iPACS

The internet based POTW Administration & Compliance System (iPACS) is designed to centrally manage the industrial waste control program with extensions for external system integration. The comprehensive backbone data warehousing capabilities coupled with module design and N-tiered application architecture makes iPACS a user-friendly, comprehensive and extensible enterprise-wide solution to manage environmental compliance programs for water authorities.

The Work Flow

Work Flow Manager
iPACS provides a comprehensive Work Flow Management system that lets agency staff schedule and manage their daily work and projects. Rule-based Work flow engine allows each program area to configure its unique business routing process. Work Flow Manager features the following functions:

• Personalized home page to display To-Do list
• Automatic E-mail notification for critical tasks/milestones
• Staff or program performance monitoring
• Resource allocation, analysis, and planning
• Task planner and task scheduling wizard
• Automatic task scheduling based on pre-defined business rules
• Configurable work flow engine to suport various business processes

Staff Inspectors can schedule work, define purposes, establish due dates, assign the appropriate technicians and inspectors from one central location. A user can schedule multiple work activities for multiple locations with one click of a button. With the integration of GIS, best-route maps can be automatically generated for the inspectors.

Management Supervisors can easily monitor resource allocation and activity progress for a particular project. In addition, supervisors are automatically notified by iPACS if tasks are not completed in a timely manner. Directors can view reports that show workloads within the organization as well as analyze the project costs. iPACS allows you to project resource and cost requirements for environmental programs affecting your organization.

Facility/Site Management
iPACS provides comprehensive facility/site management. Features include:

Change History Tracking

Change history related to a facility or site is audited and tracked in iPACS. Change history tracking in iPACS includes facility name change, significant category change, and applicable regulations changes.

Sampling

Sampling is made easy with bar code labels, Chain of Custody of samples, and field work reports. Sampling stages are tracked from planning, scheduling, sampling, sample login, and testing in progress to the results approval. In addition, field measurements can be electronically collected with the use of the field Assistant and uploaded to the iPACS system.

The LIMS EDI module automatically forwards sample IDs and analysis requirements from iPACS to LIMS in the laboratory after samples have been logged in. Analysis results, once approved for release, can be automatically brought into iPACS via the LIMS EDI.

SMR Management

SMR requirements and blank reporting forms can be generated automatically from the permit. There are two options for data entry:

• Easy-to-use SMR data entry forms, or
• Internet-based SMR submission module

iPACS also tracks SMR due date, received date, and detects late SMR submission or no submission.

Inspection
The Inspection module manages inspection requirements, inspection schedules, inspection reports and inspection history. Inspection reports can be completed using blank Inspection forms (auto-generated by iPACS) or by using an easy-to-use Field Assistant. Inspection schedule and forms (prefilled with facility data) can be downloaded to the device (Pocket PC or Tablet PC) to assist inspectors to complete inspection reports in the field. When inspections are completed, the reports are automatically uploaded and saved to the iPACS database. Content search of historical inspection reports is also provided.

Field Assistant can be integrated with GIS and the digital camera for locating hot spots, tracking sewer lines, manholes and collecting evidence.

Inspectors can flag violations based on inspection results. Follow-up tasks, due dates, and personnel assignment can be managed within iPACS until the violation case is closed.