The much-anticipated PSD Citywide User Group was held virtually last week on June 23rd and June 24th. Bringing together Citywide users across North America, the PSD Citywide User Group followed an exciting brand relaunch a week prior. PSD Citywide was excited to share the latest in technology and industry best practices related to public sector operations, asset management, GIS, budgeting, and financial reporting.
Day one started with a presentation by Chief Technology Officer, Peter Scott, outlining previous and future PSD Citywide software rollouts. The past year saw over 2,400 enhancements to Citywide Asset, such as the addition of asset retirement obligations tracking on Asset Manager and Artificial Intelligence features on Route Patrol for enhanced patrolling. In the next year, new and existing PSD Citywide clients can look forward to enhancements such as an updated roles and permissions system to make modules more user-flexible, an online Permits Portal, as well as the introduction of barcoding and licensing application features across modules.
Matt Dawe, Vice President, provided a session overviewing the Citywide Permitting module and the major components released within the last year. The Permits module is evolving beyond just building permits and inspections, and will be encompassing various other permit types such as road closures, zoning, etc. Citywide Permits provides organizations the ability to automate and receive permit applications online and to organize applications into comprehensive customer and property databases. Clients can look forward to a Citywide Permitting Mobile application, as well as enhancements such as the addition of inspection tasks attached to permit types, a planning and development module, payment processing through the e-permit solution, and licensing features.
Day two of the PSD Citywide User Group had several presentations detailing updates and client stories with the use of various Citywide modules, including Citywide Maintenance, Route Patrol and Citywide GIS. Peter Scott provided an overview of the Citywide Route Patrol module, detailing its many features, including artificial intelligence capabilities, integration with maintenance and asset management information, and tagging patrols to work orders/service requests. Additionally, Senior GIS Consultant, Cliff Patterson, provided an overview of the Citywide Enterprise GIS system, providing an overview on the benefits of an open-source tool and how it integrates with Citywide Asset, linking asset information into the map view for enhanced reporting.
The PSD Citywide User Group concluded with a panel discussion, hearing from the Municipality of Southwest Middlesex, Camrose County and City of Stratford on how technology has assisted with modernizing their processes. Southwest Middlesex detailed their use of Citywide Route Patrol and how it has assisted with maintaining operations throughout the pandemic and gathering key information on day-to-day maintenance and road conditions for potential litigation. Further, they estimate the use of the system saves them approximately $8,000 per year in operational costs. Camrose County has recently implemented Citywide GIS, which has greatly assisted with overarching County operations. It has allowed field staff to see the assets populated on the map and gain a full scope of necessary maintenance work. The City of Stratford shared their experience with the use of Citywide Permits. They explained that the use of the system has provided significant time savings, switching over from a majority paper-based system. In addition, it has assisted with information accuracy and improved overall data.
For 18 years, PSD Citywide modules have provided holistic solutions to help move cities forward and achieve sustainable service delivery. However, this past year has seen a monumental digital transformation among public sector entities as organizations continue to work remotely in varying capacities. No matter the circumstances, municipalities must engage with their citizens and move their cities and its services forward.
Thank you to everyone who attended User Group; we look forward to what this next year brings and hope to see you all in person very soon.
