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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2006-193A. Chapter 2 - GIS Organizational Structure and Staffing �` FctiTi In This Chapter Enterprise-Wide Organizational Models 2- 1 Indian River County GIS Organizational Structure 2-3 GIS Organizational Structure Recommendations 2-5 GIS Enterprise Staffing 2-7 Functional Areas 2-8 Hiring vs . Retraining 2-9 Position Classes 2- 10 Salary Structure 2- 10 GIS Users Group 2- 11 Enterprise - wide Organizational Models Essential to the success of Indian River County ' s enterprise-wide GIS effort will be how GIS fits best within the organization . In general , there are two primary organizational structures used to implement enterprise-wide GIS within organizations throughout the United States . The first type is a centralized structure . A centralized organizational structure maintains a central department or division that is responsible for all GIS services . In this type of structure , GIS often has its own dedicated department or it is a division of an Information Technology or Technology Services department. The GIS department/ division will employ a cadre of management , analysts, technicians, and programmers tasked with hardware , software , application development, planning , and training . Data are created and maintained by this group , or outsourced to contractors . All other participants are characterized as end- users, with only the capability to view, query , and analyze spatial data . ODepartment OGIS Staff " O GIS Department/GIS Coordinator Centralized GIS Organizational Structure The second type is a decentralized structure . A decentralized organizational structure divides GIS responsibilities throughout various departments . Decentralized organizational structures may still have a GIS Division or Section , operating independently or under the „ 2- 1 GIS Needs Assessment and Implementation Plan Chapter 2 - GIS Organizational Structure and Staffing jurisdiction of another department . This approach divides system and data maintenance between the GIS Division or Section and departmental end-users . During their course of daily business, users update an enterprise database e .g . , using ArcEditor to edit data ) . All users share responsibility for maintaining the GIS , and users within each department maintain specific data according to their thematic disciplines and specialties . This type of organizational structure enables the GIS Section to focus on hardware and software maintenance, data exchange and distribution , application/data design and development, user training and support , community extension , and technology innovation , instead of devoting time to the creation and maintenance of data . ODepartment OGIS Staff OGIS Department/GIS Coordinator Decentralized GIS Organizational Structure Many local governments utilize a hybrid GIS organizational structure, based on centralized and decentralized organizational structures . This type of structure provides the benefits of both organizational structures in scenarios where full implementation of either organizational structure cannot be readily attained . ODepartment OGIS Stoll OGIS Department/GIS Coordinator Hybrid GIS Organizational Structure w 2-2 GIS Needs Assessment and Implementation Plan Chapter 2 - GIS Organizational Structure and Staffing Definitions Summary of Organizational Structures Centralized Organizational Structure : All GIS tasks except data viewing and analysis are handled by a central GIS department or division . All GIS staff are located within the central GIS department or division. .. Decentralized Organizational Structure GIS data updating and maintenance responsibilities are assigned to individual GIS-participating departments . Departments have their own GIS staff members. Hybrid Organizational Structure: GIS tasks may be handled centrally or at department level, depending on needs and available GIS staff at individual departments . Indian River County GIS Organizational Structure The following Indian River County departments /divisions/ offices currently utilize or will utilize Y GIS in various capacities : • Clerk of the Court • Community Development • Building Division • Code Enforcement Division • Current Development Planning • Environmental Planning • Long Range Planning • Metropolitan Planning Organization • Planning Division • County Administration • County Commissioners • Emergency Services • 911 Data Base • Animal Control • Emergency Management • Fire/Rescue Services • General Services • Agricultural Extension Services • Buildings and Grounds • Libraries Human Services • Soil and Water Conservation District • Telecommunications • Health Department • Office of Management and Budget • Computer Services • Impact Fees • Risk Management • Property Appraiser • Public Works • Engineering Division • Coastal Engineering Section • Parks Maintenance Division • Road and Bridge Division • Capital Projects Section Secondary Road Construction • Surveying & Mapping Section Traffic Engineering Division 2-3 GIS Needs Assessment and Implementation Plan Chapter 2 - GIS Organizational Structure and Staffing • Storm Water Management • Fleet Management • Recreation Sheriff • Supervisor of Elections Tax Collector • Utilities Services • Water • Wastewater • Solid Waste • Youth Guidance The utilization of GIS in the aforementioned departments/divisions/offices will vary from consistent daily use to sporadic use every few weeks or months . In addition , the knowledge and understanding of GIS technology is variable within and among these entities, such that there are GIS users from each functionality tier i . e. , power user, analytical user, browser user) see Chapter l : Needs Assessments for specific information about the GIS needs and expected GIS utilization within each department/division/office ) . The table below summarizes existing GIS utilization within each County department and office . GIS Users Department/Division/Office Tier 1 Tier 2 Tier 3 " Power GIS User" " GIS Analyst" ' GIS Browser' Clerk of the Court Community Development Computer Services County Administration County Commissioners Emergency Services General Services Health Department Office of Management & Budget y Property Appraiser Public Works Recreation Sheriff Supervisor of Elections Tax Collector Utilities Services 2-4 GIS Needs Assessment and Implementation Plan Chapter 2 - GIS Organizational Structure and Staffing GIS Users Department/Division/Office Tier 1 Tier 2 Tier 3 ,' Power GIS User" " GIS Analyst " " GIS Browser' Youth Guidance Given the County ' s existing technology infrastructure and organizational resources , which serve as a fundamental platform for GIS implementation , it is recommended that a County GIS Director should be hired to lead and coordinate the County ' s GIS implementation . The GIS Director will be responsible for providing enterprise-wide support to all County departments/ divisions / offices; at the same time , the GIS Director will be responsible for interacting with external entities, both public and private, to further the County ' s GIS efforts . Based on departmental interviews and information gathering , GTG has determined that the County currently has a quasi-decentralized GIS organizational structure . This decentralized structure is based on staff in the Property Appraiser' s Office , Community Development Department, Computer Services Department, Supervisor of Election ' s Office, General Services Department, Utility Department and Public Works Department, which together serve as the County ' s core GIS staff. GIS users within departments/divisions/ offices, such as the Public Works Department and Property Appraiser ' s Office, are responsible for utilization and maintenance of their respective GIS data and resources , and each GIS- participant department primarily provides its own support . GIS Organizational Structure Recommendations " Based on a comprehensive evaluation of the Indian River County GIS organizational structure and the County ' s enterprise/departmental GIS goals , GTG recommends that Indian River County utilize a hybrid organizational structure for its GIS effort . The basic context for GIS use within the County , as a whole , has incorporated mapping and some spatial analysis . Each department/division /office has identified the need for a holistic " coordination effort aimed at managing an integrated enterprise-wide GIS . Interviews with the County ' s GIS users and technical decision-makers served to identify a consensus for the need to create a GIS Director position . The GIS Director will be responsible for supporting Indian River County ' s enterprise-wide Implementation of GIS by providing technical expertise, supervision , coordination , and review of all aspects of GIS usage throughout the County ( see Appendix II : Seven Keys to a Successful GIS for more information on the benefits of having GIS staff as a separate entity from other departments) . The GIS Director will be a crucial component, in essence the cornerstone, of the County ' s enterprise-wide GIS implementation . The GIS Director will work closely with other County personnel , especially the Computer Services Department, to ensure that all GIS infrastructure , including data , software , hardware, network, and customer support issues are v addressed . Much of the County ' s management and maintenance of an enterprise-wide GIS will be a shared responsibility, with many departments working in tandem with the recommended GIS Director to meet common objectives . For example, the GIS Director will facilitate the creation and maintenance of data by a specific department, yet this data will be shared with several other departments that will derive some utility from this data (e .g . , transportation infrastructure data will be maintained by the Public Works Department, yet this data will prove valuable for other departments, such as the Emergency Services and Community 2-5 GIS Needs Assessment and Implementation Plan Chapter 2 - GIS Organizational Structure and Staffing Development departments. Note - Emergency Services will have primary maintenance responsibility for the street centerlines ) . Assessment and evaluation of the existing GIS organizational structure and staffing are critical for establishing a viable and successful GIS coordination effort. A variety of coordination and management tasks, including data content , data collection and metadato standards, should be implemented and enforced by the recommended GIS Director. Enterprise GIS infrastructure , such as a central data repository (centralized GIS server or servers) for the County ' s GIS data , should also be coordinated and managed by the GIS Director. The GIS Director will be responsible for data creation , data collection (when necessary) , conversion , and maintenance for all non department-specific data layers and establishing data integrity checks for critical enterprise layers such as planimetrics ; in the short term , the GIS Director will also be