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April 1999
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Appendix A - Slide Presentation from June 9, 1998 City Council Meeting
Appendix B - Slide Presentation from Interim Report to City Council Meeting (October 13, 1998)
Appendix C - Selected Local Government Web Site Addresses
Appendix D - Automated Telephone Information (Telephony): Sample Directory
Appendix E - Guidelines for a City Wide Site
Appendix F - Slide Presentation from Final Report to City Council Meeting (April 27, 1999)
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
The initial concept for the creation of an advisory body to the City Council on new and emerging technologies stemmed from Councilmember Barry Jantz's interest in utilizing new technologies to increase citizen participation. This includes such things as citizens being able to access Council agendas and reports electronically, pay sewer bills off-site, look up the City Municipal Code through the Internet, etc. This concept is very consistent with the City Council's Strategic Directions adopted several years ago relating to citizen participation and technology.
The Committee was directed to give the Council an assessment of what the City's choices are, how the City is positioned to take advantage of new technology options, and how the City should proceed to implement some of the new technologies. The Committee was also tasked with preparing a report to the City Council on new and emerging technologies and to make a recommendation for the long-term structure of an Advisory Commission on these issues.
At an early meeting the Committee established a work plan, schedule and report outline. The work plan called for a review of "Best Practices" being used by the public and private sectors from the standpoint of – Net Services: Internet and Intranet (the Services), Media/Communications (the Messages), and Telecommunications Technologies (the Vehicle). A number of different agencies and businesses were asked to make presentations to the Committee providing their perspective on current and future directions in terms of the delivery systems (the technologies), techniques for delivery and local government applications.
Like other public agencies and private businesses, use of the Internet and Intranet technologies (Net Services) will allow the City to better serve their customers - the residents, businesses and visitors of La Mesa. Net Services, such as Internet Email and a World Wide Web site, provide another way for citizen participation and involvement in government. The implementation of an Intranet, a web site solely for internal use by City staff and officials, also can help make government more efficient. Because of the ease of using web browsers, they are more and more becoming not only how we access the WWW but also how a wide variety of software applications will be accessed in the future.
The Internet should be viewed as more than just a technology; it is a way to improve human communication and interaction. The Internet allows you to:
Exchange information quickly and conveniently.
Access experienced and expert individuals in a variety of fields.
Build teams and enhance teamwork across geographic areas.
Interact with your customers.
With over ninety percent of households having access to touch-tone telephones, the use of automated telephone information systems or telephony can be one of the most effective means of providing a community's residents with City information. Informational messages describing City services and programs can be accessed 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Frequently asked questions can be answered quickly, concisely, and consistently.
An automated phone system is not intended to replace person to person contact, but rather to enhance customer services while saving staff time and money. These systems are designed to supplement and improve communications between local government and their citizens.
Automated telephone information systems enhance customer service by:
providing one number for all informational requests;
allowing for a variety of information to be provided based on the callers individual needs;
providing access to information and services 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and 365 days a year;
providing the correct source for phone numbers to call for additional information or services; and by
allowing callers to request faxes or selected informational documents or forms automatically.
Connections with Technologies
New and emerging technologies, such as the Internet and automated telephone information systems, provide a better and more efficient means to "Connect" with its citizens. These new technologies also provide a better means for residents, businesses, and visitors to connect with the City. Below are five levels of Connections identified by the committee:
The committee rated different technologies on its' benefit to the citizenry and business community. This rating albeit not of scientific design was premised on empirical evidence as viewed by the committee members. The ratings assigned in each of the technology types were evaluated as to what effect they would have on the five levels of Connection.
Different criteria were established to rate both benefits and costs, using a 1 as low and 3 as high. The technologies receiving higher benefit to cost ratios for the different Connections may be most appropriate for implementation by the City. The charts shown on pages 25 and 26 graphically portray the benefit to cost analysis.
Recommendations
Email lists
City Internet access
City Web site
City Intranet (a private internet)
All future software packages should be web accessible
Training on the basics of the Internet and World Wide Web
Training on web design and programming
Additional information about automated telephone information systems (telephony) was required before this Committee could make definitive recommendations to the City on how it should use this technology. At this time the committee is recommending that the Council direct City staff to:
Included in detail in the body of the report are technical considerations for determining capabilities that should be included in an automated telephone information system.
The Ad Hoc Committee also recommends to the City Council that an Advisory Commission on New and Emerging Technologies be established. The Commission should provide the City with the following assistance:
Monitor the City's progress in using new and emerging technologies to increase citizen participation.
Make future recommendations to the City on the use of new and emerging technology.
Re-evaluate the recommendations contained in this report and any future recommendations made by the Advisory Committee.
Participate in the process of selecting vendors and consultants to implement new technologies within the City. This may include assistance in developing Requests for Proposals and the evaluation of proposals or bids for services.
