Wisconsin Office of the Geographic Information Officer FY 2006-2007 Business Plan

State of Wisconsin
Department of Administration
Division of Enterprise Technology
Office of the Geographic Information Officer
GIO

Wisconsin Enterprise GIS

(WEGIS) 2006-2007 Business
Plan

December, 2005

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 Wisconsin Office of the Geographic Information Officer FY 2006-2007 Business Plan

Introduction
The State Of Wisconsin has recently developed the office of the Geographic Information Officer (GIO) as
the statewide coordinating body for Wisconsin Enterprise Geographic Information System (WEGIS)
services. Delivering GIS services in an enterprise fashion will improve critical services to state agencies
and citizens at an overall lower cost. The State of Wisconsin will benefit from an enterprise GIS through
sharing infrastructure (hardware and software), resources (people), and processes across state agencies. In
establishing the office of the GIO, it is important to recognize Enterprise GIS as an asset for the public, and
the need for integration of spatial data with tabular data for better decision making.

It seems fitting that while the IT environment is undergoing a transformation to enterprise systems that GIS
will at the same time. The DNR and DOT have built significant GIS infrastructure for program use during
the last ten years, and recently there are a number of agencies, namely DMA, DWD, DATCP, DOJ and
DHFS who are quickly building their GIS capabilities. Beyond that, agencies such as DOA, DOC, DPI,
and DOR have an interest in using GIS to support their business objectives. The timing is right to bring
these agencies together to share resources, the cost of data administration and supporting infrastructure.
Additionally, it would be mutually beneficial to all agencies to build common GIS service offerings,
develop data distribution and management policies and standards, and collaboratively work with local and
federal entities to more effectively manage GIS information within the State of Wisconsin.

OGIO Goals:
 Build a sustainable office of GIO (Enterprise GIS Program) – Buffer the GIS program from
fluctuations in the economy/budget.
 Position the OGIO to focus on stakeholder business services, process improvement, and best
practices.
 Plan for the migration to a new structure, while insuring that critical business needs are met.
 Develop an agile Enterprise GIS – with mechanisms that facilitate rapid resource deployment and
with the ability to manage change.
 Create a common GIS infrastructure for the state – SDE Database, ESRI licensing, etc.
 Bring best practices to bear for associated partners – policies, procedures, standards and
guidelines for GIS technical, application, data, and security architectures.
 Provide services that deliver quality, efficient, and effective GIS solutions for Enterprise
customers.

To achieve these goals, we must perceive GIS as an enterprise-wide endeavor, and work to establish a
sustainable funding mechanism for the GIS program.

Purpose

Having a strong geospatial infrastructure and enterprise GIS capabilities are important for a number of
reasons, not the least of which is improving the decision making process. For example, optimal customer
services require that customers and staff have statewide access to services and information that is
comprehensive, accurate, and consistent. Similarly, planning for and responding to situational emergencies
is drastically improved with timely and correct information that is in a format that can be readily accessed
by both internal and external agencies. Solutions to challenges such as these require both GIS
infrastructure (data and technology tools) and standard processes that support services, policy and decision-
making.

Supporting the DET BHAG

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 Wisconsin Office of the Geographic Information Officer FY 2006-2007 Business Plan
Creation of an enterprise GIS program provides a model for sharing. The GIO will facilitate the
coordination of previously disconnected efforts at the state and local levels to provide data sharing,
standardization, and collaboration to improve the overall GIS landscape in the State Of Wisconsin. This
coordination will better situate Wisconsin for emergency preparedness, economic competitiveness, public
health delivery, environmental management, educational opportunities, and efficient delivery of services to
the public.

Current Initiatives (2006)

GIS Communications Program

Wisconsin Enterprise GIS (WEGIS) Strategic Plan
Enterprise GIS Data Repository
WEGIS Web Mapping Infrastructure and Services
Enterprise Addressing Tool

Vision Statement

The Office of the GIO will provide effective geospatial resources to State Agencies and
stakeholders to benefit and serve the Public, the environment and the economy.

Mission Statement

The Office of the Geographic Information Officer will:

 Lead the development and implementation of the Wisconsin Enterprise GIS

(WEGIS) program,
 Advocate for the effective and efficient use of geospatial resources to support the
business of state government,
 Collaborate with stakeholders to build and sustain shared geospatial infrastructure
and services.

Organization
Governance
The GIO reports directly to the State CIO with the Department of Administration in the Division of
Enterprise Technology. There is currently an informal GIS Planning Team that has been working on
development of the OGIO Business Plan and formation of a tactical plan for development of a Wisconsin
Enterprise GIS (WEGIS) program. In the near term, a State Of Wisconsin GIS Steering Committee will be
formed to act as an advisory group to the GIO. This group will be comprised of mainly GIS management
staff from the largest GIS user agencies within the State. This group will help establish priorities for
enterprise GIS, assist the GIO in building the WEGIS program, and define the strategic direction for the
State GIS program.

