Case Study

State Departments of Transportation regulate the construction of vehicle entrances onto existing roadways.  Regulations for the permitting process can be complex and significant.  The process of determining whether an entrance should be allowed crosses multiple domains including design engineering, traffic management, zoning and cross jurisdiction management.  Delasoft has created a permitting platform that can respond to the needs of government agencies and meet the demands of this process.  This use case highlights the implementation of EPS in a situation where requirements would normally require a custom solution. 

The Business Need 

The Department of Transportation contracted Delasoft, Inc. to implement a new encroachment permitting system. Encroachment permitting is a core responsibility of the DOT. The department needed an intuitive, lean system that would integrate with their current infrastructure and support their staff in permit review, approval, and maintenance.  

The challenges of this project included a highly detailed specifications and needs, including the following:

• The software needed to support internal and external role-based functionality. 

• The software needed to integrate with several current systems. 
• The software needed to be dynamic and flexible, to keep pace with department practices including changes to legislative requirements. 
• The software needed to implement GIS tools, like Esri’s ArcGIS Server. 
• The software needed to have mobile capability. 
• The software needed to offer high levels of customization and specificity by permit type, location, and other details. Customization needs include: 

• Configurable data model and user interfaces 
• Configurable business rules 
• Documents and communications creation with dynamic content 
• Configurable validation and user interface restrictions based on record status and phase.
  

Delasoft assessed these needs and created implementation specifications documents to meet DOT workflows and requirements.  

Typical Industry Practices 

When updating software, many transportation organizations will elect to purchase off the shelf applications or contract with a developer to create an entirely unique code base.  This requires the DOT to fund a costly custom solution or significantly compromise their business practices and workflows to fit an existing software platform. 

At Delasoft, we take a different approach.  Rather than offer a rigid base of code, our team has created a platform that allows clients to manage their own interfaces, workflows and business rules. This decreases time spent creating and testing custom code, increases code reliability and consistency, and allows our clients and developers to make modifications to the application without changing the underlying code. 

Delasoft’s Solution  

Our process includes three phases: specifications and design, configuration and development, and deployment and testing. We remain communicative with our clients throughout each phase, with regular status reports, demos, and progress analysis. 

Specifications and Design 

In the interest of building a comprehensive but flexible specification for development, our team met with DOT specialists to analyze and understand the department’s current system and practices. We leveraged our business and technical expertise to thoroughly document DOT workflows and business practices.  

We identified which existing practices should continue and which should be altered or enhanced and created detailed specifications for implementation within the platform.  Where requirements were incompatible with the platform, we identified opportunities to enhance the platform to fit or made changes to the workflows to achieve the requirements in a different way. 

Unique challenges included: 

• Maintaining configurability while recreating the expected guided workflows 
• Maintaining compatibility with the previous software for data migration and expected user experience 
• Providing a guided user experience that minimized user error while providing the flexibility to handle unusual circumstances 

Configuration and Development 

During the configuration and development phase, our team tackled the challenges of the project with innovative problem solving.  We regularly communicated with the DOT, demonstrated application functionality as it was created, and revised our goals based on new obstacles and client feedback. 

Key features of the solution implemented include: 

• A flexible engine for business rule creation and modification that allows for a high level of configuration by a DOT administrator. 
• Tiered permissions and roles, customizable by geographic setting, user groups, responsibilities, and department.  
• A comprehensive notification system with a dynamic document builder, responsive notifications and notices, automated updates, and forwarding engine to keep internal and external users connected. 
• Integrated GIS tools to maintain data, equip your team with site information, and incorporate key LRS data and principles. 

• Mobile capabilities to allow on-site and remote functionality on a variety of devices. 
• A streamlined dashboard that prioritizes allows quick access to communications and records.  
• Configurable, structured workflows with a user-friendly workflow engine to build, customize, and assign workflows by permit type, user, status, location, and more. 
  

During this development phase, we conducted initial testing, troubleshooting, and product improvement, received feedback from DOT specialists, and revised our list of goals and objectives. 

Deployment and Testing 

During the deployment phase, our team worked with DOT staff and leadership to install a proof of concept on DOT infrastructure and assessed the software’s performance in the DOT environment. We diagnosed initial IT concerns and resolved any issues that arose during implementation.  

