Case Study: Oakland County, Michigan achieves paperless, GPS-accurate well and septic permitting with Trimble

Oakland County Public Health Does Away with Paper Work Thanks to GIS

Oakland County Public Health faced an inefficient, paper-based permitting process for wells and septic systems: applicants submitted hand-drawn sketches stored in filing cabinets, sanitarians relied on tape measures during site visits, and residents or contractors often had to visit the county complex to get location information. These manually created, spatially inaccurate records made locating and maintaining systems difficult and time-consuming.

The county implemented E-Health, an online permitting system that integrates GIS (ArcGIS/ArcIMS/ArcSDE) with GPS-enabled field data collection (Trimble GeoXT and ArcPad). Applicants can sketch proposed locations on aerial imagery, sanitarians verify and capture precise GPS points in the field, and data are uploaded to the county database for public access. Within months the program eliminated much paperwork, improved spatial accuracy and regulatory compliance, increased staff productivity, reduced repeat site visits, and gave residents and well drillers immediate online access to up-to-date property and well/septic information.

Oakland County, Michigan