Systems news

August 20, 2024

APTS

At 4:30pm on August 20, 2024, APTS will become unavailable for a scheduled Feature Update that will include the following:

• The Borden Number field now accepts copy/pasted comma separated or excel column lists. It no longer accepts text comments.
• All borden number data has been cleaned up to eliminate zero-filling, and the system will auto-format entries when entered (e.g. xxxx-0001 > XxXx-1).
• Associated Borden Numbers can also be entered when you are submitting a report. They will then appear on the main Borden Number list on the file's Details page. 

July 8, 2024

RAAD

The Location & Access Description fields in RAAD reports are not showing the full scope of data. The fix has been delayed by an IT server outage, and is now scheduled to roll out at 2pm on Monday, July 8.

May 22, 2024

RAAD

This Feature release includes:

• Redesigned PDF reports that display in a new tabled layout with many additional fields.
• Adjustments to CSV report fields.
• The replacement of 4 Heritage layers with 1 new comprehensive Historic Environments layer. PLEASE NOTE: After this release, Historic Site information will no longer be available through our RAAD reports - it will only be available by contacting the Heritage Branch, who now owns their data exclusively.
• New measurement units (meters, m², and km²).
• A bug fix to resolve layer zoom issues.
• A general upgrade to the core system.

April 19th - 22nd, 2024

APTS

APTS will be unavailable from 5pm Friday, April 19th to 7am Monday, April 22nd to complete a scheduled technical update.

April 15, 2024

RAAD, BCGW  LAYERS

The Archaeological Sites layer will be unavailable from 8 - 8:30 am on Monday, April 15, 2024, so that DataBC can install an update. RAAD may also be taken offline during this time. Please plan accordingly. 

March 16, 2024

RAAD

From 8am-5pm on Saturday, March 16, 2024, RAAD will be offline so IT can complete a planned server upgrade. 

March 3, 2024

ALL

On Sunday, March 3, 2024, the Office of the Chief Information Officer (OCIO) is conducting significant network upgrades in the Kamloops Data Centre, which will impact most apps, databases, and proxy servers in the Natural Resource Ministries (NRM). The updates will involve an outage to all network traffic from 12:00 a.m. midnight to 6:00 a.m. Pacific Time. This includes potential disruptions to services as post-update testing takes place. 

Archaeology systems will be tested following the outage and any resulting issues reported to the OCIO for resolution. 

• A new section above the consultant file list that will display information and alerts about items that may affect the permitting process
• A new Co-Permittee column in the file list
• Enhancements to internal-only reporting abilities that will allow the branch to better assess and address permitting concerns.

August 24, 2023

APTS

APTS will be unavailable from 4pm to 12am on Thursday, August 24, 2023, to complete a scheduled feature release that includes:

• 4 new file statuses to help clarify where in the application lifecycle they are:
  • Not Yet Submitted 
  • Initial Application Review
  • In Consultation
  • Permit Decision Review
• 4 new fields on the file details page to provide all basic file information in one place: 
  • Application Number
  • Project Officer
  • Status
  • Permit Issued Date
• A fix for a bug that was preventing co-permittees from seeing the files they are listed on. 
• A fix for a bug that was causing inaccurate flagging of report obligations.

March 29, 2023

RAAD

RAAD will be unavailable from approximately 10:30am - 2:00pm on Wednesday, March 29th while we:

• Make layer data exports available for Areas of Potential, Study Areas, and Subsurface Test Areas
• Link to consultation resources
• Update the layers that load on startup
• Install buttons that will expand and contract all sections in the layer list 
• Upgrade PDF report software

December 19, 2022

RAAD

RAAD will be unavailable from 1:30pm - 2:00pm on Monday, December 19th while we upgrade RAAD's common web mapping software to the latest version. This release will also:

• fix 3 AOI-related bugs: distorting at different scales, buffering causing some multi-point parts to be deleted, and some multi-point exports having no geometry
• fix 2 transparency bugs: not being able to see property lines when the AOA Provincial layer is turned on, and maps not printing with the same transparency the layer section slider is set to
• do away with case sensitivity in feature and borden searches 

November 21, 2022

ALL

We apologize for the many unexpected service disruptions over the past few months while IT has been troubleshooting the servers that host all of the Natural Resource programs. We are doing our best to keep systems running during this challenging time.

