Another local authority turns to Aligned Assets

Barnsley Metropolitan Borough Council and gazetteer specialists Aligned Assets are today pleased to announce the formation of a new working partnership with the supply of the Symphony Suite of gazetteer solutions.

With a focus on system integration and placing their Local Land and Property Gazetteer (LLPG) at the very heart of the council, Barnsley MBC have chosen to implement the Symphony gazetteer management system (iManage), along with data matching module (iMatch), back office integration tool (iExchange) and authority-wide web services (iSearchWeb).

Due to the limitations of their previous system, Barnsley MBC found themselves with a requirement to carry out large amounts of data cleansing work. Because of this, the ease at which Symphony iManage can carry out bulk updates was a one of the key reasons for moving to Aligned Assets.

In addition to the tools within iManage, they will be using Symphony iMatch in order to check other address data (such as Council Tax) against the LLPG. Once the cleansing work is complete, iMatch can then be used to bring all departmental address data in line with the LLPG and ensure that they are all assigned a Unique Property Reference Number (UPRN). It is through the use of the UPRN that every department can be assured that each and every time they are consistently referencing the same property.

The final piece to the jigsaw will be the use of Symphony iExchange, which will allow these departmental systems to be synchronised. Initial integrations that are planned are waste management, regulatory services and education services and with the links established, Barnsley MBC will then have a need to only ever update the one address database with those changes in the LLPG being automatically exported to the other systems.

By centralising the LLPG in this way they can achieve considerable returns on investment through the significant efficiency savings it will create in all departments using the data. To further these savings, Symphony iSearchWeb will allow for departmental users of address data to directly access the LLPG via web services and ensure they’re using the most up-to-date data.

“Our primary reason for choosing the Symphony Suite was to maximise the use of available resources in maintaining our LLPG, offering better value to the taxpayer. We therefore chose the system which offered the best functionality for updating the database,” explained Riley Marsden, LLPG Custodian at Barnsley MBC.

“We emphasised from the very start the desire to work in partnership with our supplier, seeking their input into the data management process. Aligned Assets were the only company whose focus was entirely on supporting us (and working with us) to improve our data. Furthermore, the Symphony Suite offers a level of interoperability which perfectly complements our corporate enterprise architecture.”

To find out more about how Aligned Assets can help your organisation visit www.aligned-assets.co.uk or call 0870 750 8750.

Aligned Assets release Advanced ASD Management Solution

Gazetteer specialists Aligned Assets can today announce the new release of their Symphony Associated Street Data (ASD) management system.

Packed full of the latest technological features, including many that are not available in any other system on the market, this new version builds upon their EToN 5 compliant release from March of this year.

Called ASD Plus, and structured as an addition to the existing Symphony ASD module, the key to it is its highly advanced and flexible display options, designed to make the visualisation of all ASD data much simpler and user-friendly.

The user now has the ability to apply and customise the colours and patterns of their ASD layers in order to make street information more visually identifiable. These new identifiers can be used to pick out each Elementary Street Unit (ESU) and specifically show where restrictions apply.

This could be used to instantly see which streets are closed for a carnival, the location of all low bridges, privately maintained roads, the traffic direction of streets etc. In fact, with ASD Plus all ASD data can be assigned a visual identifier and simply turned on or off depending on what needs to be seen.

In addition to the display features, ASD Plus gives the user the opportunity to enter details about the height, width, and weight restrictions on streets (Type 64 records) and details of ‘One Way Exemptions’ (Type 65 records) i.e. which vehicle types can travel the wrong way down a street. Not only does this information provide valuable data to the emergency services and transport firms, but if the entry of these records became compulsory then ASD Plus users will have a distinct advantage.

“This new module is the biggest development in our product range since the migration to BS7666:2006,” explained Carl Nunn, Managing Director of Aligned Assets, “With it comes a suite of features we have been eager to introduce for some time now, including the ability to accurately display ASD on the map for short road sections and providing complete flexibility in terms of lines styles, thickness and colouring for each different type of ASD data.”

He went on to say, “Over two years ago we held a workshop to determine how ASD should be displayed and more recently contacted all our street gazetteer users to receive their input. Since there have been no central developments with display standards, we instead have provided complete display flexibility.”

“We have seen the richness of the data being managed truly lifting the NSG and ASD to a whole new level and I look forward to seeing the changes in the industry over the coming years. With the increasing usage of this important information we intend to continue to be at the forefront of producing industry-leading street gazetteer technology.”

