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In the digital world in which we all live and work, evil lurks at every turn. Since the first ransomware in 1989, digital thieves, bad actors, and even rogue governments have sought to disrupt and extort funds from individuals and businesses alike. Governments have become targets for these attacks as so much information must be made available to the public. While billions of dollars are spent annually on software and hardware to protect networks, end-users are still the weak link in the chain. This presentation will provide a multitude of examples of how failed processes, training, or both, has cost entities hundreds to hundreds of thousands of dollars, and in some cases, even millions. The presentation is designed to assist attendees as they have hard discussions with their staff and stakeholders on the best practices for digital safety.
Are you interested in enhancing existing business processes in your organization but not sure where to start? If the answer is yes, come learn about how the City of Austin Public Works Department designed and implemented a department-wide process improvement framework that engages staff, optimizes business processes and improves service delivery. In this framework, staff from all levels of the organization carry out process improvement projects that address key strategic areas. These projects, also known as WIGs (Wildly Important Goals), have had an immensely positive impact on the department’s morale, operations, and resources. This session will contain insights from Austin’s experience, as well as guidance on how to implement this type of framework into your own organization.
As public funding for infrastructure continues to lag with demand, new and innovative ways are needed to provide public infrastructure improvements. The City of Charlotte, North Carolina, is using public-private partnerships to do so. By finding the right partnership opportunities with the development community, the Charlotte region has been able to implement infrastructure projects much faster than if these demands were being met through publicly funded processes alone. In addition, end-users experience the benefit of a more cohesive project in the seamless integration of transportation, parks, open space, and stormwater management infrastructure. During this session, we will hear from representatives from the City of Charlotte, LandDesign, and the development community, as they discuss the various benefits of implementing projects as public-private partnerships. We will discuss ongoing projects currently being implemented and walk through the lessons learned of the City’s process.
Historically, the most common renewal method has been to replace the pipeline using open-cut construction. A lack of investment in the aging pressure pipe infrastructure, coupled with growing congestion above and below ground, has accelerated development in the trenchless rehabilitation industry. With an array of proven trenchless rehabilitation technologies, how does a utility owner or engineer determine the appropriate technology? This presentation will briefly review the common and emerging trenchless technologies for pressurized pipeline rehabilitation. Then, it will provide a basic framework that can be used to evaluate and select an appropriate solution. We’ll review the concept of structural classification of pressure pipe linings as defined in American Water Works Association (AWWA) publications, which is a critical component to selecting an appropriate trenchless technology. We’ll also review a few case studies that demonstrate how the basic framework was followed to select a trenchless technology solution.
To keep a stormwater program from drowning in its data, it’s essential to manage information so it’s easily accessible and can help drive critical decisions. The Town of Apex, NC, is using data management tools to automate and streamline its stormwater information in a way that has improved operations and, more importantly, helped with municipal separate storm sewer system (MS4) compliance. Apex worked with Freese and Nichols to develop a Survey123 and ESRI Field Maps mobile app that serves an array of functions: tracking, logging, adding and storing data; collecting photographs; spatially locating assets; performing real-time assessments; and using custom scripts to automate triggers that generate stormwater control measure (SCM) inspection reports. The system can automate 30-day reminder email notifications to property owners informing them of their upcoming annual SCM inspection. These tools and a custom dashboard allowed for daily quality and progress checks. As a result, the Town of Apex organized its stormwater data to meet MS4 compliance.
Each year, CPWA develops public policy priorities to inform its work advocating for public works to federal government departments and officials. This session will provide a brief overview of past activities and the current priorities of the federal government as well as an opportunity for facilitated discussion and knowledge exchange. CPWA Board members will facilitate small group discussions among attendees focusing on CPWA’s existing policy priority areas as well as possible new areas of focus. Attendees will be encouraged to share their experiences, including the challenges they face, so that CPWA can more effectively advocate for recognition and solutions.
Robyn Benincasa has made an art form of extreme performance by competing and winning at the highest levels of sport and business. Robyn is an award-winning keynote speaker, a 20+…
This “EV Workshop” guide is intended to promote understanding of public EVs fleets by providing an overview of their various types, the infrastructure needed, how they are charged or fueled,…
Analyzing an Ingham County, Michigan real-world winter weather event from the perspective of meteorology, emergency management, and a county road department. This session will consider ways of communicating information to and from the county agencies, how emergency managers are involved in a major winter event, and what needs the road department has for information and how the partnership in Ingham County fills those requirements. The expectation is for me to speak on the EM/meteorology role (I am a meteorologist and emergency manager) and someone from our county road department to speak on our interaction, most likely in 20-25 minutes for each of us.
The Indiana Department of Transportation (INDOT) has a fleet of over 1,000 winter operations trucks and spends up to $60M annually on snow removal and de-icing as part of their winter operation maintenance activities. Materials for treating, contribute a significant part of that budget and the efficient application of these materials with automated solutions for managing driver workload can significantly cut down operating costs and staff turnover. This demonstration shows how INDOT and Purdue University developed an innovative calibration box and smart brine tanker to improve winter operation procedures, reduce costs and make roads safer in the winter. A critical aspect of an effective and efficient application of salt is a properly calibrated spreader system. Preliminary investigation found that trucks were offloading excess salt (around 50% more) before calibration. In the past, spreaders were often calibrated using scales to measure the weight of material off-loaded during a measured time interval. Although this method is accurate, it can be quite time consuming if scales are not on site or if material is collected on a tarp and weighed. INDOT and Purdue University developed a volumetric based calibration procedure. A bottomless calibration box was constructed out of aluminum sign backing that holds a known volume (and weight). The time-consuming aspect of calibration is the offload calibration due to determining the weight of the truck before and after offload and inputting the offloaded amount into the controller. This process can take upwards of 2 hours, but the calibration box eliminates the need for weighing the truck, allowing agencies to calibrate a truck 10 minutes or less. A set of calibration tables can also be used to allow for variance in salt moisture content and densities. Results from repeated tests showed that calibrating improved the offloading inaccuracies by 30%, which could yield a significant reduction in costs and usage.