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p a large County are different from those of a small rural town . Based on this variability in <br /> needs, this document focuses on staffing issues related to medium-sized counties . <br /> 9t Functional Areas <br /> There are six functional areas in which most GIS positions can be classified : coordination , <br /> system support, application design , database support, user support, and production/ data <br /> collection . Not all organizations will have staff members in every functional area , and often <br /> " individual staff members will have responsibilities in two or more functional areas . Indian <br /> River County already has its own job classification structure in place , so careful consideration <br /> will be needed when assigning employees of a particular functional area to the proper job <br /> classification . <br /> Coordination : If is vital to the success of Indian River County ' s GIS effort to have a GIS <br /> Director. The GIS Director is responsible for all resource and project coordination as <br /> well as the effective day-to-day operation of all GIS aspects . This includes hardware <br /> and software issues , database design and maintenance, technical support, and <br /> management of GIS personnel . A GIS Director must have the technical savvy to run <br /> diverse operating systems , networks , and GIS software and the people skills to <br /> coordinate, sell , champion , teach , and referee the implementation of GIS . <br /> System Support : System Support staff provides the necessary support to ensure that all <br /> GIS software , hardware, networks, and databases are properly implemented and <br /> working . Technical support for all GIS end-users is the responsibility of System Support <br /> staff. <br /> Application Development : Many larger organizations have their own GIS application <br /> development staff . Packages such as ESRI ' s MapObjects and ArcObjects allow for <br /> custom application development to suit individual department and enterprise-wide <br /> needs . Flagship and desktop GIS packages such as ESRI ' s ArcGIS allow customization <br /> of design and functionality. Recently, the development of a GIS-enabled web site <br /> has become an important goal for many cities . Primarily developed with ESRI ' s <br /> ArcIMS , these GIS-based web applications require staff for its creation and <br /> maintenance . It is recommended that Indian River County work with the GIS Director <br /> „ to determine which application development efforts can be implemented in-house : <br /> efforts that cannot be implemented in-house should be outsourced to a qualified GIS <br /> services vendor. <br /> Database Support: Most GIS packages are designed to operate from commercial <br /> relational database management systems ( RDBMS ) , such as Oracle, MS SOL Server, <br /> or MS Access . ESRI ' s ArcGIS uses a geodatabase model for data storage, retrieval , <br /> and editing from an RDBMS . This allows for the preferred creation of a central GIS <br /> data repository. Therefore, it is imperative that knowledgeable staff is employed to <br /> implement and maintain the effective operation of the central GIS repository . If a <br /> County is already using a specific RDBMS Countywide , it makes sense to use that <br /> same RDBMS for its GIS, as it ensures compatibility. Additional responsibilities of <br /> database support are the enforcement of GIS data structure and metadata <br /> standards for GIS- participating departments . <br /> User Support: This is a very broad category, and encompasses both GIS-core staff <br /> and GIS-departmental staff, depending on organizational structure . Generally, GIS <br /> Analysts and Specialists fall under the User Support category. This staff provides <br /> 2-8 <br /> GIS Needs Assessment and Implementation Plan Chapter 2 - GIS Organizational Structure and Staffing <br />