responsible for updating and maintaining some department-specific data . In the long term , GIS- participating departments should be responsible for updating and maintaining all other GIS data layers , utilizing standards developed and issued by the GIS Director. GTG recommends that the GIS Director position be created and filled as quickly and efficiently as possible, given that the new GIS Director will play a significant role in furthering and managing the County ' s GIS implementation . It should be noted that Florida laws governing field- based GIS data collection and development require oversight by a qualified land surveyor that is registered by the State . In light of this requirement, the GIS Director will need to collaborate with the County Surveyor or qualified consultants to ensure that the appropriate and necessary technical oversight is in place to ensure that field -collected/developed data conforms to Florida Laws , Regulations and best practices . GIS- participating departments will have the primary authority to recommend new GIS applications for their own use , but the GIS Director will review all requests for compatibility and applicability. The GIS Director should implement three levels of departmental support, depending upon the current level of GIS use and internal capabilities per department. This support will be coordinated with the Computer Services Department, as there may be some overlap . Levels of support include : Level 1 - GIS Director provides minimal support for department/division/office GIS activities, system and application support. The GIS Director is used primarily for strategic and procedural support. At present , Emergency Services , Property Appraiser' s Office , and Utilities Services operate at Level 1 , although it is expected that the Community Development and Public Works departments ( GIS Specialist ; GIS Technician ) will be at Level 1 in the near future . Level 2 - GIS Director provides partial support for department/division/office GIS activities. A Level 2 department/ division / office will do most of its own data maintenance , but the GIS Director will provide advanced support; the GIS Director ' will also be responsible for advanced spatial analysis as well as application development . The Community Development Department, General Services Department, Health Department, Human Services , Public Works Department, and Supervisor of Elections Office will to operate as Level 2 in the short term . However, as 2-6 GIS Needs Assessment and Implementation Plan Chapter 2 - GIS Organizational Structure and Staffing the County ' s GIS implementation progresses , it is expected that some users within this department will operate at Level 1 . Level 3 - GIS Director provides all support for department/division/office GIS activities. The GIS Director is responsible for data maintenance, complex data analysis , and cartographic products . The Clerk of the Court, Computer Services, Recreation Department, Risk Management Division , Sheriff ' s Office , Tax Collector' s " Office, Utilities Services /Solid Waste Disposal District, and Youth Guidance Program will receive Level 3 support initially; however, as with Level 2 departments, it is expected that some of these departments/divisions/offices will eventually operate at y the next level Level 2 ) . The GIS Director, in conjunction with Computer Services Department, should provide training and technical support for all enterprise-wide GIS applications . All GIS software training should be coordinated through the GIS Director to ensure maximum efficiency and effectiveness at a minimum cost . Not every department/division / office at Indian River County that wants to utilize GIS is able to hire or convert staff to effectively handle the tasks of data analysis and data maintenance. The GIS Director will assist these departments/divisions /offices with their GIS needs . However, as usage of GIS in the aforementioned entities grows, the GIS Director must encourage and facilitate the acquisition of appropriate resources to handle data maintenance responsibilities for these departments/divisions/ offices . Y To reiterate , how GIS fits within the organization is essential to the success of this enterprise- wide effort. Indian River County should utilize a hybrid organizational structure . Having a GIS Director is an important factor with regard to GIS success. The GIS Director should direct the overall GIS efforts of the organization . He or she should not be seen as the person who will conduct all daily GIS tasks for various departments . The GIS " Director should provide technical expertise, training , and direction for all Indian River County staff . a The GIS Director, working in tandem with Computer Services personnel , as well as personnel from other major GIS-participating departments, can provide sound and sophisticated technical GIS services for Indian River County . However, each department/ division/office y should eventually develop its own expertise and begin to utilize GIS in its daily routine as the County ' s GIS implementation progresses . Nt GIS Enterprise Staffing Staffing issues will be critical to the success of Indian River County ' s enterprise-wide GIS effort. Unfortunately , staffing can also be a complex and frustrating issue . Budgetary and political realities within local governments place restraints on what can be accomplished . Ideal " staffing structures are sometimes difficult to attain . Nonetheless, there are fundamental steps that Indian River County can take to ensure a proper staffing foundation , which can be improved upon as time and necessity dictate. The organizational structure of the GIS effort will have an impact on staffing issues . Organization structure and staffing are inherently interrelated , GIS staff allocations must be determined before specific job requirements and responsibilities can be agreed upon . The size of a local government organization plays a significant role in staffing issues . The needs of „ 2-7 GIS Needs Assessment and Implementation Plan Chapter 2 - GIS Organizational Structure and Staffing p a large County are different from those of a small rural town . Based on this variability in needs, this document focuses on staffing issues related to medium-sized counties . 9t Functional Areas There are six functional areas in which most GIS positions can be classified : coordination , system support, application design , database support, user support, and production/ data collection . Not all organizations will have staff members in every functional area , and often " individual staff members will have responsibilities in two or more functional areas . Indian River County already has its own job classification structure in place , so careful consideration will be needed when assigning employees of a particular functional area to the proper job classification . Coordination : If is vital to the success of Indian River County ' s GIS effort to have a GIS Director. The GIS Director is responsible for all resource and project coordination as well as the effective day-to-day operation of all GIS aspects . This includes hardware and software issues , database design and maintenance, technical support, and management of GIS personnel . A GIS Director must have the technical savvy to run diverse operating systems , networks , and GIS software and the people skills to coordinate, sell , champion , teach , and referee the implementation of GIS . System Support : System Support staff provides the necessary support to ensure that all GIS software , hardware, networks, and databases are properly implemented and working . Technical support for all GIS end-users is the responsibility of System Support staff. Application Development : Many larger organizations have their own GIS application development staff . Packages such as ESRI ' s MapObjects and ArcObjects allow for custom application development to suit individual department and enterprise-wide needs . Flagship and desktop GIS packages such as ESRI ' s ArcGIS allow customization of design and functionality. Recently, the development of a GIS-enabled web site has become an important goal for many cities . Primarily developed with ESRI ' s ArcIMS , these GIS-based web applications require staff for its creation and maintenance . It is recommended that Indian River County work with the GIS Director „ to determine which application development efforts can be implemented in-house : efforts that cannot be implemented in-house should be outsourced to a qualified GIS services vendor. Database Support: Most GIS packages are designed to operate from commercial relational database management systems ( RDBMS ) , such as Oracle, MS SOL Server, or MS Access . ESRI ' s ArcGIS uses a geodatabase model for data storage, retrieval , and editing from an RDBMS . This allows for the preferred creation of a central GIS data repository. Therefore, it is imperative that knowledgeable staff is employed to implement and maintain the effective operation of the central GIS repository . If a County is already using a specific RDBMS Countywide , it makes sense to use that same RDBMS for its GIS, as it ensures compatibility. Additional responsibilities of database support are the enforcement of GIS data structure and metadata standards for GIS- participating departments . User Support: This is a very broad category, and encompasses both GIS-core staff and GIS-departmental staff, depending on organizational structure . Generally, GIS Analysts and Specialists fall under the User Support category. This staff provides 2-8 GIS Needs Assessment and Implementation Plan Chapter 2 - GIS Organizational Structure and Staffing enterprise-wide GIS activity support as well as support to departments beyond what existing staff requires . A successful GIS effort must be results-oriented . Therefore , the expertise and quality of analysis conducted by User Support staff are vital . It is recommended that the GIS Director provide User Support for those departments that he/she deems appropriate : additional support will be provided by specific departmental resources . As GIS usage grows throughout the County, those departments/divisions / offices that require a great deal of user support should consider hiring a department-specific GIS Specialist or GIS Technician in the future ( such as the recommended GIS Specialist and GIS Technician in the Public Works Department) . Data Collection / Production : A great deal of time and effort is spent by most organizations to develop accurate and effective GIS datasets . This data must be maintained properly for it to retain its usefulness . This is primarily the role of GIS Technicians and GIS Interns . As GIS develops within an organization , new data will be collected and will need to be converted to adhere to data standards . Specific tasks such as digitizing , scanning , and metadato creation are also the responsibility of GIS Technicians and / or GIS Interns . It is recommended that the GIS Director coordinate and provision