"This Award of Excellence goes to a very deserving organization that is dedicated to service delivery to residents," said Mr. Houweling. "Their work in centralizing operational service request calls into a GIS-based application has clearly improved services to Town residents - I wish them continued success."

The Town, with the support of ESRI Canada, reviewed the business service requirement of the Operational Services Division in 2006.  It was determined that all service requests would be tracked in a centralized database associated to a geospatial component.  Cityworks was selected to assist them in capturing and tracking service requests in a digital format. Whitby's call-takers now respond to service requests quickly and in a standardized and consistent fashion.

The Town of Whitby uses GIS technology in a variety of applications and departments. The Town's enterprise GIS maintains data including parcels, street centerlines, addresses, zoning, and waste collection. Data that is stored in the GIS is used within Cityworks for analysis and reports that help provide the tools to make better decisions. 

Stephanie Mazer, a development project manager for the Town says, "Operational Services staff have embraced Cityworks and ArcGIS and have communicated to other departments Cityworks' ease-of-use, and the many benefits of accessible relevant information at their fingertips."

The implementation of Cityworks allows the Town to provide a consolidated and constant view of customer needs, and allows staff to provide accurate responses quickly, reducing caller frustration. For example, when new residents call to find out when their waste collection is scheduled, the call takers can quickly locate the caller's address and determine the collection date. 

About the Town of Whitby:
Established in 1855, the Town of Whitby is situated on the north shore of Lake Ontario and is the fastest growing municipality in the Region of Durham. The estimated population in December 2006 was 116,000.  Whitby is also known as the "Community of Choice" for family and business, embracing the future while respecting their heritage and natural environment, and promoting their strong sense of community identity.

About ESRI Canada:
Established in 1984, ESRI Canada is a Canadian owned company specializing in geographic information systems (GIS) solutions. ESRI Canada distributes the world's leading GIS software solutions from ESRI Inc., Miner and Miner, and Azteca. In order to provide organizations with complete industry-specific solutions ESRI Canada has established an extensive business partner program that includes more than 125 Canadian organizations. ESRI Canada also provides professional services including consulting, training, technical support, and enterprise GIS implementation. ESRI Canada is a leader in providing world-class enterprise GIS solutions for many industries including local government, utilities, public safety and defence, business demographics, education, natural resources, and transportation. ESRI Canada has fifteen regional offices across the country, with headquarters in Toronto, Ontario. For more information, please visit http://www.esricanada.com/ or call 1-800-447-9778.

Media Contacts:

Heather Adams
Communications Specialist
ESRI Canada
T: 416-386-6463
E: hadams@esricanada.com
W: http://www.esricanada.com/

Stephanie Mazer
Application Development Analyst
Town of Whitby
T: 905-430-4300 Ext. 2393
E: mazers@whitby.ca
W: http://www.town.whitby.on.ca/