The Committee recommends that the Advisory Commission meet at least -annually to review previous recommendations to assure that they are providing an appropriate path for the City in implementing new and emerging technologies.
INTRODUCTION
The initial concept for the creation of an advisory body to the City Council on new and emerging technologies stemmed from Councilmember Barry Jantz's interest in utilizing new technologies to increase citizen participation. This includes such things as citizens being able to access Council agendas and reports electronically, pay sewer bills off-site, look up the City Municipal Code through the Internet, etc. This concept is very consistent with the City Council's Strategic Directions adopted several years ago relating to citizen participation and technology. The first project in this area was the use of a Cox Communication grant to prepare the City Council Chambers to videotape Council meetings.
Because there are so many new and emerging technologies that could assist the City in increasing citizen participation, the Council established the Ad Hoc Committee on New and Emerging Technologies. The Council directed staff to establish the Ad Hoc Committee consisting of representatives from the communications industry, businesses that utilize new technologies, the computer industry (both hardware and software), education, government and interested citizens.
The Committee was directed to give the Council an assessment of what the City's choices are, how the City is positioned to take advantage of new technology options, and how the City should proceed to implement some of the new technologies. The Committee was tasked with preparing a report to the City Council on new and emerging technologies and to make a recommendation for the long-term structure of an Advisory Commission on these issues.
This report is intended to meet the directions provided by the City Council to the Committee. The remainder of the report is divided into five sections. The next section of the report describes the Committee, its Mission Statement, and the process used in developing the recommendations contained in this report. This is followed by an overview of the technologies being examined and how they could "connect" with the citizens of La Mesa; recommendations on how the City can use these technologies; recommendations regarding a future Advisory Commission; and, appendices with materials supporting the recommendations.
AD HOC COMMITTEE
At the direction of the City Council, the Ad Hoc Committee on New and Emerging Technologies was formed and met for the first time on January 7, 1998. Early meetings were used to establish an understanding of the objectives of the Committee, to become familiar with the current situation regarding the use of technology by the City, and to establish a process that would lead to recommendations to the City Council regarding the utilization of new technologies to increase citizen participation.
Mayor Madrid, Councilmember Jantz and City Manager Wear welcomed the Committee at the first meeting and provided overall direction regarding the purpose of the Committee and the direction from the City Council. Councilmember Jantz attended a number of meetings to assist the Committee in understanding the Council's objectives. The Committee elected to meet on the first and third Tuesdays of each month, with additional meetings of the full Committee or subcommittees scheduled as needed. All meetings of the Committee were publicly noticed and open to the public.
At the June 9, 1998 Council meeting, the Committee provided the Council with the work plan, schedule and proposed outline of the report. A copy of the slides used during the presentation is provided in Appendix A.
On October 13, 1998 the Committee presented an interim report to the City Council concerning upgrading the City's web site. At the meeting the Council took the first step in implementing the Committee's short-term recommendations by allocating $15,000 to fund the design and development of a new City web site. A portion of the funds will cover maintenance as well as hosting of the site for two years. The recommendations contained in the interim report to the Council are integrated into this report and a copy of the slides presented at the meeting are in Appendix B.
At the direction of the City Council, City staff formed the Committee consisting of representatives from the communications industry, businesses that utilize new technologies, the computer industry, education, government and interested citizens. Below are the members of the Committee and City of La Mesa support staff.
Industry Representatives:
Mary Ball, Government and Community Relations Manager, Cox Communications
Hal Lenox, Director of External Affairs, Pacific Bell
Don Parent, Public Affairs Representative, San Diego Gas & Electric
Bob Parrott,* Director of Research and Information Systems, San Diego Association of Governments
Ann Shore, Associate Dean – Instructional Computing Systems, Grossmont College
Christian Wille, III, Christian Wille Computer Consulting
Citizen Representatives:
Robert A. Duff*
Craig Williams*
City of La Mesa Support Staff:
* Indicates the Committee members submitting this report. Since the beginning of the Committee a number of members, for a variety of reasons, were unable to continue their commitment.
MISSION STATEMENT AND WORK PLAN
To ensure an understanding of the role and objectives of the Ad Hoc Committee the following Mission Statement was developed at one of the initial meetings.
Also, at an early meeting the Committee established a work plan, schedule and report outline. The work plan called for a review of "Best Practices" being used by the public and private sectors from the standpoint of – Net Services: Internet and Intranet (the Services), Media/Communications (the Messages), and Telecommunications Technologies (the Vehicle). A number of different agencies and businesses were asked to make presentations to the Committee providing their perspective on current and future directions in terms of the delivery systems (the technologies), techniques for delivery and local government applications. The following presentations and tours were conducted.
