Geographic Information System Services Strategic Plan FY 2011 2012 Drafted by: Gary Palmer, Assistant Town Manager
Major Sections: History Mission, Vision, Values Strategic Issues Performance Measurement Roadmap to Success Sample Maps FY 2010-2011 Proposed GIS Services Budget
History For the past 10 years, the Town has annually purchased base-map data from KGIS (Knoxville Geographic Information Systems) through a data license agreement. Until 2008, the Town maintained these county datasets, and the town-specific layers in a Geographic Information System (GIS). The GIS was maintained and operated by a technician with limited experience of the full application of GIS. Further, the operator produced inadequate deliverables and poorly managed the datasets such that server space and organization was inefficient. The result was the improper or non use of this critical planning tool, low quality or inaccurate output, unofficial reassignment of GIS responsibilities to outside entities due to consistent inaccuracies, and a decreased reliance on the credibility of the information. Moreover, our subsiding involvement with the local GIS consortium isolated the Town and kept us from implementing innovative GIS techniques utilized by all successful municipal organizations. In 2008 the in house Town employed technician position was eliminated and all GIS responsibilities formally outsourced by contract to ARCADIS. Upon execution of that contract ARCADIS assigned all TOF GIS responsibilities to Robbi McKinney; an experienced, heavily credentialed, and highly regarded GIS professional. Upon evaluation of our current needs compared to the information we had available for use, it became quickly apparent that a large amount of GIS work was required in order to meet our statutory requirements, bring our municipal GIS up to current standards, efficiently distribute the information, maintain the integrity of our data, re insert ourselves in the local government GIS consortium, and regain the public trust in our municipal GIS capabilities which is funded through public tax dollars. Since ARCADIS involvement we have made the following improvements to our system: Major Program Improvements: Initial Evaluation: Basemap data, hardware/software, and KGIS and ESRI (Environmental Systems Research Institute; Premier GIS software provider) maintenance agreement Redesigned the ArcReader program for more effective Town use and efficiency in operations Renegotiated the user license agreements with ESRI and eliminated unnecessary annual maintenance fees saving ~$11,000 annually Eliminated duplicate data sets to reduce server load Established previously non- existent quarterly backup system on external hard drive which allows the Town server to run more efficiently, saves large amounts of data space, saves in overall costs, and safeguards our data Provided focused training of the ArcReader program to the Town Staff on a annual basis or as needed Reestablished productive relations between Knox County, City of Knoxville, Metropolitan Planning Commission, First Utility District (FUD), local GIS consortiums, and provide professional GIS liaison services to Town contracted consulting firms
Compression and cropping of the aerial photo data which dramatically increased the speed of image upload on Town workstations, and saved at least a terabyte of server space for other Town use Newly Created/Revised Data Layers: New Layers/Maps: o Subdivision map o Recycling Map/Brochure o Existing Land Use Map o High School Zones o Zip Codes o County Commission Redistricting o Town Wards o Park Facilities Maps o FUD Map (water mains, sewer lines, fire hydrants) o FEMA floodplain layer o Existing building/structure layer o Greenways/Sidewalks layer (DPW/PALS) Consolidation and remediation of data from disjointed, outdated formats into state of the art file geodatabases which are now used for advanced analysis and geoprocessing Each park now has its own map for internal use and analysis, is currently uploaded on the Town website for public use, and is posted at each park respectively for general use Expedient upload of quarterly updated Knox County planimetrics (parcel split/combines, assessor data, addresses, and transportation layers) Annual mapping updates and services for all departments (resurfacing, snow removal routes, Annual Report map, etc.) Provide emergency/on call support to the Town Staff and Officials o Redistricting Mapping and testimony before the County Commission on behalf of the Town Board o Public Hearings/BOMA Compilation of statistical banking information Grant Application Support
