Configure Citizen Problem Reporter

Learn how to configure the Citizen Problem Reporter solution to meet specific needs in your organization.

Modify request categories and types

The Citizen Problem Reporter app allows the public to submit nonemergency requests. Requests types are grouped into categories that make it easier to submit a request. The request categories and types are defined in the Request Types .csv file deployed with the solution.

Complete the following steps to modify the request categories and types available in the Citizen Problem Reporter app.

1. Sign in to your ArcGIS organization and browse to the Request Types .csv file.
2. Open the item page and click Download.
3. Open the Request Types .csv file; add, remove, or modify the request categories and types; and save your changes.

   Tip:

   The source field column defines whether the values apply to the request category (reqcategory) or request type (reqtype) field. The name field defines the value that is written to the feature. The label field defines the value shown in the app drop-down menu. The source value field defines which category the type will display under.

4. On the Request Types item page, click Upload, browse to your modified .csv file, and click Update Item.

Configure the Citizen Request Center site

The Citizen Problem Reporter solution includes the Citizen Request Center ArcGIS Hub site. This site can be configured with your organization's branding and used to share information with the public about reporting nonemergency problems.

Update with organizational information

After deploying the Citizen Problem Reporter solution, the Citizen Request Center Hub site layout requires a few updates to fit your local context.

To update the site with your organizational information, complete the following steps:

1. Verify that you are signed in to your ArcGIS organization and browse to the Citizen Request Center site.
2. From the item page, click Configure.
3. Scroll to any sections that you want to update, hover over the card, and click the edit pencil that appears in the horizontal toolbar, and then edit the content with information specific to your organization.
4. In the side panel, click Footer.

   A custom footer is provided. In most cases, you will need to update it with your organization's branding, contact information, and social media references.

5. Click the HTML box.

   The HTML window appears.

6. Make the necessary changes and click Apply.
7. Click Save.
8. Click the Save drop-down arrow and click Publish Draft.

Share items with the public

Several layer views, maps, and apps included in the Citizen Problem Reporter solution must be shared with everyone so they can be accessed by the public on the Citizen Request Center site.

To share items with the public, complete the following steps:

1. Verify that you are signed in to your ArcGIS organization and browse to the Citizen Problem Reporter folder.
2. Next to each of the following items, check the check box:

   Name	Item type
   Requests_public	Feature layer (hosted, view)
   Requests_reporter	Feature layer (hosted, view)
   SatisfactionSurveys_public	Feature layer (hosted, view)
   SatisfactionSurveys_submit	Feature layer (hosted, view)
   Request Types	CSV
   Citizen Problem Reporter	Web Map
   Citizen Problem Reporter	Web Mapping Application
   Citizen Problem Satisfaction Survey	Form
   Citizen Request Center	Hub Site Application
   Citizen Problem Reporter	Hub Initiative

   Note:

   You will only have a Hub Initiative item if your organization has ArcGIS Hub Premium.

3. Click Share.
4. In the Share window, click Everyone (public) and click Save.

   The Warning: Sharing editable layers publicly message appears notifying you that you are sharing editable layers publicly.

5. Click Update.
6. At the top of the site, click Groups.
7. Open the Citizen Problem Reporter group page and click Settings.
8. Under Who can view this group, click Everyone (public).

Revise satisfaction survey questions

The Citizen Problem Satisfaction Survey allows you to solicit feedback from the public that helps you improve your community’s customer service. The survey includes six questions. In some cases, you may want to add or remove questions from the survey.

1. Install ArcGIS Survey123 Connect.
2. Start ArcGIS Survey123 Connect and sign in to your ArcGIS organization.
3. Click Citizen Problem Satisfaction Survey to download the survey.
4. In the Download window, click Download and click OK.
5. Click Citizen Problem Satisfaction Survey again to open the survey.
6. On the side toolbar, click the Open XLSForm Spreadsheet button.
7. In the Microsoft Excel spreadsheet, click the choices tab.

   This tab comprises all the selectable options for survey questions.

8. Click the survey tab.

   This tab comprises all the questions in the survey.

9. Revise the survey to reflect your needs.
10. Save and close the Microsoft Excel spreadsheet and preview your changes in ArcGIS Survey123 Connect.
11. In ArcGIS Survey123 Connect, click Publish on the side toolbar to publish your changes.
12. Click Publish survey to publish your changes and click OK.

Extend Citizen Problem Reporter

You can extend the Citizen Problem Reporter solution with a set of Python tools that can be used to generate report IDs, moderate reports, send email notifications, and enrich reports. These tools can be executed automatically via Task Scheduler, and as new problem reports are submitted or updated, the corresponding action occurs.

