AMERICEC is committed to promote, support, and implement state-of-the-art GIS technologies in planning and engineering operations as required by our clients.

The AMERICEC team has extensive expertise and experience in the design and implementation of GIS and related information analysis applications for infrastructure planning, assessment, organization, operations, administration, and management systems. These cover demography and community development; land use and transportation; electric and non-electric utilities; environmental impacts; resource availability and allocations, and others.

AMERICEC and its partners have completed a widely diverse range of GIS planning, design, installation, implementation, QA/QC, commissioning, training, operations and maintenance, and support programs that have focused on improved integrated digital mapping and database techniques for land and infrastructure management, both in the US and abroad. As the information age continues to grow and expand, AMERICEC will consistently provide its clients with appropriately unique and unparalleled services in the field of GIS.

SERVICES

• GIS Design and Development Services
• Systems Development, Design, Implementation, and
  Integration
• User Needs Surveys, Assessments, and Requirements Analyses
• Data Conversion and Development Services
• Applications Development, Testing, and Installation
• Vertical Market Services
• Technical Support and Training
• Educational Support

REPRESENTATIVE PROJECTS BY THE AMERICEC TEAM

 

Robinson Properties – Yucaipa, CA

GIS Layers and Maps for Planned Development Applications and Permitting

In November and December of 2005 AMERICEC prepared and produced a series of maps required as part of the planned development package for the Robinson Properties in Yucaipa.  Said properties covering a total area of 522 Acers are in three adjacent locations and were divided into four different projects.  The Client submitted four development applications, one for each project, to the City of Yucaipa.  The Planned Development application for each area/project included Base Maps and Information/Thematic Maps. 

Some data for the projects were provided by the City such as flood plains, slide susceptibility zones, and fire review areas.  Other data was provided by the Client and included the proposed land use districts, proposed new roads, and tree locations.  Data provided by the Client were essentially in the form of paper sketches.

AMERICEC’s services covered the following tasks:

• Preparing the layers and the map cartographic design layouts through the utilization of ESRI’s ArcGIS and Spatial Analyst software. 

• Converting Client provided data into GIS layers either by on screen digitizing or by using the analytical tools of the ArcGIS software to generate the layers.

• Generating the following maps with the respective layers associated with each for the various applications:

  • Base Map:  Project Boundary, Mature Trees, Contours, Flood Ways, Fault Investigation Trenches, and Streets.

  • Amenities Map: Project Boundary, Mature Trees, Streets, Proposed New Roads, and Proposed Interchanges.

  • Hazards Map: Project Boundary,  Flood Ways, Contours, Seismic-Restricted Use Zone, Noise Zones, Flood Plains, Landslide Susceptibility, Streets, and Fire Review Areas.

  • Proposed Land Use Plan: Project Boundary, Proposed Land Use Districts, Proposed New Roads, Scenic Highways, Streets, Trails and Bike Paths, Flood Ways, and Matured Trees.

  • Slope Categories Map: Project Boundary, Streets, and Slope categories.  Slope categories were generated in accordance with the categories defined by the City.

• Responding to questions from the Client as necessary until the applications were recently approved by the City.

GIS Program Management Support Services – City of Pasadena ITSD/PWP

AMERICEC has been providing GIS program management support services to the Information Technology Services Division (ITSD), the Pasadena Water and Power Department (PWP), and the Planning and Development Department (P&D) since May 2003. In early 2003, the PWP initiated a Consultant project (awarded to MWH) to prepare a GIS Development, Implementation and Integration Plan. In addition, the ITSD, PWP, P&D, and several other Departments are undertaking, or plan to undertake in the near future, various activities, programs, and projects that will relate to the GIS development efforts and be integrated with such efforts.

The AMERICEC project management team (PMT) effort was the first component in a phased strategy for GIS development within ITSD/PWP, and integration of the Department's GIS with the City's Enterprise GIS. The AMERICEC PMT support services included general project background review and startup, technical project management, administrative project management, and technical consultancy support mainly in the water and electrical utility GIS planning, design, and implementation. AMERICEC is also acting on the Client's behalf to help them develop internal capacity through the 2003 - 2006 period.

