Case Study: City of McAllen achieves 3x faster sign mapping and real-time asset tracking with Trimble mobile GIS solution

Traffic Operations Department Streamlines Sign Mapping Process

The City of McAllen, Texas Traffic Operations Department faced a mounting challenge as rapid population growth increased demands on its transportation infrastructure: crews needed an accurate, up-to-date inventory of every street sign but were hampered by paper workflows, bulky cabled GPS equipment, rigid off‑the‑shelf software, and a slow mapping rate of about 55 signs per day.

Tri-Global implemented a mobile GIS solution that combined barcode-tagged signs, a Trimble ProXH GPS, a Trimble Recon handheld, a Baracoda barcode scanner, ESRI ArcPad and a custom BarcodeMapper extension; the team converted the existing Access data into an enterprise geodatabase and used Bluetooth-enabled devices so technicians could scan a sign, capture sub‑foot coordinates and update attributes in the field. The result: mapping productivity jumped to roughly 25 signs per hour (about 200 per day), immediate generation of work orders for repairs, better asset tracking and faster response—improving overall road safety.

City of McAllen

Jacob Benfield

Traffic Operations Manager