Add the ServiceFunctions toolbox

The ServiceFunctions toolbox contains tools for generating report IDs, moderating reports, sending email notifications, and enriching reports. Download and add the ServiceFunctions toolbox to your ArcGIS Pro project before configuring the appropriate tools.

1. Download the ServiceFunctions toolbox.
2. Browse to the ServiceSupport.zip file and unzip the file to the location from which you want to the tools to execute.
3. Open ArcGIS Pro and create a new project.
4. Sign in to the ArcGIS organization to which you deployed the Citizen Problem Reporter solution, if necessary.
5. On the View tab, in the Windows group, click the Catalog pane, if necessary.
6. In the Catalog pane, right-click Toolboxes and choose Add Toolbox.

   The Add Toolbox dialog box appears.

7. Browse to the ServiceSupport folder.
8. Click the ServiceSupport.pyt Python toolbox, and click OK.
9. In the Catalog pane, expand Toolboxes and ServiceSupport.pyt.

   If you've never used the ServiceSupport toolbox before, run the Define Connection Settings tool to establish a connection between the toolbox and the Requests feature layer.

10. In the Catalog pane, in the ServiceSupport.pyt Python toolbox, double-click the Define Connection Settings tool.
11. In the ArcGIS Online organization or ArcGIS Enterprise portal URL parameter, click the drop-down arrow and choose a URL.
12. In the Username parameter, type your user name for the organization you chose in step 11.
13. In the Password parameter, type your password for the user name provided in the Username.
14. Click Run.

Generate report IDs

Many workflows require you to generate a unique identifier when a feature or record is created so it can be referenced and tracked in other workflows. You can use the Generate IDs tool to configure custom unique identifiers that will be applied to features at a regularly scheduled interval of your choosing. The tool only generates the configuration; you must run an additional script (provided) to update the features with incrementing identifier values.

1. In the Catalog pane, expand Toolboxes and ServiceSupport.pyt, if necessary.
2. Double-click the Generate IDs tool.
3. In the Layer parameter, click Browse.

   The Layer dialog box appears.

4. Under Portal, click My Content.
5. Double-click the Citizen Problem Reporter folder.
6. Double-click the Requests feature layer.
7. Click Requests, and click OK.

   Expand General Identifier Settings. If the tool has not been run previously, start by specifying at least one identifier sequence.

8. In the Sequence Name parameter, type a name for the sequence.

   This value appears in the drop-down menu for selecting the sequence to assign to each layer.

9. In the Pattern parameter, type a pattern to use for the sequence.

   This can be a combination of letters, numbers, and symbols. Mark the location for the incrementing value with a pair of curly braces {}. Python formatting is applied to the pattern text, so string formatting syntax such as {0:03d} pads the incrementing number section with zeros to a length of 3. For example, the expression seq-{0:05d} creates the following pattern of values: seq-00001, seq-00002, seq-00003, and so on.

10. In the Next Value parameter, type a value.

    When initially creating the sequence, this must be the first value in the identifiers. After this point, this value shows the value to be used for the next identifier generated.

11. In the Interval parameter, type a value.

    The interval by which the identifier values increase between features. For example, an initial Next Value of 1 and an Interval of 10 creates identifiers with the incrementing values of 1, 11, 21, and so on.

    Deleting or changing these sequences impacts all the layers that are configured to use the edited sequences.

12. Optionally, edit the identifier configuration and run the tool to overwrite the existing identifier configuration for the selected layer.

    Note:

    If an identifier configuration already exists, a check box appears that, when checked, deletes the existing identifier configuration for the selected layer.

13. Choose the moderation list to use to process the features in the selected layer.
14. Choose the sequence to use to generate the identifiers for each feature in the layer.
15. Choose a text field to store the generated identifier.
16. Click Run to write out the identifier configuration for the layer and any changes to the identifier sequences.
17. To configure identifiers for another layer, rerun the tool with the settings for the next layer.

General Identifier Settings are not specific to any one layer—they apply to all layers configured using this tool.

Moderate reports

Public comment apps can occasionally generate feedback that should not be made publicly visible. Data entered into specific fields, such as personal information, can be hidden and protected using the pop-up configuration and layer security, but sometimes entire comments need to be hidden to avoid displaying sensitive or explicit content to other users.

