Asset management and data visualization is key to any organization or company. It is important to know what's available, as well as the status, assignment, and sometimes even location of each particular asset in the field.
EmergHub's Blueprints application helps to make asset management simple by providing a relational database-like system where you are able to create templates for different asset types and add new records to the system using these templates.
Blueprints can be created for almost any asset type imaginable, from buildings and vehicles to different regions defined on the Map interface. Depending on the type of asset you wish to develop a blueprint template for, you are able to add or create information fields relating to the information you need to know about that particular asset. You can also create your own dropdown menu with various options that can be inserted into any templates as required.
For example, say you wish to manage all of your healthcare facilities in the Blueprints application. You would create a blueprint template called "Healthcare Facilities" and add in information fields that represent the information that needs to be known about each of the facilities being added to this template, such as Name and Location. Next you could add a pre-created dropdown menu for Facility Type, with options including Clinic, Hospital, and Long-Term Care Facility. Another dropdown that can be added to the Healthcare Facility template is a Status dropdown that will allow administrators to easily determine the operational status of the facility – whether it is operational, degraded, or closed. Any or all of these fields can be marked as "Required for Submit," meaning that in order for a new record to be created, these fields will need to be filled out.
Once you have added your assets to the Blueprints system using the appropriate templates, you are able to manage them through the use of custom reports to help with data visualization. Blueprint reports can include either a single blueprint or multiple, provided that all chosen blueprints possess similarly named columns of the same data type from which the relevant information is retrieved. These reports can be displayed on the Command Hub Dashboard where administrators can view changes at a glance as they are reflected in the reports in real time.
Another way that blueprint assets can be managed in EmergHub (perhaps a more stimulating data visualization method) is by displaying these assets on the Map interface. Only blueprints with a Location field are able to be represented in this way. Icons can be configured for each blueprint that will show up on the map, and will change color depending on the status of the asset.
Returning to the healthcare facilities example, you would be able to assign a different icon for each facility type for easy distinction on the map. You can also configure the icon to change color automatically on the map if the facility's status is modified in the Status dropdown for any of the assets, allowing for administrators to immediately see which facilities are in a degraded or closed state so that they can take the necessary remedial action.
Filter the map to show only the blueprint layers you wish to view at a particular time to prevent the Map interface from becoming too cluttered with icons. You can also filter these layers further to show only the assets of a particular blueprint that are of a particular type (all clinics, for example), have a particular status (degraded or closed), or have specific attributes (such as a helipad).
Depending on the level of permissions a platform user has, they may not be able to view specific blueprint templates. However, if a such a situation arose that a user needs to have access to one or more records within a restricted blueprint, they can have it shared with them so that particular instance of the blueprint will now be visible to them while the rest are still invisible. Custom reports and map layers can also be shared in this way as well, allowing for an enhanced level of situational awareness and a truly common operating picture, which still maintaining informational security.
Asset management and data visualization has never been simpler. With all of the functionality available in EmergHub's Blueprints tool, there is no limit as to the assets you can create and represent either in custom reports or on the easy-to-use mapping interface.
For more information on the Blueprints & Map functionality, as well as the rest of the EmergHub suite of tools, download the free Getting Started Guide to EmergHub whitepaper here!
