Lincoln Institute of Land Policy Hubsite

| Kevin McMaster

The Lincoln Institute of Land Policy seeks to improve quality of life through the effective use, taxation, and stewardship of land. As a nonprofit private operating foundation whose origins date to 1946, the Lincoln Institute researches and recommends creative approaches to land as a solution to economic, social, and environmental challenges. Through education, training, publications, and events, they integrate theory and practice to inform public policy decisions worldwide.

SymGEO partnered with the Lincoln Institute to build an internal, central ArcGIS Hub platform and support five of their Centers and Initiatives. This involved curating and displaying authoritative data layers detailing resource equity, population demographics, historic redlining information, land zoning information, and historic city spending and revenue information among others.

Configurable applications, including ArcGIS Dashboards and web applications, were built to facilitate the exploration of data and visualization of analytical results.

“SymGEO has the unique ability to distill content into compelling visual geospatial products and narratives that tell a story and help track impacts. They are very proactive, responsive, great communicators, and can spin up apps quickly as proof of concepts that help with design decision-making. It has been a great experience working with them collaboratively, and I highly recommend SymGEO as a geospatial solution expert.”

– Director, Partnerships and Strategy, Lincoln Institute of Land Policy

Talk to SymGEO today if your organization would like to build a central spatial data hub framework using the power of Esri’s ArcGIS Online platform – we are certified experts and here to help.

One Tree Planted Donor Portal

| Kevin McMaster

One Tree Planted wants to make it simple for anyone to help the environment by planting trees. By partnering with 680+ organizations across 80+ countries, they have restored forests, created habitats for biodiversity, and made a positive social impact around the world by planting over 100 Million trees! Learn more about the critical importance of their mission in the following educational video.

Keeping track of the positive impact of 680+ partners can be a daunting task. Fortunately, through a collaborative effort with SymGEO, One Tree Planted built an interactive Donor Portal prototype that helps communicate project-specific information to funding partners. The portal was designed so that each partner will have their own specific page, featuring just the projects that their funding helped to support. The donor portal was built using ArcGIS Experience Builder, and leverages Dashboards, StoryMaps, and embedded content to provide data transparency and inspiration.

Projects are geo-located to show the global breadth of a partner’s funding impact.

Project-specific information is presented upon selection with links to the detailed project report.

Projects are also displayed on a dedicated mapping page and can be searched by name or geography.

The map links to a detailed project dashboard with key information and a virtual fly-through of each planting site.

The report section of the portal links to the most recent planting report, highlighting key achievements of the year.

The monitoring section uses before and after imagery to convey the landscape scale impact of the planting projects and details the methods used to monitor and ensure planting success.

“The impact of the prototype on our donors was nothing short of astounding. Collaborating with SymGEO to craft a functional prototype during the feedback-gathering phase proved instrumental in cultivating a comprehensive catalog of requisites across all donors.“

– Geospatial Systems Manager, One Tree Planted

Talk to SymGEO today if your organization would like to feature projects or impacts using the power of Esri’s ArcGIS Online platform – we are certified experts and here to help.

APTA Industry Footprint Update

| Kevin McMaster

Public transportation is a $79 billion industry that employs 430,000 people and supports millions of private-sector jobs. As the public transportation industry advocacy leader, the American Public Transportation Association (APTA) is dependent on accurate, current data to help inform critical decisions. The newly updated Industry Footprint is designed to collect, analyze, and present key statistics at national, state, and local levels. This application, produced in collaboration with our development partners at GeoMarvel, provides insight into APTA membership, public transportation providers, transit service, manufacturing and supply chain, and congressional/legislative contact information. Learn more about all the innovative platform enhancements in the APTA Industry Footprint Storymap.

“We are happy with the results of our partnership with SymGEO. They produced a website that equals our ambition and stature as an association.”

– APTA Director of Policy Research and Development

Would a custom mapping application like this be useful to your organization? Talk to our solution experts today about your unique GIS needs, the SymGEO team is here to help!

Urban Wood Reuse Case Study

| Kevin McMaster

Client: Urban Forestry Division of DDOT

Challenge: Teaching kids the importance of nature, recycling, history, and culture is a lofty goal. The Urban Forestry Division (UFD) offers an environmentally friendly program called Urban Wood Reuse that provides DC Public Schools, public charter schools, and parks with wood products to improve grounds at no cost. Community outreach was needed to spread the word about this amazing program.

Solution: SymGEO was excited to develop the community outreach component of the Urban Wood Reuse program by designing and launching the Wood Reuse Hub site using ArcGIS Hub and Survey123 technology. This solution established two-way communication between the UFD and DC schools and parks interested in “sitting on a piece of DC History”. The site shares knowledge and products from the UFD while gathering the school’s product ideas and requirements.