May 5, 1998 San Diego Data Processing Corporation (presentation)
May 19, 1998 LemonLink (presentation)
June 2, 1998 Joe Rindone Technology Center (San Diego County Office of Education), (presentation and tour)
June 16, 1998 Grossmont Union High School District (presentation and tour)
July 21, 1998 Pac Bell Mobile and Qualcomm (presentations)
August, 18, 1998 Pacific Bell Network Operating Center (presentation and tour)
After these presentations and tours, subcommittees were established to draft recommendations regarding potential uses of Net Services and Telecommunications and uses of different technologies to "connect" with the citizens of La Mesa. The next two sections of the report provide an overview of these technologies and the potential uses of the technologies and the recommendations from the Committee.
OVERVIEW OF NEW AND
EMERGING TECHNOLOGIES
NET SERVICES
Like other public agencies and private businesses, use of the Internet and Internet technologies (Net Services) will allow the City to better serve their customers - the residents, businesses and visitors of La Mesa. Net Services, such as Internet Email and a World Wide Web site, provide another way for citizen participation and involvement in government. The implementation of an Intranet, a web site solely for internal use by City staff and officials, also can help make government more efficient. Because of the ease of using web browsers, they are more and more becoming not only how we access the WWW but also how a wide variety of software applications will be accessed in the future. Below is a basic overview of the Internet and Internet technologies. The following section of this report provides specific recommendations regarding Net Services.
The Internet can be looked at as a network of networks, linking computers and users all around the world. The Internet is a toolbox for electronic communication and informational services. It lets you communicate with other people and access vast quantities of electronic data. Many people feel the Internet is leading us into the Information Age and the 21st century.
Today's Internet originated with a network designed by the U.S. Department of Defense Advanced Research Project Agency in the late 1960's (ARPANet). DOD required a dispersed system to ensure the network could withstand lost connections and still communicate. To enable such a robust network, a standard protocol for communication between computers was developed, now known as TCP/IP (Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol).
In 1986 the Internet began to spread beyond the military. The National Science Foundation (NSF) established a network known as NSFNet to facilitate communication between research organizations, colleges and universities using the same TCP/IP communication protocol. The NSFNet served as the "backbone" or main communication link between the dispersed research and education institutes across the country.
The NSFNet worked so well that other organizations with publicly and privately funded networks soon linked to it. In 1988 Canada became one of the first countries outside the U.S. to link the NSFNet. But the real growth started in 1987 when commercial organizations began working with NSF to manage the growing network traffic. Then in 1991 the National Science Foundation removed the commercial restriction to NSFNet and people began to refer to it as the Internet.
Following this a variety of commercial Internet access options and information services began to appear, such as the World Wide Web. The Internet continues to evolve almost on a daily basis with estimates of 320 million web pages worldwide and 70 million web users in the United States alone. By the year 2000 it is estimated that there will be 152 million web users in the U.S.
The Internet should be viewed as more than just a technology; it is a way to improve human communication and interaction. The Internet allows you to:
Exchange information quickly and conveniently.
Access experienced and expert individuals in a variety of fields.
Receive regular updates on topics of specific interest.
Build teams and enhance teamwork across geographic areas.
Translate and transfer data.
Disseminate information.
Interact with your customers.
The two most popular and commonly used tools by users of the Internet are Electronic Mail (Email) and the World Wide Web (WWW or Web). In contrast, other Internet tools such as File Transfer Protocol (FTP), Gopher, and Telnet are less commonly used but are valuable in performing specific tasks.
The WWW is a key reason for the explosion in the popularity of the Internet. Of all the Internet tools it is the easiest to use. Hypertext, hyperlinks and hypermedia are at the heart of the Web. By pointing and clicking on certain text and graphics on a Web page, you can access documents, graphics, photos, sound and video as well as interact with powerful applications and databases at a web site.
A successful web site is attractive, interactive, innovative, updated regularly and provides useful and timely information that makes someone want to come back a second, third and fourth time.
There are four major areas of responsibility for a web site.
First, is the hosting of the web site and web pages. This requires hardware, web server software and communication for the network connection to the Internet.
Second, is the actual content, the overall organization of the delivery of the information and services, and the standards and guidelines that should be followed in the web site development and design. This includes developing the content and preparing updates to it as required.
Third, is the design, development and "web programming," or taking the content and making it web ready. This also includes maintaining web pages as new content is made available.
And fourth, once the web site is on line an outreach effort should be conducted. The outreach effort should be designed to make people aware of the web site and to make sure the site is found when people search the Internet for information and services that are available from the site.
Costs for the design, development and initial web programming vary depending on the amount of content, content format and the desired delivery methods on the web. Outside costs for web page development are also related to how well organized an individual or agency is in terms of what it is trying to do with the web and whether the proposed content is organized and in a computer readable format.