To find out more about how ASD Plus can help your organisation visit www.aligned-assets.co.uk/asdplus or call 0870 750 8750.

Herefordshire Council join the Aligned Assets family

Gazetteer specialists Aligned Assets can today announce Herefordshire Council as the latest customer of its Symphony Suite of Gazetteer Solutions.

Birth place of the historic Lady Godiva, Herefordshire boosts a population of 178,000 covering 13,000 square kilometres and is one of the most rural and least densely populated counties in England.

As a Unitary Authority the council has responsibility for the management of both Local Land and Property Gazetteer (LLPG) and Local Street Gazetteer (LSG) data with a total of 108,000 records requiring maintenance.

To facilitate this, the council have replaced their old, inefficient gazetteer management system with Symphony iManage from Aligned Assets. This technologically advanced, yet user-friendly system provides them with all the tools they require to create, maintain and analyse their BS7666 compliant Street and Land & Property Gazetteer.

They will also be using Symphony iManage for the management of Associated Street Data (ASD) that will allow them to maintain information on the ownership of the streets, height and weight restrictions, streets with special surfaces and traffic sensitive streets. Importantly, the Aligned Assets ASD module will enable the council to be fully compliant with the Traffic Management Act EToN 5 Technical Specifications and avoid any fines that come with non-compliance.

Street Naming and Numbering (SNN) plays an important role in Herefordshire Council’s Building Control Department and requires close consultation with the Parish Councils. In order to achieve significant efficiency savings in this fee-generated process, the council have chosen to use Aligned Assets’ SNN module. Fully customisable to the user’s requirements, this flexible tool will allow them to manage the complete SNN lifecycle, including the automatic distribution of letters or emails, saving considerable amounts of time and so increasing productivity.

The final piece to the gazetteer jigsaw is the installation of one of Aligned Assets’ most recent developments call the Xtended Data Module, which allows the user to add additional user-defined fields to their BS7666 gazetteer.

In the case of Herefordshire Council, they had a need to hold addresses in a way that was both suitable for internal and external uses. The use of BS7666 addresses was ideal for the internal workings of the council, but as explained by Herefordshire Council’s GIS Team Leader, Duncan Trumper, “The BS7666 address is not suitable for public interaction in all cases. We had a need for postal addresses as well since they enable better efficiency with the data exchange from the public especially in the Social Care and CRM systems.”

To achieve this they added six additional fields to their LLPG using the Xtended Data Module, which held these postal addresses, enabling them to have ‘the best of both worlds’ – fully standardised BS7666 data, plus an easy-to-use postal address, all linked with a Unique Property Reference Number (UPRN). By doing this they achieve not only the internal efficiencies that come from standardisation, but better data exchange with the public and so reducing unnecessary contact.

Speaking of their switch to the Aligned Assets system, Duncan went on to say, “We are very impressed with the level of service we have had from Aligned Assets and it makes me happy to know that I made the right decision, which was a big one to make! I look forward to a happy working relationship with Aligned Assets long into the future.”

To find out more visit www.aligned-assets.co.uk

Aligned Assets boost their customer support with new recruit

Continuing their ongoing commitment to providing first class customer support, gazetteer specialists Aligned Assets are pleased to announce the appointment of Melvin Lindsay as Support Analyst.

Having graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Business Information Technology, Melvin’s previous experience includes working as an IT Project Manager and IT Analyst. His new role at Aligned Assets will see him working on issue prioritization and management for the support department, as well as providing first line support for all Aligned Assets products.

He will be working closely with the internal support team and also directly with Aligned Assets’ customers including those from local government, the Fire and Rescue Service and the Police.

Speaking of the appointment, Carl Nunn, Managing Director of Aligned Assets said, “We take our customer support very seriously and I strongly believe that investment in people is key to achieving this. Melvin is a determined, helpful and focused individual and will become a real asset in helping us to provide the highest quality support and customer service.”

www.aligned-assets.co.uk

Symphony User Group turns out in force

Thursday 21st May 2009 saw the latest meeting of the Symphony User Group (SUG) with forty users of the addressing solutions provided by Aligned Assets coming together at the historic Albert Halls in Bolton.

The delegates, who came from as far south as Worthing and as far north as Perth, were treated to several presentations throughout the day as well as an opportunity to help shape the future of the Aligned Assets products.