The Outcome  

The DOT requested proposals for an entrance permitting system with internal and public-facing features, integrated GIS tools, and staff support utilities. Delasoft, Inc. answered this call with a flexible, high utility system designed as a long-term solution.  

The DOT received an intuitive system that minimizes obsolescence, increases user agency, and can be adapted and tailored as department practices evolve. Our application is extensible and modular and allows the client to make changes to the system without the cost and delay of contracting the initial developer to modify the base code. 

Outdoor advertising permitting is a core responsibility of State Departments of Transportation. Management and maintenance of billboards, road signs, and other roadside objects can be a complex and dynamic process. Applications built to support these functions need to be flexible, highly customizable, and efficient. At Delasoft, Inc. we build custom applications for clients that fulfill their needs in dynamic and innovative ways. 

Our powerful permitting platform forms the foundation for our custom solutions, offering comprehensive toolkits to transportation departments across the United States. 

The Business Need 

Our client required a full-service permitting solution to manage billboards and roadside advertising. Delasoft, Inc. developed a comprehensive, flexible application to support DOT business in permit application and approval, interfacing with customers, communicating with relevant staff and specialists, inspections, and data management. 

The challenges of this project included a variety of specifications and needs, including the following:
 

• The software needed to offer customer support. 
• The software needed to offer both manual and automated status changes. 
• The software needed to feature structured, individualized workflows. 
• The software needed to offer a range of internal roles. 

• The software needed to integrate with several current systems. 
• The software needed to be dynamic and flexible, to keep pace with department practices. 
• The software needed to offer high levels of customization and specificity by permit type, location, and other details.  
• The software needed to implement GIS tools, like Esri’s ArcGIS Server. 
• The software needed to have mobile capability. 

• The software needed to be customizable. Required customizations include: 

• Configurable data model and user interfaces 
• Configurable business rules 
• Documents and communications creation with dynamic content 
• Configurable validation and user interface restrictions based on record status and phase.
  

Delasoft assessed these needs and created implementation specifications documents to meet DelDOT workflows and requirements.  

Typical Industry Practices 

A typical strategy for addressing software needs includes buying of-the-shelf applications and changing department practices, contracting with a developer to build a unique, custom application, or contracting with the current system’s developer to create new modules or alter the system’s base code. This requires the DOT to fund a costly custom solution or significantly compromise their business practices and workflows to fit an existing software platform. 

At Delasoft, we take a different approach. Our project leaders pioneer the field of customizable-off-the-shelf and highly configurable applications that can be closely tailored to your system and resources. We avoid the time and expense of coding entirely new software that requires extensive testing, redesign periods, and labor spent on rote processes, while empowering our team to explore new methods of software development. 

Our permitting platform serves as the base of our permitting products and roadside control suite. Our developers can expand its capabilities and custom utilities based on the needs of the client, spend more time on cleaning and refining user experience and developing new modules, and focus on innovation and performance.  

Delasoft’s Solution 

Our process includes three phases: specifications and design, configuration and development, and testing and deployment. We remain communicative with our clients throughout each phase, with regular status reports, demos, and progress analysis. 

Specifications and Design

During our initial phase, our team met with DelDOT and discussed current practices, needs, and resources of the client. We established key goals of the system and identified challenges. We analyzed current DOT practices and diagnosed which should continue and which should be altered or updated. We created detailed specifications, identifying how the new application would meet these practices. 

As OAC is built with both internal and public-facing components, our team identified the business strategy of the client and aligned our customer support modules with this strategy. 

Unique challenges included: 

• Maintaining configurability while recreating the expected guided workflows 
• Maintaining compatibility with the previous software for data migration and expected user experience 

• Providing a guided user experience that minimized user error while providing the flexibility to handle unusual circumstances
  

We worked with the client to build an extensive but adaptable strategy for development, implementation, and testing. 

Configuration and Development 

During our development phases, we regularly reviewed our progress, demonstrated application functionality as it was created, and responded to client feedback. Our developers tailored the architecture to the clients’ needs and built new modules and utilities, incorporated cutting edge developments and tools, and configured default settings for the software. We customized and created default business rules that align with DelDOT practices and standards and created documentation and instructional material to train DelDOT administrators in modifying and adjusting these business rules. 