the appropriate resources to collect, produce , and maintain GIS datasets for those departments that do not have the necessary staff to perform this task . Kt Hiring vs. Retraining A fundamental question encountered by organizations during implementation of an enterprise-wide GIS is : " When should we hire additional GIS staff, and when should we retrain existing staff to handle GIS responsibilities ? " The answer to this , in large part, depends on the existing status of GIS within each organization . Large and mid-size counties will require GIS staff in several functional areas (outlined in the previous section ) . There are two general categories for the hiring or retraining of staff. The first is core GIS staff . As outlined previously in this chapter, even decentralized GIS organizational structures require core GIS staff to handle non-department specific GIS issues . Many of the responsibilities of core GIS staff require specific knowledge of GIS and Information Technology issues . As a general rule, a large organization without existing staff to handle all of these responsibilities will need to hire additional staff . Staffing issues in GIS-participating departments are more complex when compared to core GIS staff . A primary reason for implementing an enterprise-wide GIS is to facilitate and improve existing business processes . A large organization utilizing enterprise-wide GIS will have more end-users of GIS than specific GIS staff . The majority of staff within GIS- participating departments will primarily utilize GIS data browsers . Although basic GIS data browsing and querying require limited training , the functionality required for advanced spatial analysis , using robust applications such as ArcEditor or ArcView , is much more complex . Individual departments will need to have staff with appropriate knowledge to effectively operate these applications . At present , the County has several staff members with the skills and knowledge to utilize more advanced applications , such as ArcView and Arc Editor. " In general , it is easier to hire a professional for the required business function ( such as engineer or planner) , and train them in GIS , than it is to hire a GIS-trained staff member and 2-9 GIS Needs Assessment and Implementation Plan Chapter 2 - GIS Organizational Structure and Staffing train them for the required business function . In addition , professionals will have more intimate knowledge of the specific objectives and goals that they wish to accomplish . As GIS within individual departments grows, it may be found that existing staff cannot handle all of the desired GIS analyses; under these circumstances, the hiring of additional staff should be assessed . 8tPOSition Classes Within each functional area there can be several specific position titles . One effective method is to differentiate position classes within position titles . For example, the general position " GIS Analyst ' can be differentiated into " Senior GIS Analyst ' and " GIS Analyst. " Additionally, there can be two classes of GIS Specialists , such as GIS Specialist I and GIS Specialist II . The reason for creating position classes is two-fold . First, it allows for greater flexibility . As GIS technology grows, and use within the County expands, job responsibilities may change . Position classes will accommodate any changes needed to adapt to changing responsibilities . Second , position classes allow for mobility and career potential . As specific staff members demonstrate initiative and capability , it is advantageous for an organization to offer upward mobility as an incentive to existing staff members to perform well and learn t as much as possible . StSalary Structures - Equitable and consistent salaries for GIS staff and professional staff with GIS skills are important for the success of Indian River County GIS endeavor. Enterprise-wide GIS implementation can only be as successful as the people that supervise and operate it. Attracting and retaining qualified staff are inherently tied to the compensation that the County is willing to provide . It should be noted that public sector GIS salaries traditionally have been less than those obtainable in the private sector; accordingly, every effort must be made to make Indian River County an attractive place to work . Salaries primarily depend on two factors : market conditions and skill sets . Although every organization is unique , the County must ensure that salaries for GIS staff are in line with other organizations of equal size and structure . As aforementioned , it is expected that public sector jobs will offer less compensation than the private sector; however, the difference in compensation cannot be too great if Indian River County expects to hire and retain qualified GIS staff . Different functional areas require positions with varying skill sets. The GIS Director is the most important position to the success of the GIS effort . It requires a broad knowledge of both GIS technical expertise and management skills. Proper compensation for this position should be of the highest priority . Frequent turnover in this position can have disastrous consequences to the overall success of the GIS effort . System Support , Application Development, and Database Support positions require personnel with advanced technical capabilities . These positions require knowledge of hardware specifications , networks, programming , and database administration . These same skills are also easily transferable to the Information Technology sector, where salaries are consistently higher, both in the public and private sector. Salaries for these positions must be reasonably competitive with public sector positions . 2- 10 GIS Needs Assessment and Implementation Plan Chapter 2 - GIS Organizational Structure and Staffing User Support positions are occupied by full -time GIS Analysts and GIS Specialists, as well as professionals with GIS skills . Full-time GIS Analysts and GIS Specialists typically have bachelor' s degrees at a minimum , and often they have graduate degrees . In many cases , GIS is not their only skill set - they learned it in addition to another field of study. Salaries must be in line with professional jobs in their area of focus . For example , a GIS Analyst in Public Works should receive a similar salary to an engineer in Public Works with similar education and work experience . Department-specific professional staff positions that require GIS usage need to be addressed separately. Once GIS has been effectively integrated into the business processes of individual departments, employees with GIS skills become more valuable . Applicants with GIS skills should receive higher compensation than comparable candidates without GIS skills . Additional compensation should be dependent on the time and finances required to train an employee without previous GIS skills . It should be noted that time spent training is time that employees are not spending on their required job responsibilities . Current professional staff members that learn required GIS skills should also be appropriately compensated . Existing employees may be hesitant to take the time to learn these skills, as it will detract from their job responsibilities in the short-term . However, if GIS is effectively integrated into business processes, the amount of time spent training will be recouped by more efficient work facilitated by GIS . Additionally, employees become more marketable when they acquire new skill sets . In order to retain qualified staff that attains new marketable skills, it is prudent to appropriately compensate them . Production / Data Collection positions can be difficult to properly staff . These positions ( primarily filled by GIS Technicians ) are primarily at the lower end of the GIS hierarchy. Nonetheless , qualified GIS Technicians are essential to GIS efforts . The work of a GIS Technician can be repetitive and uninteresting at times . The key to ensuring job satisfaction is to assign a variety of responsibilities, so that less satisfying tasks are interspersed with more challenging tasks . Effective production and data collection work requires knowledgeable employees . Although the manual tasks of digitizing , scanning , or GPS data collection are not terribly difficult during the actual performance of the task , prerequisite knowledge for proper setup, techniques , and post-processing is important . Indian River County should consider utilizing university students as interns or in co-op positions to supplement the work performed by the GIS Director. This can be mutually beneficial , as university students with GIS education have the background knowledge to successfully complete tasks, yet they are willing to accept lower salaries in return for gaining experience . IItGIS Users Group Creation of a GIS Users Group Indian River County should create a GIS Users Group . The GIS Users Group should include GIS-utilizing staff from all departments with identified GIS needs . The GIS Director should lead this group . A GIS Users Group meeting provides an excellent opportunity for communication between all GIS users . It is a good venue for users to share their successes and failures . Duplication of efforts will be minimized and sharing of ideas and data will be optimized . A GIS Users Group is also a great platform for internal training initiatives . 2- 11 GIS Needs Assessment and Implementation Plan Chapter 2 - GIS Organizational Structure and Staffing In addition to GIS Steering Committee and GIS Users Groups , it will be beneficial for Indian River County to create a GIS Newsletter. Development of a GIS Newsletter should be supervised by the GIS Director, but there also must be contributions from each department that utilizes GIS on a regular basis . A GIS Newsletter will help foster communication between departments and help build support for increased GIS use . . NUOCST Joos GIS . 1N THE NEWS SE'-'• ' 7F, 'M THE CT'. : 'r ] ',C SdC&-_ . ? 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JtePlasm: I - n - t n9 )n n cis Nota - I - c nor'PI .- _ +t e.rta oc as G - t ]mc i F _^ .a Mani pllILl Suns-- : . . e. x n9 and i 'IIP oafs nmtm _ gaurpa . ] - un- -I LP:3nn G¢. - eel •: a- [R 're } !j nnen t'; v'as raOo<nra Eelloe . rd Ea T , .16 -ire �': L'anaPen'enl 3 i v P t,en9Po V rtC I J tcO -L p -e _ _� --.