CIMdata PLM Industry Summary Online Archive

28 November 2005

Implementation Investments

United States Army Corps of Engineers Deploys Hummingbird EnterpriseT for ESRI to Simplify and Accelerate Access to Information by Linking Content to Geographic Locations

Hummingbird Ltd., a global provider of integrated enterprise content management (ECM) and network connectivity solutions, announced that the United States Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) is deploying Hummingbird EnterpriseT for ESRI, its integrated content management and GIS solution with ESRI's ArcIMST software. The combined Hummingbird and ESRI solution enables USACE staff to manage, query, and spatially reference all documents pertaining to RFIs required for assisting military deployments and civil- military operations deployed within the area of responsibility.

The USACE is made up of approximately 34,600 civilian and 650 military members. Its mission is to provide vital engineering services and capabilities as a public service, across a full spectrum of operations-from peace to war-in support of the nation's interest. The corps mission includes five broad areas-water resources, environment, infrastructure, homeland security and warfighting. It manages billions of dollars of the nation's infrastructure.

The USACE has been maintaining the Iraq Reconstruction Information Management System since 2003 and providing construction management oversight and engineering services to support construction at various locations and installations in Iraq. The USACE work includes rebuilding critical infrastructure to provide essential utility services such as reliable electric power and clean water as well as providing quality facilities for healthcare, transportation and education to local communities.

Recently, the Corps' responsibilities expanded to include all global "hot spots" including the Tsunami mission in southern Asia and eastern Africa countries and the Hurricane Katrina reconstruction effort along the U.S. gulf coast.

When military branches submit infrastructure RFIs to the USACE, the requests are delivered through a secure online RFI submittal program. Prior to implementing Hummingbird Enterprise for ESRI, USACE stored the RFI documentation in a home-grown database system. However, with its expanding missions, the USACE outgrew its system and began looking for a more stable and robust enterprise content management system that would integrate with its GIS system.

"We looked at several content management systems before we selected Hummingbird Enterprise. The Hummingbird system provides the stable, robust and flexible environment we require," said Lynn Copeland Hardegree, SAIC Contractor, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Engineering Infrastructure Intelligence Reachback Center. "In addition, Hummingbird provided the geospatial connector to integrate with our ESRI GIS system and this was a huge selling point for us. We are providing our customers with the best possible way of finding documents and the spatial query is really valuable."

Hummingbird Enterprise for ESRI bridges the gap between information management and GIS to provide a Web interface to all relevant content related to any RFI through its spatial data system. Colorado-based company, Farragut Systems, Inc., developed the integration software, the core component of the Hummingbird Enterprise for ESRI solution, which ties the content management software with the USACE's GIS.

All RFI correspondence, supporting documentation, and project deliverables are stored in the Hummingbird Enterprise content management repository. The USACE currently manages and captures CAD drawings, GIS Shapefiles, engineering reports, images, Microsoft Word documents, Excel spreadsheets, and e-mail correspondence all in the Hummingbird system. With the combination of Hummingbird Enterprise and ESRI's GIS architecture, the USACE can manage and spatially reference all documents pertaining to RFIs.

"We can query for a document in the Hummingbird repository using a key word, the subject of an RFI, or even by country," added Hardegree. "With the linked DM and GIS systems, our customers can simply drag their mouse over the area of the country and it will populate all the places we've worked. Users can get to the information easier and faster, improving productivity. We've received very positive feedback from our customers about the linked systems."

Since 2003, the USACE has managed approximately 1,000 RFIs for a multitude of reconstruction tasks that include bridge work, flood protection, locks and dams, power plants, guard towers and other projects. When USACE receives the RFI, it and the response is stored in the Hummingbird Enterprise repository.

"Part of our mission is to supply GIS data for all of our designated areas, as well as serving as a data repository for RFIs," continued Hardegree. "If we are asked to design a guard tower in Iraq, for example, chances are the same type will have to be designed in Kuwait or Afghanistan. If the request does come in from Kuwait for the drawings, the customer can query our system and find the designs already available. With Hummingbird Enterprise for ESRI, we can prevent duplication of effort which saves time and money."

"We are very pleased that the USACE is deploying Hummingbird Enterprise for ESRI. Combining GIS and Hummingbird Enterprise improves decision-making capabilities and response times. The result is enhanced responsiveness evident through better asset awareness, improved project planning, and better information sharing," said Barry Litwin, President and Chief Executive Officer, Hummingbird Ltd. "The powerful searching tools of Hummingbird Enterprise ensure easy access to information. Document integrity is maintained via customizable versioning and security profiles. The Hummingbird system also allows the USACE to manage the complete information lifecycle from capture and creation to retention and disposition."

Since 1969, ESRI has been giving customers around the world the power to think and plan geographically. ESRI software is used in more than 300,000 organizations worldwide, including each of the 200 largest cities in the United States, most national governments, more than two- thirds of Fortune 500 companies, and more than 5,000 colleges and universities. ESRI applications, running on more than one million desktops and thousands of Web and enterprise servers, provide the backbone for the world's mapping and spatial analysis. ESRI is the only vendor that provides complete technical solutions for desktop, mobile, server, and Internet platforms. Visit them at http://www.esri.com .

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