By Daily Press staff
City Hall has been recognized for its achievement in technology. Public Technology, Inc. has announced that Santa Monica has been awarded the 2003 Environment Solutions Award. PTI’S Solutions Awards are presented as a part of a national program recognizing achievement in technology implementation at the local government level. The awards are judged by a panel of nationally recognized leaders on local government technology innovations. The competition, held annually, is open to all jurisdictions, with entries focusing on a wide range of technologies.
Winning entries demonstrated the ability to increase revenue, save tax dollars, or improve management and customer service. Entries are grouped based on jurisdiction size, and awards are presented to jurisdictions in five categories: Energy, environment, public safety, IT, and telecommunication and transportation.
Santa Monica was presented the award for its enterprise management GIS application, which allows staff to browse and query all current construction projects underway in the city. The city’s winning entry follows: The city of Santa Monica developed and launched an interactive Geographic Information System (GIS) application called EMIGA, the “Enterprise Management Intranet GIS Application.” EMIGA makes it easy for staff to browse and query current city construction projects within the public right-of-way and public facilities, officials said.
EMIGA allows a user to identify and locate projects based on location, date, type of project, or project manager, and displays them on a map. Maps may be annotated with comments, symbols, and grids, then printed or transmitted via e-mail to affected persons or agencies.
EMIGA has made it possible to coordinate the timing of multiple projects in a single area, officials said. It has resulted in decreased noise, congestion and other types of environmental disruption. The enhanced coordination between agencies has resulted in cost savings by reducing redundant efforts and the public benefit of reducing negative environmental impacts on the right-of-way.
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on May 25, 2004. Read the original PDF.