In order to sustain the WEGIS program, there is a need to develop a more formal GIS Council. The
Council will function as an advisory group to the administration and the legislature. The Council will have
representation from legislature, major state agencies, and local and regional governments. The main
purpose for the Council is to support and guide the WEGIS program.

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 Wisconsin Office of the Geographic Information Officer FY 2006-2007 Business Plan
Communication
Effective communications at numerous levels are necessary to effectively provide enterprise GIS to the
State Of Wisconsin. The office of the GIO will create a communication structure to inform decision
makers about the value GIS provides the enterprise, updates users on the latest technologies and enterprise
offerings available, and promotes the enterprise GIS program outside of state government.

Relationship with other State Agencies

One of the main goals the OGIO has is supporting state agencies in their use of GIS technology to improve
their customer services. As such, it is imperative to build strong relationships between the OGIO and the
other State Agencies. The GIO will work to facilitate data sharing between state agencies. It will work to
establish a set of GIS service offerings to enable state agencies in meeting their business needs. The GIO
will also act as a liaison for the state on GIS to local governments and federal agencies.

The GIS Steering Committee will be comprised of mainly GIS management staff from the largest GIS user
agencies within the State. This group will help establish priorities for enterprise GIS, define the strategic
direction for the State GIS program, and act as an advisory group to the GIO.

Relationship with External Organizations

The office of the GIO will work with WLIA, UW and affiliates, LION, USGS, ESRI, and other outside
agencies to continually improve the GIS environment in Wisconsin. The GIO becomes the facilitator and
enabler (at the state level) to assist local governments in their roles as direct service providers to their
constituents.

Transitional Staffing Requirements

In defining short term needs for the development of the OGIO, a realistic approach must be taken since
both fiscal and staff resources are limited.

The following outlines the resource requirements in FY2006-2007 to establish the OGIO and support its
goals:

At the onset, the OGIO needs to apply resources to strategies and communications. After strategies are in
place, and implementations have begun, there will be need for supplemental and subordinate resources.
These staff will manage the GIS portfolio, develop applications, and provide support and maintenance for
enterprise GIS.

The Primary roles to be filled in OGIO should address the following GIS service needs:
 GIS Communications Director
Responsible for strategic and tactical planning, developing and maintaining policies and
standards, and acting as a liaison to state agency GIS staff. This individual will directly
support the activities of the GIO, mainly focusing efforts on promoting the goals of the
office throughout the state, at the agency, local, and federal levels.
 GIS Business Liaison
Serves as the primary contact for the stakeholders developing business case analysis
for proposed projects as well as identifying general GIS service needs. Establish and
nurture relationships between OGIO and the stakeholders regarding GIS efforts and
needs. Represents and advocates for the stakeholders on GIS business with the rest of
DET. Responsibilities include assisting the stakeholders in preparing and presenting
proposals for new GIS efforts, including return on investment. This resource will also
provide a focal point for maintenance of eventual production applications.
 GIS Architecture and Strategy
Responsible for GIS standards, technical architecture, infrastructure, and security
standards. This resource participates in the review of projects proposed by the
stakeholders to recommend architectural and design standards, monitor compliance
with standards, and to plan for new infrastructure needs. Evaluates proposed and
underway application development efforts for consistency with the technical and

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 Wisconsin Office of the Geographic Information Officer FY 2006-2007 Business Plan
security architectures, and for needed additions to infrastructure. This resource will
lead recommendations for new infrastructure efforts in support of the OGIO portfolio.
Resource will serve as a primary consultant role to the various application
development projects particularly in resolving systems design and integration issues.
Design reviews will be conducted and coordinated by this resource.
 GIS Business Intelligence
Design, development and support for all decision support reporting products, ETL
(extract, transform and load), data mart and warehouse specialties. Focus is on data
understanding, file structures and reporting access to turn OGIO’s eventually massive
data records into useful information from which responsible business decisions can be
made. Delivery of custom reports will occur as prioritized through portfolio
management. The resource provides metadata management, data extract,
transformation, load and access to the OGIO's data, including the specialized
modeling of reporting (non-transactional) data and data warehouse operations. This
includes the analysis, selection, installation, operations, maintenance and replacement
of software in support of these. In addition, it is responsible for the data warehouse
administration and implementation architecture. Responsibility of the unit also
includes the development, implementation, and periodic review of policy, standards,
guidelines, and procedures in support of GIS business intelligence.
 GIS Data Administration
Provides production operational support, Enterprise custodianship and development
support services for OGIO’s data base management systems and data models across
development environments and platforms. Provides logical and physical data models
of the Enterprise GIS data in support of stakeholder applications, including the
creation, management, administration and tuning of data base structures. Insures
efficient and cost effective use of GIS data base facilities for the Enterprise. This
includes modeling data and performing related data impact analysis for OGIO's
applications as prioritized by the portfolio management function. Responsible for the
analysis, selection, installation, maintenance and replacement of GIS data modeling
software and GIS database management software. This also includes the
development, implementation, and periodic review of policy, standards, guidelines,
and procedures in support of GIS physical data base structures, GIS data modeling,
and maintaining the integrity of OGIO’s Enterprise data. Focus is on action and
stewardship of OGIO’s electronic database resources, modifications and retention in
all forms as a service and support offering to stakeholders.
 GIS Infrastructure Management
Coordinates overall server support, security and usage for the OGIO. Partners with the
GIS Architecture and Strategy on the research, planning, specification, and
implementation of the OGIO’s infrastructure. Procure and manage the server hardware
and software as well as provide technical consulting and integration with DOA IT
network, security and server standards. Manages the overall workstation support facilities
for OGIO. Configures, distributes, and installs new/upgraded/moved automation
equipment and software. Manages the selection, acquisition, testing, upgrade and
configuration of OGIO standard workstation products (PC hardware and operating
system), as well as the standard software distribution technology. Manages overall GIS
problem call issues reported by staff. Partners with Application Development and
Support to develop standard software install packages for desktop software. Develops a
PC replacement life cycle plan, as well as GIS specific PC standards and purchase
requests that support OGIO.
 GIS Project Manager
Responsible for developing and tracking progress on enterprise projects including
geocoding services, web services development projects, data management processes,
state-wide orthophoto projects, etc.
 GIS Application Management

