By: Donovan W. Mann – [email protected]
Dakota City, IA – The Humboldt County Supervisor are exploring options for better managing their drainage data.
On Monday, February 8, the board of supervisors met with Sonia Satern and Brian Richards with a digital organization software company called Notion. The presentation was to show how Notion could provide a simpler way to manage the data in the office of the drainage clerk.
Richards serves on Notion’s Advisory Group. He says the company has been around for “a few years” but really became “cutting edge” about a year and a half ago. They strive to provide a simple and more efficient solution.
The presentation included a very extensive and detailed demonstration of how the county might use Notion to manage their drainage data. Richards showed the board different dashboards and table views. The board also got to see how each work order can be organized to its own page.
One problem project that was brought up by the supervisors was in DD 35 Branch C. This project was filled with problems involving missing data such as GPS coordinates for connection points and photos.
Richards and Satern showed the supervisors that GPS coordinates can be directly put on a Google Map tied to a specific project. Photos can also be uploaded directly into the system. The contractors can be given limited access to work directly in Notion as well.
The supervisors wanted to know about how long the data would be available. Richards says that the space is unlimited and that the data doesn’t go anywhere. The board asked about transferring data if they were to leave the contract. Richards says they would have to explore options but assures the supervisors the data belongs to the county and could be transferred at any given time.
Following the presentation Richards says he needs more information about the needs of the county before giving a price.
The supervisors recommended Drainage Clerk Kim Lonning discuss with her staff about their needs. They will explore different options to figure out the best fit for the county.
Right now the county uses Access for their drainage data. Auditor Trish Erickson who previously served as the drainage clerk says it is similar to Notion. She says it’s just not as flexible as what was presented during the meeting.
Further discussions on this topic are expected to occur during future meetings.