Challenge

The City of Walnut Creek maintained critical address data on a departmental basis in a variety of incompatible formats. They wanted to reduce errors and inconsistencies by deploying a single, authoritative, centralized database of building addresses. This would be used to support business processes by all departments throughout the City government. The City engaged Farallon to design and deploy an integrated Enterprise Master Address Database /Repository, Address Management System and Address Maintenance System that would link every building address within the City to assessor parcels, street centerlines, and potentially to individual buildings.

Solution

Farallon deployed and customized an implementation of the Open Source Enterprise Addressing System (EAS) for the City and integrated it with ArcGIS online basemap. The EAS provides a standards-based, robust and enterprise-wide means of managing addresses within a geodatabase. The EAS also offers an easy-to-use web-mapping interface that allows staff (both GIS experts and lay professionals) to find, visualize, and explore detailed address and sub-address information. It also allows authorized users to create and edit address information. Specific features of the EAS include:

• A fully web-map based application that allows for easy access to address points
• Role-based security, allowing organizations to readily manage access to address information
• Full address creation, edit, and retire functionality from within the web application
• A consistent and easy-to-learn web interface that allows both GIS staff and lay professionals (such as dispatchers, public works staff, project staff, planners, and other City staff) to create and edit address data user the same, secure, and robust maintenance workflow
• An “Address Change Request” data management model that allows authorized address editors to submit data edits to a queue for review and approval by users with “Approver” credentials
• Complete integration with enterprise GIS data and applications such as ESRI ArcGIS
• Integrated address lineage and auditing capabilities to ensure that address changes over time can be resolved
• Automated address validation that highlights potential data errors due to street realignment, parcel splits, or parcel merges.

Farallon first worked with the City to define, configure and customize the capabilities required of the master address database / repository, the address maintenance workflow, and the web services needed to support the integration of multi-jurisdictional business systems. Application users include members of the Planning and Zoning Departments, Building Department, the Department of Public Works, and Public Safety.

Farallon provided address processing support including acquiring, processing, transforming, and loading selected address lists owned by the City into the master address database schema.

The Address Maintenance Application enables authorized users to quickly search the master address repository using either a text-based search box, or by navigating a map interface to the desired location in the City. Users can digitize address points directly unto the map, or fill out a data entry form that will automatically locate the address and link it to required parcel and street data. Users are prompted to review and accept the address information before it is written to the database.

To ensure that the City can audit data edits, the application automatically tracks the user, date, time, and IP address of the machine used to edit the master address database. Edited records and new records will be flagged by the system, allowing an “Address Czar” or specified set of administrative users to review the edits as part of the address maintenance workflow.

Farallon developed a semi-automated workflow for the City to ensure that addresses remain synchronized with changes in the parcels and street centerlines. Farallon also developed web services that allow City applications to dynamically verify addresses and address locations. Farallon provided system documentation and technology transfer services to help City staff to administer the EAS.

By implementing the Enterprise Addressing System, the City has eliminated the duplication of effort and cost to separately manage, maintain, and share multiple address repositories. Simultaneously it has improved distribution of services, increased the ability for self-service address requests, and enhanced customer service through faster response times.

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