You can hide features by updating the value of a field so that it no longer meets the requirements of a filter applied to that layer in the map. You can use the Moderate Reports tool to configure which layers and fields to scan for explicit or sensitive words and phrases and how to update the feature so that it can be filtered from the map. You can choose how often to scan features and records. The tool only generates the configuration; an additional script (provided) must be run to scan the features.

1. In the Catalog pane, expand Toolboxes and ServiceSupport.pyt.
2. Double-click the Moderate Reports tool.
3. In the Layer parameter, click Browse.

   The Layer dialog box appears.

4. Under Portal, click My Content.
5. Double-click the Citizen Problem Reporter folder.
6. Double-click the Requests feature layer.
7. Click Requests, and click OK.

   Expand General Moderation Settings. If the tool has not been run previously, start by specifying at least one moderation list.

8. In the List Name parameter, type a name.

   This value appears in the drop-down menu for selecting the moderation list use when scanning each layer.

9. In the Filter Type parameter, click the drop-down arrow and choose to scan feature for words and phrases that exactly match the provided list of words and phrases.

   For example, when the filter type is EXACT, if the list contains the word duck, the script updates the specified field when the feature contains the word duck, but not when it contains the word duckling. When the filter type is FUZZY, the script updates the feature when either duck or duckling are found.

10. In the Words and Phrases parameter, type a word or phrase. Provide a comma-separated list of words or phrases to scan for.

    Keep in mind that deleting or changing these lists will impacts all the layers that are configured to use the edited sequences.

11. If a moderation configuration already exists for the selected layer, choose to edit an existing configuration by selecting the name of the moderation list used in the configuration, or choose the option to add a new moderation configuration.

    If you choose to edit an existing configuration, a check box appears that, when checked, deletes the existing moderation configuration for the selected layer. Alternatively, edit the moderation configuration and run the tool to overwrite the existing moderation configuration for the selected layer and moderation list.

    To add a new moderation configuration, click the Add New button and continue with the following steps.

12. Choose the moderation list to use to process the features in the selected layer.
13. Choose the fields that will be scanned for content that matches the words and phrases in the selected moderation list.
14. Optionally, provide an SQL query to only apply moderation to some features.

    If no query is provided, all features are processed.

15. Use the Field to Update parameter when a match is found between the value of a field and the content of a moderation list. Use the Found Value parameter to specify the value that should be written to this field indicating a match.
16. Click Run.

Send email notifications

Many workflows require that an email be sent when a feature or record is created and updated. You can use the Send Emails tool to configure emails that can be sent based on attribute values and a schedule of your choosing. The tool only generates the configuration; you must run an additional script (provided) to actually generate and send the emails.

1. In the Catalog pane, expand Toolboxes and ServiceSupport.pyt.
2. Double-click the Send Emails tool.
3. In the Layer parameter, click Browse.

   The Layer dialog box appears.

4. Under Portal, click My Content.
5. Double-click the Citizen Problem Reporter folder.
6. Double-click the Requests feature layer.
7. Click Requests, and click OK.

   All existing email settings for the layer load and can be edited by updating the parameter values for each configuration. To delete a single email configuration, click the Remove button next to the configuration. To delete all the email configurations for the layer, check the Delete all existing email configurations for this layer check box. Run the tool to save your changes.

8. In the Email Template parameter, click Browse to access the ServiceSupport folder.
9. Click one of the HTML templates for the body of the email, and click OK.

   To add attributes from the triggering feature to the email, use unique string keys in the places where the values should appear in the HTML and reference these strings in the Find parameter of the Email Substitutions section of the General Email Settings along with the name of the field that contains the value to be substituted for the string key in the Replace parameter.

10. Optionally, in the SQL Query parameter, provide an SQL query to only trigger an email from specific features.

    If no query is provided, all features trigger emails every time the script is run, so you most likely want to use this query along with the Field to Update and Sent Value parameters to ensure that the same email isn't sent repeatedly for the same feature.

11. In the Recipient Email Address parameter, type an email address of the recipient or the name of a field in the layer that contains the address of the recipient.
12. In the Email Subject parameter, type the subject for the email.

    Similar to the email body provided in the HTML document, this text can contain string keys that will be swapped out for attribute values based on the Find and Replace values defined in the Email Substitutions list in the General Email Settings section.

13. In the Field to Update parameter, type Email. When the email has been sent for each feature, use the Sent Value parameter to specify the value that should be written to this field indicating that the email has been sent.

    This field and value can be used in the previously described SQL query to prevent duplicate emails from being sent.

14. Configure additional emails to be sent for the currently selected layer by clicking the Add New button.

    Emails will be sent in the order they are configured. Expand General Email Settings. If the tool has not been run previously, start by specifying the connection information for your SMTP server in the tool.