Client Feedback: “The new elements from Urban Wood Reuse have been well-received by our community and have enhanced our space. We are very grateful for their efforts that directly support our garden hideaway in the middle of the city.” – Mundo Verde Bilingual PCS

Read the full story here.

DC Office of Zoning Handbook Case Study

| Kevin McMaster

Client: DC Office of Zoning

Challenge: The District of Columbia Office of Zoning (DCOZ) is responsible for communicating zoning rules and regulations to District residents. The existing Zoning Handbook site was built on WordPress technology, was 300+ pages to maintain, and tabular information was difficult to use on mobile. A new web framework was needed to keep up with the dynamic changes to zoning codes.

Solution: To facilitate the flow of technical information and consolidate the existing webpages into a manageable solution, SymGEO designed and implemented the next-generation DC Zoning Handbook using ArcGIS Hub technology and ArcGIS Dashboards. Data is now referenced dynamically in a mobile-responsive format.

Client Feedback: “The Zoning Handbook is an important resource for District residents to understand and participate in the zoning process. We enjoyed working with SymGEO to migrate existing content, leverage current technology, and develop new solutions to make the process as easy as possible for our audience.” – Director, DC Office of Zoning

Read the full story here.

DC Office of Zoning Handbook

| Kevin McMaster

The District of Columbia Office of Zoning (DCOZ) is responsible for communicating zoning rules and regulations to District residents. To facilitate this flow of technical information, DCOZ partnered with SymGEO to develop the next-generation DC Zoning Handbook, built using ArcGIS Hub technology.

“The Zoning Handbook is an important resource for District residents to understand and participate in the zoning process. We enjoyed working with SymGEO to migrate existing content, leverage current technology, and develop new solutions to make the process as easy as possible for our audience.”

– Director, DC Office of Zoning

The Zoning Handbook was designed to start at the highest level of information and introduce the concepts and locations of zoning categories.

Selecting a general zoning category (such as Residential) drills down into the types of residential zoning in the District.

Selecting a type of residential zoning delves into the purposes and intentions of the many variants within that particular zoning type.

At this final level of detail, the development standards for the specific zone are offered using a Development Standards Dashboard, developed using ArcGIS Dashboards, which communicates the technical aspects of the zoning type in a mobile-responsive format.

“The ArcGIS Hub cloud platform enabled us to augment the zoning regulations with interactive dashboards and maps to provide an engaging and informative experience while reducing the need for on-premise servers and applications.”

– Data Coordinator, DC Office of Zoning

Back on the main page of the Zoning Handbook, insight can be found into the general procedures, general rules, and measurement regulations as defined in the Zoning Regulations.

Zoning Use Categories are presented using ArcGIS Dashboard technology in a mobile-friendly format.

A long list of definitions helps District residents navigate the language used in the zoning regulations.

Finally, additional zoning resources and information are offered for further reading and zone exploration.

Talk to SymGEO today if your municipality or agency is interested in migrating web content to an ArcGIS Hub solution – we are certified experts and are here to help.

Vision Zero DC Case Study

| Kevin McMaster

Client: DDOT Vision Zero DC

Challenge: District of Columbia Mayor Muriel Bowser launched Vision Zero in 2015 to inspire and transform DC’s roadway safety efforts and to set DC’s sights on a goal of zero fatalities or serious injuries on District streets. Since then, the District Department of Transportation (DDOT) has shifted to designing streets that are safe for everyone, working closely with community members to identify problems and build solutions. To help organize and communicate the significant progress made since the launch of the Vision Zero program, DDOT needed a comprehensive website solution.

Solution: SymGEO built a new Vision Zero DC website using ArcGIS Hub technology that provides a consolidated home for information on current and upcoming traffic safety projects, as well as dashboards and map features for interactive user experiences. The website also serves as a robust educational tool for promoting safe traveling behaviors. This solution was featured on the front page of ArcNews, entitled “Washington, DC, Pursues Equity and Transparency in Vision Zero Campaign“.

Client Feedback: “The new Vision Zero DC website will help us work closely with community members to identify problems and build solutions. SymGEO iterated quickly and efficiently on design ideas and built a very engaging platform solution for DDOT.” – DDOT Vision Zero Director

Read the full story here.

Vision Zero DC

| Kevin McMaster

District of Columbia Mayor Muriel Bowser launched Vision Zero in 2015 to inspire and transform DC’s roadway safety efforts and to set DC’s sights on a goal of zero fatalities or serious injuries on District streets. Since then, the District Department of Transportation (DDOT) has shifted to designing streets that are safe for everyone, working closely with community members to identify problems and build solutions. As part of a new community outreach effort, SymGEO was honored to help DDOT build the new Vision Zero DC website using ArcGIS Hub technology. Read the official press release from DDOT for this exciting website launch, as well as the comprehensive ArcNews article entitled “Washington, DC, Pursues Equity and Transparency in Vision Zero Campaign” featured on the front page of the Spring 2023 edition.