Viewing other web pages is a good way to determine the look and content you want for your site. Examining both good sites and bad sites will help you determine what works and doesn't work in terms of both content and delivery. The Committee has looked at a number of city government web sites. Appendix C provides the addresses (known as URL, Uniform Resource Locators) for several municipal web sites around the country, as well as the addresses for home pages of local governments in the San Diego region. Also, included as part of Appendix C are copies of some of these web pages.
It should be remembered that the web is just another means of providing information and services. Content for the web, in many cases, is the same material that is developed as paper copies of council agendas, council reports and actions, City newsletters and other reports. By planning ahead in producing certain hardcopy reports, minimum additional staff time will be needed to create the files for inclusion on the web.
Automated telephone information systems (telephony)
With over ninety percent of households having access to touch-tone telephones, the use of automated telephone information systems or telephony can be one of the most effective means of providing a community's residents with City information. Through computer-telephone integration applications, organizations are providing more efficient personalized service to their customers. Informational messages describing City services and programs can be accessed 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Frequently asked questions can be answered quickly, concisely, and consistently.
Communications with citizens can take many forms, and an automated telephone information system is just another way to provide citizens with information they need to conduct business with the City. It provides information at a time convenient to citizens, which may be outside the normal City business hours. These systems are not intended to replace person to person contact, but rather to enhance customer services while saving staff time and money. These systems are designed to supplement and improve communications between local government and their citizens.
Automated telephone information systems enhance customer service by:
providing one number for all informational requests;
allowing for a variety of information to be provided based on the callers individual needs;
providing more accurate and consistent information;
reducing time spent on hold and by improving response time to calls;
providing access to information and services 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and 365 days a year;
providing the correct source for phone numbers to call for additional information or services; and by
allowing callers to request faxes or selected informational documents or forms automatically.
These systems can also reduce costs and save staff time and resources that are spent answering repetitive type calls.
Services Provided by Telephony
Services provided through an automated telephone information system would vary depending upon the vendor and the options (modules) selected. As the potential centerpiece of a community-wide communications tool, an automated telephone information system provides applications and tools that can be customized to meet unique community needs. The following describes typical telephony application options.
Basic information: provides basic informational messages about city services 24 hours a day, seven days a week, by calling one phone number and entering a specific number via a touch-tone phone. Informational messages can be recorded to provide callers with answers to Who, What, When, Where, How, and Why types of questions regarding any service provided by the City. Appendix D contains a sample directory from the City of Tulare, California.
Specific announcements and events: provides the ability for city staff to easily enter and change recordings providing announcements about upcoming events.
Correct phone numbers: provides the correct phone number for citizens to call for more information about services. While printed directories of city phone numbers may become out-of-date, the correct number for information about a specific service can always be maintained as part of the automated telephone information system.
Requests for services: provides the caller with the ability to not only obtain information but to request services from different city departments. Callers first hear a typical information message, then stay on the line to leave specific information for the particular department (i.e. Public Works "Pothole Hotline"). The request for service can prompt specific questions (i.e. name, address, phone number, location of pothole, etc.). The caller gives audio responses and presses any key on the telephone to hear the next prompt. Each request for service message is then recorded as a caller response. These responses are retrievable via any touch tone phone, so each department can call in and access the information pertinent to them whenever it is convenient.
Fax publishing: provides a means to store documents to be accessed by citizens via their fax machines. The caller simply calls the fax number and then enters the document code. The selected document is then automatically faxed to the caller. To enter a document into the system, staff simply fax in the document from any fax machine. An additional fax capability would allow the city's system administrators to create a list of fax numbers and send a fax to an unlimited number of list members when that document is entered into the system.
Automated message delivery: provides the ability to automatically and inexpensively contact large portions of the community within a short period of time. Messages can be recorded and automatically sent to phone numbers regarding neighborhood watch programs, recreational classes, or other information that should be communicated to a select group of people. This functionality helps both to create a broad base of information about citizen needs, and can be vital in times of minor emergency.
Automated project status report: provides an information resource that allows citizens to call and access information on individual projects such as zoning cases or building permit statuses. Projects are assigned a specific case number that when accessed through the automated telephone information system a caller receives up-to-date status reports. The automated project status reporting can help speed up the rezoning or permit process, thus improving compliance.
Voice response/Web applications: provides citizens the ability to complete transactions and information-specific queries through either the telephone or World Wide Web. By providing one central transaction database that is accessible by both telephone and a web browser the need for a separate interactive voice response system and transactional web site application is eliminated.
Multilingual applications: provides additional ports and dedicated full system functionality in a second language. The second language is accessed through a dedicated phone number and the caller hears all messages and prompts in the specified language. As with English messages, recordings on the system can be completed by either outside vendors recording staff or by the City's staff.
