The solution removes the Council's previous system of manual note taking and re-entry into a central system at a later stage. Together, they are creating a flexible, standardised system that can deliver time and cost savings and more efficient management of data.

Cotswold District Council covers a total area of 450 square miles of Gloucestershire. The council utilise the services of eight surveyors who complete an average of ten site visits per day. Each visit lasts approximately between 30 minutes and an hour and each one generates extensive notes on the location.

The challenge facing the Council was to find a system that their Building Control Surveyors could use simply and would enable them to move away from their current system that was completely paper based. The existing process forced the surveyors to take notes on paper while on the road and then re-key them into the main system at a later time duplicating effort and risking data inaccuracies. Additionally, the surveyors needed to keep track of their mileage and then manually compile this information at the end of every month before it could be processed.

Cotswold District Council chose Metascybe Systems to meet their application integration needs and HP iPAQ 4150's were selected as the hardware to be deployed due to their small, lightweight design and expandability options.

From the beginning of August 2004 HP and Metascybe started to deploy the mobile solution to the Building Control Surveyors in Cotswold District Council. The new system enables them to use a specific form template on the iPAQ to complete the inspection details. On return to the office the iPAQ is docked and the data is uploaded to the system without any additional re-keying of information necessary.

The iPAQs also carry three years worth of historic visit data that provides instant access to all information from previous visits. A navigation system was also included on all of the deployed iPAQs to enable simple and fast recording of mileage details whilst the surveyors are on the road. This information uploads instantly to the main system as soon as the iPAQs are docked. Surveyors can also arrive more easily at site visits due to the navigation aid.

A built-in glossary has also been provided as standard to all of the iPAQs with the aim of providing surveyors with a range of standard phrases that can be used to complete each visit report. This standardisation improves the quality and accuracy of data being submitted across the workforce of surveyors. Any amendments to the glossary are completed centrally by Council management staff and are downloaded immediately to any iPAQ as soon as it is docked.

The result is a standardised mobile solution that improves surveyor productivity by eliminating an old manual system that encouraged duplication and inaccuracy. The time that is saved by the instant upload of data now means that the surveyors can complete an additional two visits per day, dramatically increasing productivity and providing a better service to the public. Additionally, internal management of data is improved at the council by the improved quality of data that is now of a consistent standard and accuracy.

Philip Skill, Head of Services at Cotswold District Council, says; "We have been able to introduce a new system that shows some real benefits to us in terms of time saving and working practices efficiencies. Building Surveyors can visit more properties each day and with the new PDA system we now get more accurate inspection details and eliminate transcription errors." He continued, "The surveyors can now get the benefits of using some up to date technology to make their jobs easier. All in all, we can now make better use of our valuable resources and this can only help us achieve a better service to the public."

Benefits of the system are:

> Direct time savings from the removal of task duplication and instant upload of data

> Cost savings due to increase of productivity

> Standardisation of system and provision of a glossary provides improved level of quality

> Efficient management of information internally

> Further efficiency in tracking of mileage information internally

> Improved time management due to better in car navigation around the Gloucestershire area

> Retaining all historic visit information on PDA's improves efficiency of the visit process. Previously, without access to historic data a re-visit was often necessary using further resource

> Improved service to the public

> Improved job quality for Surveyors

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Related links to this article:

Cotswold District Council [1]

HP [2]

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