TECHNICAL PANEL

Meeting Minutes
Tuesday, November 9, 1999, 9:00 a.m.
University of Nebraska-Varner Hall, 3835 Holdrege, Board Room
Lincoln, Nebraska

MEMBERS PRESENT: Brenda Decker, DAS - Division of Communications; Mike Beech, Nebraska Educational Telecommunications; Walter Weir, University of Nebraska, Computing Services Network; Michael Winkle, NITC Executive Director; and Steve Schafer, State Chief Information Officer.

OTHERS PRESENT: Rick Becker, Government Information Technology Manager; Tom Rolfes, Education Information Technology Manager; Lori Lopez Urdiales, NITC/CIO Administrative Assistant; Ruth Michalecki, UNL Telecommunications; Rick Golden, UNL Computing Services Network.

CALL TO ORDER AND ROLL CALL: The meeting was conducted by Steve Schafer until the arrival of the the chair, Walter Weir. Mr. Schafer called the meeting to order at 9:00 a.m. Roll call was taken. Five members were present with Ms. Michalecki serving as alternate for Mr. Weir until his arrival. Mr. Schafer announced that public notice was given by electronic means by posting the meeting date, time, location and agenda via the Web site on November 2 and a revision posted on November 8.

PUBLIC COMMENT: There was none.

APPROVAL OF THE MINUTES: Ms. Decker moved to approve the October 12, 1999 minutes. Mr. Winkle seconded the motion. Voice vote: All were in favor. Motion carried.

PROJECT REVIEWS:

Nebraska Department of Education: Bob Beecham provided a presentation to the Technical Panel on November 1st. The deficit request is for funding of a staff position, a server, and contractual services for the development of a consolidated school finance reporting system. The purpose of the Department's data consolidation project is to both improve the quality of information and reduce the data burden on local school districts and other providers by creating a centralized "data warehouse" into six major functional data bases focusing on: student data, staff data, finance data, transportation data, instruction data, and organization data. The school finance reporting system is one piece of the consolidation.

Walter Weir arrived at the meeting at 9:07 a.m.

The panel discussed: the use of staff's time versus hiring consultants or a percentage of existing staff time; what contractual monies would be used for; and relation of project to broader strategic plan.

Mr. Winkle moved that the Technical Panel provide the following analysis to the NITC:

• The project provides clear benefits through better access to information and greater efficiency in collecting information.
• The strategic direction of integrating data and applications conforms to the NITC goals and objectives.
• There is insufficient documentation available to assess the technical architecture and possible technical implications.

The motion was seconded by Ms. Decker. Roll call vote: Beech-Yes, Schafer-Yes, Weir-Yes, Winkle-Yes, Decker-Yes. Motion carried.

Community Council - Public Access Study:

Anne Byers, Community Information Technology Manager, provided information on the project. The project will conduct a community by community study to determine whether or not public access Internet terminal are available.

Mr. Winkle moved that the Technical Panel provide the following analysis to the NITC:

• The purpose of the project is consistent with the NITC goals and objectives.
• There should be an opportunity to review the final survey document, as well as the data collected.
• There are no technical implementation issues.
• The Library Commission should consider developing a process to integrate collection and maintenance of this information in the future.

The motion was seconded by Mr. Weir. Roll call vote: Schafer-Yes, Weir-Yes, Winkle-Yes, Decker-Yes, Beech-Yes. Motion carried.

Ms. Decker left the meeting at 9:45 a.m.

Community Council - Telehealth Feasibility Study:

Ms. Byers provided information on the project. The deliverables proposed by the project include reports on: 1) community needs, 2) the potentially conflicting incentives, costs, and benefits to different interested parties, 3) the current geographic distribution of resources; 4) an estimate of costs; and 5) a methodology for conducting ongoing impact assessment once such a system has been implemented. The information obtained in the context of this study can be used by planners, in conjunction with current information on costs, to devise multi-year plans for a stepwise, statewide implementation of telehealth technology and applications.

Mr. Winkle moved that the Technical Panel provide the following analysis to the NITC:

• The purpose of the project is consistent with NITC goals and objectives.
• There should be an opportunity to review the data collected.
• There are no technical implementation issues.
• There are no identifiable technical risks.
• The project management team is well-balanced and experienced.

The motion was seconded by Mr. Weir. Roll call vote: Weir-Yes, Winkle-Yes, Beech-Yes, Schafer-Yes. Motion carried.

ESU

Alan Wibbels, ESU 10, requested a voluntary review of the a proposal for additional bandwidth for ESUs and affiliated entities. The project is proposing a backbone between Grand Island and Omaha. They will apply for Universal Service Funds. The deadline for applying for USF is January 19th. ESUs would like to provide this bandwidth by July 2000.

The panel discussed the documents provided by Mr. Wibbels. Mr. Weir offered assistance in providing a short term solution if needed.

Mr. Beech moved that the Technical Panel provide the following analysis:

• The Technical Panel acknowledged that this is a voluntary review and appreciates the opportunity to review the project.
• The Technical Panel recommends no more than a 3-year contract commitment.
• The project is written in a prudent manner to craft an interim solution for immediate needs while providing flexibility for future statewide infrastructure development.

Mr. Weir seconded the motion. Roll call vote: Winkle-Yes, Beech-Yes, Schafer-Yes, Weir-Yes. Motion carried.

It was suggested that a letter be written to Mr. Wibbels stating the Technical Panel's analysis. Mr. Becker will draft a letter.

STATEWIDE TECHNOLOGY PLAN: Mr. Winkle reminded the Panel that Part 4.B Project Proposal Forms and Assessment Document for Project Proposal Forms are working documents. Staff have receiving feedback from the councils. Mr. Weir suggested waiting until further feedback is received for further review at a future meeting. The NITC will not be taking action on this section until the January meeting.

Part 3 Technical Infrastructure. Mr. Weir distributed a draft document for review. Principles, Best Practices and Standards have been incorporated in the document. The following recommendations were made by the panel:

• Change "Standards" to "Standards and Guidelines"
• Include the wording "Principle, Best Practices, and Standards and Guidelines"
• Provide the document prepared by Mr. Weir to the NITC as a sample document.

Part 3.D. Recommended Standards and Guidelines (Wiring Standards) - At last month's meeting it was suggested to have a couple of entities walk through the process.

BRIEFING ON IMSERVICES SECURITY ARCHITECTURE:

Mr. Schafer reported on a meeting held Friday, November 5th with IMServices and IBM to discuss the state's security architecture. Rick Golden was also in attendance. Options and ideas were shared at the meeting. It was suggested that this group could assist with the "security portion" of the technical infrastructure plan.

ALTERNATE MEMBERS OF THE TECHNICAL PANEL:

Three alternate members will be presented to the NITC for approval at the November 10th meeting: Mike Beech for Peter Ford; Ruth Michalecki for Walter Weir; and Tom Conroy for Brenda Decker.

OTHER BUSINESS: Member would like an update on the TINA Study.

Mr. Winkle informed the panel that the councils have been developing Action Items for the NITC January meeting. The Technical Panel should be preparing Action Items. It was suggested to focus on this at the next meeting.

Ms. Michalecki provided a document for closet wiring standards which she prepared for UNL's Facilities department.

NEXT MEETING DATE: The next meeting will be held December 14, 1999, 9 a.m. Mr. Weir will check into Varner Hall for the next meeting location. Mr. Weir adjourned the meeting at 11:35 a.m.

Minutes taken by Lori Lopez Urdiales, CIO/NITC Administrative Assistant and reviewed by Rick Becker, Government I.T. Manager.

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