Information Services Advisory Board
MINUTES
August 2, 2007, 6:00 p.m.
Town Hall Campus
Council Large Conference Room #10035
316 N. Academy Street, Cary, North Carolina
www.townofcary.org
Call to Order
The meeting was called to order at 6:01 p.m.
Present
Terra Brown-Shelton, Lee Douglas, Mark Evangelista, John Fitzpatrick, Tangie Hofer, Nazi Kite, John Nolander, Vijay Raghavendran, Council member Julie Robison, Bill Stice, Technology Services Director, and Staff Liaison Susan Moran
Absent
Helen Hutchings, Todd McGee
Approval of Minutes
Ms. Hofer moved to approve the minutes from the July 5, 2007 meeting with the corrections noted. All concurred and the motion carried unanimously.
Watch List: Web Site Overhaul
Ms. Moran informed the board that she and Mr. Stice reviewed the first draft of the Town’s new front page designed by Deanna Boone and that they were really impressed. She added that Ms. Boone has done a very good job of hearing what people have shared with her and incorporating those elements into the new Web design in an attractive way that is consistent with Cary’s look and feel. Mr. Stice added that has a classy look, the best he’s seen. Ms. Moran stated that the new Web site is slated to be launched in the first quarter of calendar year 2008. Mr. Evangelista added that while the Board does not have any approval authority, as a courtesy Ms. Moran will be sharing it with the Board. Ms. Moran thanked the Board for all their input during the development stages.
Watch List: Traffic Management System Update to Citizens
Ms. Moran observed that the Traffic Management System was used to participate in the Amber Alert call that went out for a young Cary child recently. She noted that the dynamic message signs made it possible for Cary to participate for the first time in an Amber Alert. She explained that a contractor had sliced through about 19 miles of the fiber rendering many of the signs inoperable during the I-40 crash on Friday. However, she noted that they were able to get that problem fixed rather quickly and that members of Public Information, Engineering and Police were in the Traffic Management Center watching cameras, changing signal light timing and working with Highway Patrol to help route traffic through Cary more efficiently. She added that now that the system is in place, some formal plans are being developed for working with Highway Patrol in such circumstances.
In response to Mr. Raghavendran’s question about the traffic system currently being used by Cary, Mr. Stice explained that NCDOT has access to Cary’s cameras, and Cary has access to theirs. He also noted that Highway Patrol and Town of Cary Police also share common response channels on a system called TriNet that was set up about 15 years ago which is also accessible by Duke University, Durham County, Apex, Holly Springs, RDU and Wake County. They can all turn to this network and all talk on common channels. Mr. Raghavendran mentioned a new technology that can interpret varied systems. Mr. Stice said he was familiar with it, recognizing that it’s a system that allows disparate radio systems interface, and can even be used with voice over phones and cell phones.
Mr. Fitzpatrick asked if there was any intention to integrate the traffic management systems with other entities when they’re up and running. Ms. Moran said the traffic system is up and running and Mr. Stice replied that there is no plan for other agencies to have control over Cary’s signal lights or for Cary to have control over other agencies’ lights. He indicated that currently NCDOT has secondary control the Town’s cameras if it becomes necessary, and in the future they may have secondary ability to manipulate cameras, but there’s no plan to have NCDOT manage traffic lights or traffic flow within Town of Cary’s jurisdiction, noting that it was their responsibility before Cary took over. Mr. Fitzpatrick countered that it might be a good idea in case of an emergency, at least on the edges of town. Ms. Moran reminded the board that the Town does control some traffic signals outside the Town’s borders in Morrisville. Mr. Stice added that Highway Patrol has no interest in controlling the cameras but in handling the immediate situation, adding that Highway Patrol is actually only able to the view the camera images. He said that NCDOT has actual control of the cameras. Mr. Fitzpatrick then asked if all traffic system control is independent, but coordinated, and Mr. Stice agreed noting the importance of this due to the cascading effect a change in the timing of one signal light can have on the rest of the system, especially during an emergency response.
Watch List: Dynamic Message Signs
Ms. Moran indicated that two of the signs remain inoperable due to power issues. It was thought that one was struck by lightning, but it has been repaired.
Watch List: 2007 Annual Report
Mr. Evangelista indicated that he continues to incorporate each meeting into the report. Mr. Nolander asked Mr. Evangelista if he would like board members to review the report and offer suggestions and Mr. Evangelista thought that was a good idea. He also mentioned that interested members might want to see if School of Government applications are still being accepted.
