1. CARRIERSRFIDFIELD FORCEIN M2MA luxury hotel is tracking more thanAUTOMATION SprintAT&T What does carrier play in the35,000 linens with fabric-embeddedWhy service companies in almost everyM2M space mean, and how doesRFID tags that can withstandindustry are increasingly turning toit impact your deployment?400-degree ironing temperatures.mobile field service automation systems.FieldTechnologiesOnline.comJuly 2010 LAs Bureau of Sanitation deployed a GIS (geographic information system)-based routing solution that has recouped more than 200 hours of productivity per week. Sal Aguilar, GIS manager at the support services division of LAs Bureau of Sanitations SRCD (Solid Resources Collection Division)

2. Drivers at LAs Bureau of Sanitations SRCD (solid resources collection division) are now using GIS-based routing software on Motorola handheld computers.photos by Eric Laycock 3. GIS Cleans UpLAs Routing Operations LAs Bureau of Sanitation deployed a GIS (geographic information system) that has recouped more than 200 hours of productivity per week.by Sarah Howlandf youre asked to picture the city of Los Angeles, what image do you see?I You may envision the glitz and glamour of Hollywood, imagine all of thestars and attractive people walking the streets, or visualize the beautifulsunshine and palm trees intrinsic to the area. An image that probablydoesnt enter your minds eye is the 1.5 million tons of trash the 3,849,378inhabitants of LA produce each year. Yes, thats right 1.5 million tons. Whyisnt this staggering amount of trash the first thing you think of? You can thankthe citys Bureau of Sanitation, which exists to keep the city clean.The SRCD (solid resources collection division) within LAs Bureau of Sanitationperforms two primary functions collection activities and container services man-agement. The SRCD is responsible for collecting refuse, yard trimmings, and recy-clables from the 2.3 million city-issued containers throughout LA. In addition to reg-ularly scheduled collection pickups, the SRCD employs 60 special collection driverswho collect bulky items such as sofas, washing machines, and refrigerators byappointment. These 60 drivers complete about 55,000 pickup requests eachmonth. The SRCD also employs 20 drivers who issue, replace, and repair contain-ers upon customer request. All requests from the city are handled through thebureaus central call center, which distributes jobs according to the citys six SRCDdistrict yard locations and single container service warehouse.Not too long ago, the process the bureau used to route its SRCD special collectionand container services was a purely manual process. However, this manual processwas unable to keep up when many of the 2.3 million city-issued containers beganto reach the end of their life cycles, and requests for replacement skyrocketed. Atthis point, the bureau turned to a GIS to automate its routing process and increasethe efficiency of its drivers.Paper-Based Routing Time Consuming,Manual Data Collection Error ProneBefore the bureau deployed a GIS, calls coming in to the centralized call centerwere entered into a proprietary database and forwarded to the appropriate districtyard or warehouse. The supervisor at the district yard or container services ware- 4. Feature Articlehouse then printed out jobs grouped by ZIP code and dis- all of its GIS initiatives for years, so Aguilar was familiartributed them evenly among drivers, who were responsi- with ArcLogistics from ESRI. ArcLogistics is a desktopble for organizing the jobs in the way they thought made routing solution that comes preloaded with GIS mapmost sense and routing themselves based on their knowl-data from NAVTEQ and optimizes routes based onedge of the area. While in the field, the drivers were geocoded customer addresses, estimated drive timesresponsible for keeping manual notes on each job,between locations, and driver skills and schedules.including information on when the job was completed or ArcLogistics would integrate with the bureaus propri-reasons for jobs uncompleted. For example, if a requestetary call center database so that as appointments arefor pickup was made but the customer forgot to leave the entered into the database, optimized schedules anditem out, the job cant be done and the reason needs toroutes are automatically generated for each driver.be recorded. The container services drivers also had toWhile ESRI had a longstanding reputation within LAmanually record a 13-digit serial number, used to associ-and was the first vendor that came to mind when I start-ate a specific container with a specific address, from eached this project, I wouldnt have chosen ArcLogistics if itcontainer they serviced. werent the best-fitting solution for our needs,The paper-based routing and data collection processesexplains Aguilar.the bureau was using presented a few inefficiencies. First,And it was, for the citys appointment-based (or point-all drivers attended a meeting each morning to obtain ato-point) routing. For regular pickup (or continuous)job list for the day and determine the routes theyd take, routing, however, Aguilar chose RouteSmart, which is The 30 minutes each driver spent going over paper-based routes each morning was productive time we were losing out on.Sal Aguilar, LAs Bureau of Sanitationwhich lasted about 30 minutes. The 30 minutes each dri- routing software used mainly in the public works sectors.ver spent going over paper-based routes every morningRouteSmart plugs into the ESRI ArcGIS Desktop (soft-was productive time we were losing out on, notes Salware used to organize and analyze the bureaus GIS data)Aguilar, GIS manager at the bureaus support services divi-so it uses the same GIS data as ArcLogistics, but uses itssion of the SRCD. Also, the manual data collection the dri- own unique algorithms to accommodate continuousvers were doing in the field left a lot of room for