GIS Strategic Plan 2014 Update

Transcription

1 GIS Strategic Plan 2014 Update For Muskegon County, Michigan Final - September, 2014 Prepared by:

2 GIS Strategic Plan 2014 Update Executive Summary Muskegon County GIS (MCGIS) has contracted with InfoGeographics Inc. (IGI) to update the original GIS Strategic Plan that it assisted to develop in A series of interviews with 33 agencies were used in the plan update process for the identification of strengths and challenges of the program. This information, along with in-depth knowledge and experience with GIS programs in Michigan and nationwide were used to analyze and develop recommendations for Muskegon County to move forward effectively with its GIS Program. Three major categories, Technical, Organizational and Financial were organized to meet the goals identified for the GIS Strategic Plan and then summarized and arranged in a Next Steps to Implementation section. The following sections of this executive summary discuss and present the major results of the Plan. Advantages of GIS for Muskegon County Basic Goals and Benefits for the GIS Program were presented and discussed in this section, with a view towards realization of these through efficient expansion of the GIS Program and enhanced development and integration of GIS operations and capability. GIS Goals for Muskegon County Organizations Plan for and enhance the implementation of GIS at Muskegon County agencies based upon its best, highest and most cost-effective use. Assist all participants in Muskegon County to perform their daily business and services more efficiently and in an integrated spatial context where useful, leveraging existing resources for this purpose. Make Muskegon County s data more available and usable to a wider audience both within participating organizations, the general public and other agencies. Make better decisions for all the participating organizations and the general public. Better manage and access Muskegon County s assets. Generate new and better products by integrating data resources. Better serve participant agencies and the public. InfoGeographics, Inc MCGIS GIS Strategic Plan 2014 Update 4

3 Benefits of GIS for Muskegon County Organizations Quality of Information Better Access to Information Ease of Use Information Integration Enhanced Return-on-Investment Better Decision Making Access to the Digital Universe Regulatory Requirement Assistance Stability, Permanence, and Organization Current Status The current state of the GIS Program provides strong central resources, key data layers, staff skills, and disseminates valuable products and services for users both internal and external to Muskegon County government. At the time of the original GIS Strategic Plan in 2006, GIS use had started but was not utilized in an enterprise fashion, although a great demand was evident for the growth of coordinated GIS resources as more internal and external departments and agencies wished to take advantage of spatial technology. GIS has since become enterprise sourced and served at the County through Muskegon County GIS staff and operations, the use of advanced GIS software along with a modern and robust virtualized computing infrastructure. These operations serve countywide data and web mapping GIS applications directly to the user base and integrated with their business processes. An overview of the GIS Program s many accomplishments along with identified areas of focus are as follows. GIS operations started in 1997 and Muskegon County s GIS Program has developed into a leader in GIS in the State of Michigan. MCGIS is now located within the Information Systems (IS) Department with technical support from staff in other departments. A separate budget line item has been created for GIS operations as part of the IS departmental budget. At present there is just one full time staff at MCGIS which has difficulty keeping up with program demands. This small number of central GIS staff cannot support a large workload, especially related to expanding the GIS Program in any measurable manner. This lack of staffing is a primary cause of any perceived latency of GIS services for County departments and external agencies, along with a lack of time to promote knowledge and education regarding the GIS Program and resources. InfoGeographics, Inc MCGIS GIS Strategic Plan 2014 Update 5