Key features of the solution implemented include:  

• A flexible engine for business rule creation and modification that allows for a high level of configuration. 
• A full-service customer portal with an application builder, file sharing, and both automatic and manual status progression. 
• Payment and billing utilities, with custom and ad hoc fines and fees, automated invoice cycles, and a payment portal for customers. 
• Individual customer records with contact information, event data, payment and billing history, violation history, and application history. 
• Tiered permissions and roles, customizable by geographic setting, user groups, responsibilities, and department.  

• A comprehensive notification system with a dynamic document builder, responsive notifications and notices, automated updates, and forwarding engine to keep internal and external users connected. 
• Automated record creation, comprehensive history tracking, and audit trail creation. 
• Integrated GIS tools to maintain data, equip your team with site information, and incorporate key LRS data and principles. 
• Mobile capabilities to allow on-site and remote functionality on a variety of devices. 
• A streamlined, user-configurable dashboard that prioritizes DelDOT’s key utilities. 

• Configurable, structured workflows with a user-friendly workflow engine to build, customize, and assign workflows by permit type, user, status, location, and more.  
• Integration with Primavera Project Management. 
  

Our team continued to interface with the client, test features, refine performance and experience, and revise our list of goals and objectives. 

Deployment and Testing 

Once the client approved the final software package, our team worked with DOT staff and leadership to install a proof of concept on DOT infrastructure and assessed the software’s performance in the DOT environment. We diagnosed initial IT concerns and resolved any issues that arose during implementation. This involved deployment testing to check performance with DelDOT hardware and data, training for DelDOT staff, and continuing IT support through the extendable warranty period.  

Our team continues to advise and support DelDOT as new needs arise. 

The Outcome 

DelDOT requested proposals for an outdoor advertising control system with internal and public-facing features, integrated GIS tools, and staff support utilities. Delasoft, Inc. answered this call with a flexible, high utility roadside permitting system designed as a long-term solution.  

The DOT received an intuitive system that minimizes obsolescence, increases user agency, and can be adapted and tailored as department practices evolve. Our application is extensible and modular and allows the client to make changes to the system without the cost and delay of contracting the initial developer to modify the base code. 

Maintenance and reporting of transportation business data, including infrastructure, road inventory, and road conditions, is a core responsibility of State Departments of Transportation. Transportation data management involves both complex analysis and routine processes and must meet the stringent specifications of state and federal guidelines and regulations. 

Delasoft, Inc. offers custom application development by experienced developers. Our team of developers, data analysts, and project supervisors work with our clients to build a flexible, powerful system that can be tailored closely to client needs and resources. Our transportation platform integrates cutting edge GIS and LRS tools with an intuitive enterprise system design to streamline data management. 

The Business Need 

DelDOT required a powerful data management tool to integrate multiple streams of data, prevent data loss, simplify validation and maintenance, and support in-office and on-site teams. The State of Delaware contracted Delasoft, Inc. to build and customize a solution that could serve as a data hub and offer DelDOT specialists comprehensive data management and reporting tools. 

The challenges of this project included a variety of specifications and needs, including the following:

• The software needed to integrate data from a variety of external systems. 
• The software needed to automate downstream route data updates.  
• The software needed to provide a core Linear Referencing System (LRS). 
• The software needed to support a wide variety of users and roles. 

• The software needed to simplify and automate data maintenance tasks. 
• The software needed to feature data editing tools and track edit histories.  
• The software needed to offer intuitive data visualization. 
• The software needed to feature customizable reporting tools and HPMS-specific formats. 
• The software needed to support configurable business rules and internal settings to maintain data, including road geometry, attribute details, infrastructure, and other business data. 
  

Delasoft assessed these needs and fulfilled them to the client’s satisfaction, while addressing additional concerns, including maintenance, obsolescence, training, and extensible framing. 

Typical Industry Practices 

Many organizations will purchase off-the-shelf software or contract developers to write a unique codebase. This often results in obsolescence, expensive patches and updates, or software that does not address all needs of the organization. DOTs end up funding expensive development services or compromising existing departmental practices to fit the capabilities of the chosen software. 