- ,e=k Pv _ PPIC: 1✓ cc la Iraq 6,.J Can y L. nvrk nna -fre la4 ' �naatcrs na ^PO M ant ai e:a Sfo CC Pre' - ourj GS. SaII=. P-ry-saran oann no ana -eae ness. pit as on the '!'eal at[, '. - -= iab_ - ' Sample GIS Newsletter ( Courtesy of City of Salisbury, NC ) ( complete newsletter available at http : //gis . salisburvnc. gov/newsletter/Vol4 num2 PDF ) 2- 12 GIS Needs Assessment and Implementation Plan Chapter 2 - GIS Organizational Structure and Staffing n m - i m m w Chapter 3 - Short-Term and Long -Term Strategies : Hardware , Networks , and Software In This Chapter Hardware 3- 1 Desktop Computers 3- 1 Servers 3-2 Notebook Computers 3-3 Hand-Held Computers 3-4 Data Capture Devices 3-5 GPS Receivers 3-5 „ Output Devices 3-6 Printers 3-6 Plotters 3-7 Networks 3-7 Software 3-8 ® - Hardware Desktop Computers Like many organizations , Indian River County is continually upgrading personal computers . New software packages often require new computer hardware . Individual departments are budgeting replacements for their older PCs . Therefore , recommendations are given in this report that specify minimum and desired configuration of personal computers to run GIS applications . Indian River County needs to refer to these specifications to see if it will need to upgrade PCs to run specific GIS applications . Specifications will be looked at in two tiers . • Level One : PCs to run robust GIS software such as ArcGIS ( ArcEditor or ArcView) • Level Two : PCs to run ArcIMS or ArcObjects/ MapObjects-based applications , such as an Intranet Data Browser and Desktop Data Browser There is a difference between a typical personal computer and a GIS workstation . A typical personal computer for word processing is not likely appropriately configured for GIS use . A GIS workstation demands , at a minimum , a high-end processor, large amounts of RAM ( memory) , and large disk space. In the short-term , it is important that all Indian River County personnel that will utilize Level „ One computers are capable of effectively supporting recommended GIS applications . In the long-term , as more Indian River County personnel begin to use Level 1 and Level 2 GIS applications, they should have access to computers that can effectively support these applications . Level 1 PC to Run Arc Editor and ArcView Recommended Configuration „ Approximate cost = $2, 250 each • Windows XP Professional Edition • 2 .8 GHz Pentium Processor or Greater • 1 GB of RAM or Greater • 19 " or Greater High Resolution Monitor 3- 1 GIS Needs Assessment and Implementation Plan Chapter 3 - Short - Term and Long - Term Strategies 48x CD- ROM Drive or Greater • 80 Gigabyte Hard Drive or Greater 10/ 100 MBPS Ethernet Card • 64 MB Video RAM or Greater Level 2 PC to Run ArcIMS or MapObjects - based Custom Applications Recommended Configuration Approximate cost = $ 1 , 500 Windows 98/ NT/ 2000/XP • 512 MB of Ram or Greater • 19 " Monitor or Greater • 2.0 GHz Processor or Greater • 100 MB of Unused Disk Space or Greater • CD- ROM Drive • 10/ 100 MBPS Ethernet Card • 32 MB Video RAM or Greater Figure 3- 1 : Summary of GIS PC Specifications ,. O XP Pro 1 GB > 19 " >2.8 GHz >80 GB >CD-RW/ DVD- R > 64 MB © 98/NT/2000/XP 512 MB > 191 , >2.0 GHz > 100 MB >CD-R >32 MB Servers Indian River County will need to procure a new server to host the County ' s enterprise GIS data �geodatabase) and server-based desktop GIS applications . This server will store and distribute spatial data to all GIS applications see Chapter 5 : Database Design and Setup for more information on the recommended database model ) . It is also recommended that this server store the license system for the various concurrent licenses of ArcGIS to be utilized by the County . The recommended server is a Dell PowerEdge with these minimum and recommended requirements: 1 " Processor 3 . 6 GHz/512 Cache 2nd Processor 3 . 6 GHz/512 Cache Memory 4 GB RAM lst Hard Drive 200 GB 2nd Hard Drive 50 GB Operating System Windows 2003 Server 1 't Network Adapter Onboard NIC Figure 3 -2: Recommended Server Requirements - GIS Data Server If is recommended that the County procure another server, to host an Intranet GIS Data Browser application for use countywide and eventually a public Internet GIS Data Browser. 3-2 GIS Needs Assessment and Implementation Plan Chapter 3 - Short - Term and Long - Term Strategies The recommended server is a Dell PowerEdge with these minimum and recommended requirements: lsr Processor 3.6 GHz/512 Cache 2nd Processor 3.6 GHz/512 Cache Memory 4 GB RAM 1 .r Hard Drive 100 GB 2nd Hard Drive 40 GB Operating System windows 2003 Server 1 °r Network Adapter Onboard NIC Figure 3-3: Recommended Server Requirements - Intranet/Internet GIS Data Browser The addition of this server will enable Indian River County to meet its GIS data and application serving needs . Once use of the Internet GIS Data Browser within the public reaches high levels , Indian River County should consider purchasing a third server to exclusively host the Internet GIS Data Browser. - Notebook Computers The recommended solution for field access to spatial data for the Community Development, Emergency Services , Public Works, and Sheriff ' s departments is the use of notebook computers . There are two hardware options for accessing GIS data in the field : hand-held computers and notebook computers . The primary advantage of hand -held computers is their small size , which allows for greater portability . The primary disadvantages of hand-held computers are their small-screen size , and limited memory capacity. Notebook computers have much more memory capacity and processing speed than hand-held computers , and also have much larger screens . Ruggedized notebook computers are recommended for field personnel for access to GIS data in the field . Mounts for notebook computers should be installed in any vehicle that will contain a notebook computer. Mounting computers in vehicles makes them much easier to access and reduces wear on the machine . The mount should not be permanent, however, as notebook ,a computers will need to be taken out of the field periodically to update data — Ruggedized notebook computers are more expensive than regular notebook computers , -� but the cost of ruggedized notebook Figure 3-4: Panasonic Toughbook outfitted computers is offset by their longevity . with wireless capabilities 3-3 GIS Needs Assessment and Implementation Plan Chapter 3 - Short - Term and Long - Term Strategies The following is the recommended configuration for notebook computers : Notebook Computer - Approximate Cost = $3, 570 (e. g. Panasonic Toughbook 29) • Ruggedized • Weigh Less than 5 Pounds • 1 .6 GHz Processor or Greater 12 Inch or Greater Anti-glare Display • CD- ROM Drive • 512 MB RAM or Greater • 80 GB Hard Drive Space or Greater • 10/ 100 MBPS Ethernet Card • Wireless Network Adapter The Sheriff ' s Department currently utilizes notebook computers in all patrol vehicles ( 130 in total ) , and the Emergency Services Department and Building Division utilize notebook computers in the field as well . It is recommended that these departments procure additional notebook computers as required ; in addition , existing notebook computers should be upgraded to the aforementioned recommended configuration . The Community Development , Emergency Services, and Public Works departments should procure additional mobile computers as needed . The Utility department utilizes eight laptops in the field - three of them run ArcView9 . 1 ( Locators) and five of them are running Arc Reader 9 .0 ( Operations Crew Leaders) . Hand - held Computers In the long term , it will prove beneficial to provide field staff with additional GIS capabilities via the use of hand -held computers . The hand-held computers should be able to support various relevant applications such as ESRI ' s Arc Pad . The following is the recommended configuration for hand-held computers : Hand- Held Computers - Approximate cost = $500 • RAM : 128 MB • Operating System : Pocket PC , Pocket PC 2002 , and Pocket PC 2003 (also known as Windows Mobile 2003 for Pocket PC ) CPU Chips for Windows Pocket PC Hitachi SH3 and SH4 - XScale StrongARM - MIPS - X86 ' GPS Support - National Maritime Electronics Association - Trimble - Delorme Earthmate - Rockwell The Traffic Engineering Section of Public Works currently maintains five handheld palmtop computers . The Emergency Management and Animal Control / Emergency Operations Divisions also have five handheld palmtop computers each . 3-4 GIS Needs Assessment and Implementation Plan Chapter 3 - Short - Term and Long - Term Strategies * The aforementioned configuration for hand- — — held computers should be adequate in the short-term . However, hand-held computers , .;,.,....o,. . . are becoming increasingly faster and capable of supporting larger memory . All relevant departments should invest in new, faster hand-held computers as needs and demand dictate . A general recommendation is provided for the acquisition of hand-held computers by the Computer Services Department for use in the ? development and testing of applications and configurations that will be used by Figure 3with h hand-held computer with ESRI 's ArcPad personnel that utilize GIS in hand-held computers . Community Development 4 Computer Services 1 Emergency Services — Post Disaster Usage 6 a General Services 6 Telecommunications 1 Public Works 12 Total: 30 Figure 3 - 5: Hand-held Computer Recommendations A general recommendation is provided for the provision of hand-held computers at the discretion of each department/division , based on guidance and support from the GIS Director and Computer Services Department . It is recommended that Indian River County invest in acquiring both notebook computers with GIS data browsers as well as hand-held computers; by doing so , departments/divisions will have access to a variety of systems with varying levels of memory and processing speed adequate for the different types of field- based GIS applications that will be implemented . �) l Data Capture Devices FJGPS Receivers The potential utilization of GPS for data capture covers a wide range , from survey grade GPS receivers to less accurate, mapping-grade GPS receivers . At present , the County maintains several GPS receivers as listed below: Community Development In-Vehicle GPS ( " Black Box" I 25 Emergency Services Trimble GeoXT 1 General Services 3-5 GIS Needs Assessment and Implementation Plan Chapter 3 - Short - Term and Long - Term Strategies Water Conservation District Magellan handheld 1 Telecommunications Trimble XR- 11 ( borrowed from Parks 1 Maintenance) Health Department Dell Axim PDA with GPS q Public Works Parks Maintenance Trimble XR- 11 ( also used by General 1 Services) Coastal Engineering Mapping Grade Receiver 1 Surveying and Mapping Mapping Grade Receiver 0 Sheriff In-Vehicle GPS 130 Utilities Services Trimble GeoXT 1 Y Total: 165 Subject to increasing needs for field data collection as the County ' s GIS grows , it is recommended that in the long term four additional mapping -grade GPS receivers be procured as a shared resource for the GIS Director and departments that require field collection of data . The GIS Director will regulate the use of GPS resources and provide ad hoc assistance as needed by each department . Departments that indicated needs for additional GPS receivers include Community Development , General Services , Public Works , and the Sheriff ' s Office . In addition , Indian River County will eventually need to acquire additional GPS receivers for use in vehicles and field equipment. The utilization of these units will vary according to department ( as with Community Development and the Emergency Services Department) . It is recommended that departments utilize these GPS receivers to their full capability by implementing several tracking applications, such as Automatic Vehicle Location ( AVL) tracking . Use of AVL is especially valuable for the facilitation of emergency response management typically addressed by Public Safety departments . Field -mounted GPS receivers will need to be configured and linked , as needed , to Indian River County computing resources, including computer systems ( hand-held computers , notebook/tablet computers , workstations , and servers ) , networks , and enterprise-wide databases . It is recommended that two (2 ) GPS receivers should be procured in Year 2; two (2) additional GPS receivers should be procured in Year 3 . sI Output Devices <� Printers It is important that the County ' s GIS users have the means to print maps and documentation generated from these applications . Every GIS user should have access to a high-resolution color printer, to print 8"xl 1 " or 8 "x14" maps . In the short-term , each GIS user should have access to at least one networked color printer, even if it is not in their immediate work space . 