Latest phases expand AMANDA’s reach across the County, extend integration with business systems, and add advanced capabilities for improving citizen service levels

Orlando, FL – May 20, 2011 – CSDC Systems Inc., a leading provider of business process automation solutions for government agencies, and Orange County, Florida today announced the completion of two additional phases of its Land Development Management System based on AMANDA - CSDC’s flagship product.

In late 2010, the County completed Phase 3 of its AMANDA implementation. This phase enables the County to manage the entire lifecycle of Lot Split Reviews and Flood Plains Permitting, using AMANDA. The County also extended AMANDA functionality to the Board of Zoning Adjustments (BZA) group and integrated AMANDA with its Electronic Document Management System.

Automating Flood Plains Permitting

By automating the business processes associated with Flood Plains permitting, Orange County is able to track and manage all permit information related to this area. When developers or builders in Orange County wish to obtain a permit for developing a lot or building a property that lies within the 100-Year flood plain, the applicant must obtain a Flood Plain permit from the Stormwater Management Division. AMANDA supports the County in managing every step of the Flood Plain permit process. From tracking all Flood Plain permit reviews and fee payments, to issuing the permit and certificate of occupancy once all requirements and reviews have been signed off on and approved, AMANDA benefits citizens through fast and convenient service from county staff who have now have centralized access to all permit information and can provide real-time status updates.

Simplifying Lot Split Reviews

AMANDA is also used to help Orange County manage and simplify its Lot Split Review process by enabling improved communication between the multiple departments involved. Using AMANDA, the Zoning division can accept applications from developers or builders. Additionally, because of AMANDA’s bi-directional integration with the County’s financial and payment system, Orange County staff can easily accept and track payments. Orange County’s Land Development Management system also facilitates the review process with development, engineering, planning, environmental protection, zoning, and building safety groups. The solution helps manage every step of the process and once all requirements have been met and all parties have approved, an automatic approval email is generated with the official approval letter attached. With AMANDA, all groups involved in the Lot Split Review can now see each other's timelines and final sign-off cannot happen until all parties are ready.

Managing Zoning Adjustment Applications and Appeals

Another group at the County to receive AMANDA is the Board of Zoning Adjustment. The Board makes recommendations on zoning variances, special exceptions, and can appeal the Zoning Manager's determination. AMANDA assists this group by managing all applications and appeals related to zoning adjustments within the County, as well as help manage the agendas, minutes, and reports around community meetings.

Orange County also integrated its document management system with its AMANDA-based Land Development Management System. Doing so enables Orange County’s document-intensive Land Development Management processes to operate with greater speed and efficiency.

Improving the Public Notifications Process

Most recently, on April 22, 2011, Orange County extended AMANDA to the Public Notification Change Order process. The Orange County Planning Division is required to issue formal written notifications to the public if there is a change of which they need to be aware. Using AMANDA, this process will be greatly simplified and more targeted. For example, by integrating with the County’s existing GIS system, AMANDA enables the Planning Department to issue highly targeted notifications to county residents.  In AMANDA, staff simply select the type of notification they wish to send. AMANDA then applies the County’s business rules to determine the starting size of the buffer and the minimum number of parcels and owners that will receive the notification. If those minimum numbers are not reached, AMANDA automatically expands the notification area repeatedly until the minimum number of residents have been notified, thus ensuring residents are informed of development activity in their neighborhood.

AMANDA also simplifies analysis of Public Notification results. The solution captures and stores all feedback from residents as well as 'In-Favor', 'Opposed' or 'No Opinion'. Additionally, a color-coded map can be generated which visually displays “In-Favor” and “Opposed” so that during a  Board hearing, Board members can quickly see where there are problems and/or support for the given project. AMANDA is also “intelligent” enough to provide County staff only with the information they are looking for. For instance, the solution only counts residences even if the subject property is surrounded by commercial and industrial development. Additionally, vacant properties do not get a notice.

Looking to the future, Orange County has further plans to build out and enhance its Land Development Management system. The County intends to extend AMANDA to its Roadways Agreement Committee (RAC) and the Environmental Protection Division  into its AMANDA-based Land Development Management system. The County also plans to use AMANDA to manage its contractor licensing application and renewal process.

About CSDC

Since 1989, CSDC has provided integrated, powerful and flexible software to automate the business processes of government agencies at all levels. CSDC’s core technology, AMANDA, serves as a Business Performance Framework, designed to improve operational efficiency and deliver citizen-centric services. AMANDA is an enterprise solution that enables a wide range of government services, including Permitting, Planning, Inspections, Licensing, Code Compliance, Fire Prevention, Public Works, Environmental Health and Safety, and Public Access. To learn more, visit www.csdcsystems.com