Cloudpoint enjoyed attending the Wisconsin Association of School Business Officials (WASBO) Facilities Management Conference in Wisconsin Dells, Wisconsin this week. Even though the turnout was slightly fewer than what we expected, we found that this is a great group to be associated with. As we had previously suspected, the school district industry for facility management can greatly benefit from the use of GIS technology. We found that many of the needs of the attendees lined up with exactly what the technology is designed to do. As we visited with attendees, we were able to identify some common problems shared among school district facility managers such as:
Lack of organization or access to accurate floor plan information
Little or no mapping interfaces integrated with their asset management programs
The need for a centralized data storage and engagement platform for campus facility information
Fortunately, GIS technology can be used to address all of these issues. By engaging in a platform such as Esri’s ArcGIS, users can easily load CAD data or other floorplan information and begin to add useful layers to help maintain their facility information. Also accessible on mobile devices, it allows them to provide increased versatility to their workforce taking advantage of digital surveys and mapping information at their fingertips.
One of the most unique conversations we had of the day involved speaking with a custodial manager about how cleaning times can be easily calculated using GIS information. They shared that the cleaning times are calculated based on floor service areas, window areas, and features such as bathroom fixtures. All of this information can be tabulated within GIS, used to calculate accurate cleaning times, and displayed through a manager’s dashboard. The custodial manager shared an experience where the school district was able to save over $150,000 by recognizing custodial efficiency improvements through these calculations.
Custodial Dashboard in ArcGIS Online
Cloudpoint’s team looks forward to assisting more school district facility managers with making improved data-driven decisions and identifying operational efficiencies through the use of GIS technology.
For more information regarding Cloudpoint‘s indoor mapping services for school district facilities please call us at 877-377-8124 or email jhodel@cloudpointgeo.com.
