Providing Packaged Software Solutions and Custom Development Services

Information
Home
Technologies

Products
BDMS
FMS

Contact Us

Information
info@appstudio.com

Mail
AppStudio Corporation
2513 Newbern Avenue
Clearwater, FL 33761
(727) 480-8805
(253) 484-4011 Fax
 Building Department Management System

Overview

The Building Department Management System (BDMS) is an integrated suite of building department software including Permits, Inspections, Planning and Zoning, Occupational Licenses and Code Enforcement.  This software development was a joint effort between AppStudio, the City of Seminole and the City of Treasure Island.

The BDMS system is an integrated system.  The Property Information (Address, Owner, Etc) will be the heart of the system and common to all other areas.  Property information only has to be entered once and can be used in all other modules.  On the main Property Information screen there will be notebook tabs that split the screen and display information for the other modules.  The other modules that can be accessed from the Property Information screen are Contacts, Building Permits and Inspections, Planning and Zoning, Occupational Licenses and Code Enforcement.  These tabs will be highlighted in green if information exists.  It will be easy to tell from this screen, based on color-coding and icons, what information has been entered into the system.  Program navigation will also be greatly simplified since every module can be accessed from the Property Information page.

In addition to this "integrated" window, you will also be able to search each module individually.  For example, an inspector could search for and print inspections that were scheduled for the day or a clerk could search for expired permits.

 Some of the key features of the BDMS application are: 

  • BDMS utilizes a non-proprietary Microsoft Access database.  Users will be able to create their own queries, forms and reports if desired.  The system can also be integrated with Oracle or Sybase databases instead of Microsoft Access.

  • This system is integrated.  There will be one central place where you will enter property information.  This information will be available when creating Permits, Inspections, Planning Information, Occupational Licenses or Code Enforcements.  Contact information will also be centralized.

  • Notifications can be set up to make you aware of unpaid licenses or code enforcement issues before licenses or permits are generated.       

  • Commonly entered data will be provided as defaults to minimize data entry.  Other data such as Permit Type will be provided in a selectable list which will minimize data entry errors.

  • Provides an easy to use Windows Interface.

  • Reports can be previewed to the screen before printed.  They can also be filtered or sorted before printing.

  • The BDMS system can utilize Microsoft Word to link documents to Code Enforcements, Permits, Inspections, etc.

  • Photos can be imported into any area of the program such as Code Enforcement or Inspections.

  • Security is implemented throughout the BDMS system.  Only top level security personnel will be able to change existing transactions.

  • The BDMS system is fast.  It will take no longer than 5 seconds to pull up any record in the database, assuming the computer meets the minimum requirements.  (See requirement listings under Technical Specifications below).

   Technical Specifications

The BDMS application was developed using Sybase PowerBuilder 10.  PowerBuilder is the second leading development tool for Client-Server applications being developed today (Oracle is number one).   PowerBuilder can interface with almost any database including Microsoft Access, Oracle, Sybase, and Microsoft SQL Server. 

The database was developed in Microsoft Access, but the BDMS system is database independent.  This means that if a City decides to migrate to Oracle or a different database, the application can be modified to the new database by changing just five lines of code.

The BDMS application can run on any network that supports Microsoft Windows such as Microsoft 2003 Server or Microsoft 2008 Server.  The number of concurrent users will be unlimited. 

 

AppStudio Company Information

AppStudio is a Florida corporation that has been developing client-server software for fourteen years.  View the technologies page for more information or download the AppStudio brochure in Adobe Acrobat format:

AppStudio Tri-Fold Brochure.pdf
BDMS PowerPoint Presentation.ppt
BDMS Brochure.pdf

 
Screenshots    (Click on a thumbnail to see a larger image)
 

Property and Contacts

The property screen is available through all the programs modules. Note the lighted LEDs on the tabs that let you know what information is available. You can have as many contacts you want associated with a property.
 
 

Permits

Note the contractor, inspection, fees and images tabs. Inspectors are notified of due inspections when they log into the program and notifications can be automatically emailed to the inspector.
 
 

Planning

Planning reviews can be performed in serial or parallel mode. Notifications of reviews can be automatically be emailed to the reviewer. Note the red LED that indicates an active variance. The property screen also displays the varied setbacks in red.
 
 

Occupational Licensese

You can have multiple Occupational Licenses for one property. A complete history of all fees is stored in the application.

 
 

Code Enforcement

You can track multiple violations for each Code Enforcement case and have multiple fees for each violation.
 
 

Contractors

Detailed contractor information is tracked in BDMS. Permits cannot be printed unless the contractor's licenses are up to date.
 
 

Inspections

Inspections can be tracked via the main property screen and also through this view which makes it easy for an inspector to see what inspections are due.
 
 

Documents

Any kind of document can be linked to the property screen such as Microsoft Word, Microsoft Excel, Adobe Acrobat and Audio files.
 
 

Images

Images can be linked to Permits, Planning, Occupational Licenses and Code Enforcement. Images can be view in thumbnails, icon view or you can view the image in your favorite image editing program.
 
 

Reports

Here is an example of a Occupational License report. Note that the report can have graphics and multiple fonts.
 
 

Graphs

Graphs can also be printed from BDMS data. BDMS can produce pie charts, bar charts, line charts and many others in 2D or 3D views.