Access via TDD: provides for system access by the deaf through TDD types of communications devices and modems
New and emerging technologies, such as the tools described above as part of the Net Services and Telephony overview, provide a new opportunity for the City to provide "Connections" to its citizens. These opportunities could provide a better and more efficient means for the City to connect with its citizens, as well as a better and more efficient means for residents, businesses, and visitors to connect with the City.
Below are the five levels of Connections identified by the committee:
These levels of Connection vary in terms of whether they are one-way provision of information by the City to its citizens, or a more complex interaction between the City and its citizens. Different technologies may be more appropriate for making the different types of Connections from both the amount of benefits received and costs of implementing and maintaining a system.
Benefit to Cost Analysis
The committee rated each technology on its' benefit to the citizenry and business community. This rating albeit not of scientific design was premised on empirical evidence as viewed by the committee members. The ratings assigned in each of the technology types were evaluated as to what effect they would have on the five levels of Connection.
Different criteria were established to rate both benefits and costs, using a 1 as low and 3 as high. The benefit criteria were premised on the population served (1 minimal and 3 large population); accessibility to the public (1 as difficult to access and 3 easy to access); scope of information (1 least amount of detail and 3 complex information); and immediacy of information (1 slow and 3 fast). The maximum score being 12 for benefits.
Likewise, the cost criteria were represented by examining the startup costs, ongoing maintenance costs and ease of implementation each represented by a 1 for inexpensive and 3 expensive, providing a maximum ratings for cost of 9. A "Benefit to Cost" ratio was established to help evaluate the potential use of each of the technologies. The technologies receiving higher benefit to cost ratios for the different Connections may be most appropriate for implementation by the City.
In evaluating benefits from the perspective of the population served, the committee took into account that some of the technologies are not currently available to everyone. Examples cited were Cable TV, computers, and Internet services. This inaccessibility is subject to change as more people involve themselves in the changing technologies.
Also taken into consideration were the hours of availability of each of the Connection types. Unavailability of City staff on some days as well as after hours give credence to automated systems that can provide information and services 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 52 weeks a year.
It should also be noted that to make complex interactive Connections, certain technologies such as a Web Site and Telephony have more costly start-ups that might be considered less expensive if amortized over a five-year period. And benefits from the use of these technologies would also be subject to a higher level due, again, to the evolution of technology. Simple Connections with Telephony may be inexpensive, while complex, interactive Connections would be more costly. Telephony is the eclectic term used to encompass the present telephone as well as telephonic devices such as automated telephone information systems. The costs associated with Print Media are considered low because they presently exist.
The table below was prepared to more easily analyze the benefits and costs and the ratio of Benefit to Cost for each of the Connection levels and each of the technologies. The table shows the Benefit to Cost ratio as either Low, Medium or High. Some of the technologies, in the opinion of the committee members, were not suited for the delivery of a Connection type, and therefore are shown as non-applicable (N/A). Also to help display the ratings for costs and benefits the numeric values were translated to symbols. The higher the benefits the more "+" symbols displayed for a Connection type and technology combination. The higher the costs the more "$" signs displayed. For example, the use of Email to provide announcements to citizens and business has a High Benefit to Cost ratio, because the cost is considered low ($), while the benefit is high (++++).
La Mesa Connections
Benefits To Cost Analysis
| Print Media | Radio |
Television |
Video | Telephony | Web Site | ||
| Announcements:
may or may not be time sensitive – are one-way communications from community agencies to citizens such as: City Council agenda, meeting notices, special events or activities, City calendar, etc. |
Medium |
Medium |
Medium |
Low |
High |
Medium |
High |
| Benefit: | ++ | ++ | ++ | ++ | +++ | +++ | ++++ |
| Cost: | $ | $ | $ | $$$ | $ | $$ | $ |
| Procedural Guidance:
information requested by citizens on "How to" … apply for a building permit (process), run for city office (participation), request trash removal (service). |
Medium |
Low |
Low |
Low |
Medium |
Medium |
High |
| Benefit: | ++ | ++ | ++ | ++ | +++ | +++ | ++++ |
| Cost: | $ | $$$ | $$$ | $$$ | $$ | $$ | $ |
| Customer Service: Routine Requests:
customer initiated request or application (file a building permit application), request status check (status of application to run for Mayor), final disposition (notification of trash pick up days). |
Medium |
N/A | N/A | N/A | Low | Medium | Medium |
| Benefit: | +++ | +++ | +++ | +++ | |||
| Cost: | $$ | $$$ | $$ | $$ | |||
| Customer Service: Emergency Assistance:
requests which require an immediate response (power poles down, street is flooding, car crashed on front yard, etc). |
N/A |
N/A |
N/A |
N/A |
High |
N/A |
N/A |
| Benefit: | ++++ | ||||||
| Cost: | $ | ||||||
| Citizen Feedback:
complaints, commendations, recommendations, suggestions, notification, reports |
Medium |
N/A |
High |
Low |
High |
Medium |
High |
| Benefit: | +++ | ++++ | ++ | ++++ | +++ | ++.5 | |
| Cost: | $.5 | $ | $$$ | $ | $$ | $ |
+ Low q ++++ High Benefit $ Low q $$$ High Cost
| N/A | Low | Medium |
High |
Source: La Mesa Ad Hoc Committee on New and Emerging Technologies
As indicated in the table electronic mail (email) is a viable means of communication, at little cost and with high benefit. Not only is it faster than the present mail system, but, the initialization or reply of mail requires no postal fees. Email provides relatively high benefit with low costs for Announcements, Procedural Guidance and Citizen Feedback (although Citizen Feedback is rated slightly lower in terms of benefits than the other two Connections). Email was not considered applicable for Emergency Customer Service Assistance.
