New York City Department of Sanitation Cleans Up with Intermec Mobile Computers and Printers

Mobile solution results in labour and cost savings, plus increased revenue

The Department of Sanitation of New York (DSNY) is incurring significant labour and costs savings with a new system of Intermec handheld computers and printers that helps agents issue tickets for recycling, health and administrative code violations. The Notice of Violation Administration System (NOVAS) handheld solution, which includes the Intermec hardware, recently was named the Best Application Serving an Agencys Business Needs at the City of New York 2006 Excellence in Technology Awards at the NYC Tech Forum.

The new system supports a department of more than 200 enforcement and sanitation police agents writing approximately 400,000 violation notices per year to city property owners for various quality of life infractions of the citys laws and rules, such as illegal dumping, dirty sidewalks and canine-related violations.

The departments previous handwritten procedure was prone to errors, which caused many violations to be invalidated by the court. In addition, department agents had difficulty tracking repeat violators, who are subject to higher fines. The paper-based system also was costing the department additional revenue collection and employee productivity.

The systems integrator 3i Infotech Inc., a provider of mobile and wireless applications, helped the DSNY select the Intermec 751 handheld computers and compatible printers to streamline data collection and summonses issuance. A property database that represents the entire City of New Yorkapproximately 1.1 million pieces of propertyis uploaded to each handheld before it goes into action.

The Intermec system provided the most consistent results with the easiest-to-use physical characteristics, said DSNY Chief Information Officer Steve Stam. It was also a hardened solution, something that obviously could stand up to the wear and tear of everyday use by our agents.

Designed to work in challenging, mission-critical environments, the rugged Intermec 751 handheld computer comes equipped with an Intel processor and Windows Mobile for Pocket PC, can operate up to three radios at a time (WWAN, WLAN and Bluetooth) and performs both image and signature capture.

When a violation is entered into the handheld, the computer provides agents with the proper wording for all possible scenarios, eliminating administrative dismissals and lost revenues as a result of inaccurate ticketing.

At the end of each shift, agents go back to the work location and put their handheld devices into their cradles where they are charged. Information is loaded from the handhelds onto a local server and updated address information is loaded onto the devices. The information is then processed through the central server, which identifies property owners and alternate addresses where the summonses are served by mail.

From its implementation of 60 handhelds in June to the middle of September, DSNY issued approximately 20,000 tickets, and the department introduced 350 new Intermec handheld devices into the system in January 2007.

The value to the city is in reducing data entry and data management costs, being able to issue more consistently higher quality and higher-value summonses. Stam said.

About Intermec

Intermec Inc. (NYSE:IN) develops, manufactures and integrates technologies that identify, track and manage supply chain assets. Core technologies include RFID, mobile computing and data collection systems, bar code printers and label media. The companys products and services are used by customers in many industries worldwide to improve the productivity, quality and responsiveness of business operations.