4 There is a very good Information Technology infrastructure and computing environment in place, however the virtualization of County computers has presented some performance issues for users across the enterprise system, which are being addressed. Property mapping GIS data is now complete for the entire county, however, there is a need to modernize the database and refine the mapping data for geographic-horizontal accuracy in certain areas. Address resources at Muskegon County are split between MCGIS and E9-1-1/Central Dispatch. This includes redundant, disparate data and a gap in the working relationship between these two agencies. However, there is a stated desire by both parties to come together on these issues and work towards a consolidated solution. Many County Departments and external agencies are currently working with MCGIS but there is a perceived lack of awareness of the GIS Program resources and a desire to receive education and training on GIS and available GIS data and applications. GIS data and applications are increasingly integrated into departments and agencies as evidenced by the many web mapping applications now deployed, but additional support and education with users is needed. There is some limited use of desktop GIS and CADD among county and local units of government users but a significant percentage of external users and the general public still rely on hard copy maps. However, there is a positive trend to utilize the deployed web mapping applications which MCGIS will support to build on this trend. A GIS-related Enhanced Access Policy and Fee Structure at the County level is in place, and some cost recovery is occurring, otherwise GIS is general fund, departmental, and local unit agreement financed. The interviews revealed some creative funding ideas for consideration. Generally, there is a positive attitude and willingness to participate in the GIS Program internally and externally, especially if GIS community building can occur. As an illustration of the outwardly demonstrated progress that Muskegon County s GIS Program and MCGIS have been responsible for, the following table presents the Muskegon County GIS Applications that are currently in production and available. Agency General/County GIS Public Health Legal/Sheriff Existing GIS Applications State of Michigan MiLocator (Public by State, not MCGIS) US Census Explorer (Public by Census Bureau, not MCGIS) Pictometry Online (Restricted by Pictometry, not MCGIS) Environmental Quality Site Viewer (Restricted) School Safe Zones Viewer (Restricted) InfoGeographics, Inc MCGIS GIS Strategic Plan 2014 Update 6

5 Agency Clerk/Elections Land Bank Equalization Economic Dev DPW/Fire Transit Existing GIS Applications Polling Place Election Viewer Application (Public) Land Bank Property Viewer Application (Public) Land Bank Internal Property Review (Restricted) Free Property Mapping Application (Public) Equalization Property Survey Viewer (Restricted) Equalization ECF Neighborhood Viewer (Restricted) Equalization Tax Map Printing Application (Restricted) Business Parks Viewer (Public) Fire Hydrant Viewer (Restricted) Wastewater Facility Asset Viewer (Restricted) Transit System Transit Manager Editing Application (Restricted) Technical Recommendations Technical opportunities for Muskegon County are summarized by data, infrastructure and applications. An application-oriented approach, based on centralized web mapping, has integrated GIS as an endemic resource, transparent to the end user. The most important recommendations for the technical opportunities include: Continue to facilitate consolidation and standardization of GIS databases. Moving forward, this is especially applicable for utility systems GIS data (water, wastewater, stormwater), property, and addressing GIS data. Endorsement of the planned migration to Esri s Local Government Information Model (LGIM) and the integrated Parcel Fabric. Implement a project and process to address the spatial accuracy of the property mapping layers. Dedicate high-level GIS staff to the County property mapping improvements and locate these efforts in MCGIS. Coordinate with County Departments and external agencies to buildout GIS data to the greatest degree, especially utility systems. Resolve the redundant data and inter-agency gaps regarding County addressing data to promote accuracy, consistency, and consolidation of these valuable resources. Continue to leverage the current technology infrastructure and work closely with other County departments, external agencies, and the general public to expand GIS capabilities and channels. Periodically evaluate and improve the virtualized computing environment to enhance GIS data and applications performance. InfoGeographics, Inc MCGIS GIS Strategic Plan 2014 Update 7