A Web Site gives relatively high benefit to what appears as a medium to high cost. An interactive Web Site presently does not exist making startup a high percentage of the cost. Ongoing maintenance of Web Site connections can be significantly less than costly reprinting of updated information, but costs do exist, and must be budgeted. The local television news media are aware that accessibility to a Web Site is fast becoming a way of life to the citizenry citing examples as kgtv.com and kfmb.com. A Web Site requires constant maintenance to be current but little more personnel time than presently exists due to the fact that the information still needs to be typed as it is now. To be of value to the City, a Web Site will require a Web Master to keep the data current. Announcements, Procedural Guidance and Citizen Feedback should receive in the future a higher Benefit to Cost ratio then is presented in the chart as more people embrace the Internet as a means of communication and as a tool for obtaining information.
Television and Radio received Medium to Low rating for many of the Connections because: (1) many of the citizenry are not connected to Cable TV; (2) in order to receive information through the TV/Radio a person must have it on and be tuned in to receive the transmission; and (3) the hardware (equipment) and personnel necessary to produce a program can be extremely expensive. The production of Videos received Low Benefit to Cost ratings for selected Connections because of the high costs of production and problems in keeping the information being provided up-to-date. For many Connections Radio, TV and Videos were not deemed applicable
The charts shown in the next two pages present by type of technology their Benefit to Cost rating across each of the levels of Connections.
RECOMMENDATIONS
This section provides detailed recommendations regarding the automated provision of information and services through the use of Net Services and Telephony technologies by the City. It is our considered opinion that the City should proceed forward with the development of an interactive computer system to include a Web Page, inter-mail and intra-mail through Email. Previous Council actions have authorized funds for startup and two years maintenance of the web site. Continued efforts should be made to make the web site more interactive and transactional. Means of cost recovery need to be explored through the involvement with the business community. City satellite office such as Parks and recreation, fire department locations and the Senior Center need to be included in the connection. Before making recommendations on an interactive telephony system additional information on the number and types of requests for services and information being answered by City staff via the telephone as well as citizens opinions on the use of automated telephone information systems should be obtained.
Electronic Mail (Email) is probably the most utilized service of the Internet. It allows you to send a message or a message with a digital attachment to one or more persons almost immediately. Digital attachments may include documents from a word processor such as council agendas, reports or public notices, or it may include a finished brochure or newsletter. Unlike regular mail, costs don't go up based on the number of mailings or even the size of the mailing. There is no copying of materials, stuffing of envelopes, applying postage, and transferring the mail to the post office. Citizens and businesses currently on City "mail lists" may prefer to receive material via email rather than waiting on the regular mail.
The City should determine if there is a market among citizens and businesses on their current "mail lists" that would prefer receiving mailings via email.
If the market exists, "mail lists" should be expanded to include email addresses and a mechanism should be established that allows for use of email to send certain mailings to selected individuals.
With more and more information becoming available via the World Wide Web, access to the web through web browsers is becoming more and more important. In fact, certain agencies (like the Bureau of Census) in many cases will not be providing printed reports in the future, but will, instead, be making their reports and data available via the WWW. As some phone communications are replaced by use of email and the WWW to access information, costs for Internet access could be offset by reduced long distance telephone charges.
The City should upgrade to a high-speed line to the Internet for accessing the World Wide Web and for email services (minimal level of access should be a T-1 line).
All staff and City officials currently with a PC on the City network, and whose job requires communication with the public and other agencies, should have email services. Email can be used in place of faxing documents, long distance phone calls, and transferring of data (rather than creating and mailing or delivering a diskette).
The City Manager's Office and other City departments where researching of information is required should have access to the WWW.
Similar to other public records, the City should establish appropriate policies and procedures for the archiving of emails.
