Michigan County GIS Designed Around Core Applications 3Di's cost model sets user fees By Kevin P. Corbley When the first phase of the Ottawa County, Mich., GIS comes on line later this year, it will have the same look and feel of other Web-accessible enterprise systems developed by county governments around the United States. But this GIS will have taken a much different route from inception to final implementation. Starting with the needs assessment, the project has been managed by 3Di of Easton, Md., a geospatial solutions company that prides itself in a philosophy of adapting technology to meet project objectives, instead of the more commonly accepted opposite approach. "Before the assessment, the county wasn't even sure GIS was the solution to what they wanted," said Jim Bennett, director of local government services in 3Di's Traverse City, Mich., office. "They kept an open mind, and we looked at what made the most sense for them." Based on options presented by 3Di, Ottawa chose an enterprise GIS with data and functions available over the Internet and an existing intranet. From that point onward, the strategic plan for project deployment contained two elements distinctly different from most other GISs-priority application identification and cost modeling. During the needs assessment, 3Di studied the many proposed uses of the GIS to determine which applications were critical to the function of the system and to the department deploying it. Data sets that were required in these applications were also identified. The GIS was then designed around these core applications. "It's the old adage of form following function," said Bennett. "This lets us roll the GIS out in phases so that useable applications are available more quickly." The cost-modeling phase of GIS development was originally devised by 3Di's Traverse City office to accommodate a Michigan state law relating to cost recovery in governmental GIS programs. Use of the model has been accepted so enthusiastically in Michigan that 3Di is now including it in every GIS deployment. Referred to as the GIS Cost and Fee Structure Model, this software routine tracks actual and projected expenses during implementation, and calculates projected revenues from GIS products over time. This allows the organization to establish realistic fee structures to charge internal or external clients for use of the GIS. "We aren't looking to turn a profit on our GIS," said Brian Berdanier, Ottawa County GIS director, "but we'd be tremendously happy if we broke even, and the cost model might make that possible." Staying Ahead of Growth Ottawa County is located in southwestern Michigan and includes 30 miles of shoreline along Lake Michigan. With a current population of 225,000 the county is the ninth-largest in the state, comprised of six cities and 17 townships. Tourists have long been drawn by its sandy beaches; more recently, new full-time residents have been attracted by the quiet country atmosphere. As a result, Ottawa County grew by about 20 percent in the past decade, making it Michigan's fastest growing county among those with a population over 200,000. Like many rapidly expanding areas, its government agencies have struggled to keep pace with changes in parcel data and requests for property information. Although a separate GIS department has since been created through the strategic planning process, impetus for development of the GIS first came from the Property Description and Mapping department. It maintains tax parcel maps and legal descriptions of the county in addition to handling all outside requests for maps and information. County officials realized these functions had to be performed digitally instead of manually to keep up with growth. CAD probably would have sufficed, but the needs assessment identified other departments that could also benefit from a digital data environment, making an enterprise-wide system attractive. And more importantly, the county clearly required a digital means, such as the Web, to make the data available. "Web-accessible GIS will allow us to get the map changes to those who use the information, such as local government officials, other county departments, and the public, much faster than in the past," said Marcia Van Velzen, property description and mapping coordinator. Planning Around the Core Applications Plans for the GIS began taking shape in late 1998, as 3Di interviewed personnel in the Property Description and Mapping department as well as over 30 internal and external offices that utilize map data, such as Emergency Management, Planning, and Central Dispatch. Feedback was also offered by citizens who request maps to study tax assessments, and by mortgage banks and developers who need to track property changes. The potential GIS applications were studied and prioritized, allowing 3Di to develop a three-phase deployment strategy. Plans for each phase are based on the importance of the applications and the data requirements of each. This enabled 3Di to devise a detailed schedule for the purchase of software, development of application routines, and preparation of the data layers. For example, the most important core applications relate to making the tax parcel maps available to county and local government agencies, private sector businesses, and property owners. These applications include giving users online access to the GIS to order a standard map product or to build custom maps with their choice of data layers-orthophotography, parcel maps, tax assessment data, cadastral lines, street centerlines, and address ranges. "We will be able to provide a greater selection of maps than before," said Berdanier. Other phase-one priority applications that center on the parcel maps include establishing a subscription program. In this program, developers, real estate agents or banks interested in specific areas will receive updated parcel maps on line whenever changes are recorded. Another application will link the parcel database to Microsoft Office so that local government units can generate mailing lists sorted by address, neighborhood, or zip code to mail notices to property owners. To make these phase-one applications a reality, 3Di selected ESRI's suite of products including ArcInfo, ArcView, and SDE packages as the primary GIS software. These products cater to all levels of users, from sophisticated GIS experts to non-technical members of the general public. "We went