6 Continue to upgrade the central GIS and all users to most current versions of GIS software as they are deemed worthwhile. Work towards implementing a central editing environment and a web mapping applications development environment separate from the production environment. Continue to support high accuracy collection of GIS data using GIS and survey grade GPS receivers, especially as related to utilities. Focus on Mobile GIS application development and deployment as one of the primary areas of expansion for the GIS Program. Continue to focus on targeted, easy-to-use internal and public web mapping applications for key GIS data to reach the widest audience. Continue to follow an efficient and scientifically based Application Development Process pertinent to users business processes. Set incremental, attainable goals for technical development. Organizational Recommendations A wide variety of skill sets and institutional arrangements are required to support an expanded GIS Program. The organizational structure for MCGIS that has been built and refined over time is based upon the results of research, existing needs, and proven industry standard organizational models for GIS programs. This structure houses GIS infrastructure and core capability in the Information Systems (IS) Department, with close ties to participating departments and agencies. These affiliated agencies are responsible for their specific GIS operations, and communicate with MCGIS regarding their data and application needs through various means. Building MCGIS s staff capacity and strengthening the relationships with internal departments and outside agencies will provide many extended benefits and enhance the growth of GIS. Related to this and other aspects of the organizational issues are the following recommendations. Establish a GIS Advisory Committee to provide a high level forum for policy makers regarding collaboration and guidance of the GIS Program as a whole. Continue to build the strong, centralized staff resources at MCGIS with the addition of a GIS Analyst and GIS Specialist. Validate and bolster Liaison relationships with all department and agencies participating in the GIS Program. Encourage the strategy where data maintenance is performed by Subject Matter Experts/GIS Technicians among the participating departments and agencies whenever feasible. A special case is the planned migration of the property mapping to a more complex and higher level data structure, and advanced spatial refinement of the data. This dictates the need for commensurate high level skills, therefore, property mapping improvement efforts will shift InfoGeographics, Inc MCGIS GIS Strategic Plan 2014 Update 8

7 to MCGIS with high level GIS staff providing expertise. However, regular maintenance and detailed Quality Control will continue to be performed by a GIS Technician in the Equalization Department to maintain the high quality data. Continue to utilize GIS Interns when feasible and forge closer ties to educational organizations for these purposes. MCGIS will establish a relationship with a chosen Grant Specialist and begin the process to identify and apply for suitable grants. GIS Project Teams (including at least one MCGIS staff member) will be formed when necessary to perform distinct tasks and deliverables. Establish a robust and regularly meeting GIS User Group open to different groups such as County Departments, external agencies, and the public to increase collaboration and build the GIS Community. Explore the establishment of a GIS Training Center and regularly scheduled workshops and educational sessions. Review and revise the Basic Level of Service to reflect the current situation. The figure on the following page illustrates the recommended and updated organizational structure for the Muskegon County GIS Program. InfoGeographics, Inc MCGIS GIS Strategic Plan 2014 Update 9

8 Muskegon County Board of Commissioners County Administrator IS Department Manager GIS Advisory Committee GIS Administrator Muskegon County (6) Local Units (5) Not-for-Profit/Educational (2) Private Sector (1) Information Services Department Core GIS Staff GIS Administrator Information Services Management Staff IS Technical Staff GIS Analyst GIS Specialist GIS Interns Grant Specialist Departmental Liaisons GIS Equalization Liaison (GIS Technician) External Liaisons GIS External Liaison GIS User Group MCGIS Staff Participating Agencies Any Interested Parties GIS Public Safety Liaison GIS Department Liaison GIS External Liaison GIS External Liaison GIS Project Teams Project Manager Department/External Liasion MCGIS Technical Staff Subject Matter Experts* Grant Specialist* Consultants* "*" = as needed Note: GIS Technicians (as Subject Matter Experts) may be present in departmental and external organizations. Financial Recommendations Financial management for Muskegon County s GIS Program can take into account many factors. These valuable aspects of resourcing the GIS can work together to provide a solid and sustainable basis for MCGIS and all participants moving forward. These factors include the following: Customers governmental, regional, non-profit, private, public Products application services, maps, data, staff services Expenses staffing, fixed, data, consulting Funding Vehicles see below Marketing and Education InfoGeographics, Inc MCGIS GIS Strategic Plan 2014 Update 10

