Video
Communities big and small, rural and urban, are exploring smart city applications. Technology can offer wonderful benefits—making communities safer, easier to navigate, more efficient, and more engaged—but only when implemented…
Read MoreJulia started her motivational speaking career with a TEDx talk and she is now a sought-after speaker for corporations, universities, and conferences. Previous speaking engagements include AIG, BCBSNC, SAE International,…
Read MoreHave you ever experienced purchasing less than superior salt for your salt barns? Salt containing debris, contaminates or other trace aggregates can damage equipment. Were you aware of the damage this can cause to your manufacturing and application systems? The City of Dublin would like to share a lesson learned and a tool that has saved our salt brine manufacturing and application systems!
Read MoreThis session introduces public works and state DOT employees to an educational opportunity that values their on-the-job training and awards college credits for much of it. College credit towards an associate degree in this online program is awarded for working knowledge such as for CDL, FEMA training and traffic control. Students receive management skills they need to be promoted, as well as general education required for the degree. The program develops fundamental leadership skills and teaches participants how to build and maintain a productive team.
Read MoreUsing liquids in your winter maintenance operations has several benefits. Agencies have found that their total use of materials, particularly salt, has been significantly reduced. In addition, using liquids provides significant cost savings, and experience has shown that use of liquids provides better safety and improved levels of service than more traditional approaches. The speaker will examine the new ways in which liquids are being used in winter operations today. These methods include blending liquids, where small amounts of enhancing liquids are added to a base salt brine. The speaker will also discuss the use of liquid only routes, where agencies have had great success using liquids not only before the storm but also all through the storm. Finally, the speaker will discuss how liquids can be used with solids to handle difficult accumulations of snow and ice.
Read MoreDo your suppliers or contractors fall short of expectations? Do you feel trapped in relationships with poor-performing suppliers due to low-bid requirements? Are your operations affected by reoccurring supplier/contactor issues? The key to having a Ready and Resilient public works operation is knowing you will have what you need to get the job done when you need it. This can often be a unique challenge in the public sector as low-bid procurement requirements can result in relationships with vendors who oversell and underperform. The Maintenance Support Team at the North Texas Tollway Authority has tried various ways to address these issues and improve supplier relationships to ensure they are always ready to respond. This session will cover the development and use of a basic vendor scorecard that aids in expectation communications, supplier accountability, and documentation to support issue escalation when necessary to improve the supplier relationship.
Read MoreDigital maps have changed the way we drive, locate a store, or even choose a restaurant. Multi-layer GIS (geographic information system) maps are also transforming how government agencies plan and manage their infrastructure assets, report information to stakeholders, and communicate with the public. With real-world examples from city, county, and state transportation agencies, this session demonstrates how to use GIS maps to improve decision-making, performance, and operational efficiency to deliver safer longer-lasting infrastructure.
Read MoreSince 2014 the City of Olathe has built an accurate inventory, complete with condition assessment and tracking of maintenance tasks. They’ve developed methods using Pipeline Assessment and Certification Program (PACP) pipe inspections captured using WinCan VX to develop an Overall Condition Index (OCI). We also developed Consequence of Failure (CoF) criteria and minimum acceptable conditions for gravity pipes as a part of a sewer master plan. Together, OCI and CoF have allowed the city to model the business risk exposure (BRE) associated with the gravity sewer mains. Over the past seven years, the city has benefited through the synergy of diverse workgroups, which has allowed active ownership of the data and products it produces. Engineering staff is tasked with making strategic decisions on infrastructure replacement. For 2022, Engineering justified a 17% increase in capital sewer rehabilitation funding based on the results of their BRE process. Asset management has been an integral part of the city’s wastewater modus operandi.
Read MoreFor decades now, local governments have relied on service requests initiated by the public and internal staff to identify urgent deficiencies. There has been an ongoing transition in the public sector from emails and paper-based service requests to digital service desks and asset management systems. With the advent of connected vehicles and artificial intelligence, a whole new world has opened in governmental operations. In this session, Visual Defence and the City of Surrey will present a new and exciting area of automated road-based incident detection using artificial intelligence for local governments. It uses an artificial intelligence app loaded onto powerful smartphone cameras, which are installed in local government vehicles, to inspect roads and report incidents automatically by making those available to local governments on a cloud. The technology does not require modification to municipal vehicles or costly sensors.
Read MoreProactive stormwater management for construction projects focuses on preventing discharges by incorporating stormwater compliance into design considerations. Each year small project builders violate stormwater regulations, inadvertently and sometimes purposefully, because of a lack of knowledge, flawed guidance, and inadequate project design. This case study takes a critical look at the construction of a single-family home in the City of Carlsbad, California. At the time of approval, inspectors noted potential conflicts with stormwater regulations. The developer created a compliance “gridlock” that resulted in state regulatory intervention and a critical re-evaluation of the City’s development planning and construction processes. By exploring engineer design versus stormwater compliance, our goal is to show how intentions hidden in the margins of grading and erosion plans resulted in a change to the City’s engineering review and inspection processes.
Read More