TECHNICAL PANEL

Nebraska Information Technology Commission

Tuesday, June 12, 2001, 9 a.m.

Varner Hall, 3835 Holdrege Street, Lincoln, Nebraska

APPROVED MINUTES

MEMBERS PRESENT:

Mike Beach, Nebraska Educational Telecommunications Commission

Brenda Decker, State of Nebraska, Department of Administrative Services

Christy Horn, Compliance Officer, University of Nebraska-Lincoln

Steve Schafer, State of Nebraska, Chief Information Officer

Walter Weir, University of Nebraska

Mike Winkle, Nebraska Information Technology Commission

ROLL CALL AND MEETING NOTICE

The Chair, Walter Weir, called the meeting to order at 9:07 a.m. Roll call was taken. All members were present. The meeting notice and agenda were posted to the NITC and Public Meeting Calendar web site on June 5, 2001.

PUBLIC COMMENT

There was no public comment.

APPROVAL OF MAY 8, 2001 AND MAY 17, 2001 MINUTES

Mr. Schafer moved to approve the May 8, 2001 minutes as presented. Mr. Beach seconded the motion. Roll call vote: Beach-Yes, Decker-Yes, Horn-Yes, Schafer-Yes, Weir-Yes, and Winkle-Yes. Motion was carried by unanimous vote.

Mr. Schafer moved to approve the May 17, 2001 minutes as presented. Ms. Horn seconded the motion. Roll call vote: Winkle-Yes, Weir-Yes, Schafer-Yes, Horn-Yes, Decker-Yes, and Beach-Yes. Motion was carried by unanimous vote.

BRIEFING – DEPARTMENT OF ROADS, 511 SYSTEM AND INTELLIGIENT TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM (ITS)
Paul Cammack, Transportation Technology Engineer, Department of Roads

Mr. Cammack provided background information regarding the 511 system. The phone number was established by the FCC for travelers to obtain information regarding weather, motels, restaurants, etc. A similar system is currently in operation in the State of North Dakota with the assistance of the University of North Dakota and consultants. It is anticipated that Nebraska’s system will be up and running by October 1st. Eventually, Nebraska's system will include the tourist information. There will be a workshop, August 15th in Lincoln, to deal with final issues and implementation. Mr. Cammack entertained questions from the Panel regarding: access for the deaf and hard of hearing; revenues issues; advertising; addressing language barriers; and data storage.

Mr. Cammack provided background information on I.T.S. (Intelligent Transportation System). ITS is aimed at managing traffic congestion and is primarily used for urban areas. The Department of Roads wants to deploy this for rural Nebraska as well. A strategic plan was developed and a copy was available at the meeting. The plan is currently being evaluated and revised. Nebraska’s congressional delegation has been very helpful in Nebraska receiving funding for the project. Mr. Cammack entertained questions from the Panel. Mr. Weir recommended that the project team work with the Technical Panel to protect the state’s investment.

STATEWIDE TECHNOLOGY PLAN, SECTION 3 TECHNICAL INFRASTRUCTURE

Applications Architecture. Discussion occurred regarding implementation of Section 3. It was recommended to develop a small work group to prioritize and develop plan for the planning process, document process, and the adoption of some standards. The following additional comments were added to the “Principles” section, “Applications should be developed in a manner that would protect the state’s investment. Applications development must include a thorough testing period before full implementation.”

Accessibility. The checklist would be included in the standards portion as a draft on the web site until it has been approved by the work group and the Technical Panel.

E-Government. The following comment was added to the “Principle” section, "The e-government architecture should accommodate the needs of non-English speaking users."

Video Standards. Under “Standards and Guideline, omit the timeline schedule, and change the wording of the last sentence of the last paragraph to read as follows, “Guidelines for all other video and audio encoding systems are incorporated into the “Principles” and “Best Practices” in this section of the document.”

Mr. Schafer moved to approve Section 3 of the Statewide Technology Plan with the proposed changes. Mr. Winkle seconded the motion. Roll call voted: Decker-Yes, Horn-Yes, Schafer-Yes, Weir-Yes, Winkle-Yes, and Beach-Yes. Motion was carried by unanimous vote.

RESOLUTION ON LB 833 IMPLEMENTATION (PDF 75k)

The Technical Panel recommended that a briefing regarding the resolution occur with the administration and key sponsors of the bill. The NITC will be informed of the Technical Panel’s action on the resolution at the meeting. Communication regarding the resolution must also occur to entities that may be applying for the lottery funds.

Mr. Winkle moved to adopt and approve the resolution on LB 833 implementation. Ms. Decker seconded the motion. Roll call vote: Schafer-Yes, Horn-Yes, Decker-Yes, Beach-Yes, Winkle-Yes, and Weir-Yes. Motion was carried by unanimous vote.

REGULAR INFORMATIONAL ITEMS AND WORK GROUP UPDATES (as needed)

Wireless Project. At the request of Senators Bromm and Tyson, the project has been put on hold for a minimum of 30 days. Ms. Decker will be meeting with the League of Municipalities, June 15th to discuss issues and concerns.

Network Architecture. Bids are due July 16th. The Division of Communications is in the process of forming the selection committees. One team will conduct a cost evaluation and the other team will conduct the technical evaluation.

Security Architecture. The Work Group has been meeting monthly. IMS and CIO engaged a specialist to assist with the development prototype handbooks – one for employees, one for security specialists, and one for the security officers. It is anticipated to have these templates developed and completed by July 1st.

Accessibility Architecture Work Group-Charter (PDF 60k)

Ms. Horn recommendation included:

• For Scope and Boundaries, replace this wording with the wording used in the Statewide Technology Plan;
• Under #3 in Desired Goals and Outcomes include education training and informational resources;
• Under Authority, the word “regarding” is used twice in the same sentence;
• For Timeframe, record September 1st with review and final approval by the NITC at the November meeting. Need to include the same wording as the other work groups, "This work group will continue in existence until this charter is repealed."

Ms. Horn distributed a draft of the checklist. She will have her office intern develop a web site.

Ms. Decker moved to adopt and approve the Accessibility Architecture Work Group Charter with the proposed changes. Mr. Winkle seconded the motion. Roll call vote: Weir-Yes, Winkle-Yes, Beach-Yes, Decker-Yes, Horn-Yes, and Schafer-Yes. Motion was carried by unanimous vote.

E-Government Architecture Work Group. No progress to report.

Video Standards Work Group. Mr. Beach thanked the members who helped with technical workshop at the NEB*SAT users conference. There were 90 registered participants for the session. Two new Work Group members will be needed. The Education Council will need to make recommendations. The Work Group is currently discussing criteria for control testing.

OTHER BUSINESS

Mr. Weir announced that discussions will occur with N.E.T. about NETCOM and concerns regarding NET3 and the FCC’s PBS mandated amount of megabits that must be dedicated to formal education. There is a need to bring groups together who are attempting to address interconnectivity.

Ms. Decker announced that the Division of Communications is in the process of installing high-speed access and other telecommunication services at Mahoney State Park.

NEXT MEETING DATE AND ADJOURNMENT

The next meeting of the Technical Panel will be held on Tuesday, July 10, 2001, 9 a.m. in the Regents Board Room at Varner Hall, 3835 Holdrege, in Lincoln.

Mr. Weir adjourned the meeting at 12:20 p.m.

Minutes were taken by Lori Lopez Urdiales and reviewed by Rick Becker, Office of the CIO/NITC.