The work for the first year was completed at the end of June 2004. More recently, and since November 2004, AMERICEC has been providing both ITSD and P&D with on-site GIS analytical support services covering various components of the City’s GIS, including parcel and street maintenance and QA/QC and code compliance map services.

Enterprise GIS Design and Implementation Program - Abu Dhabi Water and Electricity Authority (ADWEA)

AMERICEC, together with our partners, ESRI, Miner & Miner, K&A, and GISTEC were responsible for the development of an Emirate-wide enterprise GIS database and application software system for managing the water and electrical utility infrastructure under the jurisdiction of the Abu Dhabi Water and Electrical Authority (ADWEA). This $14 million, 180 contractor staff, 240,000 person hour, 14 month fast track project is one of the most comprehensive and aggressive utility enterprise system implementation efforts ever undertaken anywhere in the world. The production phase of the system was completed in April 2002, and addresses over 160 business processes, in 5 companies and 25 regional offices covering the planning, design, operations, maintenance, and administration activities of water and electrical transmission and distribution for the entire Emirate of Abu Dhabi.

AMERICEC also organized and coordinated the involvement of the Redlands Institute (RI), the applied research unit of the University of Redlands. The AMERICEC/RI team was responsible for defining and implementing the project management structure for the effort and design of a “technology management seminar” as well as the delivery of the seminar to over 50 executives in the 5 companies involved and the design and pilot implementation of a “decision” support system built on the GIS and related, integrated enterprise systems.


GIS Technology Upgrade Feasibility Study - Irvine Ranch Water District (IRWD), CA

AMERICEC completed a feasibility study to assess IRWD’s technology upgrade and system integration issues and options, migrate the District’s GIS to the latest ArcGIS technology, explore the opportunity for more integration of the GIS with other mission-critical applications throughout the District, and lay out a carefully prioritized strategy for moving forward. The feasibility study included a review of existing systems and related business processes that will most benefit from GIS technology upgrade and increased integration with the GIS, and an assessment of the issues and opportunities that would be involved in migrating the District's GIS to the latest ArcGIS technology. User GIS needs and opportunities for expanded use were collected in a series of interviews and workshops with the IRWD staff. An initial assessment of the existing computing infrastructure was completed to identify options for implementing the new GIS within the existing infrastructure. Alternative implementation scenarios were defined and reviewed along with the assessment of the issues and opportunities involved in the migration (benefits, costs, opportunities and constraints), and implementation options.


One Stop Spatial Requirements Analysis - Maine Department of Environmental Protection (MDEP)

The MDEP is undertaking a major integration of many of its Information Systems under the general auspices of the EPA One Stop Program. One of the central tenets of the One Stop Program is that environmental regulation information should be organized for a “facility” and that all affected media (land, water, air) information should be accessible through a single “Facility ID”. This approach to information management also implies a geographic focus to information documentation, enabling regulators to easily visualize and understand the spatial relationships between and among the various regulated facilities.

AMERICEC and Penobscot Bay Media (PBM) jointly assisted the MDEP in defining the workflows and business processes, data requirements, and system integration needed to support the implementation of the MDEP One Stop environmental permitting program. The business process and workflow analysis was designed to provide a better understanding of the existing spatial workflows currently in use at MDEP, to identify all the spatial data sets and any relationships between them required to fully implement these workflows, and other aspects of refining methodologies for document workflows, SOPs, and spatial/relational data models.

AMERICEC provided the business process training, technical assistance in installing a multi-user business process modeling system, training in the use of the business modeling tool and the interview procedures to obtain the workflow and business processes, as well as the review of the business process models and technical assistance in completing the requirements analysis and data inventory.

 

World Bank Visitors’ Center Science On a Sphere - Geodatabase Design and Map Production Services
 

AMERICEC, jointly with GPC Inc., developed a prototype science on a sphere that displays GIS layers and animated images along with a complete sound track delivering a special message and experience to the visitors of the World Bank Visitors’ Center in their Headquarter in Washington D.C.  The science on a sphere is a technology developed by National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) for projecting rotating datasets on a large sphere (~7 feet in diameter) creating the dramatic effect of looking at Earth in space.  The science on the sphere showcased the important world development indicators such population growth, poverty, and gross national income in an animated way.

