Extending the Stormwater Construction Activity Management Solution - Creating a feature layer from photo locations using Jupyter Notebooks

[BrandiRank22]

Ames Construction was one of the first Architecture, Engineering, and Construction (AEC) companies to deploy and start using the new Stormwater Construction Activity Management solution. They reached out to Esri with questions and to find out more about the solution and its capabilities. While discussing the workflows, one of the project requirements they were looking for in the solution was identified as a potential enhancement to the overall solution. Working with the AEC Solution Engineers Team, they were able to help implement the needed enhancement.

Out of the box, the solution includes a series of capabilities and apps tailored to the needs of stormwater managers and are used to help: 

1. Optimize stormwater construction inspections.  
   1. Identify active construction sites and assign stormwater inspectors to each site so you can ensure construction sites will be inspected at the appropriate time.  
   2. Perform inspections and collect observations while on-site so you can collect standardized data and have access to previous inspections in the field.  
   3. Automate the generation of inspection reports so you can maximize time in the field and interested parties are informed of inspection results.  
   4. Monitor the inspection results so you can comply with stormwater regulatory compliance.
2. Safeguard water quality. 
   1. Document the effectiveness of the stormwater control measures installed so you can ensure that water quality standards are being met.   
   2. Monitor the defects observed on control measures so you can improve, or modify, the SWPPP in real time. 
3. Support regulatory compliance. 
   1. Collect standardized data, manage information needed for electronic reporting, and monitor construction sites so you can comply with stormwater regulatory requirements. 

 Ames Construction wanted to take the solution one step forward, they were looking to access the photos in a geographic way by having points on a map linked to the photos and show where the photos were taken. Ideally this process would be automated and on a regular schedule; the latest photos would be appended to an existing feature service to maintain a consistent ItemID.

Many users deploy ArcGIS Solutions and then add custom functionality, using internal skills or Esri Professional Services, to support their specific business needs. In this case, Brett Heist (@Bheist_esri), an AEC Solutions Engineer, helped Ames Construction meet their requirements. He created a Jupyter Notebook which accesses the feature service deployed with the solution and automates the entire process. The Notebook leverages ArcGIS API for Python and downloads all the photo attachments. Utilizing the scratch workspace available with Notebook, these photos are processed and published as a separate feature service and automatically added to a web map created in the organizational portal. There the end user can easily view all the locations of the photos and view them from within a popup. Notebooks can be scheduled to run on an automated schedule, this notebook will update the existing feature service by appending the newest photos.

We think this enhancement was a great idea and wanted to share with everyone to use alongside the Stormwater Construction Activity Management Solution.

Enjoy!

Link to video about the Stormwater Construction Activity Management solution: https://mediaspace.esri.com/playlist/dedicated/251152603/1_ulegxwuk/1_r4misaxc

Link to related Blog:
https://www.esri.com/arcgis-blog/products/arcgis-solutions/water/streamline-inspections-with-the-new...