3-b GIS Needs Assessment and Implementation Plan Chapter 3 - Short - Term and Long - Term Strategies As output demand increases , new color printers should be purchased for appropriate departments and users . Plotters It is important that Level One GIS Application users ( ArcEditor and ArcView ) have access to wide-format plotters . Many maps must be output onto large sheets to be properly visualized . The following are recommend specifications for wide format plotters : Plotters - Approximate Cost = $ 7, 000 361 , or Greater Paper Sheet Size HP mss 64 MB of Built-in RAM 7 .5 GB Hard-drive 1200 dpi Addressable Resolution Adobe PostScript 3 Capability Indian River County currently maintains five plotters . The Community Development, Emergency Services , General Services , Utilities , and Public Works departments each have one HP plotter for use by staff from each department ' s divisions . These five plotters are adequate to address most of these department ' s wide-format GIS printing needs . Other County departments will benefit from shared access to additional plotters . Two additional plotters are recommended for distributed and accessible use throughout the remaining County departments . Additional plotters may also be required in the future as Level One GIS utilization in Indian River County expands and departmental needs for wide-format printing increase . Networks Indian River County must maintain and manage optimal networking of computers . A major challenge for many enterprise-wide GIS efforts is inadequate network speed ( capacity) . GIS -- data are usually quite large, and often such large data sets can slow a network considerably , thereby rendering GIS applications non-functional . Currently there are fiber connections between most County buildings ; in addition , there are some DSL connections in some County buildings . Proposed 1 GBPS fiber connections between some buildings will prove beneficial to the implementation effort , and it is recommended that in the future all network connections between buildings be upgraded to this standard . The County accesses the Internet via a 15 mbps partial DS-3 connection . The County has its own webmaster and maintains its own web server, which hosts 9 web sites . Based on its existing network infrastructure and configuration , it is recommended that the County implement an Intranet that will enable various GIS users to take advantage of Intranet applications through a client-server model . The existing network infrastructure is adequate for current GIS needs , but more network bandwidth will be required as data access and distribution needs increase in the near future . The County ' s LAN should be increased in the future to 1 GB Ethernet connectivity for those users that transfer large amounts of data . 3-7 GIS Needs Assessment and Implementation Plan Chapter 3 - Short - Term and Long - Term Strategies r'} Software Indian River County currently maintains the following software that can be used as part of the County ' s GIS : ArcGIS Community Development (ArcView) Emergency Services ( ArcEditor 2) General Services (ArcView) Health Department (ArcView) Property Appraiser' s Office (ArcView; Arc Reader, AmSDE) = Public Works (ArcView) Supervisor of Elections (ArcView) Utilities Services (Arclnfo; ArcView) AutoCAD General Services ( AutoCAD 20051 Public Works (AutoCAD 2005) Utilities Services (AutoCAD Map 2005) Trimble Pathfinder Office Community Development Emergency Services General Services Public Works AccuGlobe by DDT! Property Appraiser' s Office GeoElections Supervisor of Elections Indian River County should upgrade all ESRI GIS software to the latest version available ( ArcView 9 . 1 ) . It is recommended that a standard be established for the maintenance and management of software licenses ; this standard will ensure that all GIS users have the same version of a specific type of software . In addition to the aforementioned software products , each department maintains various GIS -capable applications that incorporate a spatial component or integrate with dedicated GIS software such as ESRI ' s ArcGIS software . These applications are department-specific and provide users with the ability to import , integrate, and extract GIS data . These applications should be upgraded and configured , as necessary , to ensure that they are compatible with the new versions of ESRI software that have been recommended . Additional GIS software recommended for Indian River County ( applications are described in Chapter 1 - Departmental GIS Needs Assessment : Enterprise-Wide Applications or in specific needs assessments) includes : All Intranet GIS Data Browser Site License I (ort) Yes All/Public Internet GIS Data Browser Site License 2 (or 3) Yes Community Development Address Maintenance 1 1 Yes Community Planning Support System 1 (or 21 Yes Development 3-8 GIS Needs Assessment and Implementation Plan Chapter 3 - Short - Term and Long - Term Strategies Community Public Kiosk 2 1 Yes Development Community Arc Pad 4 2 Yes Development Community Development Mobile GIS Data Browser 8 1 Yes �. Community College Public Kiosk 1 3 Yes Library Computer Services AmSDE 1 1 ( or 2) Yes Computer Services ArclMS 2 1and 2 Yes Computer Services Arc Pad 1 1 Yes Computer Services ArcGIS (Arclnfo( 1 1 Yes Computer Services ArcGIS Extensions 1 2 Yes Emergency Services Emergency Notification 1 1 Yes Systems - Reverse 91 1 Emergency Services AmPad ( Post Disaster 6 1 and 2 Yes usage Emergency Services Mobile GIS Data Browser 10 1 and 2 Yes Emergency Services Public Kiosk 1 1 Yes General Services Public Kiosk 1 2 Yes General Services ArcPad 6 2 Yes Health ArcGIS (ArcView) 1 1 Yes Libraries Public Kiosk 2 2 Yes Property Appraiser' s Public Kiosk 1 1 ( or 2( Yes Office Public Works Emergency Notification I I Yes System Public Works AmPad 12 1 and 2 Yes - Public Works/Surveying Arc Editor 2 1 Yes j Public Works/Surveying Survey Analyst I I Yes Risk Management Public Kiosk 2 1 ', Yes Sheriff 's Office ArcGIS 2 1 Yes Sheriff ' s Officei CrimeView 2 2 Yes Sheriff ' s Office Emergency Notification I 1 Yes System Sheriff' s Office Mobile GIS Data Browser 130 1 , 2 and 3 Yes 3-9 GIS Needs Assessment and Implementation Plan Chapter 3 - Short - Term and Long - Term Strategies Supervisor of Elections Public Kiosk 2 1 and 2 Yes Utilities Emergency Notification 1 2 Yes Utilities Public Kiosk 1 2 Yes The following diagram provides a general overview of the expected types of GIS use within each department/ division/office . It should be noted that the classification is based on the current utilization of GIS within each department/division . Departments/divisions/offices are expected to move into different tiers as GIS utilization within Indian River County increases . Indian River County Multi - tier GIS Software Users by Department OTier 1 : Power User OTier 2: Analytical User OTier 3: Browser User GIS Director GIS Technicians Emergency Property - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Services Appraiser's Utilities Services Office Community General Health Public Works Supervisor of Development Services Department Elections All Other Departments/ Divisions 3- 10 GIS Needs Assessment and Implementation Plan Chapter 3 - Short - Term and Long - Term Strategies n 7 C-)m m DiA b Chapter 4 - Base Map Creation and Consideration In This Chapter Introduction 4- 1 Tax Parcels 4- 1 History and Current Status 4-2 Recommendations 4-3 Orthophotography 4-5 History and Current Status 4-5 Recommendations 4-6 Street Centerlines 4-7 History and Current Status 4-7 Recommendations 4-8 Address Points 4- 10 History and Current Status 4- 10 Recommendations 4- 10 eIntroduction Base map layers are critical components for a successful County GIS initiative, as these layers provide a set of information upon which other GIS layers may be developed . In essence , base map layers represent the core data used for the majority of GIS analysis and mapping functions . Inconsistencies in either the spatial or the attribute accuracy of any of the base map layers can pose significant obstacles to the County ' s GIS goals . Typically , most local government organizations utilize four critical base map layer datasets : 1 . Tax Parcels 2 . Orthophotography 3 . Street Centerlines 4 . Address Points The successful deployment of comprehensive base map datasets requires careful planning and consideration of both proposed and anticipated uses . Technological developments and advanced applications that can affect these considerations include : controlled digital image and planimetric feature overlays ( hydrology, water utility features , pavement outlines , building footprints, etc . ) and emergency vehicle location and routing through real-time GPS tracking ( AVL/ AVI ) . Subsequent attempts to accommodate unanticipated data and /or application needs , which are dependent upon or associated with the quality and accuracy of the original base map, can be extraordinarily time-consuming and cost-prohibitive . KtTax Parcels For county governments , the acquisition and integration of an accurate and up-to-date parcel base map is arguably the critical centerpiece of a county ' s GIS effort . Tax Parcels are the core component layer for modeling land use within the County and provide a substantial basis for developing other base map layers . r 4- 1 GIS Needs Assessment and Implementation Plan Chapter 4 - Base Map Creation and Consideration Several immediate and long -lasting benefits normally derived from parcel base map layer integration include : • A comprehensive inventory and accounting of all taxable land Comparisons of deeded and calculated (actual) acreage • Inventory and determination of County-owned lands and conveyances Verification of tax rolls and incorporation of City annexations, providing checks-and- balances of appraisal entity records Provides a strong foundation for control of future growth , land development, and population forecasting • Fosters closer cooperation with other local governmental entities Among the more tangible and practical benefits emerging from the parcel base map layer: • County mailing lists & affected property owner notifications • Improved public safety response and emergency evacuation ` a Readily available property ownership information Property valuations and County service expansion/prioritization Floodway management & building code enforcement • Creation of County map books and atlases History & Current Status Indian River County maintains a parcel layer in an ArcGIS SDE geodatabase which is updated frequently by the GIS Mapping Coordinator and five GIS Mappers in the Property Appraiser' s Office . They currently use ArcEditor 9 . 