The Committee recommends a phased approach to implementing a new web site that provides City staff more direct control of the site. Included in this approach is a path to allow for growth in how the City makes use of the web to interact with citizens and businesses.
can provide a high-speed Internet connection;
Will perform updates in a timely manner (build this accountability into the contract);
Will provide the City with an easy mechanism for making changes and updates;
Has successfully prepared similar web sites;
Is willing to contract for services on a month-to-month basis; and
Can provide a means for monitoring the use of the web site.
Note: The Committee presented an interim report to the City Council on October 13, 1998 concerning upgrading the City's web site. At the meeting the Council took the first step in implementing the Committee's short-term recommendations by allocating $15,000 to fund the design and development of a new City web site. A portion of the funds will cover maintenance as well as hosting of the site for two years.
After a period of between six months to a year, the City should evaluate its presence on the web; the costs/benefits of continuing to obtain outside services for hosting of the site and for web programming; and whether enhancements to web applications can done through an offsite host. For example, if the City wants to use a dynamic database, where a user on the web can submit a building permit application interactively, as well as determine the status of their permit over the web, the web server may need to be hosted in-house.
At some future date, the City may find it beneficial to take on the responsibility of hosting the site in-house and have staff web programming capabilities.
An Intranet, which is basically a private Internet, is becoming the way information and applications are being shared within an agency. This is especially effective when changes are made to documents and it is important that the latest version is accessible. Updates can be made in one place with everyone having access to the up-to-date document.
The Committee recommends that as the City determines what they will make accessible to the public on their WWW site they should also evaluate information, documents and applications that would be beneficial to have on a "City Only" Intranet.
Establish an Intranet for internal City use.
There is increasing use of web browsers as the user interface to software applications, whether these applications are on an Intranet for City only use, or on the WWW for access by the general public. The primary reason is the ease of use of a web browser and the minimal training required. More and more applications, such as online scheduling/calendar systems, are being marketed with an optional web browser interface. Companies are creating these interfaces for older legacy systems already in operation, and some agencies are creating their own applications as part of their Intranet with web browser interfaces.
The Lemon Grove School District indicated that 20 percent of their applications were already accessible through a web browser and within a year almost 60 percent would be converted.
As the City upgrades applications, such as permit processing or software used for recreation class-registration, they should make sure that upgraded or new versions of these software packages are web accessible.
New software applications should be web accessible and, if appropriate, allow for conversion of the application output directly to HTML (Hyper Text Markup Language, used to make information web accessible) for use on the Intranet or the City's WWW site.
Training falls into two categories. The first type of training that may be required is to teach staff the basics of the Internet, how to efficiently access and use the WWW, and how to use other Internet tools such as email. The second category is the more technical training that would be required to host a Web site in-house and the ability to design, develop, and program web pages.
Web browsers are very intuitive to use, but using them efficiently to research information can sometimes be difficult. Basic classes on the use of the Internet and how to conduct "smart" searches are offered by a wide variety of companies as either half day or full day workshops. The San Diego Association of Governments (SANDAG) conducts semi-annual Technical Workshops that include sessions on using the Internet. The SANDAG workshops are free to member agencies. Over the years staff at the City have taken advantage of the SANDAG workshops.
Workshops on web page design and programming are usually designed for beginner, intermediate and advanced topics. This second category of training is much more technical, but only a limited number of staff would ever need this type of training. A number of private companies in San Diego provide such training.
City management should encourage the appropriate staff to take a basic Internet workshop such as the one offered by SANDAG.
As required, system staff that would be responsible for establishing an in-house WWW site (a possible long term recommendation) should be provided an opportunity for the appropriate training needed to setup and maintain the required hardware, operating system, and application software.
If the web site is brought in-house or possibly to help establish the City internal Intranet, selected staff may require training on the design, development and programming of web pages.
The Net Services recommendations provided above have been developed to provide a map for how the City should implement the use of the Internet and Internet technologies. The Committee specifically identified short-term and long-term recommendations to allow the City to grow in its use of a World Wide Web site to interact with its residents, businesses, and visitors.
This short-term/long-term approach provides the City with the opportunity to monitor and evaluate the success of its efforts and then take the appropriate path. Like all new and emerging technologies, these recommendations regarding Net Services should be re-evaluated as the technology evolves. What once may have been difficult and costly may becomes easier and less expensive.
Additional information about automated telephone information systems (telephony) is required before this Committee could make definitive recommendations to the City on how they should use this technology. The recommendations listed below are made to help the City determine if telephony is a viable technology for enhancing communications between the City and its citizens.