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 Wisconsin Office of the Geographic Information Officer FY 2006-2007 Business Plan
Responsible to develop, maintain, and support GIS application services. Applications will
support a broad range of GIS business services. In response to this dynamic, transitioning
environment, the resource implements agile methods that promote communication, avoid
technical risks, promote standards and reuse, and result in full-life cycle support of GIS
applications. Focus is on skills sets and technology products within specific GIS
development environments needed to deliver and operate shared utilities and GIS
business application projects across the Enterprise.
Subordinate resources will be managed as one “pool” of developers. Different resources
will be assigned to individual OGIO projects, as priorities are established through
managed processes.

Supplemental and Subordinate roles:

 GIS Portfolio Management
Provides GIS portfolio management for the Enterprise. Establishes and coordinates
project management standards, reports and processes. The OGIO’s application and
infrastructure portfolio will be managed by this resource along with the prioritization
process needed to assure the stakeholders’s highest needs are met first with available
resources. Will review and evaluate stakeholder proposals and infrastructure
proposals, and recommend resourcing actions based on the analysis. In addition, will
assemble and manage the OGIO’s inventory of applications. GIS-PM will collect data
on project progress; and will conduct project audits after project completion to verify
that the project delivered the expected results on time and on budget, and to capture
best practices.
 GIS Application Development
Flex FTE and contract staff will be needed to develop both smaller ad-hoc tools, maps
and analyses for specific stakeholders, in addition to large, complex applications that
service the Enterprise. Meeting GIS business needs through rapid application
development, web services, multi-disciplinary cooperative ventures, cartography, and ad-
hoc service operatives.
 GIS Web Services/Training Manager
Responsible for coordinating all GIS training activities, web site maintenance, and in
marketing the GIS program via newsletters, publications, etc.
 GIS Product Support and Training

Strategic Planning
The Enterprise GIS Strategic Plan will be developed in 2006 to be coincidental with concert with the
biennial budget.

Staff Training
GIO staff must be adequately educated, trained and supported to facilitate the implementation of geospatial
technology that will enable them to leaders in the discipline and better perform their jobs, and ensure
consistency of this multi-faceted technology utilization across the state.

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 Wisconsin Office of the Geographic Information Officer FY 2006-2007 Business Plan
Optional GIS Services

Application Development – Best Practices

Web Mapping (ArcIMS)

ArcIMS is the solution for delivering dynamic maps and GIS

data and services via the Web. It provides a highly scalable
framework for GIS Web publishing that meets the needs of
corporate Intranets and demands of worldwide Internet
access.

Server-based GIS (ArcGIS Server)

ArcGIS Server is a comprehensive platform for delivering
enterprise GIS applications that are centrally managed and
support multiple users. ArcGIS Server provides the
framework to build and deploy centralized GIS applications
and services to meet a variety of needs using a variety of
clients.
Desktop (ArcGIS)

ArcGIS Desktop software products allow you to author,

analyze, map, manage, share, and publish geographic
information. ArcInfo is the most complete and extensible
GIS available. It includes all the functionality of ArcView
and ArcEditor and adds advanced geoprocessing and data
conversion capabilities. Professional GIS users use ArcInfo
for all aspects of data building, modeling, analysis, and
map display for screen and output. ArcView is semi-
professional (having fewer features than ArcInfo) GIS
software for visualizing, managing, creating, and analyzing
geographic data. Using ArcView you can understand the
geographic context of your data, allowing you to see
relationships and identify patterns in new ways.

Data Services
Data Acquisition:
Data Geocoding Services:
Data Conversion:

Global Positions Systems (GPS)

Mapping Preparation and Display:

Spatial Analysis & Modeling: