About NetRequest™ 

Advanced Planning Technologies, Inc. has created the first ever Internet CAD software with a tightly integrated PostgreSQL database: NetRequest™.  We have created a facility management system that lets users import existing CAD or draw a facility, then use this base drawing to manage and communicate facility management needs worldwide via client defined user access privileges.  Drag and drop symbols from a photo realistic image library to populate the facility with symbols that are recognizable by everyone in the organization! Symbols and drawing elements have attached data or links to other databases in the network.  A user friendly database allows access to relational tables for all the facilities information needs and is presented in a spreadsheet format for easy manipulation. 

Some of the features of NetRequest™ include:

Multi-Level User Accounts

Sharing information about facilities can be a cause for anxiety.  You don’t want all your efforts to be shared or changed by others in the organization not familiar with your work. You don’t want all users to have access to sensitive information.  Now you can control the dissemination of facility information.  NetRequest™ has a comprehensive security feature that allows you to set up “user types”.  The administrator can now restrict users to specific layers or layer-sets within the facility plans.  Associated data elements can also be restricted to read only, read/write or no access.

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Web-Based CAD

Imagine the possibilities of viewing, sharing and working with CAD on-line.  No more mailing or e-mailing documents back and forth. That’s efficiency! Utilizing the latest technologies, APT, Inc. has created a tool that lets you work with others in real time. With an integrated database, an intelligent drawing is easily created that documents the facility.

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Document Archives

All blueprints deteriorate over time. The possibility for loss or destruction is always present. It’s never convenient to travel to a document storage room to access facility information from blueprints or spec books. NetRequest™ provides for one click access to facility documents! Once facility prints and documents are scanned, they can easily be uploaded to the NetRequest™ server. That gives secure access to the drawings from any computer in the network or the Internet that has the NetRequest™ application installed.

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Color Coding and Layersets

Communicating complex information is much easier to comprehend if supported by graphical images and pictures.  Departmental areas or floor covering types or roof sections or space usage are all common issues that are much easier to portray visually.  NetRequest™ provides an intuitive console to create color coded drawings by associating areas with database elements.  No “coding” is required, just select the common data base element that describes an area, select a color from the color palette and give it a name; it’s that easy.

Layersets are sets of layers needed to depict and manage an issue.  Depicting floor coverings don’t require the presence of HVAC layers so NetRequest™ allows the user to select just the layers containing the relevant information and groups them into a “layerset”.  Users can create any number of Layersets to communicate facility issues.

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Database Access Module

A user friendly database allows access to relational tables for all the facilities information needs and is presented in a spreadsheet format for easy manipulation.  User friendly features include: pre-sorted data so that only the relevant data elements are displayed for each query.  The user can easily “drill down” to the relational elements that support a database query.  For example, a query of a floor covering contains a cell for the manufacturer.  Click in this cell and the user opens a related table that contains all the relevant manufacturer information such as address and phone.

Changes in the database are instantly propagated throughout the project, so multiple entries are not required.

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Photo-Realistic Image Library

Not all users within your organization understand trade specific drawing symbols.  Now you have a choice. In order for facility information to be utilized throughout the organization, a means must be found to make facility drawings and trade specific layers understandable to everyone.  Using photo-realistic symbols and icons is the answer.  In addition to a trade specific symbol library, NetRequest™ allows the importation of photo realistic symbols.  A fire extinguisher can look like one, not the NFPA symbol. Electrical components can look like outlets and service jacks, not conventional electrical component symbols.  NetRequest™ overcomes the failure of all current CAFM systems; getting facility information out to users outside the facility department.

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Standard Reports plus Crystal Reports™ compatability

NetRequest™ uses an industry standard SQL database that allows report writing utilizing common tools like Crystal Reportstm or the NetRequest™ internal report writer. 

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Secure Data Storage

We live in the information age, yet facility managers have been constrained to desktop software that restricts access to the information they need at their fingertips. NetRequest™  is a web based facility management system that is also “web native”; designed from the ground up to be utilized on a network or the Internet.  From detailed blueprint information to any issue or equipment specific data, it’s now available from anywhere in the organization.  Security is first rate with project name, user name and passwords restricting access to the NetRequest™ server.  Security certificates ensure you are looking at your data, not some phishing scheme.

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Facility Management

A manager in any field can’t manage without detailed information. How can we project the cost to replace floor coverings in building wing “A” in five years without an inventory of what exists now, a condition assessment of same, and the details of replacement costs projected into the future?

Facility management is the practice of coordinating the physical workplace with the people and work of the organization. The critical elements are those which improve quality, reduce costs, and improve efficiencies.

The benefits achieved by implementing NetRequest™ fall into three categories.

1. Savings in Facility Management Staff Time
Where facility management tasks are done manually, a case for specific cost savings can be made. In particular, where tasks such as departmental area calculations, generating space chargeback reports, producing color-coded departmental occupancy drawings, or producing CAD drawings annotated with employee names are currently done manually or are done on CAD without a CAFM system, substantial savings can be expected. The information will be more permanent and accessible to management.

2. Improvements in the Delivery of Facility Management Services
A significant benefit of a CAFM system is its ability to provide better information for making facility management decisions. With a CAFM system, it becomes much easier to identify under-utilized or vacant space, thus resulting in improved space efficiency.

Facility automation will result in increased capabilities for space planning, strategic planning and project implementation. This can lead to reductions in architecture & design costs. An added benefit is quicker turn-around time for planning requests. As-built and current CAD plans can be exported to architects and engineers to eliminate re-draw costs and speed the planning process.

It will be easier to maintain and manage Emergency Management Plans such as: Fire Exiting Routes, Tornado Shelter Areas, Emergency Shutoff Locations (water valves, electrical breakers and HVAC dampers) Lock-Box locations and key information, Fire Extinguisher locations and inspections, AHU locations and zones etc.

Facility automation provides the tools to report on all aspects of the facility. Manage flooring types, dates installed, current condition and estimate future replacement costs, replacement dates and locations.

The same is true for roofing by tracking roofing types, dates installed, current conditions and estimate future replacement costs, replacement dates and locations.
Create colored floor plans to print with the click of a mouse that depicts space usage by department. Accurate space utilization information is crucial for effective management of facilities. Currently, such information is usually not easily accessible to executives.
Facilities information can be communicated and shared throughout the organization. Management can be provided with the tools to make effective real estate decisions and give end users the ability to review data and interact with the facilities group. Asset locations are actual images of items throughout our facility. That is, the item(s) are represented by visually representative icons for all to see and understand, instead of being an A&E symbol that only the trades usually recognize.

3. Improvements in Organizational Efficiency

Many times the possible negatives are easier to quantify.  Without facility information immediately accessible in times of emergency, costs can quickly escalate. How much longer does it take to research paper plans or physically search for emergency shutoffs.  What will be the savings in property losses if we can call up current as-built floor plans on our network to immediately find emergency information? Current as-built CAD floor plans will be available immediately rather than a search through a paper print archive. The CAD plans combined with a scanned document archive of all the technical information found on blueprints gives immediate access to all the buildings information instantly.

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We sincerely hope you feel the enthusiasm we have for NetRequest™ and share our passion for advancing CAFM into the future!