Virginia VanderVeen, GISP
Enterprise Solutions Engineer
As technology continues to grow and evolve, so should our workflows. Traditionally, permitting involved a paper form that was provided to the applicant in person or by scanning the document and sending an email. Handwritten applications leave room for error, and paper documents can become lost among the hustle and bustle of office life. Back-and-forth communication between municipalities and the applicant can often become cumbersome. What if applicants in your community could open a map and see the status of their permit? What if by clicking a button and changing the permit status to approved, an email was automatically sent to the applicant with their permit attached? GIS can help to remove many of the inefficiencies that bog down the permitting process. Add in automation workflows and you can facilitate communication with ease.
Create
The ArcGIS platform offers a variety of applications that can work together to provide a comprehensive permitting solution. Use Survey123 to build your permit forms either directly through the ArcGIS Online or Portal for ArcGIS interface, or by installing Survey123 Connect on desktop and other devices for more customized functionality. Survey123 allows you to perform automatic calculations (like populating the permit submission date field), restrict user input in the form of read-only fields, require certain fields to be filled out, and even designate the format for data input like email and phone number.
Manage
For permit management, Operations Dashboard has you covered. You can embed the survey form directly into the dashboard, click on an applicant in the table, and manage the permit details and status. Configure indicators to show permitting metrics, and set up filters to make finding the permit you’re looking for a snap.
Automate
Take some of the work off your plate with automation. Automation platforms allow easy facilitation of email communication through the permitting process. With Make (formerly Integromat), you can notify the applicant and those responsible for managing the permitting process that a permit has been submitted. You can filter by permit status to trigger emails when more information is needed or when a modified permit has been re-submitted. Create a pdf of the permit form automatically filled out with values from the permit and attach it to an email once the permit has been approved.
Share
Finally, bring it all together with Hub, Sites, and/or Experience Builder. These applications are great tools for consolidating your content in once place, and offering your users (internal or external) a more intuitive experience.