humanrouting-specific needs, including cluster workloads,error, especially with the manual recording of 13-digit ser- sequencing stops, side-of-street specific routing, and tripsial numbers. Not to mention, the data entry work wasto intermediate facilities (i.e. disposal sites).duplicated by clerks who had to enter all of the drivershandwritten notes into the bureaus database at the end of Public Works Environment Necessitateseach day. There was a lot of is this a 1 or an I? when it Rugged Devices For Mobile GIScame to the data entry clerks reading the drivers notes,While ArcLogistics and RouteSmart would take care ofwhich resulted in a lot of time spent on this task and inac- the challenges of routing drivers more efficiently, thecurate data being entered into the database, adds Aguilar.bureau still needed a way to mobilize this informationThese inefficiencies were compounded when many ofto eliminate the need for paper route printouts for dri-the citys containers began to reach the end of their life vers. Further, Aguilar wanted to solve the problem ofcycles at once, resulting in a higher volume of requests.hand-written notes and manual data collection. ToWhen the volume of calls increased dramatically for con- accomplish these goals, he chose another product fromtainer services, the bureau decided to implement a sys-ESRI ArcPad, which also plugs into ArcGIS Desktop.tematic container replacement program. Rather than waitArcPad is mobile GIS software that would enable thefor each and every resident with an aging container to callbureau to push out driver schedules and routes direct-in and make an appointment, the bureau decided toly to a mobile device, as well as allow the creation ofproactively replace each container that was reaching the electronic forms to enable automated data collection inend of its expected life cycle. However, for this programthe field. Aguilar chose Motorola MC70 devices toto work the way the bureau was envisioning it, a moredeploy ArcPad. Rugged devices are essential in ourefficient routing system was crucial.case, says Aguilar. The devices are constantly bounc- ing around in the large garbage trucks, being droppedGIS Quells Routing Woeson the road, etc. An iPhone wouldnt last a week in thisWhile Aguilar spent some time researching variousapplication.routing vendors online, he entered his search with a Once Aguilar had chosen the components of the solu-solution already in mind. LA has used ESRI software fortion, installation began. The bureau started with the 5. Feature Article deployment of ArcGIS Desktop, ArcLogistics, ArcPad, andThe Reach Of GIS RouteSmart at the container warehouse and each of the six district yards. Aguilar first trained his team of four GIS spe- cialists on ArcGIS, ArcLogistics, ArcPad, and RouteSmart in a train-the-trainer fashion. The team then completed the installation of software at each location, which included loading the software, setting up the Access database inter-When Sal Aguilar, GIS (geographic information faces with the proprietary call center database, and provid- system) manager at the support services divi- ing hands-on training to the users of the software. The sion of the SRCD (solid resources collection divi- ESRI solutions are out-of-the-box, so they took virtually no sion) of LAs Bureau of Sanitation, decided to programming, says Aguilar. Our time was spent loadingdeploy a GIS-based route optimization solution, the software, and then training users on how to properly ESRI was the first vendor to come to mind. ESRI enter calls and forward routes to the drivers mobilehas a long-standing relationship with LA, is used devices. This process took about one month per location.for all GIS-based When the routing solution was up and running, it was projects, and is time to deploy ArcPad on the Motorola MC70s to the dri-seen as the city vers. For this process to begin, however, the GIS team first standard for GIS had to create the customized form drivers would use to technology, he complete notes on the job. The electronic form enables explains. How- the driver to select the stop theyre at, complete a refer-ever, ESRIs rep- ence number for the call center, enter a resolution code utation alone (i.e. job complete, not complete because container wasntwasnt going to available, etc.), and for the container services drivers tosell Aguilar on scan the bar code on each container using the embedded ArcLogistics, its bar code scanner on the MC70.route optimiza- With the form complete, the GIS team loaded the soft-tion solution. ware onto the Motorola MC70s and began to roll out What did sell ArcPad at the first district yard. We chose the district yard him? The fact that had the youngest average driver age to deploy to first, Drivers at LAs Bureau of Sanitation have replaced manu- that ESRIs solu- al data collection with an automated process thanks to tions are able to says Aguilar. We felt the younger drivers would be moreArcPad software from ESRI, deployed on Motorola MC70 accepting of the technology and more apt to provide goodhandhelds. be deployed out feedback, whereas the more tenured drivers whove been of the box, but using the paper process longer would be more likely to are also scalable and can be built on over time. have difficulty with the transition. The GIS team first con-The software has a lot of capability, but you ducted a 2-hour, classroom-style training with the drivers can also keep it simple, explains Aguilar. You and office staff of each location to provide an overview ofcan use ArcLogistics right out of the box for the solution, and then went on ride-alongs with each dri-routing alone, but you can also take it further to ver to provide hands-on training on the solution.analyze route data, determine patterns of when According to Aguilar, the drivers needed one and a halfresidents set out trash, etc. For example, now days of ride-alongs on