Simon Bailey, the NSG Custodian came from Intelligent Addressing to give an update on the new DTF 7.1 standard and answer questions related to street gazetteers, EToN 5 and the Traffic Management Act.

Representatives from EADS gave a well received presentation on the FiReControl Project, explaining how local authority gazetteer data was integral to the future of the English Fire & Rescue Service. They also demonstrated the new Mobile Data Terminals (MDTs) from Imass that will give fire fighters access to the National Land and Property Gazetteer (NLPG) whilst on call.

Showing the latest product from Aligned Assets was Cardiff Council who presented on the new Symphony Property Management System (PMS). This innovative new system that links directly with a local authority’s Local Land and Property Gazetteer allows users to manage the acquisitions, sales, maintenance and legalities involved in property management.

Phil Gee, Commercial Director at Aligned Assets speaking after the event said, “Each year the SUG goes from strength to strength and it was great to welcome some of the newest members to this Spring’s meeting. It is vitally important to us as a company to meet with our customers and hear their feedback. They use the software on a daily basis so no one is going to know better than them what we need to be doing.”

The Symphony User Group is open to all users of Aligned Assets products. They meet twice a year and are a vibrant, independent community that allows members to network, share hints and tips, and directly influence the direction of their gazetteer software.

To find out more visit www.aligned-assets.co.uk.

Aligned Assets showcasing Gazetteer solutions at BAPCO

Gazetteer specialists Aligned Assets invite members of the Police and Fire & Rescue Services to visit them on the EADS stand at the upcoming BAPCO 2009 Conference and Exhibition held between 21st and 23rd April 2009 at the Business Design Centre in London.

They will be available to demonstrate their advanced gazetteer management solutions that have been rolled out to all 46 fire services across England as part of the FiReControl project.

In addition to providing the Gazetteer solutions for FiReControl, Aligned Assets have been working closely with their clients at brigade level, including the two most recent implementations at Kent FRS and Humberside FRS, and continue to work with the British Transport Police in providing their national gazetteer solution.

Through their adoption of Aligned Assets’ Symphony Suite they can be assured that all aspects of local, regional and national operations will be speaking the same language as well as the opportunity to utilise National Land and Property Gazetteer (NLPG) data across their organisation.

The gazetteer management solutions offered by Aligned Assets allow for sub-second multi-gazetteer searching, the ability to add external data to your gazetteer, back-office integration, data matching and validation, and fully integrated web services.

All the solutions are designed to increase efficiency and save time by removing error and duplication, whilst all the while allowing the data to remain consistently accurate and constantly up to date.

To find out more, visit them on the EADS stand at this year’s BAPCO exhibition or visit www.aligned-assets.co.uk.

Aligned Assets bring enhanced gazetteer management to the South Coast

Gazetteer specialists Aligned Assets are pleased to announce Worthing Borough Council as their latest Symphony Suite gazetteer customer.

Representing a population of 100,000 people, Worthing Borough Council had the requirement for a robust, yet user-friendly gazetteer management system. After considering several options they decided that the solutions offered by Aligned Assets were clearly leagues ahead of the competition.

Speaking of the decision, Gill Van-Eetvelt, Corporate Information Manager at Worthing Borough Council said, “Once we had decided to bring in a new gazetteer management system we established our selection criteria including cost, integration, efficiency and expertise. Aligned Assets excelled in them all so our decision became easy.”

In addition to the iManage gazetteer management system, Worthing Borough Council also purchased iMatch to enable them to quickly and easily match all of the Council’s addresses to their Local Land and Property Gazetteer (LLPG) and assigned them all with a Unique Property Reference Number (UPRN).

iSearchWeb will offer authority-wide access to the gazetteer data, allowing people from across the council to all use the same address data. With iSearchWeb linked directly to the LLPG, changes in the gazetteer will automatically be reflected in the data being searched, resulting in it being consistently accurate and constantly up to date.

The use of iSearchWeb will also form the foundation of a Joint Working Partnership between Worthing Borough Council and Adur District Council. With the two councils working to provide more services together, the sharing of address information is critically important. iSearchWeb will facilitate this sharing by allowing both councils to access each other’s data via a simple, easy to use web service.

With a 15 - 20 year regeneration ‘Masterplan’ now in place for Worthing, accurate property information has never been more important. With the solutions provided by Aligned Assets, the Council’s LLPG can now be at the forefront of providing the essential addressing component to all of these plans today, tomorrow and long into the future.

www.aligned-assets.co.uk