GIS Planner Petri Kapanen from the technical services department of the City of Varkaus in Finland says that reams of paper did not make it easy to form a comprehensive, up-to-date picture of what was happening at street level. Trimble's eServices Permit -application came to the rescue.
Archiving information in folders may feel secure — paper is tangible, after all. However, the necessary pages may actually be on someone's desk or not in the archive at all. Information was spread across several folders and the location had to be pinpointed on the map.
For this reason, Varkaus digitized its entire street-area permit process using Trimble's web application, eServices Permit. This service of the City of Varkaus handles permit applications for roadworks, utility placement, and land annexation, as well as the notification required for working or digging in public areas. Permit applications are submitted, processed, and communicated upon using the same application.
Kapanen says that Varkaus had two main objectives for its electronic customer services, both of which were fulfilled. First, Varkaus wanted more efficient operations, and second, events in public areas needed to be controlled better. "Customers have also been happy with the service, as the street-area permit process is now very fast — permits are issued in two days, on average."
