Solution Series: Mobile GIS Speeds Inventory

By Field Technologies magazine

In 2007, the city of Seattle undertook a largescale, citywide inventory of sidewalks and curb ramps. The city initiated the project to meet multiple objectives, including Americans with Disabilities Act compliance, sidewalk facilities management, and a larger mission to improve citywide walking conditions.

In April 2007, the city selected HWA GeoSciences Inc., along with subconsultant Perteet Inc., to complete the inventory in seven months. The project required attribute collection and digital photographs for every block-face in the city. (A blockface is one side of a street between two consecutive intersections.) This involved approximately 46,000 sidewalk segments. To meet the challenge, HWA and Perteet deployed a mobile geographic information system (GIS) solution. HWA focused on the formation and management of the field teams, while Perteet designed a mobile GIS strategy that would meet the data requirements of the city as well as the practical challenges crews would face in the field.