Delasoft, Inc. adopts an alternative strategy. Our team builds intuitive, flexible tools from a dynamic platform that can be customized to DOT needs and tailored closely to DOT practices.  

Our platform approach cuts down on labor and redundant tasks, increases consistency, and enables our team to focus on your needs. Our transportation platform offers a foundation of GIS capabilities, data processing, and business rules. We expanded from this framework to meet client needs and develop a comprehensive hub for data maintenance and dissemination. 

Delasoft’s Solution 

Our process includes three phases: specifications and design, configuration and development, and deployment and testing. We remain communicative with our clients throughout each phase, with regular status reports, demos, and progress analysis. 

Specifications and Design

Our team of developers and project leaders met with DelDOT to discuss client needs and goals, diagnose current inefficiencies, and determine which existing practices should continue and which need to be updated, enhanced, or modified. We created detailed specifications for implementation within the platform.  Where requirements were incompatible with the platform, we identified opportunities to enhance the platform to fit or made changes to the workflows to achieve the requirements in a different way. 

TSDM is built to serve as a single point of control for data maintenance, validation and reporting, with minimal obsolescence and maximum integrative capabilities. Our developers and domain experts determined the key challenges and objectives and set priorities and a schedule for development. Throughout this process, we assessed the current system and practices of DelDOT specialists, their needs, and their resources.  

Unique challenges included: 

• Maintaining configurability while recreating the expected guided workflows 
• Maintaining compatibility with existing legacy and business unit databases and systems 

• Providing multiple intuitive interfaces to display and edit routes and business data 
• Providing integrations with and displays of road video log data 
• Maintaining HPMS compatibility to simplify state reporting 
• Automating downstream updates to business data, based on changes made to underlying routes
  

Configuration and Development

During our development phases, we remained in contact with the client, regularly reviewing our progress and receiving client feedback. Our developers found new and innovative approaches to challenges posed by client needs.  

Key features of the solution implemented include:

• Integrated GIS tools to maintain and incorporate key LRS data and standards. 
• Data integration tools to import and maintain both legacy data and data from external systems, including automation of downstream updates to business data based on changes made within TSDM. 
• An intuitive data visualization interface, with straight line diagrams, attribute panels, digital video log, and dynamic map view. 
• A multi-step, data protection edit procedure that caches an off-line record for data maintenance and runs validation on newly published data. 

• Configurable, customized business rules to automate routine data changes and create data conflict alerts. 
• A flexible engine for business rule creation and modification that allows for a high level of configuration. 
• An advanced query builder, with options to save, share, export, and schedule regular queries and reporting. 
• Tiered permissions and roles, customizable by geographic setting, user groups, responsibilities, and department.  
• Configurable, structured workflows with a user-friendly workflow engine to build, customize, and assign workflows.  

• Mobile capabilities to allow on-site and remote functionality on a variety of devices. 
• A streamlined dashboard that prioritizes DelDOT’s key utilities. 
  

Our developers and project leadership tested and refined these features throughout the development phase, to ensure that TSDM offered a stellar user experience. 

Deployment and Testing 

As development milestones were reached, the team worked with DelDOT IT staff to deploy the solution according to DOT standards and processes. Prior to production deployment, all functional and technical issues were cooperatively identified and addressed.  

User Acceptance Testing (UAT) was performed to ensure that the solution met the needs and expectations of the business users and IT staff.  Comprehensive user and administrator training was provided to allow for rapid integration of TSDM into daily work processes. 

Our team continues to advise and support DelDOT as new needs arise and has provided many updates and enhancements to the platform.  

The Outcome   

DelDOT required a transportation data management system with reporting capabilities, HPMS compatibility, integrated GIS tools, and staff support utilities. Delasoft, Inc. answered this call with a flexible, high utility transportation data hub designed for long-term, evolving use.  

DelDOT received an intuitive system that minimizes obsolescence, increases user agency, and can be adapted and tailored as department practices evolve. Our application is extensible and modular and allows the client to make changes to the system to adapt to their changing business needs.