Mobile Technology Solutions for Today's Mobile Workforce

The concept of the mobile workforce has dramatically challenged the traditional methods in which employees analyze documents and interact with data. As more and more workers become equipped with mobile devices, organizations enjoy a wide range of benefits including enhanced data collection and accuracy, improved data quality and flow, and more accountability for work processes and task assignments. With these kinds of benefits, there is an increasing demand for government officials to embrace new mobile technologies.

In addition government agencies are being pressured to take on increasing levels of responsibilities and tasks without increasing headcount. As a result, government agencies are examining ways in which to become more efficient — mobile computing solutions can significantly contribute to this by improving the exchange of vital information with field personnel, employees, and citizens-and to automate critical business processes.

Accela Wireless is designed to meet the needs of government agencies by taking mobile workforces out of their offices and into the field, where staff can manage inspections, investigations, code enforcement, work orders, and service requests. For example, Accela Wireless allows field inspectors to directly access data stored in the backend land management system using the most current information available. Inspectors can input inspection results from the field and immediately update the Accela Automation database. In the field, workers need the high-speed of broadband plus a wireless connection. Tropos provides the leading metro Wi-Fi solution and enables mobile workers to connect to the network from a wide range of standard 802.11 and 4.9GHz client devices. This combined Accela and Tropos solution saves time in the field because case, application, and permitting data, including schedule updates, are available to inspectors at all times from anywhere around town.

Improving Efficiencies of Mobile Workers Assisting in Recovery of New Orleans Post-Katrina

A few years ago the city of New Orleans selected Accela Automation®, a Web-based, enterprise application that provides government agencies with a complete solution to automate work flow, forms management, activity tracking, cashiering, and other important daily tasks. Specifically, the agency implemented the system in the Department of Safety and Permits to automate its land and permit management activities.

A Tropos Wi-Fi network had been installed in 2004 around the city of New Orleans and was being used to help the police department monitor high crime areas using video surveillance cameras. The addition of Accela's application onto the Tropos Wi-Fi network allowed the city to further leverage its investment in the network as well as to increase its value to the community.

Hurricane Katrina devastated most of New Orleans and the surrounding Gulf Coast communities. Following Katrina, the only communication network left standing was the Tropos MetroMesh network! The New Orleans Building and Safety Department chose to leverage the combined Accela and Tropos solutions to quickly mobilize and begin disaster recovery efforts. Although inspecting these structures was going to be a daunting task, officials in the Department of Safety and Permits had one important advantage-all of the critical building, permit, and other land information data were intact since the data was stored off-site in the Accela Automation database. The Tropos MetroMesh network was quickly repurposed and expanded to provide Wi-Fi based communications to emergency personnel and mobile government workers who were aiding in the city's recovery.

Armed with mobile devices running Accela Wireless, city inspectors were dispatched to the field to perform inspections in New Orleans and the surrounding parishes. Inspection results were transmitted to the agency database in real-time over the Tropos-based network and in turn; damage assessment information was reported to federal relief agencies immediately. As data was gathered and analyzed by city officials, the information was published on the city of New Orleans Web site, allowing citizens to access and view damage assessment maps of their property and taking immediate steps to either return to their homes or begin the reconstruction process.

By using an automated solution running over a citywide Wi-Fi network, the city was able to process over 125,000 inspections in just 10 weeks.

For more information please send an e-mail to info@tropos.com or visit the Accela website www.accela.com.