Project Title: Engineering Document Management for the Port of Tacoma

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Client: Port of Tacoma

Platform: ArcIMS, Microsoft SQL Server 2000, and Microsoft .NET

Summary: The Port of Tacoma is the sixth largest containerized port in the world, and it has made a commitment to the development of its infrastructure through the use of advanced technology. The management of engineering resources critical to the Port's continued growth, as well as its accountability to customers and Pierce County citizens, has been made more effective with the incorporation of newly developed technologies. Their ability to manage engineering materials in an efficient manner has improved the Port's communication with contractors, consultants, and among its own departments. This project is a great example of GIS use in an internet/intranet environment.

In 2003, Integral GIS, Inc. created an easy-to-use web-based Document Management System tailored to meet the Port's specific needs. The overall system is composed of SQL Server and a custom server-side document viewer, in an ASP.NET development environment. It was integrated into parts of the Port's evolving GIS, and it enables personnel to query and retrieve documents through an interactive map (built through the customization of ArcIMS) and text search fields.

According to Jon Kulju, Director of CADD Services, the ability to manage and retrieve these documents, anytime and from anywhere, was a significant step forward for the Port of Tacoma.

Result: The functional objective of this application has been to enable planners, engineering personnel, and decision makers to quickly and efficiently add, retrieve, and print engineering related documents. In addition, it has been built with enough flexibility that it can easily be extended to other information systems.

The project partnership between Integral GIS, Inc. and the Port of Tacoma has continued to grow. The Document Management System has been extremely successful, and we've continued to expand departmental and enterprise databases throughout the Port.

Success of this system relies on its ability to support executive decision making, as well as its ability to direct pertinent information to other personnel in the chain of command. Ultimately, this partnership will produce GIS solutions that integrate corporate wide applications with more efficient access of the Port's databases and spatial information.