9 Good financial management should balance the major financial factors in a GIS Program. High level goals and benefits of dedicated financial management should be as follows. Promote being as fair and reasonable as possible for Muskegon County internal departments, external agencies, and the public. Comprehensive enough to strive towards an integrated financial model for the County and all participating organizations and users. Supported by policy and agency administrations. Provide a long-term, stable resource for the GIS Program. Scientifically based and defensible. Where applicable, enhance integrated cost recovery, transparent to the end user. Able to support and expand on existing successful products such as the hardcopy map and digital data sales. Flexible as operations, applications, and products change. Address multiple year budgeting and long-range goals. Provide for amortization of program expenses. Flexible enough to allow for the input and use of actual expenses and revenues as the program matures. Adaptable enough to look for and integrate other revenue sources. Determining the nature of, and options for, the different factors will drive decisions that will comprise the central components of the financial management of the GIS Program in an ongoing fashion. This may require a significant amount of work and consensus building initially to develop the necessary information for these decisions and directions. Dedicated time and resources by MCGIS and County Administration/Finance are recommended to address these long term financial issues for the GIS Program. Supporting these efforts as one of the most important central pieces is funding vehicles to ensure stability and sustainability. The following are recommended types of funding vehicles that should be explored and utilized. General Fund Spatial Enhancement Percentages/Fees in Existing Rate and Fee Structures Departmental Budgets GIS Product and Services Fees Grants Subscription to Services In-Kind Agreements/Free Related to these and other aspects of the financial management of the GIS program are the following general recommendations. InfoGeographics, Inc MCGIS GIS Strategic Plan 2014 Update 11

10 Conduct an annual evaluation of all the GIS products (data, maps, applications, services) offered by Muskegon County. This could be done as part of the annual budget cycle. Part of the initial GIS product evaluation, and in relation to the existing product offerings, will be serious discussion of what products should be freely available and which products should garner cost recovery, and then determine/refine what is fair and reasonable and investigate enhanced methods of delivery. Conduct serious discussions with MCGIS, County Administration/ Finance, and candidate county agencies (such as Drain Commission, DPW, Road Commission) regarding embedding a Spatial Enhancement percentage or fee in existing rate structures and fees that would be earmarked for the GIS Program. Begin a dialog with County department managers regarding financial/budget contributions to MCGIS operations, perhaps on a project and/or GIS application/data development basis. Dedicate time and resources to identifying and applying for suitable grants. In general, financial management of the GIS Program at Muskegon County moving forward should be application-oriented and focus on customers, products, and funding vehicles that successfully support primary County goals for public service, along with business processes that will ensure stability and the long term success of the GIS Program. Next Steps for Muskegon County GIS The next steps recommended for Muskegon County GIS serve as an Action Plan and builds upon the technical, organizational and financial recommendations made in those sections by InfoGeographics, Inc. The recommended next steps are intended to be used guidelines and may evolve as the initial changes are put into place. Also, many of these incremental efforts are not dependent on completed performance of others, meaning that parallel development can and should occur simultaneously. The following is a summary of the Next Steps for MCGIS. GIS Strategic Plan Update Institutional Support and approval, including formation of the GIS Advisory Committee. Refine the Organizational Structure to build staff capacity at MCGIS, shift property mapping enhancement operations to MCGIS for major upgrades and improvements, and reinvigorate the GIS Liaison relationships with county departments and outside agencies. Expand Communications and Training with a reactivated GIS User Group that meets on a regular basis, collaboration improvements to MCGIS s website, and training workshops and educational sessions that occur on a regular basis. InfoGeographics, Inc MCGIS GIS Strategic Plan 2014 Update 12

11 Identify and Prioritize GIS Applications and Efforts to select, plan for, and implement chosen applications and projects from the exhaustive listing identifies in the plan update process. See below for the recommended implementation process and staged application and effort opportunities. Examine GIS Financial Management Opportunities to help plan for long term sustainability of the GIS Program and look for innovative methods to insure its success. Conduct GIS Grant Acquisition Activities to augment the financial management of the GIS Program and take advantage of these potential valuable funding vehicles. The following figure illustrates the recommended GIS Application/Project Lifecycle Process for the Muskegon County GIS Program. Stage 1 GIS Project / Application Process GIS Project Specification Detailed Project Work Scope/ Budget / Schedule / Staffing GIS Project Selection Identification/Prioritization Preliminary scope, budget, schedule, & project team GIS Project Approval GIS Advisory Board / Affected Departments & Agencies Stage 2 GIS Project / Application Process GIS Maintenance GIS Application & Data Training and Maintenance Operations Commence GIS Project Implementation Design/Develop/Implement IS/MCGIS Staff accountable to the GIS Advisory Board The following listing presents recommended GIS Applications and efforts arranged into stages that are to be used as a guide for GIS Program direction through the next stages of development and expansion. Stage GIS Applications/Efforts 1 Enhanced Free Property Mapping Application (public) Local Units Individual Viewers (public, see Organizational Opportunities section) FEMA Floodplain/Wetlands/Soils Viewer (public) County Commission District Viewer (public) InfoGeographics, Inc MCGIS GIS Strategic Plan 2014 Update 13

