Helping to protect NSW's diverse heritage
Background
Heritage NSW is the government department that works to protect heritage under the Heritage Act 1977 and the National Parks and Wildlife Act 1974. They required a new software solution which would provide them with the ability to fully manage NSW Heritage items.
The solution had to include a public mapping interface and support online heritage application workflows and payments (self-service), as well as internal agency processes.
Heritage NSW previously used a legacy system to manage Heritage items. This was a paper-based manual system with limited automation and validation as well as not having any graphical component.
Following a high-level solution vision, design process and technical architecture engagement (Phase 1) delivered by SRA, we won the tender to develop and implement the Heritage Management System in the subsequent procurement process (Phase 2).
NSW's heritage is diverse. It includes tens of thousands of years of Aboriginal cultural heritage and landscapes, as well as hundreds of years of historic buildings, objects, monuments, gardens, archaeological sites, shipwrecks, relics, bridges, streetscapes, industrial structures and conservation precincts.
The Solution
Heritage NSW required a new Heritage Management System (HMS), where each of the processes within the Heritage NSW Act are controlled by the system. That is, the system controls the order of the steps within each process, who has the authority to action each step and how long the user has to complete the step, according to the timeframes defined within with the Heritage NSW Act.
Another key requirement was to provide an integrated spatial component where the textual and spatial components were kept in sync. The spatial component of HMS is based on Esri’s ArcGIS mapping and data analytics technology. Heritage NSW required that the delivered system maintains all versions of documents and images, as well as all communications with internal and external parties.
SRA worked closely with the Heritage NSW project team, via ongoing workshops to develop the requirements and design for the new system. SRA then provided the solution build, solution testing, solution implementation, administration training and project management services. SRA delivered all elements of the project successfully and was then engaged to provide ongoing support and maintenance for the system for 2 years.
The delivered system complies with all of Heritage NSW accessibility and non-functional requirements. In addition, the delivered system is highly configurable to allow Heritage NSW to implement many process and organisational changes without needing application changes.
Project scope delivered:
- Approved requirements and design documents
- Provision of new development/integration work and configuration
- Solution testing of all deliverables before delivery to the client for User Acceptance Testing (UAT)
- Ongoing enhancements via an approved change request process
- Knowledge transfer and administration training to client staff
- Detailed documentation
Technical requirements delivered:
- Custom software solution
- Integration with ArcGIS spatial services
Services provided:
- End-to-end project management
- Business analysis and consulting
- Requirements workshops
- Software development, testing and deployment
- Training
- Post go-live solution support
Key business benefits:
- Cost Savings: Consolidated multiple legacy systems into a single cloud-based platform, reducing infrastructure and maintenance costs. No longer needed to maintain multiple servers and licenses.
- Scalability: Moved to a highly scalable, cloud-based system, allowing the customer to adapt to changing business needs and handle growth without the need for substantial upfront investments.
- Improved Efficiency: Streamlined complex systems and workflows into a single, integrated platform which led to more efficient operations. It reduced redundancy and improved data flow within the organisation.
- Improved Collaboration: The single, integrated system fosters better collaboration among teams, as data and workflows are centralised and accessible to authorised personnel, both inside and outside the organisation.
- Customer Experience: The new, public-facing, self-service website improves the customer experience by providing 24/7 access to information and services, reducing the need for direct support and increasing customer satisfaction.
- Data Analytics: By consolidating data into one system, this allowed for better data analytics and reporting. It’s easier to derive insights from a unified data source.
- Futureproofing: By adopting contemporary cloud technology, IT infrastructure remains up-to-date and adaptable to future technological advancements.
