Methods data can be provided to the City - Forms, Files, Business Processes and Data Consumption

OVERVIEW

There are multiple methods for someone to provide data, files, and form entries to the city, some require workflows after submission to notify staff, and some are just to capture data.

Certain programs we have have very distinct benefits that are available to the process. Please contact the IT department to learn more about any of these below, their capabilities and how they can succeed for your project. IT does not manage all of these platforms.

All of the following have web based front ends for users to submit from.

See Click Fix
Laserfiche Forms
ArcGIS Forms
Microsoft Forms
View Point Cloud
Sharepoint
SmartSheet

(List compiled by IT, there might be more departments have at their disposal beyond this list)

*Adobe Acrobat is a tool that allows a PDF be created as a fillable form, this lends itself to allowing clean data entry in a computer instead of handwritten form submissions. There are options that can work with the filled in PDFs but there might be more suitable data collection tools in the City's arsenal.

See, Click, Fix:

Currently used for problem reporting by citizens, can include images, spatial locations.
Can be submitted anonymously.
Workflow can route submitted object to departments.
Storage is cloud based (charged for storage?)
Locations are identified on a map instance

Laserfiche Forms:

Internal and External submission of data and files
Can be submitted via public without log in, internally requires a Laserfiche license to submit
Forms can be standalone and fulfill a template
Form that is fulfilled can be provided to the Repository for archive as appropriate
Form can be designed to capture data and provide to the database for internal regurgitation into other programs (Excel, Tableau, PowerBI, SSRS)
Form can capture spatial coordinates in the form submission process
Storage of files and data are on premise

An example diagram of how Laserfiche Forms can be configured is available in this document below under "Attachments"

ArcGIS Forms:

Spatial location captured, photographs
Can be run on a tablet with cellular with live connection to ArcGIS Online, potentially available to be submitted in off-network mode that will sync to AGOL later on
Can be immediately mapped out in ArcGIS and ArcGIS Online map products and layers
Storage is cloud based and charged for
Data is not readily available to be processed in Excel or other analytical systems outside ESRI products

Microsoft Forms:

Simple data consumption
Standard process is to capture the entry in Excel in a OneDrive location
No routing or business processes available at this time

Sharepoint:

Web page instance that can be opened up to public users to supply and review documents
Integration between MS Forms and Sharepoint is possible but not automated

View Point Cloud:

Record types are highly configurable
Workflow can include monetary transactions via Stripe, that is attributed to GL Account for MUNIS
Workflow can create documents (certificates, letters, notices, etc...) inspection and approval actions
Spatially located to a parcel by default
Data is stored in VPC website, with cyclical downloads into database (~7 dag lag)
Form pdf, attachments and documents created are all consumed and imported into Laserfiche and be routed as appropriate
Routing between departments is clean, time oriented and traceable with transparent communication

Smartsheet:

Data from field entry
Excel feel
Data is hard to extract systematically to work with in other programs

REFERENCE

Any links referred to in the document and/or other articles which could be of use to someone reading this article.

Applies to:

General Type of Articles > How-To
General Type of Articles > Reference

Attachments:

DataCollectionInForms.pdf

Article ID: KB000153

Modified Date: 1/19/2024 11:43:00 AM

Version: 1.1

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