November 20, 2022

APTS, HRIA

The BC Geographic Warehouse will be performing database maintenance from 5am - 10am, Sunday November 20. HRIA will be unavailable during this time.

November 17, 2022

RAAD

RAAD will be unavailable from 1:30pm to 5:00pm, Thursday, November 17 in order to apply a planned upgrade to our Site Data Export Report PDFs. This upgrade from the Crystal report platform to JasperSoft will enable us to produce more modern and meaningful reports in the coming months and years.

November 10, 2022

HRIA

HRIA will be taken offline at 4:30pm on Thursday, November 10 in preparation for the Quarterly Database Server Patching. Service will be restored by 9am Monday, November 14. 

November 5-6, 2022

APTS

APTS will be unavailable from 5am Saturday, November 5 to 8pm Sunday, November 6 so that the OCIO can finish the scans it began on October 28.

October 28-30, 2022

APTS, RAAD, HRIA

The Office of the Chief Information Officer will be running a scan on all government application drives from 11pm Friday Oct 28 to approximately 8pm Sunday Oct 30 (may finish sooner). All of our programs will be unavailable during this time. 

October 23, 2022

ALL

We apologize for the many unexpected service disruptions this fall while DataBC and IT have been doing work that affects all of the Natural Resource programs. We are doing our best to keep systems running during this challenging time.

October 22, 2022

RAAD, HRIA

RAAD and HRIA will both be unavailable from Saturday October 22 6:00 AM to Sunday, October 23 8:00 PM while IT completes some maintenance work on their production server.

August 29, 2022

RAAD

A DataBC connection issue caused some sites to not appear on maps or in reports in RAAD from early morning to late night on Monday, August 29, 2022. If searched directly, these sites returned 'invalid borden number' errors. The branch sent out a notification asking that users please refrain from making land use decisions until it was resolved. 

If you used RAAD to inform any applications or decisions on August 29, please re-run your RAAD search to ensure no sites were missing from the area in question.

August 21, 2022

RAAD & other GIS programs

The BCGW layers will be unavailable on Sunday August 21, 2022, from approximately 6-11am as maintenance is performed on Data Services' production databases. Other information imported to applications via DataBC may also be affected. 

June 12, 2022

APTS

APTS will be offline from 5am-9am on Sunday, June 12th for scheduled maintenance.

April 26, 2022

RAAD

RAAD will be down from 9:30-11am Tuesday April 26 in order to apply 4 bug fixes and 2 enhancements that were unexpectedly rescheduled for expedited release today.

This release will:

1. Enable batch downloads of Related Documents.
2. Fix all export button selection issues on the Site Data Export tab.
3. Restore PID search functionality to the Quick Search panel.
4. Resolve issue of missing site labels in exported shapefiles.
5. Update error message to provide better explanations and next steps for user access issues.
6. Correct the title of the Historic Trails layer.

March 27, 2022

APTS, RAAD, HRIA

APTS, RAAD, and HRIA will be unavailable from 6pm Sunday, March 27 to 12am Monday, March 28 During this time, Maintenance will be performed on the Windows Server as well as the BC Geographic Warehouse (BCGW) and Operational (DBC) production data environments. This may also affect other provincial programs that import layers and data from these sources.

March 4, 5, 6 & 17, 2022

APTS

The maintenance IT had previously planned for Feb 18-20 has been rescheduled.

As a result, APTS will instead be unavailable on the following dates:

• From 3pm on Friday, March 4th to 5pm on Sunday, March 6th
• Thursday, March 17 2022 from 5pm - 12am

February 2-3, 2022

ALL

A government-wide systems access issue occurred around 3pm Wednesday, February 2, and was not fully resolved until 1pm today, Thursday, February 3.