1 and the Nova LIS ' Parcel Editor extension to maintain the Indian River County digital tax parcel layer. The parcels were originally derived through digitizing mylars in house using the Manitron System in the late 80 ' s . The entire dataset, comprised of seven distinct sections, had no georeference information attached . In the early 1990s , the parcels were converted over to the ESRI format as coverages . In 2000, the Office gathered the best information it could regarding the section corners to get best fit using the rubbersheeting method . Because the section corners were not highly accurate , the parcel base map lacked considerable accuracy and some areas in the county were off by as much as 10- 100 feet. At present , when the County Surveyor receives digital submissions of new subdivisions , the CAD file is emailed to the Property Appraiser ' s Office and plats are brought in and tied to the existing parcel base; old inaccurate areas are not revisited . Thus, the parcel layer ' s accuracy is improving with time . In 2004, the Department upgraded to an ArcSDE database and converted the parcels into this format using ESRI ' s Parcel Data Model as a guide . Currently, a base map densification project is being looked into by the County ' s Surveyor and Mapper. Once the densification is in place, the parcel layer will gradually become more and more accurate . At present, several County departments, including the Community Development and Public Works departments , utilize parcel map data . The maintenance of duplicate versions of parcel data requires additional time and resources to synchronize parcel data once updates, additions , and revisions are complete . In addition , preliminary evaluation of the spatial accuracy of their parcels indicates that feature geometries need to be corrected and/or updated . 4-2 GIS Needs Assessment and Implementation Plan Chapter 4 - Base Map Creation and Consideration Recommendations There are two primary recommendations for the correction and maintenance of Indian River County' s tax parcels : " 1 . Correction of Existing Errors in Spatial Accuracy 2 . Consolidation and Distribution of a Centralized Tax Parcel Layer 3. Implementation of Standards for All Geo-Spatial Data 1 . Correction of Existing Errors in Spatial Accuracy Several County Departments stressed the need to have a more accurate parcel layer. While the County has migrated to an ArcSDE shared database environment for editing parcels , errors in the spatial accuracy of the parcel layer need to be addressed by the GIS Mapping Coordinator and the recommended GIS Director. The Director will need to work with the Community Development Department, the Public Works Department, the Property Appraiser' s Office , and any other relevant departments , to devise and design a plan for correction of existing feature geometry errors in the County ' s parcel data . The County is evaluating the option of obtaining funding from the Florida Department of Revenue ( DOR ) to pursue a control densification base map enhancement project that will increase the accuracy of the parcel base . The County Surveyor is taking the lead on this project, and it is expected that this effort will be coordinated with the GIS Director and the Property Appraiser' s GIS Mapping Coordinator to ensure that all necessary issues have been properly addressed . This project will require GPS-based control point collection and analysis—these control points will form the basis for subsequent " rubbersheeting " that will be applied to the tax parcel layer ( as well as other base map layers , including the streets layer) . It should be noted that Florida laws governing field-based GIS data collection and development require oversight by a qualified land surveyor that is registered by the State. In light of this requirement, the County Surveyor/ GIS Director will need to ensure that the appropriate and necessary technical oversight is in place to ensure that field- collected /developed data conforms to the State ' s best practices . As part of this initiative , the GIS Director should determine a timeline for rectifying errors on the enterprise geodatabase layer. County personnel should be consulted and utilized as much as possible in this effort . It is likely that this effort will be time consuming and resource intensive—therefore , it is recommended that the County explore the possibility of outsourcing this work to a consultant or other third party. In addition to the correction of errors, additional attributes may need to be added to the County ' s parcel data . Although it is impractical to add certain attributes to the parcel data , given that other jurisdictions may eventually utilize this data , the County and local organizations that will use the tax parcel layer should identify attributes that would prove to be mutually beneficial (e .g . , " Inside City " or a secondary key that links to a specific records management system ) . Should such an effort be initiated , t is recommended that Indian River County work together with local cities and regional government organizations to create a data dictionary for the County ' s parcel data . 2. Consolidation and Distribution of a Centralized Tax Parcel Laver As aforementioned , several County departments , including the Community Development and Public Works departments, manage and maintain derivative ( duplicate) copies of the fax parcel layer maintained by the Property Appraiser' s Office . The parallel maintenance of 4-3 GIS Needs Assessment and Implementation Plan Chapter 4 - Base Map Creation and Consideration a base map layer needs to be eliminated, in order to mitigate the duplication of efforts and reduce the potential for errors, disparities, and inconsistencies . Upon completion of the proposed rectification of the " master" tax parcel layer maintained ` by the Property Appraiser' s Office , it is recommended that the GIS Director, County Surveyor, and GIS Mapping Coordinator collaborate on the consolidation of any department-specific data with the new master fax parcel layer. There are several options for doing this , including the utilization of look-up tables , inclusion of additional attributes in the master layer with user- defined filters or views , and automated extraction of data subsets on a regularly scheduled basis . Upon consolidation of any additional data /features with the County ' s master tax parcel layer, it is recommended that the GIS Director, County Surveyor, and GIS Mapping Coordinator collaborate on establishing an appropriate strategy for dissemination of the tax parcel layer to all County departments and offices . Based on existing utilization of ArcSDE for management and maintenance of the layer, there is an opportunity for leveraging this environment as a central repository for the County ' s base map layers . Depending on network configuration and performance , it may be necessary to provide derivative copies of the data in other formats i .e. , Shapefile) to County departments and offices—however, great care should be taken to establish a protocol and process that ensures that any edits or modifications are made to the master layer. The GIS Director will be tasked with establishing any protocols and /or processes needed for this purpose . 3. Implementation of Standards for All Geo-Soafial Data Another critical issue in the County ' s GIS efforts is the implementation of geo-spatial data standards . Using a common standard will enable the County to operate more efficiently by - reducing data conversion and by enabling streamlined data distribution internally and externally. The County will need to develop geo-spatial data standards , including layer and directory naming conventions , directory structures , metadata , and index conventions . It should be noted that these standards do not apply solely to parcel data and its derivative products , but rather that these standards will apply and support all enterprise geo-spatial data . 4-4 GIS Needs Assessment and Implementation Plan Chapter 4 - Base Map Creation and Consideration Layer Naming Convention : LD_<SCALE>_< LAYER Y NAME> <VERSION > < REVISION > Example : LD_24000_FIRESTATIONS 2 1 Directory Naming Convention : < DEPARTMENT> <THEME A> <THEME B> <SUBTHEME A> <SUBTHEME B> Example : FIRE -- FIRE STATIONS - - RESPONSE AREAS - CITY AREAS WILDLAND_AREAS An Example of Layer and Directory Naming Conventions It is recommended that the GIS Director work with all departments, especially the Property Appraiser' s Office, Community Development Department, and Public Works Department, to identify, document, and resolve any issues that will impede the adoption of Indian River County ' s geo-spatial data standards . eOrthophotography History and Current Status Digital orthophotography ( aerial photographs ) can be useful as a backdrop to a GIS , with overlays of parcel , street centerline, or other thematic data . Digital orthophotography is a valuable asset to an organization such as Indian River County. Digital orthophotography is inherently disk-consuming and process-intensive . These files can be difficult to manipulate and they have the potential to slow down networks significantly . The most up-to-date orthophotography available to Indian River County is color aerial orthophotography, acquired in 2004 from the St . Johns River Water Management District with a 1 meter pixel resolution . In addition , the County houses 2003 Black and White Aerials from the Florida Department of Revenue ( DOR ) . The DOR will be flying the County this year and the 1 " =200 ' ( 1 foot pixel resolution ) color - aerial photography will be available in the spring or summer of 2006 for County access ; deliverables will be made in both GeoTIFF and MrSID formats . 