Ark-Tex Council of Governments Updates its 9-1-1 Address Data Management Tool
The Ark-Tex Council of Government's new 9-1-1 Address Data Management tool's attribute rules auto populate with data, saving time and improving accuracy.
Established in 1969, the Ark-Tex Council of Governments (ATCOG) is a voluntary association of local governments representing the counties of Bowie, Cass, Delta, Franklin, Hopkins, Lamar, Morris, Red River, and Titus Counties in Texas, and Miller County in Arkansas. It is one of Texas’ 24 regional councils of government created to provide services and support that address the needs and interests of multiple counties within a region.
One of the many programs supported by ATCOG is the 9-1-1 Emergency Communications Program which provides fully enhanced 9-1-1 services for the counties ATCOG serves. Rural address management is under the purview of the 9-1-1 Program, and ATCOG follows the National Emergency Number Association (NENA) standards for 9-1-1 addressing.
Explaining the work involved with address management, William Wagner, 9-1-1 GIS coordinator for ATCOG said, “Whenever a new structure is built, for example, a new subdivision, addresses are added to the new lots. Sometimes an older address will need to be changed because it doesn’t align with modern standards.”
NENA has specific guidelines for GIS data collection and GIS data maintenance to ensure proper addressing for 9-1-1 services.
ArcMap™ Deprecation Prompts Tool Change
ATCOG’s existing address data management tool was facing inoperability with the deprecation of ArcMap™. The tool was a third-party ArcMap add-in, and it was a significant yearly cost investment. The vendor that supplied the tool for ATCOG had no plans to integrate it with ArcGIS® Pro, ArcMap’s replacement.
“We have limited GIS personnel to hire, and many of the people we hire do not have a GIS background, so we are taking people with strong computer skills and teaching them GIS,” said Ray McCarty, 9-1-1 GIS technician for ATCOG. “We did not want bring on new people, train them on ArcMap, and then have to teach them how to use ArcGIS Pro later. Making the transition to a tool that worked with ArcGIS Pro made the most sense, but in researching a solution, we couldn’t find a pre-built tool with the same capabilities.”
Extending the Address Data Management ArcGIS® Solution
ATCOG utilized Argis Solutions’ GIS consulting services to find a path forward with a new, modernized tool. Argis noted that Esri’s Address Data Management ArcGIS® Solution contained most of the old tool’s functionality and could be extended to include additional functionalities ATCOG needed to meet NENA standards.
Argis evaluated ATCOG’s current system to determine if any updates and additions would be needed for implementation of the Address Data Management solution. Portal for ArcGIS®, ArcGIS® Data Store, and ArcGIS® Web Adaptor were added to complete this full ArcGIS® Enterprise 11.0 implementation.
The Address Data Management solution was used as a base platform, and thirteen additional columns of attributes were automated using tasks within ArcGIS® Pro to fulfill NENA requirements. Tasks are wizard-like tools that conveniently walk users through the tool’s steps.
First, the user sketches a line at the location where the new address should be assigned, and then a point is created. From there, site address characteristics can be added. In ArcGIS Pro, attribute fields (highlighted yellow within the table and solution) are auto populated with data. The remaining fields require the user to manually enter information. The final step in the process is validation of all the data entered.
“It’s more streamlined,” said Wagner. “Just follow the steps, and it populates all the fields and creates the address number.”
Cost Savings, Low Maintenance, and Customizable
Speaking about the advantages of transitioning to the tool, Wagner said, “It’s more accurate. Previously, we had to create address numbers manually based on what side of the road it was on and the neighboring addresses. You don’t end up with duplicate addresses.”
“It’s also more complete,” said McCarty. “It builds in the required fields that were sometimes lacking and would return back with errors.”
With this extension for the Address Data Management solution, it's no longer necessary for ATCOG to pay a vendor’s yearly licensing fee, resulting in significant cost savings. A low-cost maintenance contract is all that is required to maintain technology updates for the tool.
Another benefit of this solution is that it is easily customizable. Future releases of Esri’s Address Data Management solution will simplify standardization of addressing workflows as Esri continues to support and enhance the base solution.