Hands-On GIS Modernization Builds Lasting Confidence
In Brief
Guided upgrade transforms enterprise capabilities
When Ada County Highway District’s (ACHD) aging ArcGIS Enterprise system began limiting functionality, the organization seized the chance to modernize.
Partnering with Resource Data for structured planning and over-the-shoulder coaching, ACHD deployed a fresh Enterprise environment and eliminated decades of legacy clutter in the process. With renewed confidence and capability, ACHD now manages a secure, scalable GIS platform that powers daily operations across Idaho’s most populated county.
Key Takeaways
Empowered GIS Team. Sustainable System Management.
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Independence through guided coaching
ACHD staff led their own deployment with Resource Data’s coaching, gaining the skills and confidence to deploy future updates without outside help.
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A fresh start for better performance
Implementing a new version of ArcGIS Enterprise eliminated accumulated clutter from the old system, giving the District a faster, and easier-to-maintain system.
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Available tools to strengthen system management
With the latest ArcGIS Enterprise software in place, ACHD can take advantage of advanced models for roads, utilities, and stormwater data to strengthen planning, inspections, and long-term asset management.
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Reusable playbook ensures lasting success
Project documentation, session recordings, and lessons learned give ACHD a reference toolkit to replicate deployments and maintain consistency as their GIS evolves.
Our Client
Ada County Highway District
The Ada County Highway District (ACHD), the only countywide highway district in Idaho, is responsible for planning, constructing, maintaining, and improving all local streets and infrastructure within Ada County, excluding state highways. In fulfilling this role, ACHD oversees more than 4,800 lane-miles of roads and nearly 800 bridges across the state’s most populous county.
Challenges
Aging environment threatened performance and protection
Ada County Highway District’s enterprise GIS was several versions behind the current release and approaching end of support. The older environment was cluttered with unused content and no longer followed best practices for performance.
Remaining on this platform meant growing technical debt, slower workflows, and limited access to new capabilities. It also increased the risk of system issues that would be harder to fix over time.
For an organization that depends on accurate, real-time data to manage roads, traffic, and infrastructure, these gaps threatened both internal efficiency and the District’s ability to keep employees and residents informed.
Approach
Step-by-step support with staff in the lead
ACHD’s goal was not just to stand up a new GIS environment but to be able to maintain and upgrade it themselves going forward. To support that, Resource Data designed a structured process that began by aligning ACHD’s GIS and IT teams through joint discovery sessions. This ensured both teams understood the system architecture, security requirements, and infrastructure needs.
Detailed pre-requisite checklists and an implementation plan gave the staff a clear roadmap, making it easier for them to take the lead during deployment. IT focused on provisioning servers, managing certificates, and setting network access controls, while GIS concentrated on deployment and data requirements.
During implementation, GIS staff completed the deployment themselves by sharing screens while Resource Data provided live step-by-step coaching. This process gave ACHD’s team practical experience and prepared them to manage the system independently.
The Solution
Secure, modern architecture to build on
ACHD chose to move away from its outdated environment and start fresh with ArcGIS Enterprise 11.5. They decided to recreate and migrate content from their older ecosystem as a fresh start. This decision avoided the clutter of the old system and gave their team a clean foundation for new data, services, and applications.
The deployment included Portal for ArcGIS, ArcGIS Server, Data Store, and Image Server, supported by Web Adaptors for seamless connectivity. The District’s IT group provided certificates, domains, and authentication enabling secure Single Sign-On integration. SSL certificates were applied across all components to ensure encrypted connections and compliance with security best practices.
Together, these elements created a modern enterprise GIS environment that supports advanced capabilities such as multi-user editing, parcel fabric, and utility networks. ACHD now has a secure, scalable foundation to run daily operations and publish public-facing mapping services with confidence.
It was a really successful project in terms of giving ACHD the confidence to maintain the system on their own in the future.
- Tasha Jackson, GIS Service Lead, Resource Data
Results
Confidence and control for ACHD’s team
ACHD now operates a secure, modern GIS environment managed entirely by its own staff. The guided, hands-on deployment gave the GIS team the practical experience to manage and maintain their system independently.
The project also produced a reusable playbook comprised of documentation, session recordings, and lessons learned, ensuring repeatable processes and consistent standards. With a solid technical foundation and full control of their environment, ACHD an sustain, expand, and evolve its enterprise GIS with confidence.
What's Next
Expanding GIS possibilities
ACHD’s enterprise GIS is built to evolve with their needs. The new environment gives them room to add datasets, build specialized applications, and integrate advanced models over time. As their operations and community expectations grow, ACHD is well-positioned to expand applications and services.