12 Downtown Business District Data Integration (public) Citizen Service Request (public) Zoning Viewer (public) Parks and Recreation Viewer (public) Enhanced Generic Internal GIS Viewer (internal, perhaps local units, w/utilities, notification, etc) Neighborhood Viewer (internal & public) Sex Offender Registry (internal & public) Land Table Viewer (internal) Property Inspection Viewer (internal) Well and Septic Editor (internal) Crime Analysis Viewer (internal) Address Databases/Related Data Planning & Consolidation (w/e-911/central Dispatch) Property Mapping Improvements (parcel fabric migration, spatial adjustment, multi-year) Easements Mapping Planning & Development Utility Data Integration (internal, multi-year) Editing & Appl Development Environments Implementation 2 Election Results Viewer (public) Bike Routing Viewer (public) Transit Trip Planning (public) Public Art/Crowdsource Editor (public) Foreclosure Sales Viewer (internal & public) Integration of Easements Mapping into Viewers (internal & public) Subdivision/Plat/Condo Viewer (internal & public) Transit GIS Development & Viewer (internal & public) Routing Integration (internal & public) Watershed Data Integration (internal & public) Drainage Districts Assessment (internal) Property Inspections Viewer (internal) Public Health Response Viewer (internal) Contaminated Sites Viewer (internal) As-built Reference Viewer (internal) Roadsoft GIS Data Integration (internal) Automatic Vehicle Location Integration (internal) InfoGeographics, Inc MCGIS GIS Strategic Plan 2014 Update 14

13 Address/Service Points Development (w/e-911/central Dispatch & DPW/Utilities) 3 GIS Permit Tracking (internal & public) Conclusions Sidewalk Data Integration (internal & public) GIS Work Order/Asset Management (internal) Sales & Ratios Viewer (internal) Pavement Mapper Editor (internal) Evacuation Notification Viewer (internal) Public Health Response Viewer (internal) Fire Hot Spot Viewer (internal) Airport Asset Maintenance Tracking (internal) Dog Licensing Viewer (internal) Trash Pickup Routes Viewer (internal) MISS Dig GIS Integration (internal, external) This GIS Strategic Plan 2014 Update refreshes the information and recommendations from the original GIS Strategic Plan conducted in It examined and reported on the existing status and situation of the successfully established GIS Program at Muskegon County to provide guidance through the next stages of build-out of the program. The resultant analysis and recommendations will help build capability and stability, strengthen the GIS community, and implement key projects and applications for GIS. These efforts will continue to accomplish major goals and objectives for GIS as envisioned by Muskegon County government and the participating organizations, resulting in more coordinated and expanded use of GIS. As well as enhancing the processes and products that Muskegon County and the participating organizations are mandated to perform and deliver; continuing to open these business process, applications, and data up to GIS creates vehicles to integrate additional participants into the GIS program. This works both ways, as those participants will also reap the benefits of this highly useful functionality and data in their business processes. The positive effects of this interoperability can be profound and long lasting and evolve in directions that have not even been foreseen to date. InfoGeographics, Inc. has been pleased to assist Muskegon County in this GIS Strategic Planning 2014 Update effort and believes the county should be commended for having the foresight to continue to examine in detail the expanded uses of GIS technology in a manner prone to targeted and structured success. InfoGeographics, Inc MCGIS GIS Strategic Plan 2014 Update 15