This outage affected all of the branch's programs as well as our website editing login, rendering us unable to inform users. We apologize for the inconvenience.

All systems should now work as expected. If you still encounter issues, please restart your computer and try again.

January 12, 2022

ALL

Effective immediately, the province recommends against using the Internet Explorer (IE) web browser to access our online programs because they may not function as intended. 

Microsoft is currently in the process of discontinuing updates and support for Internet Explorer 11, replacing its former flagship browser with the newest version of Microsoft Edge.

Since all IE support is scheduled to cease on June 15, 2022, the BC Public Service is transitioning its programs and will complete changes to all systems code over the next 6 months. Many systems already do not function properly in IE.

Please use Chrome, Edge, or Firefox to access Archaeology systems going forward.

January 11, 2022

PARL

PARL will be offline from Tuesday January 11 at 7:00 pm to Wednesday January 12 at 1:00 am due to some scheduled maintenance on the Queen's Printer building.

December 3, 2021

APTS

An APTS feature release is scheduled for this coming Friday December 3, 2021 from 5pm-Midnight. APTS will be taken offline to complete the work.

This release will include two significant enhancements to the consultant portal:

1. Co-Permittee File Visibility - Co-Permittees AND their company's employees will now be able to see files they are listed on the same way Permit Holders can. This will ensure that all consulting archaeologists and organizations with permitting obligations under the HCA retain access to the files they are responsible for.

IMPORTANT: After this update, if a former employee of your company can still see your files without being a PH/Co-P on them (or vice versa), it means that person's active Business BCeID is still associated with your company, and should be discontinued by your BCeID Administrator asap. They should then be notified with a request to have their new employer's BCeID Administrator set up a Business BCeID for them with a previously unused username.

2. Main Menu & Landing Page Changes in External Portal - We've redesigned the APTS main page to make it a more relevant experience. All menu links will now appear in the left side menu, and several new links to useful web resources like the HCA and Permitting Documents will be added. The page that opens immediately after you log in will now display all of the files you are qualified to see as a permit holder, co-permittee, and employee.

December 2 - 3, 2021

APTS

The IT department will be taking APTS offline to complete a planned service update from 5-9pm on Thursday, December 2, 2021. APTS may also experience intermittent outages the following morning should additional adjustments be required. 

November 21, 2021

RAAD, HRIA, APTS

All archaeology systems may be affected by our IT department's production database maintenance, scheduled for Sunday, November 21, 2021, from 6-10am.

November 19, 2021

RAAD

In order to implement a new portal for another business area, the ministry will be taking some of its servers offline from noon Friday, Nov. 19, 2021 to 11:59 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 20, 2021. 

This will cause intermittent outages for a number of natural resource applications, including RAAD and other mapping applications like iMAP.

November 13, 2021

APTS, other provincial programs

There will be a BCeID Common Login Page outage on Saturday, November 13 from 6 am – 9 am. All provincial government programs that use this login method will display a “Site Under Maintenance” notice.

October 20, 2021

RAAD

RAAD will be unavailable from 2pm-5pm on Wednesday, October 20 to complete a feature release that will make 12 additional layers available in program.

These layers are a mix of net new, significantly revised, and layers sourced from other business areas, and can be found in the BCGW Data Catalogue under the following names:

1. Unreviewed Site Record Updates

2. Archaeological Overview Assessments

3. Informed Contributors

4. Areas of Potential

5. Archaeological Study Areas

6. Subsurface Test Areas

7. Bedrock Geology

8. Soil Survey Spatial View

9. Geology Quaternary Alluvium and Cover

10. BEC Map (Biogeoclimatic Ecosystem Classification)

11. Historic Trails

12. Archaeological Overview Assessments

September 22, 2021

HRIA

HRIA will be offline all day September 22 and the morning of September 23 to perform a maintenance release that will:

• upgrade HRIA to LRM version 4.6.1 from LRM 2.2.3
• upgrade HRIA to ArcMap version 10.7.1
• upgrade HRIA's server to run on .NET 4.8

Users will be notified by email when HRIA is once again available for use.