“The new Vision Zero DC website will help us work closely with community members to identify problems and build solutions. SymGEO iterated quickly and efficiently on design ideas and built a very engaging platform solution for DDOT.”

– DDOT Vision Zero Director

The Vision Zero DC site is organized into easily navigable sections based on audience interest and is designed to be mobile-responsive and broadly accessible.

A poignant look at the human costs of dangerous driving and unsafe behaviors is presented in Vision Zero Stories, developed using ArcGIS StoryMap technology.

The Education page features educational campaigns that help to promote safe driving and pedestrian habits throughout the District.

The safety campaigns target the biggest threats to the most vulnerable travelers on DC’s roadways. These include aggressive driving, impaired driving, occupant protection, pedestrian safety, and bicycle safety.

A link is also featured to Safety Grant information housed on DDOT’s Highway Safety Office page. This page also includes many links to safety programs, grants, procedure manuals, and publications.

This living document provides links to numerous helpful documents and publications.

A look at the Engineering page shows the significant progress made in designing solutions to benefit vehicular and pedestrian traffic, conveniently organized into a Safety Treatment Toolbox.

Expanding a section of the toolbox gives a wealth of information about each treatment “tool.”

A Safety Intervention dashboard gives insight into all the implementations of the safety toolbox tools that have occurred to date.

An Annual Safety Improvement Program dashboard gives insight into all the roadway and intersection improvements made to date.

Exploring the Crash Analysis page gives a deep dive into the data fueling the push for zero fatalities on D.C.’s roadways, including a Fatality and Injury dashboard with authoritative data provided by the Metropolitan Police Department.

Talk to SymGEO today if your municipality or agency is interested in setting your sights on a goal of zero fatalities on your roadways using a Vision Zero hub site – we are certified experts and are here to help.

Special Event Operations Case Study

| Kevin McMaster

Client: DDOT Traffic Management Center

Challenge: DDOT needed a solution to help organize special events, create event site maps, develop health and safety plans, manage event incidents and assignments, monitor public health and safety operations, and create after-action reports.

Solution: SymGEO configured and deployed an ArcGIS Special Event Operations Solution to enable the hosting of comprehensive information about an event in one authoritative, collaborative place.

Client Feedback: “The Special Events solution has sparked a new level of excitement in preparing for special events in the city. With SymGEO’s technical help, DDOT now has improved internal communication and decision-making abilities. The training provided by SymGEO has been super beneficial – they are a treasure!” – DDOT Program Manager, Traffic Management Center

Read the full story here.

Special Event Operations at DDOT

| Kevin McMaster

Esri’s Special Event Operations is a configurable solution that helps organize special events, create event site maps, develop health and safety plans, manage event incidents and assignments, monitor public health and safety operations, and create after-action reports. The District Department of Transportation (DDOT) recognized the value of having comprehensive information about an event in one authoritative, collaborative place, and asked SymGEO to help configure and deploy Special Event Operations for their internal use.

“The Special Events solution has sparked a new level of excitement in preparing for special events in the city. With SymGEO’s technical help, DDOT now has improved internal communication and decision-making abilities. The training provided by SymGEO has been super beneficial – they are a treasure!”

– DDOT Program Manager, Traffic Management Center

ArcGIS Hub was used to host the solution as it facilitated the understanding and workflow of how each individual component fits into the comprehensive picture.

The solution is built around a core data set of special events. Individual events are initially “registered” with the solution using an ArcGIS Survey123 intake form.

An ArcGIS Dashboard uses the event information to give managers an overview of upcoming (or past) events that can be filtered by venue type, expected crowd size, approval status, or other event characteristics.

The Special Event Manager is used to dive deep into specific events. From this interface, site maps or operation maps can be created, copied from past events, reviewed, and eventually approved.

The Special Event Site Map interface facilitates the creation of site maps linked to individual events. Site maps include the point, line, or area representation of event physical features. This may include signs, fire lanes, event perimeters, or other stationary event components.

The operations map includes mobile or distributed resources that will be actively deployed during the event. This may include trucks, traffic control officers, resource assignment paths, staging areas, or security perimeters.

During an event, assignments can be created and assigned from the Special Event Command Center. Assignment deployment, tracking, and in-the-field responses are managed using ArcGIS Workforce behind the scenes.

ArcGIS Notebooks are used to copy site plans and operations maps from previous events. This saves time, money, and the duplication of effort for annual or repeating events.

Talk to SymGEO today if your agency or organization is interested in managing special events using the power of Esri’s Special Event Operations solution – we are certified experts and here to help.