Smart Workflows
Plugged In: The Smart Workflow Series
Explore how smart workflows transform scattered municipal data into connected, purposeful flows that reveal how a city truly operates. Learn how...
Integration turns disconnected municipal systems into a unified operational engine. Learn how Spatial DNA delivers efficiency across Infor, Esri, and DOT.
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For decades, cities have survived on siloed applications: an ERP over here, a work management system over there, GIS sitting in its own galaxy, and asset planning tools orbiting in parallel. Individually, they are powerful. Together? They become a strategic engine.
At Spatial DNA, we believe integration is not just plumbing. It is infrastructure. It is the tactical layer that transforms data into decisions: and decisions into action. Think of it as the moment a young Luke Skywalker realizes the Force was not outside him; it was the invisible structure connecting everything around him.
If there is one truth every municipality eventually learns, it is this: systems are not the enemy. Disconnected systems are.
Integration is exactly that: the invisible structure that lets all your systems “feel” one another.
The High Cost of Disconnected Systems
When systems operate like isolated planets, each department becomes its own star system: complete with its own rules, its own truths, and unfortunately, its own duplicated data.
Disconnected systems create consequences:
- Data is inconsistent across platforms
- Work orders lack real-world context
- Budgeting decisions are made with partial visibility
- GIS, ERP, and asset management systems disagree on the basics
- Key processes rely on spreadsheets (the dark side)
- Capital planning becomes a guessing game rather than a strategy
Most organizations chalk these challenges up to “the way things have always been.” But it is simply the absence of integration. And that absence slows progress, creates rework, and blinds decision-makers to what is actually happening in the field.
What integration does: especially integration done well: is restore order to the galaxy.
The Spatial DNA Point of View:
Integration Is the Engine of Operational Intelligence
Most municipalities do not need more systems. They need systems that talk to each other with precision, consistency, and context.
This is where Spatial DNA differentiates itself.
We are not just moving data. We are orchestrating it.
Our integration philosophy is built on three pillars:
Single Point of Truth
Whether it is GIS, ERP, or asset planning, we help your enterprise agree on one version of reality.
Automation of Process, Not Just Data Sync
Integration is not pushing fields from System A to B.
It is orchestrating entire workflows: approvals, work statuses, project creation, cross-system validation, and more.
Configurability Without Chaos
You should not have to rewrite code when business rules change.
Our integration patterns adapt as your processes evolve.
This approach brings cities into a world where systems do not just coexist: they amplify each other.
Two Integrations That Change Everything
Let us look at two integrations that are quietly transforming municipal operations across North America.
1. Infor Public Sector (IPS) ↔ DOT (Asset Management and Capital Planning)
Use Case: Project Lifecycle Automation
Infor handles the “doing”:
- Work orders
- Field activity
- Inspections
- Contractor coordination
DOT handles the “deciding”:
- What should we repair?
- When should we invest?
- How much will it cost over the next 5, 10, 20 years?
Without integration, these cycles are completely disconnected.
What Spatial DNA Integration Enables
- DOT generates recommended capital projects: automatically pushed into Infor as planned work orders
- Field teams complete work in Infor: status flows back into DOT to update scenario models
- Real completion dates update lifecycle models
- Actual costs help refine capital plans
- DOT maintains long-term intelligence; Infor manages day-to-day execution
Why It Matters
Capital planners finally get visibility into:
- What work is complete
- What changed in the field
- Which assets still need attention
- Whether the reality aligns with the planned model
This gives municipalities an up-to-date, integrated capital planning ecosystem: not a static annual report.
Call it the difference between flying blind and using a fully functional navigation system in the Millennium Falcon.
2. Esri GIS ↔ DOT (Asset Intelligence and Live Spatial Context)
Use Case: Spatially Driven Decision Making
GIS is the backbone of every city.
It holds the geometry, the attributes, the layers, and the spatial truth that all other systems depend on.
But most GIS integrations are one-way, brittle, or limited.
What Spatial DNA Integration Enables
- DOT pulls asset data directly from Esri
- No duplicate databases: Esri remains the authoritative source
- Asset conditions, hierarchies, and locations stay perfectly in sync
- DOT pushes project outputs back into GIS layers for real-time spatial visualization
- Future budgets can be mapped directly across the municipality
Why It Matters
With proper integration:
- Engineers see projects in geographic context
- PMs understand interdependencies
- Council sees the story visually
- The public gains transparency
GIS stops being a map. It becomes a decision layer.
Or as Master Yoda might say:
“See the whole picture, you must.”
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Real-World Scenarios: What Integration Fixes Instantly
Here are a few real scenarios we see in almost every city before Spatial DNA integration comes into play:
Scenario 1: The “Out-of-Sync Work Order” Problem
- DOT says a project is still open
- Infor says it has been done for 3 weeks
- GIS has not been updated since last year
Spatial DNA solves this through automated triggers that reconcile statuses across all systems.
Result:
No more conflicting truths.
Scenario 2: Capital Budgets Built Blindfolded
Without integration, capital planners rely on:
- Spreadsheets
- Old exports
- Tribal knowledge
Spatial DNA ensures live asset conditions from GIS and real work status from Infor flow directly into DOT.
Result:
Budget scenarios become defensible, auditable, and reality-based.
Scenario 3: Data Governance Falling Apart
Different naming conventions across systems create chaos.
“Main St.” in one system becomes “Main Street” or “MN_ST” in another.
Spatial DNA normalizes this through controlled mappings and data governance rules.
Result:
Systems speak the same language even if departments do not.
Why Integration Is Your Strategic Advantage in 2025 and Beyond
We are witnessing the next era of municipal modernization.
Cities no longer want siloed point solutions.
They want a connected ecosystem capable of:
- Predicting needs
- Optimizing budgets
- Coordinating operations
- Improving accountability
- Reducing administrative overhead
- Creating measurable service value
Integration is the backbone of that future.
The magic is not in any single system.
It is how they work together.
Just like in Star Wars, where no single Jedi could defeat the Empire alone: your systems need to unite under one purpose.
Spatial DNA is the orchestrator that brings them together.