Introduction to Collaborative Development and Digital Inspector for Issue Voting
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Contents |
Issue Selected for Priority Action Team Formation
This issue area was selected by the environmental information community as a priority for the EITLC in 2010. A Priority Action Team has been established to address this issue. Information on the work of this PAT can be found in the PAT Category.
Issue Overview
Digital Inspector (DI) is an Agency enterprise solution developed by the Indiana Department of Environmental Management (IDEM) with which field inspectors can capture and store inspection observations using a mobile device in real time. Moreover, the Digital Inspector application has the ability to pre-define the look-and-feel, content and output for each field inspection type to be performed with little to no intervention by IT personnel. In short, the DI solution provides end-to-end capabilities for compliance groups to construct consistent, field inspection regimes
The DI solution utilizes state-of-the-art XML technology to allow field inspectors to, while on-site, electronically:
- review rules and individual permits
- provides ready access for reference purposes
- capture and retrieve field inspection data, citations and notes
- provides abilities to markup site maps
- stores digital photographic evidence
- eliminates any additional data entry upon return to home offices
- generate field reports
- provides facilities with immediate feedback
- obtain electronic signatures
- upload inspection results to enterprise data stores automatically
- eliminates any additional data entry upon return to home offices
All information collected in the field is uploaded via DI to enterprise Oracle data stores. This enables quick, efficient generation of queries, management reports, metrics and other measures directed at achieving program goals and objectives.
With the implementation of DI, inspectors travel with little to no reference material. All such material is electronically stored on the mobile devices, thus providing inspectors with ready access to information necessary for timely completion of their inspections. Because inspection results are stored and retrieved from DI, significant time saving, both in the field and upon return are realized, factual information is retrievable in a timely manner and the ‘paper-shuffle’ is virtually eliminated.
Collaboration Opportunity
IDEM is seeking State and Federal partners to enter into collaborative application development efforts to extend Digital Inspector's capabilities. The free exchange of these efforts throughout a broader community would promote reuse of partner development, accelerate development of a richer suite of offerings and provide a well-known, consistent tool for enterprise data collection. To that end, it is IDEM's intent to open-source it's code base (.NET, C#).
Examples of Past Use
IDEM has implemented the Digital Inspector in the Office of Land Quality, Compliance and Response Branch. Field inspectors have been using this application for Confined Animal Feeding Operations (CAFO), Confined Feeding Operations (CFO) and Auto Salvage inspections. IDEM is about to implement additional inspection types for Waste Tire, Animal Feeding Operation, CAFO-CFO Construction, Solid Waste Transfer, Solid Waste Processing, Septage Hauler, Open Dump, and Underground Storage Closure). Additional inspection types will be implemented for Air and Water field inspections in the near future.
DI is providing Agency compliance staff with a robust, easily configurable tool with which standardized compliance field inspections are accomplished - promoting consistency across any given field inspection type.
Potential Next Steps or Solutions for EITLC Consideration
- Assess potential for collaborative application development partnership opportunities (State, Federal, and beyond).
- Enumerated list of willing players.
- Begin govenance discussions (dependent upon level of interest).
- Further steps TBD.
