GGP helps local authorities join up emergency response planning
Geographical information systems specialist GGP Systems is helping local authorities respond quicker to environmental disasters by sharing essential environmental data under the European Directive INSPIRE, the company has said. INSPIRE requires public authorities to publish geospatial information related to the environment; for example data about land use, planning and transport, according to strict technical specifications. Publishing of environmental data is designed to enable the cross border and cross agency sharing of information which is vital in helping to respond to, plan for and prevent environmental emergencies such as the current flood events. GGP Systems has launched a number of work packages and solutions to help local authorities publish data in the right formats. "INSPIRE has been around for quite some time," said Tim Maxwell, managing director of GGP Systems. "However, local authorities simply don't have the time, budget or staff resource to stay on top of their obligations. By using a specialist contractor, such as GGP, under resourced, cash strapped councils can ensure data is not only published but that it is compliant and maintained. However this is not just about compliance with the latest European directive. INSPIRE is grounded in the need for joined up decision making underpinned by quality data. Environmental emergencies, such as the devastating flooding across England, show just how important it is that those charged with managing the emergency response and clean-up operation have access to the most up to date and accurate information available."
Pictured: Fire officers help residents cope with floods in Malmesbury in Wiltshire
GGP Systems: ggpsystems.co.uk
Exeter becomes first in South West to offer PayByPhone parking
Exeter City Council has introduced PayByPhone into 23 council owned car parks, offering motorists the ability to pay by phone and charge parking to their credit or debit card. The council also expects to see a reduction in the time and money spent handling cash as motorists switch from using pay and display equipment to PayByPhone. Exeter is the first local authority in the South West to offer PayByPhone. It joins several other UK local authorities who have signed up to PayByPhone in the past 12 months, including Brighton, Waltham Forest, Southwark, Gateshead and Chelmsford. Other services available to PayByPhone clients include the option for motorists to pay with cash in local PayPoint shops as well as other PayPoint products such as a new e-voucher 'cash-out' service and card acquiring facilities. Part of the PayPoint group of companies, PayByPhone is the UK's leading phone parking specialist.
PayByPhone: paybyphone.co.uk
Port of Tyne upgrades warehouse management system with Advanced
Managers at the Port of Tyne - one of the UK's oldest deep sea ports - have seen a significant reduction in stock processing times, after installing the latest version of OpenWMS, a warehouse management system from Advanced Business Solutions. The system is already saving the organisation approximately 120 man hours a week through a combination of automated, more efficient working processes and has also enabled port management to put a third shift on hold, the company says. In total the new system is saving the port around £70,000 a year, it says. The upgrade included a new billing module, which automates customer charging processes and reduces time spent on administration. The incorporation of the module into the wider WMS system has also eliminated the possibility of human error in the billing process. Before the upgrade, pallets were unloaded by a warehouse operative and contents were manually recorded on a 'goods in' product sheet. The details were then passed to an administrator for data entry.
Under the new system, which includes Radio Data Terminal (RDT) label printing, contents of pallets are logged via a handheld device, which is also capable of printing off a barcoded label, capturing the key data. Port of Tyne managers are now looking at introducing Advanced software to link their transport and container terminal management databases with their transport system.
Advanced Business Solutions: www.advancedcomputersoftware.com/abs