15. In the SMTP Server parameter, type the URL of the SMTP server used for sending emails.
16. In the SMTP Username parameter, type the user name required to authenticate to the SMTP server. This is not required if authenticating through a port.
17. In the SMTP Password parameter, type the password required to authenticate to the SMTP server. This is not required if authenticating through a port.
18. In the From Address parameter, type the address from which the emails should be sent.
19. In the Reply Address parameter, type the address that should be used for any replies to the email message.
20. Check or uncheck the Use TLS check box to turn on or off TLS.
21. In the Email Substitutions section, type Find and Replace values. Swap out one piece of text for another in the outgoing email subject or body.

    Anywhere a value in the Find parameter is found in the email subject or body, it will be replaced with the corresponding value from the Replace parameter. If the value in the Replace parameter is a field in the layer, the Find value will be replaced with the value in that field in the triggering feature. For example, to add the ID of a feature from the REQUESTID field to the email subject, include a piece of text such as {ID} in the configured Email Subject, and add {ID} to the Find parameter and REQUESTID to the Replace parameter. All specified substitutions are applied to all emails configured for all layers so, while the Find values can be any piece of text, it's suggested that you use something that is clearly variable-like and unlikely to appear elsewhere in the messages in a literal form.

    Deleting or changing these settings impacts all the emails for all the layers configured with this tool.

22. Click Run.

Enrich reports

Reports made in public comment apps can be enriched with information about the report location. You can then use this information to efficiently direct the report to the correct person or agency responsible for its resolution.

You can then use the Enrich Reports tool to configure which attribute values to calculate from a coincident or intersecting set of features at a regularly scheduled interval of your choosing. Note that the tool only generates the configuration; you must run an additional script (provided) to update the features based on intersecting features.

1. In the Catalog pane, expand Toolboxes and ServiceSupport.pyt.
2. Double-click the Enrich Reports tool.
3. In the Layer parameter, click the browse button.

   The Layer dialog box appears.

4. Under Portal, click My Content.
5. Double-click the Citizen Problem Reporter folder.
6. Double-click the Requests feature layer.
7. Click Requests, and click OK.
8. In the Enrichment parameter, if an enrichment configuration already exists for the selected layer, choose to either edit an existing configuration by selecting the configuration from the drop-down list, or choose the option to add a new enrichment configuration.

   If you choose to edit an existing configuration, a check box appears that, when checked, deletes the existing enrichment configuration for the selected layer. Alternatively, edit the configuration and run the tool to save the changes. To add a new enrichment configuration, click the Add New button and continue with the following steps.

9. Choose the polygon feature layer that will provide the enriching attribute values by either choosing a layer from the active map or by browsing to your hosted content and choosing a polygon feature layer.
10. In the Source Field parameter, click the drop-down arrow and choose a field from the enrichment layer.
11. In the Target Field parameter, click the drop-down arrow and choose a field from the Requests feature layer.

    The script does not process features that already have a value in the target field.

12. In the Priority parameter, type a value. Specify the priority for this enrichment configuration relative to the other configurations for the Requests feature layer.

    Enrichment configurations for a layer that have a lower priority value will override enrichment configurations with a higher value. For example, a layer has two enrichment configurations that use the same target field, but one has a priority value of 1 and the other has a priority of 2. If the configuration with priority 1 does not produce a valid value for the field, the field is populated with the value produced from the configuration with priority 2.

13. Click Run.

Set up Task Scheduler

Use Windows Task Scheduler to schedule the script to generate report IDs when a feature or record is created, moderate reports when feedback contains inappropriate language, send email notifications when a feature or record is created or updated, or enrich reports. All the tools in this toolbox share a common configuration file and execution script, so only one scheduled task is required to automate running all the associated processes.

1. Open the Task Scheduler on the computer that is hosting the scripts.
2. Click Action > Create Task and name your task.
3. Click the Action tab and click New.
4. Set Action to Start a Program.
5. Browse to the location of your Python 3 installation (for example, <default directory>\C:\Program Files\ArcGIS\Pro\bin\Python\envs\arcgispro-py3\python.exe).
6. In the Add arguments text box, type the name of the script (servicefunctions.py).
7. In the Start in text box, type the path to the folder where your script is and click OK.
8. Click the Trigger tab, click New, and set a schedule for your task.
9. Click OK.

When the trigger occurs, the scripts begin scanning the configured layers and, for each one, processing (in order) configurations for generating identifiers, enriching reports, moderating reports, and sending emails.