Page Name
Data driven pageattributes from Excel
Dynamic Map
Overall Future Plans• Build in error checking and sophistication• Scheduled processes• Learn Python• ArcGIS Pro Tasks
