Avolve Software, a supplier of digital planning technology to local and regional governments, has integrated its plan review platform with tools sold by Esri, known for its GIS — geographic information system — products.
Esri partner GEO Jobe will facilitate the integration, according to a statement.
Increasing development and regulatory requirements means that reviews of designs submitted to public agencies often call for more collaboration, data access and efficiency than has been the case, Becky Tamashasky, chief product and technology officer at Avolve, told Government Technology.
This new integration will use not only GIS and mobile technology, but artificial intelligence to help complete plan reviews in less time needed for traditional markup and review processes, she said.
“Plan reviewers will not only be able to see the location of a plan set on their maps and the land base information this provides, but also the breadth of data across their organization and other Esri solutions,” Tamashasky said via email. “Immediate access to this data allows plan reviewers to complete their reviews more efficiently and quickly.”
Such data can include everything from, say, floodplain and water network data to equitable housing and population demographics.
Avolve also will launch, via this integration, what the company calls an embedded spatial viewer for users, allowing them a single view of documents, geographic data and proposed developments.
Tamashasky said the new offering can give staff in the field easier access to plan sets and to make notes in the documents while outside the office.
“Providing field staff with performant access to plan sets and tools creates efficiency and greater data accuracy,” she said.
Tamashasky said she anticipates more integrations between the two companies, with this new deal setting a “foundation” for future projects and innovations.
As Avolve and Esri launch this offering, GIS continues to win fans and take on more work across the public sector. One example comes from Southern California, where geospatial data earlier this year helped firefighters and others map the massive wildfires and otherwise craft their emergency response.