4-5 GIS Needs Assessment and Implementation Plan Chapter 4 - Base Map Creation and Consideration Indian River County Ortho hoto raphy Data Sets Month Year Color/B&W Resolution Formats Extent I Summer 2006 Color 1 ' / pixel GeoTIFF , MrSID Countywide May 2004 Color 1 ' / pixel '', TIFF , MrSID St . John ' s River Water Management District Select quarter sections slated for - February 2003 B &W 1 ' / pixel MrSID update inside the above boundary Recommendations County staff feel they would benefit from obtaining high resolution 1 " = 100 ' ( 1 /2 foot pixel resolution ) color aerial photography. GTG recommends Indian River County contract with a consultant to create new digital orthophotography and Lidar Mapping by 2008 . Given the DOR color aerial photography that will be available in summer of 2006, it would be cost-prohibitive and impractical for the County to acquire additional digital aerial photography in the short term . However, given the County ' s rapid development and urban/suburban growth , it is recommended that additional high resolution ( 1 /2 foot pixel ) digital color aerial photography be acquired for urban/suburban areas in 2008 . A .. comprehensive countywide acquisition is recommended for 2010 or 2011 . Although the data storage requirements are large for such data , it is recommended that the County determine whether it can allocate funding for the acquisition of selected orthophotography , such as areas with ongoing development , on a bi-annual ( or yearly) basis . By doing so, the County will ensure that its current inventory of digital orthophotography does not become outdated . It is recommended that the County utilize this type of photography to derive and generate new GIS data layers , including planimetric data layers . In addition , it is recommended that the County explore the possibility of performing change detection analysis using chronologically sequential digital orthophotography . It is recommended that Indian River County continue to utilize their existing digital orthophotography in a compressed format such as MrSID . Traditional digital orthophotography formats, such as TIFF , are inherently large and take up disk space . Compressed orthophotography aids the end user in the quick retrieval of information . In addition , the use of the digitally re-sampled orthophotography enables quicker printing and plotting . The display of compressed orthophotography can be configured to be scale- dependent . Using this configuration , end users view a map that displays the appropriate , higher-resolution imagery at a certain scale threshold . By maintaining orthophotography in a compressed format, the County will be able to distribute its digital orthophotography to remote sites more efficiently. 4-6 GIS Needs Assessment and Implementation Plan Chapter 4 - Base Map Creation and Consideration 4rsty , � . �` ,* � •ail S � �. ��. � � � /�r. & ,� f f r V , • .A� ` +. .rte .' � r�.��►• ' :� � ``. • �,� !�' ++�,,� w4' < 4 tj 1 5 •• ipp 1 dit h ll MA At W Aft < :Xv Y r • \� .* 1 f. � , L �� _ .`Ir qt ` . `. \ may. • • - ' • • • • • ' ' - - • • - • • • • • - • • - • • - • iA . -!r- Example Example of Sheet Centerlines Overlaying Aerial Photography Recommendations Emergency Management staff indicated that the current street centerline layer is accurate and new streets are added regularly. However, with Indian River County ' s rapid growth , actions should be taken to ensure that new streets are added in a timely fashion and that QA/QC procedures are in place . In addition , the Emergency Services 911 Database Coordinator, who currently maintains the Street Centerline layer, should regularly coordinate with the GIS Director as well as GIS staff from other departments to ensure that necessary attributes are being added . In the long run , it is recommended that all maintenance of the street centerline layer should continue to be maintained by Emergency Services in coordination with the GIS Director. It is recommended that the proper data maintenance workflow is developed to ensure that an up-to-date and accurate layer is maintained . There are two methods of collecting spatially accurate locations of new or unidentified street centerlines : 1 ) digitizing from aerial photography and 2) GPS data collection . Digitizing from aerial photography is less time- consuming , but can be problematic . Aerial photography is static, and is not updated very frequently . New streets will not appear on older aerial photography. Therefore , it is recommended that the County continue utilizing GPS to collect location information of new streets if possible . As mentioned above , GPS field data collection will need to include oversight and review by the County Surveyor. N A street centerline layer is only concerned with physical addresses , not mailing addresses . The Federal Geographic Data Committee ( FGDC ) defines a physical address ( also referred to as a situs or delivery address ) as a " Set of precise and complete information that indicates by relationship or by description the permanent and unique location of an object. " The following descriptive elements are necessary for Indian River County to incorporate into any street centerline file : 4-8 GIS Needs Assessment and Implementation Plan Chapter 4 - Base Map Creation and Consideration Left Address Start 1 2 2 102 Left Address End I1 101 Right Address Start 98 98 198 Right Address End 99 99 199 Prefix Direction W W N Prefix Street Type HWY Street Name Main Main Colonial Street Type St St 31vd Suffix Direction NE NE NE Left Zone usually Zip 12345 12345 12345 Code Right Zone ( usually Zip 12346 12346 12345 Code Street Label W Main St NE W Main St NE N Colonial Blvd NE Index Name Main St, W Main St , W Colonial Blvd , N I Alias Prefix Direction N N Alias Prefix Street Type HWY SR Alias Street Name 30 17 Alias Street Type Ave I Alias Suffix Direction NE NE Alias Index HWY 30, N SR 17, N Road Type Interstate, Access '.. Two Lane Four _ane - Divided Road Street Centerline Attribute Table Other fields that may be incorporated into a street centerline layer include : City, County, County FIPS , State , and State HIPS . Some communities will add additional fields, such as Fire District, Map Grid , or other fields that further identify the street segment for a specific purpose . y — 9x Ib =Ti I? .r . ],.zn.z X11 f.i �.rL'7. G JL�I� �h1L•JLiI��❑O Oi�J '�7 11 e v _ _ e A — 1 Street Centerline Attribute Layer 4-9 GIS Needs Assessment and Implementation Plan Chapter 4 - Base Map Creation and Consideration Although Emergency Services staff indicated that the street centerline layer is accurate and up-to-date, the street centerline layer should be evaluated and analyzed to determine if all street segments have been added along with valid attribution ; this effort should be conducted using a combination of random testing and field-based " ground truthing . " Additional attributes may be added to the centerlines as applications are developed . For example, both pavement management and transportation improvement maps will require additional attributes . Once verified , GIS applications such as address assignment, crime analysis , and fire incident analysis can be accomplished . The street centerline layer should be made available to all departments/offices and users for general reference , data browsing , and queries . A street centerline layer is necessary for many GIS analysis tasks ; however, it does have some limitations . An address search on a street centerline layer will only locate the interpolated position of that address in relation to the centerline - in the middle of the street or at a designated offset . The interpolated location will not show the actual location of the address . Addresses with multiple units or structures may be ambiguously located , as a point may be used to represent a complex of buildings (e . g . , a shopping center) . Additionally, actual addresses may vary from their interpolated location based on address ranges ; in turn , address ranges may not be correct or may be outdated (see Address Points and Geocoding below) . A solution for preventing and mitigating such discrepancies is to create an address point layer. Local governments increasingly are developing address point layers to yield more accurate address search results . An address point can be placed in the center of each structure in the County, or at the entrance of the primary driveway. Structures with multiple units such as apartment complexes and condominiums can have one address point for each unit . Address Points History and Current Status Indian River County currently has no digital address point layer. An address point layer will provide a greater level of accuracy and detail of the structure locations within Indian River County than an address search based on geocoding from the mile post or street centerline layer. A more accurate address location , provided by a point on the map representing each structure in the County, provides many key benefits including ; routing of emergency vehicles and emergency management and dispatch , address management and maintenance and spatially enabling disparate county databases . Each database maintained in the county that contains address information can use the address layer as a mapping point. Spatially enabling databases allows for more sophisticated and efficient analysis of the information stored in those databases . The address location can provide a common key between each disparate database . y Recommendations It is highly recommended that the County develop a digital address point layer using a hybrid approach drawing from multiple sources including the County ' s MSAG ( Master Street ' Address Guide ) database , other databases throughout the County with address information , the parcel layer and field -based verification . Address information stored within the MSAG 4- 10 GIS Needs Assessment and Implementation Plan Chapter 4 - Base Map Creation and Consideration database can be used as a source for address point creation ; additional address information from the parcel layer can be used to create address points for any addresses that may not be in the utility database . Addresses in the MSAG database should be address-matched to the situs address of each parcel in the parcel layer; records that do not exist in the MSAG database that do exist in the parcel layer should be verified and incorporated as address points as well . The centroid of each parcel will serve as the preliminary address point . Addresses that exist in the MSAG database that do not exist in the parcel layer should be verified and reconciled to a valid City address . Use of the MSAG database is recommended due to the fact that it contains records for multi-unit addresses that may only exist as a single address in the parcel layer. The creation of a comprehensive address point layer may require additional data sources , such as the permits database , should there be addresses that are not accounted for in the MSAG database and in the parcel layer. Once address points are created , they should be rectified to the appropriate location through use of digital orthophotography as well as GPS field work ( as needed ) . The GIS Director, in conjunction with the recommended County GIS Steering Committee, will need to develop business logic for the placement of multi-unit address points and other special case addresses , such as mobile homes . In addition , QA procedures will need to be utilized to identify addresses in the MSAG database ( and/or parcel layer) that are incomplete , inconsistent, or out of date . The creation of an address point layer is often an iterative process that requires multiple efforts before a comprehensive and up- to-date address point layer is created . This layer will serve as the most used base map layer along with tax parcels . Maintenance of the layer will be coordinated between Community Development and the GIS Director. 