August 27, 2021

APTS

APTS will be offline for scheduled maintenance from 5pm Friday, August 27 to 10am Monday, August 30.

August 11, 2021

RAAD

RAAD may experience intermittent outages or unexpected behaviors throughout the day on Wednesday, August 11, 2021, as a report server migration is completed in the background. We thank you for your patience while RAAD functionality is secured for the next many years. 

** Please note that this work has had to be rescheduled from its initial date of August 5th due to wildfire efforts taking priority, and may be rescheduled again. **

May 6, 2021

RAAD

All natural resource sector Common Web Mapping programs, including RAAD, will be down for scheduled maintenance from approximately 1:30 pm - 2 pm this coming Thursday, May 6. 

April 23-25, 2021

APTS

APTS will be offline for scheduled server maintenance from 5pm Friday, April 23 to  7am Monday, April 26 7:00 am.

April 20, 2021

APTS

Some APTS users are unable to see files they think they should be able to see in APTS.

For more information, please visit the APTS page's Troubleshooting section and choose "I can't see all of my applications or permits in APTS."

April 16, 2021

RAAD

Some RAAD users are reporting being unable to export data from the Site Data Export tab because the dropdown arrows are missing .This issue has been reported to our development team.

AVAILABLE WORKAROUND: Users can still access the report dropdowns by clicking the blank space where the arrows would normally be seen.

For more information and screen shots, visit the RAAD page, click on Troubleshoot RAAD issues, and select "I can't export site data from the Site Data Export tab because the dropdown arrows are missing."

Feb 26 -
Mar 8, 2021

APTS

After our major software release in APTS, we found a few bugs that we have now corrected:

• Post-submission appearance of new applications - RESOLVED
• Reports cannot be submitted on existing permits - RESOLVED
• Applications containing New Parties can't be submitted - RESOLVED

Thank you for your patience during the troubleshooting period.

Feb 25, 2021

APTS

FEATURE RELEASE: Thursday, February 25, 2021 from 6-9pm

APTS will be unavailable tonight during this window to upgrade the external client portal with new features and fixes. 

These include:

• the ability to edit application submissions until they are actively under review by the branch
• the ability to upload permit-related files and documents at any time in your application or permit lifecycle under 3 different file classifications: application files, shapefiles, or documents (everything else)
• repair of broken "?" guidance buttons on application and report submission pages
• more mandatory fields on the Submit New Application page including Permit Participant roles, repository, selection, application documents, and shapefiles
• new 'application signed' field that MUST match the date next to signatures on app doc
• more mandatory fields on the Submit a Report page including description, abstract, author, copyright owner and report document
• updated error messages throughout the portal
• repair of the overdue obligation column to accurately flag unsubmitted final reports

Feb 18, 2021

RAAD

SCHEDULED MAINTENANCE: Sunday, February 28, 5am-11am PST (approx.)

RAAD will be unavailable during this window due to quarterly server maintenance. 

Jan 27, 2021

APTS

Some important changes to the APTS Client Portal are being completed by our development team between now and the end of April.

Now Live:

• More Sector classifications - click the Sector dropdown menu on the new application page to choose from 15 new sectors.

These new features and fixes are estimated to be released on February 25, 2021:

• the ability to edit applications until they are in review
• the ability to upload documents throughout the permit lifecycle
• more mandatory fields on the application submission page
• more mandatory fields on the report submission page 
• repair and revision of broken help text on both submission pages
• repair of the overdue obligation logic to improve accuracy
• revisions to the way permit participants are added
• revisions to the way documents are uploaded

One enhancement is scheduled to be launched sometime in April or May of 2021:

• revisions to the way new parties are created

Jan 20, 2021

ALL

Effective immediately, the province recommends against using the Internet Explorer (IE) web browser to access our online programs because they may not function as intended. 

Microsoft is currently in the process of discontinuing updates and support for Internet Explorer 11, replacing its former flagship browser with the newest version of Microsoft Edge. 

Please use Chrome, Edge, or Firefox to access Archaeology systems instead.