AGENDA #8a
MEMORANDUM
TO: Roger L. Stancil, Town Manager
FROM: Bob Avery, Information Technology Department Director
SUBJECT: Status of Master Technology Plan Development
DATE: October 23, 2006
PURPOSE
This report summarizes the initial steps the Town staff is taking to develop a master technology plan for the Town of Chapel Hill.
BACKGROUND
At the June 26, 2006 Town Council Meeting, Council members noted the Town did not have a master technology plan and requested the Manager to recommend a process to develop a plan. The Council indicated the plan should address considerations for a wireless communications network.
DISCUSSION
The Town’s first technology plan was prepared in 2000 and has been used as a resource in developing budgets and technology initiatives since then. The specific technology initiatives have been refined each year and adjusted as budgeting allowed. Although many initiatives remain in progress, a thorough review of our process and capabilities will be the basis for an updated technology plan to address wireless internet access for citizens, e-government enhancements and operational efficiencies.
The first step we have taken is a technology initiatives review by the Staff Technology Review Team headed by the Deputy Town Manager. This team, composed primarily of department heads, is reviewing the status of current technology initiatives and developing a list of technology needs. The team is reviewing the existing, planned and desired uses of technology. I have included a listing of some of the Town’s existing technology resources (Attachment 1), technology improvements (Attachment 2), and technology improvements under consideration (Attachment 3).
The following comments highlight some of the areas being reviewed.
Existing Systems and Infrastructure
The Town has invested heavily in technology resources to provide a high level of support for delivering services to citizens. These resources, which include data systems (computers, databases, email, and web) and voice systems (telephones, UHF radio, VHF radio, and 800 MHz trunking radio systems), are essential to the daily operations of Town departments. As we seek to expand the capabilities of these systems or add new features, we will need to closely examine the requirements, both monetary and personnel, to support the capabilities desired.
The Town currently operates 500 computers, 14 key database systems, and five different telephone systems. As we seek to enhance public access services we will need to examine the underlying infrastructure that supports the existing equipment and systems to see if it is sufficient to support additional services.
Database Systems. These systems are an integral part of the Town’s operations. They are comprised of computer hardware, software, and support services and are used both as enterprise systems (all departments) and as internal department systems. When viewed as a whole these systems represent a considerable investment as both a capital expense for installation and as a continuing expense for annual support services from the program vendors. There are 14 major database programs in use by departments including financial management (all departments), crime data management (Police), vehicle maintenance (Public Works and Transportation), building maintenance (Public Works and Housing), paratransit scheduling (Transportation), activity scheduling (Parks and Recreation), and catalog (Library).
The Internet has driven a demand for these database systems to provide information and access directly to the public. Inter-departmental information sharing has also increased the need for wider access to the data. To keep pace with these needs the Town has worked steadily to ensure database systems are procured and updated with the features necessary to support reliable operations and, where feasible, provide interoperability with web and network services. In spite of this effort, the list of desired improvements to databases and related web-enabled applications continues to grow.
One of the key objectives of the review process is to examine the adequacy of these database systems and other key computing services to meet our anticipated needs for providing online transaction services for our citizens.
E-Government Initiatives
E-Government refers to the process of delivering government services through electronic resources. The Town currently offers, through our web site, standard governmental information such as agendas, minutes, downloadable forms, bids, job postings, news updates, meeting schedules, and a host of other informational items. We are also making some significant additions: the capability to stream the broadcast of Council meetings via the Internet, and the online availability of Transit bus arrival times. We are increasing the number of downloadable Town forms and will add online access to permit and inspection status later this year.
What we do not offer are some of the desired interactive features and online applications such as applying for a building permit, registering for a recreational program, or paying fees.
The Staff Technology Review Team will look at all of these services as well as the internal staff processes for providing information and conducting transactions with citizens. The goal is to establish a comprehensive list of needs that can be used to develop a long term technology plan.
Capital Improvement Program
Over the past year, the Town has completed two technology related projects in the Capital Improvement Program (CIP): installation of an emergency power generator for Town Hall and the replacement of the Town Hall telephone system. These two projects, funded by the Town Council in FY 2005-2006, have provided needed improvements for the computer data center at Town Hall which will aid in supporting E-Government initiatives. In particular the Town Hall telephone system can now expand to support departments located outside of Town Hall. The Town Operations Center telephone system is designed to integrate into this system and other remote department sites will be added as their systems require replacement.
Fiber Optic Cable. One remaining technology related CIP project is Town-owned fiber optic cable installation planned to be done in conjunction with the upgrade of the traffic signal system. This project will provide high speed transmission capability for voice, data, and video signals between Town facilities. The planning for this project will require the assistance of outside expertise and should be integrated into any long range technology plan developed by the Town.
Wireless Initiatives
The Town currently uses a variety of wireless systems to ensure public safety and perform services. The Police Department uses cellular wireless services to connect mobile data terminals in police cruisers to crime record databases. The Transportation Department also uses cellular wireless services for the automatic bus locator system. The Town uses wireless building-to-building connections in several areas and offers public access to the Internet at Town Hall and the Chapel Hill Public Library via wireless hotspots.
The potential uses for wireless connectivity to support both public safety and routine Town functions and services continue to grow. With the additional consideration for public access to the Internet via a town-wide system, the wireless system needed to support the range of options being considered becomes quite large and complex. The Town staff does not have the expertise to plan, implement, and operate such a system.
Forum on Municipal Wireless Services. The Forum, sponsored by the Town Council in May 2006, provided a good insight into the potential benefits of a municipal wireless system. Since then, Town staff has gathered information about wireless initiatives in other municipalities and commercial wireless ventures planned for Chapel Hill. The Winston-Salem initiative is of particular interest because the executive director of Winston Net was a participant in our forum in May. The Winston-Salem wireless initiative has gone through a Request for Proposals process and within recent weeks announced the selection of a provider to install and operate their system. Their next step is to establish a contract with the selected companies. We will continue to follow their process to gain insight into how we can initiate a wireless system.
As part of the Staff Technology Review Team process we will need to analyze our needs and potential uses in a way that would allow us to determine the appropriate level of service needed in a wireless system to support Town operation and services.
RECOMMENDATION
Fundamental to the process of developing a technology plan is a thorough needs assessment. This requires a detailed data gathering of existing infrastructure and services and an analysis of this data relative to organizational goals and objectives. We have begun this process through the Staff Technology Review Team. The process should provide you with an effective analysis that can be used to guide the development of a master technology plan to the Town.
While this effort will provide you with a staff perspective for enhancing technology services, we would no doubt benefit from some outside support. Expertise in analyzing enterprise systems, municipal wireless systems, fiber optic systems, and technical services in general would be most valuable and would additionally provide another perspective about how to develop an effective master plan. This assistance would also aid in completing the assessment process quickly so that future budget implications can be considered in a timely manner.
ATTACHMENTS