4- 11 GIS Needs Assessment and Implementation Plan Chapter 4 - Base Map Creation and Consideration Phase I Assessment & Evaluation - Identify configuration and database environment - Assess existing data model - Evaluate data quality and identify errors, anomalies, and /or inconsistencies - Determine feasibility for address clean- up Phase II °ee Database Analysis and Data Modeling - Identify required database fables - Identify and evaluate ancillary GIs data layers - Configure links with data translation software Phase III Business Logic Design and Development - Design and develop stored procedures ) as needed ) - Develop validation rules and exception handling mei= - Configure complementary GIS data layers - Design and create spatial queries and application rules Y Phase IV Point Validation and Editing - Generate address points - Geo-reference points and validate location • - Spatial validation of attributes and record information - Edit non -conforming and /or inaccurate points - Edit non -conforming and/or inaccurate attributes Phase V Sampling , Verification , and Validation - Random sampling of records - Verification of correct location and attribution - Validation of business logic - Database queries to determine exceptions � I Phase VI Exception Identification and Recommendations Aggregate query and validation results Identify exceptions to be rectified - Summarize and report exceptions • - Make recommendations for editing of duplicate and /or extraneous records V& r Phase VII Final Verification and Validation - Random sampling of records - Database and spatial queries - Process documentation & training A Sample Address Point Creation Methodology 4- 12 GIS Needs Assessment and Implementation Plan Chapter 4 - Base Map Creation and Consideration ioble MSAG �'rlly Address Point layer Address match records to parcel centroids Generate additional address Cn) r� Geo.mlemnce (reclily) withGP dleRal points from parcel centroids a e., -- V , > otlM1apM1W ort as n and GPS Held records not In MSAG database) / work. as needed Geocoding may be used as ❑ ❑ • a secondary means of determining address points A Typical Address Point Generation Workflow Address Points and Geocodina An alternative means for generating address points is based on geocoding t s6tg the street centerline layer. Geocoding (also known as address matching) with the street centerline layer yields address points based on an interpolated value using address ranges for each line segment . Although this method is somewhat effective in creation of address points, it is not nearly as accurate as an address point layer as referenced above . In geocoding , points are offset from the street centerline by a set distance (typically 50 feet) in order to place them in " relative proximity to each parcel ' s centroid ( center point) . While this methodology provides a quick means for generating address points, an inherent lack of positional accuracy for each point is problematic . Interpolated locations , such as those yielded by geocoding , have traditionally been inaccurate and often times inconsistent—this depends both on the accuracy of the underlying street centerlines used as well as the configuration parameters used for geocoding . One of the key limitations of using an offset parameter in order to place points closer to their " true " location is that addresses close to an intersection or end of a line segment will not have the same offset as those near the center of a street segment . A diagram below illustrates how offsets can be misleading in such cases . 50 font offset An address interpolated to a sheet segment center will be placed at the specified 50 toot offset. 4- 13 GIS Needs Assessment and Implementation Plan Chapter 4 - Base Map Creation and Consideration 10 foot offset 50 foot offsets Depending on address - matching logic used during geocoding, an address interpolated near an intersection (or sheet segment end) will be placed at a different offset. If the specified 50 foot offset were to be used in this case, the address point would be placed near the end of the line segment and offset by 50 feet, thereby placing the point close to the middle of the intersecting street. Other limitations of geocoding include the interpolation logic used for address matching . Interpolated addresses are subject to address matching rules, which in some instances may place a point within a block group centroid , or even within a Zip Code centroid , if address information is ambiguous and/or incomplete . For example, if a record does not have all n relevant address information , such as an incomplete street number or a misspelled street name , that record may be geocoded to a Zip Code centroid . The following describes the suggested methodology for creating a master address point layer for the County . F Phase 1 Creation of Master Address Database Two alternatives exist for this phase : 1 . Indian River County has an MSAG database in the Emergency Services Department, which is used for E911 purposes . If this database stores specific information about the address such as house number, street name, street type, and street direction , then it can be used as a reference for the geocoding of addresses . 2. If, however, the MSAG database lacks this information , another database within the County should be used in conjunction with the existing parcel layer as a base listing of all the addresses in the County ( e . g . , utility billing database) . The creation of a master address database will provide a resource for geocoding addresses and for the field verification phase . Once all data sources are collected , the geocoding phase can begin . Geocodina of Addresses Once the addresses that need to be generated on the map are determined , the cumulative physical address field in the database can be address matched ( also known as geocoded ) against the attributed street centerline file . The database and centerline file should be processed through the ArcGIS 9 Geocoding Service in ArcCatalog . 4- 14 GIS Needs Assessment and Implementation Plan Chapter 4 - Base Map Creation and Consideration An alias table may also be created to store detailed address information about common ( vanity) location names , such as " County Courthouse " . The result of the initial geocoding process will not be a complete point file , but it will eliminate some of the work necessary for creation of the point layer. Due to the mechanisms used to determine the addresses of rural structures , the geocoding process against the street centerlines will use a single range option . This option will geocode the points to center of the street and will have a lower level of initial accuracy than a geocode based on other systems such as a dual range system . Address Match Database against Sheet Centerline File Centerlines _1JJ Phoical He , I P,elie 54ee1 Na Sheel Tpe SWIm PN*we A ea: lC'_ [I:elb Ja'axon o SE 102,edel3o- c 31a NOW Aadervo, Rd s n13 "A"", NesE 15 NOR crime rw 12ii&RnmsN 315 cW.P rRtd,9, F, A.z NV/ 33 ',t are NN' r1� Neib Nu Hey IN/ 3153WCdky c.csNN' 3?5 - wen Ner/ier aye N'e/ 3asaae/k� nl- Nw Record Ili sro, ai ee - Neem, IoalNesehcenl odKk - The address point layer should be created as a feature class in an ArcGIS Geodatabase . The address point feature class created by the geocoding process will include an attribute table separate from the table used to geocode physical addresses . The new address point Geodatabase feature class created by the geocoding process will include two additional fields : 1 ) "Status " and 2) "Score " . " Status " indicates whether individual records were matched or unmatched , with values of M " or " U " , respectively . " Score " indicates the percentage of confidence in the match . One hundred ( 100) % indicates an exact match , 707o a less than perfect match , etc . The Geocoding Service in ArcGIS allows users to control what score will constitute a match . In addition , all unmatched addresses can be interactively matched . Geocoded address points can be offset at a designated distance; otherwise, each will be placed on top of the street centerline . Indian River County should make a concerted effort to address match every physical address possible . "Status " and " Score " fields should remain visible to County staff responsible for maintaining the master address point layer, but should not be visible to end users . Phase 2 Manual Adjustment of Geocoded Address Points The next step will be manual verification of the location of the newly geocoded addresses throughout the County . Address points should be displayed in ArcGIS with tax parcels and aerial photography displayed as a backdrop to the address points . Geocoded address points should be manually moved ( rectified ) to the center of the corresponding structure on the tax parcel . 4- 15 GIS Needs Assessment and Implementation Plan Chapter 4 - Base Map Creation and Consideration i f 11j e 1 f t. f � ,r , • ti... ! t Implementation Plan • • • • Creation Field Verification of Geocoded Addresses Many of the addresses will need to be field verified after they have been geocoded . These corresponding structures or the address for these points may not be decipherable from a heads up digitizing method using the aerial photography. Many ' of the structures in the County do not have addresses but still may need to be collected ; for example , well houses and mining infrastructure may be collected in the field if they are unable to be identified from the aerial photography. There are also instances when a tax parcel contains multiple addresses . Tax parcels with multiple addresses , such as shopping centers and apartment complexes, will require multiple addresses points. Multiple Address Points per Tax Parcel 1 t w x' a d o +: o - o 01 a A� of am 11 11 i .. r I Phase 3 Address Verification and Maintenance An address verification field should be added to the address point layer, indicating whether each individual address point has been verified or not . All structures with unknown addresses should be identified and shared with other departments, to research their existing address , or assign a new address . Deliverables The final address point layer should be stored as a feature class in a Geodatabase . All address information will be stored in one table within the RDBMS . This table will act as the source for both the master address file that all software ( that can connect to the database) uses for address validation and policing , and as the attribute table for the address point feature class displayed in ArcGIS . 4- 17 GIS Needs Assessment and Implementation Plan Chapter 4 - Base Map Creation and Consideration