Overview GIS Requirements Assessment and Implementation Strategy – World Bank, VA

AMERICEC, jointly with GPC Inc., supported the World Bank Information Solutions Group (ISG) in conducting a rapid overview requirements analysis and the development of a near-term implementation strategy for the effective integration of GIS technology as a fundamental component of the Bank's information infrastructure. This effort was intended to quickly formulate a picture of the past and present usage of GIS at the Bank through representative stakeholders, and to formulate a practical near-term plan for an ISG pilot implementation and a framework strategy for moving a more coordinated GIS capability forward.


City and County of Honolulu System Design and Implementation Plan – HI

AMERICEC, jointly with GPC Inc., participated in the design and implementation planning and implementation support for a citywide GIS for the City of Honolulu, Hawaii. This four year project began with a user needs assessment and continued through a system design involving 16 different departments within the city government, and the development of a comprehensive database containing 12 layers of information (parcels, water distribution system, sewer collection system, storm drainage system, zoning boundaries, police beats, etc.) for the entire island of Oahu.


City and County of Honolulu Plat Mapping Automation – HI

AMERICEC, jointly with GPC Inc., participated in the business process analyses by reviewing, analyzing, and streamlining the existing work flows. Using ProVision Workbench by ProForma Corporation as a foundation for the work flow streamlining process, the existing business processes were thoroughly analyzed. As a result of the analyses, revised work flows were developed that would take full advantage of the applications under development by ESRI for automating the plat mapping process. These analyses also revealed opportunities for additional enhancement of the underlying data model. Applying the new solution and workflows could be optimized and would support the proposed more efficient business processes. The net effect of the assignment was increased business value derived from the technology investment.


Support for the RWQCB GIS Initiative Project – University of Redlands, CA

AMERICEC provided the University of Redlands with necessary services in support for the “Regional Water Quality Control Board (RWQCB) GIS Initiative Project Task 4: Develop GIS Strategic Plan". The work included, on an as needed basis, general editing and revisions, and assistance in the drafting of the “Executive Summary” and the “Futures” sections, and in the preparation of a presentation.


Pilot Study for Data Automation Services - Geonex, Thomas Bros. Maps, CA

AMERICEC's directors and consultants participated in the development of methods, procedures, and software tools for the efficient capture of various land-based information systems that were needed to support Thomas Bros. Maps, and conducted pertinent focused pilot programs. The maps created were used as a tool in the development of suburban and rural area maps. Thomas Bros. is one of the premier map production providers in California.


Salton Sea Database Program - University of Redlands, CA

AMERICEC's consultants provided periodic support for the Salton Sea database program (SSDP). The Program is a major bi-national, bi-regional decision support initiative that includes a variety of components to compile and provide information support various scientific investigations related to the restoration of the Salton Sea.


National Geographic Information Infrastructure (NGII) Project - U.S. Trade & Development Agency

The focus of the U.S. Trade & Development Agency funded study is to assist in the planning and design of a National GIS Center for the Country of Lebanon. The purpose of the center is to develop and promote GIS standards and guidelines, and to establish an organizational unit to support the coordinated development of GIS technology and geographic databases across all relevant Government Ministries.


Networked Information System/Geographic Information System (NIS/GIS) Project - Jerusalem District Electricity Company (JDECo)

The objective of this project is to implement a NIS/GIS that integrates with, modernizes, and optimizes JDECo's planning and operation systems, SCADA, and customer information system (CIS). The NIS/GIS will address several functional requirements including statistics, reports, indication alarms, and system functions. AMERICEC, together with its partners, K&A and GSE are responsible for the 1-year project scheduled for completion in early 2003.


GISEL, Electricity of Lebanon – Lebanon

AMERICEC’s partners and affiliates have been involved in a multi-year implementation of Company-Wide Geographic Information System “GISEL” at the Electricite du Liban (EDL) that enables EDL to simulate the real world of its electric power operation and make a paradigm shift from the current managerial and operational model to the 21st century knowledge-based model, in order to provide its electric customers better services with less cost and at higher return to EDL. The project is a pioneering project that featured amongst the ten (10) worldwide projects (Chapter 4) in Christian Harder’s book “Enterprise GIS for Energy Companies”, ESRI Press, 1999.