with ESRI products because they readily accommodate the high level of customization that is required for many of the core applications," said Bennett. "Most applications are being written in Visual Basic by programmers in the 3Di Austin office." ESRI's IMS (Internet Map Server) software was chosen to publish the data and applications on line. Governmental users will access the system via an existing T-1 intranet, and others will get on line via the Internet. Each type of user will have access to different data and applications. However, before the parcel maps or any of these applications can be accessed on line, several data layers must be prepared. First, 3Di assisted the GIS Department in writing specifications for acquisition of aerial orthophotos to serve as the basemap. The aerial survey was completed in Spring 1999, and delivery of the orthorectified photos is now underway. These likely will be the first Ottawa data layer available. "We like the idea of bringing the GIS on line in phases," said Berdanier. "The orthophotos will whet people's appetites for what will come later." Next, 3Di's Mapping Services Group won the contract to digitize the existing paper parcel maps and create a relational database. As these parcels are digitized, coordinate geometry will be used to fit them into a new geodetic framework of section lines. The parcel ownership and tax identification information will be overlaid on the digital orthophotos to ensure completeness. The tax identifications will then be related to the property tax database to make sure all parcels are accounted for. Other phase-one projects include matching street centerlines with addresses for later use in vehicle routing and location applications. This address matching will be accomplished through standardized and 3Di-developed routines within ArcInfo. Already completed in phase one was LIDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) mapping of the county's flood plains, conducted by 3Di's EagleScan Remote Sensing Services of Boulder, Colo. In future phases of the GIS, these laser terrain maps will be made available to mortgage banks, real estate agents, and emergency departments to assess flood potential on properties near the Grand and Macatawa rivers. Modeling Costs The need for a GIS cost model arose from the passage of what is know as "Enhanced Access" legislation, enacted by the state of Michigan in 1996. Considered a supplement to the Freedom of Information Act, this law allows local governments to charge fees for access to public data and services by enhanced means. The online, interactive nature of GIS definitely qualifies it as an "enhanced access" technology. The law also mandates that access policies and fee schedules must be derived and then approved by a government supervisory body. In the past, access fees had been determined by government departments largely at random, but 3Di decided to refine the process and base it on acknowledged accounting principles. 3Di developed the GIS Cost & Fee Structure Model with computerized accounting models implemented in a commonly used Microsoft Excel spreadsheet format. The model balances expenses and projected revenues from GIS products and services over a period of time up to 15 years. Not only does this provide a realistic pricing structure for those products, but it presents multi-year budgeting summaries based on cash and amortization methods. "We expect to spend a total of $3.5 million on the GIS over a period of five years," said Berdanier. "[The model] gave our Board of Commissioners a good feel for where the money is going, what the return on investment will be, and how we are going to provide services to our various users." The model took into account expenses related to staffing, consulting, data development and maintenance, fixed hardware and software, and Internet-enabling technology. These expenses were then totaled and divided by the number of products the county expects to sell both online and in hard-copy format. These products include many of the hardcopy maps now offered, as well as access to GIS-based applications. One of the most appealing aspects of the model is that it allowed the county to establish different prices based on the type of customer. For instance, government units will pay a different fee than do others. Ottawa is developing data-sharing agreements whereby participant costs will be based on contributions to the project. This contribution could be the development of a shared application or the inclusion of the participant's existing data sets in the project. The pricing structure for Ottawa County GIS products are listed on the county's web site. In addition to these fees, 3Di assisted the county in devising policies for enhanced access. For example, internal county departments and local government units receive a 50 percent discount on all products, and a $30/hour fee will be applied to custom applications and products. There will be no fee to the general public to access the GIS on line for viewing-only purposes. Rolling Out the GIS As anticipated, the Ottawa County GIS is being rapidly developed, with many data layers nearing completion and several phase-one priority applications set to come online later this year. Aside from the application-based development approach, the county GIS Department credits this fast roll-out to the corporate structure of the prime contractor. 3Di is an integrated mapping, remote sensing and professional services organization comprised of groups specializing in consulting, data acquisition, integration, conversion and application, and data development. This structure has been adopted through strategic purchases of several experienced companies to create one organization capable of providing end-to-end GIS services. "This has eliminated the need to coordinate multiple consulting efforts for different parts of the project, allowing me to concentrate on other issues," said Berdanier. By basing and implementing this GIS program on the functions and data that will best serve the government and citizens, Ottawa County is developing a system in a rapid and effective manner to manage information more efficiently, make better decisions, and realize a return on investment both financially and through better service. About the Author: Kevin Corbley is the principal in Corbley Communications, Denver, Colo. He may be reached at 303-979-3232 or [email protected]. Back |