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Blue Raster helps you tell your story through interactive
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Tag: State and Local

Enhanced Performance with Blue Raster’s Cloud-Managed Services: Integrating Zabbix and ArcGIS Monitor for Proactive Management

Posted on by Chigo Ibeh

At Blue Raster, we understand that organizations rely on uninterrupted access to their geospatial data and services. With the rapid shift towards cloud-based infrastructure, it’s essential to have a solution that not only supports deployment and scalability but also proactively manages and monitors these environments. That’s where our cloud-managed services come in, offering an all-encompassing solution designed to ensure your ArcGIS Enterprise environment runs smoothly and efficiently.

 

 

Why Cloud-Managed Services Matter

 

The complexity of modern GIS environments means that organizations need to stay ahead of potential issues before they impact performance or cause downtime.

Managing an ArcGIS Enterprise environment involves more than just deploying servers—it requires constant oversight of infrastructure, software updates, system performance, and security compliance.

Blue Raster’s Cloud-Managed Services provides a comprehensive solution, taking the burden off your internal teams and ensuring your systems are optimized and up-to-date.

 

Zabbix and ArcGIS Monitor: A Perfect Partnership

One of the key features of our managed services is proactive monitoring. We leverage industry-leading tools such as Zabbix and ArcGIS Monitor to give clients visibility into system performance, helping to anticipate issues before they become problems.

  • Zabbix, a powerful and highly customizable monitoring tool, offers real-time monitoring of cloud infrastructure, allowing us to track server health, certificate expirations, license renewals, and more.
  • ArcGIS Monitor provides deep insights into the health and performance of your ArcGIS Enterprise deployment, tracking usage patterns, service response times, and system resources.

While both capable of working as standalone monitoring solutions, the ability of Zabbix and ArcGIS Monitor to work in tandem creates a dynamic duo, offering comprehensive monitoring across both your infrastructure and GIS-specific components. This ensures that our team can monitor everything from hardware utilization to application-level performance. By utilizing both tools, Blue Raster can help you maximize uptime, optimize resources, and ensure that your GIS operations are always running at peak efficiency.

Cloud-Managed Services Tailored to Your Needs

Our managed services aren’t just about keeping the lights on—they’re about future-proofing your investment in GIS technology. With our cloud management services, you can be rest assured that you’ll have a partner dedicated to not only monitoring your systems but also optimizing them for long-term success. Whether it’s managing updates to ArcGIS Enterprise, renewing licenses, or ensuring security patches are applied, Blue Raster has you covered.

Let Us Handle the Heavy Lifting

With over two decades of experience as an Esri Partner, Blue Raster’s team of DevOps engineers and GIS experts are equipped to handle the most complex cloud environments. We offer a tailored approach to meet your organization’s unique needs, ensuring that your GIS infrastructure stays secure, efficient, and scalable. Our services go beyond deployment to provide continuous monitoring, management, and optimization.

By incorporating tools like Zabbix and ArcGIS Monitor, we not only track the performance of your entire GIS ecosystem but also give you peace of mind knowing that potential issues are caught early. This allows your organization to focus on what matters—delivering value through GIS, without worrying about downtime or performance bottlenecks.

 

Contact us today and learn how we can help you maximize your system performance.

 

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Enhancing Accessibility in City of Aurora Water Esri Data for HB21-1110 GIS Compliance

Posted on by Jameson Quisenberry

When Colorado passed HB21-1110, a law designed to guarantee that all government services are accessible to everyone, including those with disabilities, it signaled a significant shift in how public data is presented. For organizations like Blue Raster, this was an opportunity to lead the way in creating more inclusive and accessible GIS mapping solutions using Esri technology.

Our journey began with a clear understanding of the stakes. The new law wasn’t just about compliance; it was about making critical water data available to all citizens, regardless of their abilities. We knew that for the City of Aurora Water District, which plays a crucial role in public health and safety, accessibility was paramount. That’s where our expertise in Esri’s ArcGIS Pro and our partnership with a local GIS authority in Colorado came into play.

Understanding Compliance: Meeting the Mandate of HB21-1110

The first step in our project was to fully grasp the requirements set forth by HB21-1110. This meant diving deep into the guidelines and ensuring that every aspect of our work met section 508 standards, which dictate how digital content should be made accessible to people with disabilities. But compliance wasn’t just about ticking boxes—it was about genuinely improving access for all.

To achieve this, we focused on developing a color palette and symbology in Esri’s ArcGIS Pro that would be easily distinguishable by everyone, including those with color blindness. This approach was crucial to ensuring that no one would be excluded from accessing the vital water data.

Crafting an Accessible Color Schema: A Balancing Act

Creating an accessible color schema was more than just a design challenge; it was a balancing act. We needed to adhere to industry standards while also making sure that our designs were inclusive. This involved carefully selecting and testing colors to guarantee they would be visible and distinct across various types of color blindness.

Aleah Ross, Blue Raster’s UI/UX Designer, played a critical role in this process. Her expertise and attention to detail were instrumental in developing a color palette that not only complied with HB21-1110 but also enhanced the overall user experience. Through rigorous testing and the use of accessibility tools in ArcGIS Pro, we created a palette that made the City of Aurora data visually accessible to a broad audience, regardless of their visual capabilities.

Designing for Clarity: Symbology and Tools

Once the color palette was established, we turned our attention to the symbols used in the maps. With over 120 feature layers, each containing multiple symbols, clarity and differentiation were paramount. We utilized tools like Esri ArcGIS Pro to update existing symbols and create new ones that would be easily recognizable, even for users with visual impairments.

The goal was to make sure that each layer of information was clear and accessible, without sacrificing the complexity and detail that professionals rely on. By blending innovative design with industry standards, we created a map that was both functional and inclusive.

Overcoming Challenges: Guaranteeing Accessibility Across All Layers

Throughout the project, we encountered several challenges. Making sure that each layer of information was distinguishable was no small feat, especially with the need to maintain industry consistency. However, by carefully selecting contrasting colors and designing unique symbols, we overcame these obstacles.

One of the most significant challenges was balancing the need for detailed, complex symbols with the requirement for simplicity and clarity. In some cases, this meant completely redesigning symbols to better serve all users. In others, it involved making subtle adjustments that enhanced visibility without altering the symbol’s meaning.

Setting a New Standard in Accessibility

Our work on this project not only fulfilled the requirements of Colorado law HB21-1110 but also set a new standard in accessible map design. By thoughtfully selecting colors and designing symbols that accommodate all users, we created a city water data map that is inclusive, effective, and accessible to everyone.

This project is more than just a compliance exercise; it’s a demonstration of our commitment to making critical information available to all, regardless of their abilities. As we look to the future, we see this as a model for how GIS technology can be used to create more inclusive public services.

Explore the Color Palette

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