Canada: The City of Hamilton has launched a new online engineering records system that delivers significant efficiencies in locating information about the City’s public infrastructure. Called SPIDER (for Spatially Indexed Engineering Records), the system features an interactive Web map through which staff and partners can search more than 200,000 engineering records maintained by the City’s public works department. The City worked with Esri Canada to design and implement the system, which uses the latest Esri GIS technology. SPIDER has replaced PRISM, the City’s homegrown plans and records management system.
The new system supposedly provides secure, role-based access to internal departments and external partners, such as utilities and engineering consultants and contractors, who can now conduct the following types of searches in addition to keyword or topic searches: spatial searches – users can draw a box on the interactive map to specify their area of interest. The GIS then pulls all engineering data including permits, inspectors’ reports and easement (right-of-way) records for that specific area; thumbnail searches – users can scan small images of engineering drawings (e.g., bridges, water and sewer networks) to quickly find what they need without opening each file.
Source: Go geomatics