average before feeling comfortablethat the bureau has its basic routing automat- using the solution on their own. The rollout of ArcPad ated, Aguilar has also set out to implement the each location took between two and three months. concept of ORBA (operational route-basedanalysis) on its 2,500+ continuous service GIS Streamlines Routing, routes. ORBA will enable the bureau to look at Enables Automated Data Collectionthe operational parameters of the routes and Now, when a customer calls in to the call center with adisplay them spatially to analyze the relation- request for an appointment, the appointment is entered ships between them and determine where into the bureaus database, which is imported at end of dayimprovements can be made. to ArcLogistics. ArcLogistics then optimizes routes based on Indeed, the uses for GIS are vast. ESRI pro- the date of the appointment, the district yard the appoint-vides solutions to a number of verticals other ment falls in, and by driver and exports these routes dailythan public works, including military, educa- to a file for each individual driver that is sent directly to thetion, healthcare, agriculture, public safety, drivers MC70. Drivers stop by their base location in thetransportation, and utilities. Besides schedul- morning to pick up the MC70, and then complete an elec-ing and routing, GIS can be used for naviga- tronic, drop-down-based form for each appointment they tion, data management and mapping, and complete. Routes for continuous service locations, created market analysis. For more information on ESRI, in RouteSmart based on the area that needs service that dayvisit www.esri.com. and which driver will accomplish which portion, are dis- tributed in the same way. At the end of their shifts, the dri- vers drop the MC70s back off at their location to sync them, 6. the special collection and container divisions donow, but include real-time cellular communicationbecause of the more urgent nature of DAC jobs.GIS can play an integral role in any operation, saysAguilar. The ability to take data that has formerlybeen looked at in a tabular format and have it be spa-tially referenced, analyzed, and automatically mappedis a powerful tool that can help any organization.Indeed, Aguilars point is a valid one while LAs useof a GIS is a great example of how GIS can be used forrouting in a public works application, the reach of GISis really much broader. No matter what vertical marketyoure in or whether your business need is sched-Aguilar, along with his team of GIS specialists, performed ride-alongs with the drivers of the SRCD uling and routing, navigation, mapping, or businessto train them on the ArcPad solution deployed on Motorola MC70 handheld computers. Each dri-ver took an average of one and a half days to get up to speed on the solution.analysis it is worth taking a look at the role a GIScould play in your organization. Gwhich uploads all of the form information gatheredthroughout the day to the bureaus database.While Aguilar did consider enabling the devices withcellular service to allow real-time data transfer versushaving to sync the devices, he says the benefit of doing Sarah Howland is an editor atso wasnt worth the added cost, which would be Integrated Solutions andapproximately $34,440 annually for a cellular data Field Technologies Online.plan. A customer who calls to have a pickup appoint-She can be reached at:ment isnt going to call back that same day to check onsarah.howland@isminfo.com.it; itll be the next day, he explains. We arent in thetype of service industry, like break/fix, where people arewaiting for us to arrive. The cost of that real-time com-munication really isnt worth it for us.Since deploying the GIS-based routing solutions andArcPad automated data collection, the bureau has elimi-nated the coordination meetings the teams used to holdeach morning. While a half hour may not seem like hugesavings, it is when you think about how many peoplewere spending that half hour. By eliminating the 30 min-utes its 82 drivers were spending each morning in therouting meeting, the bureau has recouped more than 200hours per week of productive time. Moreover, drivers arecompleting 30% more stops per day, which enabled the 380 New York Streetteams to absorb the increased volume they experiencedRedlands, Californiawhen many of the containers reached the end of their life92373-8100 USAcycles at once, without hiring additional drivers. Lastly, 1-800-GIS-XPRT (1-800-447-9778)the automated data capture solution has eliminated thenecessary data entry time and common data entry errors Phone: 909-793-2853of the paper-based method. Fax: 909-793-5953In the near future, the bureau is planning toinfo@esri.comupgrade to the latest version of ArcLogistics, and www.esri.comAguilar plans to replace the Motorola MC70s with Offices worldwidethe newer Motorola MC75A. Aguilar is also piloting aproject for the bureaus DAC (dead animal collec-www.esri.com/locationstion) division, which currently uses pagers for rout-ing. He plans to deploy ArcLogistics for routing,Copyright 2010 Esri. All rights reserved. Esri, ArcLogistics, ArcGIS Desktop, ArcPad, the Esri globe logo, @esri.com, and www.esri.com are trademarks,ArcNavigator for real-time turn-by-turn navigation registered trademarks, or service marks of Esri in the United States, the European Community, or certain other jurisdictions. Other companies andand on-the-fly rerouting, and ArcPad for field dataproducts mentioned herein may be trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective trademark owners.collection on the Motorola MC75A, similar to how123321 4/10sp123 Posted with permission from Integrated Solutions. Copyrighted 2010.For subscription information, call (814) 868-9935 or visit www.IntegratedSolutionsMag.com.#1-27994045 Managed by The YGS Group, 717.505.9701. For more information visit www.theYGSgroup.com/reprints.