Mission, Vision, Values GIS Services Mission: Provide responsive high-quality municipal GIS support and services to all Town Departments, Town Officials, and general public. GIS Services Vision: Plan, train for, and implement the latest technology available in municipal GIS in order to meet the statutory requirements and needs of the Town; keep the Town at the national forefront in municipal GIS services. GIS Services Values or Guiding Principles: Service Excellence: Timely, accurate, and professional response to request for GIS services Fiscal Accountability: Maintain a high level of output while striving to keep the cost associated with services at a minimum in order to safe guard against wasteful public expenditures Innovation: Assess the changing needs of the organization in order to take advantage of the latest technology in municipal GIS and distribution of GIS output to our customers Continuous Improvement: Seeking opportunities to update and improve our current operations and GIS network in order to provide high quality service delivery and remain competitive with other communities Teamwork: Working together with KGIS and internally in a collaborative, high performing manner, with a common vision and purpose Problem solving: Striving to find practical and effective solutions to achieving desired goals through innovative municipal GIS Continuous Training: Provide consistent and thorough training to the primary in-house Town users of the municipal GIS Timely Distribution of Information: Maintain our municipal GIS through continuous collaboration and KGIS data updates in order to distribute all information in an accurate and timely manner for municipal use in-house and public distribution through web-based applications
Strategic Issues Strategic Issues 1. The Town is still missing or needs to re create critical layers needed for the proper implementation of a municipal GIS for Town use and public distribution. 2. The Town has a fractured relationship with KGIS who maintains and distributes the base data required for locally maintained and distributed municipal GIS. This relationship has been improved with mediation by our GIS consultant; however, the direct agency to agency relationship should be improved. 3. Our current municipal GIS hardware is quickly becoming sub standard which hinders the efficient implementation of our municipal GIS and often locks up causing delays. 4. No Town employees have the ability or experience required to maintain the data in-house or use the municipal GIS to its full potential. 5. There is not inter-departmental collaboration on municipal GIS use which hinders innovation and keeps us from competing with other communities in the realm of community and economic development. 6. We currently lack the proper web-based public applications required to distribute municipal GIS properly and timely to the general public end user. Strategic Goals and Objectives for FY 2011-2012 1. Continue consolidation, acquisition, and maintenance of the required GIS data into one geodatabase in order to implement proper municipal GIS and public distribution. 2. Cultivate and maintain a collaborative relationship with KGIS in order to capitalize on the data provided and become more innovative in our locally distributed municipal GIS. 3. Upgrade our municipal GIS hardware to the minimum standards for municipal GIS maintenance and implementation. 4. Identify (at least 2) key Town staff members in order to train in the latest ArcGIS applications in order to save money and bring the maintenance of the geodatabase in house; thus saving public tax dollars without sacrificing quality and accuracy of information. 5. Increase department technical capabilities in municipal GIS in order to increase efficiency and save on cost of output. 6. Create an in house GIS Innovation Team consisting of select Town employees in order to prioritize municipal GIS goals and implement the latest innovations in municipal GIS. 7. Implement the latest and proven web based applications in order to provide quality municipal GIS to our public customers. 8. Gain regional or national recognition for our municipal GIS innovation and implementation.
Performance Measures & Desired Outcome Performance measures used to evaluate the achievement of Goals and Objectives of our Municipal GIS: 1. Quarterly evaluation of the municipal GIS Goals and Objectives by the GIS Innovation Team with the desired outcome of meeting the aforementioned objectives 2. Evaluation of the progress with regard to the implementation of the web based applications. Desired outcome: we meet the timeline associated with the proper implementation of our municipal GIS 3. Customer / End User Evaluation: data collection through in house questionnaires and online surveys. Desired Outcome: positive feedback to our evolution in municipal GIS and/or quick response to complaints and/or requested changes in the distribution of our municipal GIS 4. Expedient certification of not less than two Town employees in the use of ArcGIS applications. Desired Outcome: In house certification of selected employees and assignment of duties associated with in house maintenance of our geodatabase 5. Overall decrease in current costs or future year projected decrease in future costs associated with the municipal GIS implementation through in house training and geodatabase management. Desired Outcome: A realized decrease in costs while increasing in house performance 6. Obtain regional or national recognition for excellence in municipal GIS