At this time the committee is recommending that the Council direct City staff to:
The next section of this report recommends that the City establish an Advisory Commission of New and Emerging Technology. If a new Advisory Commission is formed, the information gathered from the above recommendations should be provided to the Commission. And the Commission could assist the City in determining if telephony is a viable technology, and if so, provide guidance to the City in obtaining a telephony system that meet the needs of the City. If telephony is pursued the following provides some technical considerations that should be considered.
The following provides guidelines and questions that need to be answered before purchasing an automated telephone information system.
Consider a system built on a true open client/server architecture. The power of the system is distributed across a network of intelligent workstations and computers. Simultaneously accessing database applications, importing data, modifying scripts, reordering lists, and running reports should be able to be done without affecting the performance of processing telephony calls.
Select systems designed with an open architecture. Systems should be both affordable and scalable - they should integrate all of the advanced features you expect from high-end, dedicated systems into your own non-proprietary PC network or Intranet. Workstations should be capable of running Windows 95, 98, or NT. This configuration offers tremendous flexibility in processing different service and information operations.
The building blocks for your network should be off-the-shelf PCs, file servers, printers, modems and tape drives. By using standard PC hardware and software, you get both affordability, and plug and play freedom. Workstations, telephony servers, applications, and even new technologies like the Internet access or document imaging are then easily added.
Truly open architecture unshackles call centers from proprietary installation, data formats, and support requirements. They allow for independence and flexibility. They deliver more control and options to call center management teams than closed systems. Look for systems with these qualities, and that are designed for growth. All call center management systems are not created equal. Before you purchase an automated telephone information access enabled system, consider:
These are times of dramatic and dynamic change for those involved in operating or supporting call centers for the distribution of citizen information and processing citizen feedback and reporting services. As the call center becomes the most powerful tool in impacting citizen information, cities are being asked to send and receive important citizen communication via an increasing number of channels: inbound and outbound phone calls, fax, and the Internet (e-mail and Web-based interactions).
Future Committee on
New and Emerging Technologies
Because telecommunication and computer technologies, and the techniques for the delivery of services using these technologies are changing so rapidly, the Committee feels that the recommendations provided in this report must be re-evaluated and updated at least annually.
The Ad Hoc Committee recommends to the City Council that an Advisory Commission on New and Emerging Technologies should be established. The Commission should provide the City with the following assistance:
Monitor the City's progress in using new and emerging technologies to increase citizen participation.
Make future recommendations to the City on the use of new and emerging technology.
Re-evaluate the recommendations contained in this report and any future recommendations made by the Advisory Committee.
Participate in the process of selecting vendors and consultants to implement new technologies within the City. This may include assistance in developing Requests for Proposals and the evaluation of proposals or bids for services.
The Committee recommends that the Advisory Commission meet at least -annually to review previous recommendations to assure that they are providing an appropriate path for the City in implementing new and emerging technologies.
Appendix A
Slide Presentation from
June 9, 1998 City Council Meeting
NOT INCLUDED ON THIS WEBPAGE
Appendix B
Slide Presentation from
Interim Report to City Council Meeting
(October 13,1998)
NOT INCLUDED ON THIS WEBPAGE
Appendix C
Selected Local Government
Web Site Addresses*
City of San Jose www.ci.san-jose.ca.us
City of San Francisco www.ci.sf.ca.us
City of Sacramento www.ci.sacramento.ca.us
City of Pasadena www.ci.pasadena.ca.us
City of Seattle www.ci.seattle.wa.us
City of Indianapolis www.ci.indianapolis.in.us
City of Casper, Wyoming www.casperrets.com/index.htm
City of Salem, Massachusetts www.salemweb.com
Local Government Web Sites in the San Diego region:**
* Links to official web sites for many federal, state and local government agencies can be found at www.OfficialCitySites.com
** Links to all local jurisdictions in the San Diego region can be found under "Other web pages" at the San Diego Association of Governments (SANDAG) Home page (www.sandag.cog.ca.us)
APPENDIX D
Automated Telephone Information
System (Telephony): Sample Directory
NOT INCLUDED ON THIS WEBPAGE
Appendix E
Guidelines for a City Wide Site
Look at your web site from the customer's perspective not from the City's organizational structure.
The main home page should be simple, minimize the amount of text and the number of buttons and links from this page.
Categorize the delivery of your information and services into four to six main categories on the main page.
Make sure navigation between pages can be done easily and won't require extensive use of the web browser BACK button.
Design web pages for universal access (for example, use of larger font sizes for people with poor vision).
Design your web pages for the average user's PC, Internet connectivity and browser.
Make sure graphics file sizes are small and can be downloaded quickly.
Care should be used in selecting color combinations.
Include a web site search engine (FIND IT button).
Provide for a means to obtain feedback through email from the web pages.
APPENDIX F
Slide Presentation from
Final Report to City Council
(April 27, 1999)
NOT INCLUDED ON THIS WEBPAGE