Watch List: RSS Technology
There were no updates to this topic.
Old/New Business
Mega Forum – Submit a Question
Ms. Moran reminded the Board that the Submit a Question for the Mega Forum is now open through the end of August and encouraged them to submit questions for the candidates. She noted that this year there is no limit to the number of questions each citizen can submit.
Old/New Business
Document Format Standardization: Open Source Code and Document Retrieval
Ms. Moran noted that this subject was brought to the group by Mr. Fitzpatrick and that, as a courtesy, Mr. Stice made himself available as a resource to answer any questions the group might have.
Mr. Fitzpatrick explained that a potential problem with document retrieval in the future centers on the fact that newer Microsoft Office products have switched to Extensible Markup Language (XML) technology, noting that this is not a true open source technology and could cause problems in the future since older versions would not be readable with the newer Microsoft products. He expressed concern over the ability of the Town to keep information available to the public in perpetuity without switching over to an open document format (ODF), and stated that he would like to find out what the Town has planned in this regard.
Mr. Stice replied that the Town does has not determined to go to the ODF format and stated a couple of reasons for this. He explained that about 80 percent of Town information has a legally prescribed lifespan of three to seven years. He added that the state is fairly critical about the fact that if information can be deleted it should be because it reduces maintenance costs and takes away liability. He explained that if an out-dated document is still available it can be admitted as evidence, but if the document has been properly deleted, anything said about the document is considered hearsay. He continued by saying that the Town reports to the State Department of Cultural Archives and History concerning any information that is archived, as they are the guiding rule in the State of North Carolina for all local governments – county, city and state. Mr. Stice then stated that there have not been any compatibility issues, and explained that the Town does not upgrade Microsoft Office products with every Microsoft upgrade but rather about every five years or more unless there’s a technical reason to do so. He noted that the Town is not a Microsoft enterprise site because there is no justification for it.
Mr. Stice stated that another issue that comes up when considering changing over to ODF is compatibility with other products. He explained that much of the Town’s application software has built-in compatibilities with Microsoft products – they’re built to run around the Word model or the Office model – so changing those documents or changing the office product to Open Office or some other ODF-compatible product would require changing out a fairly large portion of our major applications. He gave an example, stating that changing just one application would require approximately $3-4M to replace just the software, with additional costs for hardware, training and system support. Mr. Stice noted that the Town has looked at ODF technology, along with other options, explaining that before any changes are made there has to be a justifiable need for it and, currently, there have not been any reported cases of inability to access the information.
Mr. Stice continued by noting that the window of time for keeping information on record is generally from three to seven years, and in that time there has not be a problem with technology becoming out of date and rendering information inaccessible to the public. He also stated that any kind of legislation or direction in across-the-board standards should be addressed at the state level, noting that this responsibility, again, falls to the State Cultural Archives and History Division has a rule. He explained that any information that is kept for a certain period of time or longer takes on a historical significance and then it has to be kept forever. He added that when a document reaches historical significance – which could be in as little as ten years or as long as twenty years – that document is then passed on to the Cultural Archives and History Division and they maintain the archive of those documents.
Mr. Stice noted that the Town currently runs some opens source operating systems and soon will be launching VOIP which runs on a UNIX platform, but no open source office products. He said they are looking at doing some beta testing with ODF-type office applications on a handful of workstations within the next six months or so.
Mr. Raghavendran asked if the beta project was for VOIP or for ODF, and Mr. Stice answered that it would be for ODF products, adding that the hardware and software for VOIP has already been ordered and installation has been contracted.
Mr. Fitzpatrick noted that, functionally, the Open Office package is a replacement for Microsoft Office, and Mr. Stice said that, while he would continue to look into that, his job is to consider the efficiency of the end user doing their day-to-day job. He added that he also has to consider compatibility issues with databases because a lot of application products use Office as a form of output and changing to a different office product could interfere with those interfaces requiring the purchase of another product that does that or paying the vendor to modify their product to be able to output to the open source product.
Mr. Raghavendran asked if the Town would be doing the testing or if a third party would be hired, and Mr. Stice replied that for an office product the Town would handle it but for servers and databases they wouldn’t have the manpower to do so.
Mr. Evangelista asked if the motivation to test open source technology is simply because it’s less expensive or if there was more to it. Mr. Stice explained that ODF products are being reviewed in order to determine if they would represent a cost savings in areas where there are no compatibility issues.
Mr. Fitzpatrick asked again if the Town was planning to use ODF as a standard, and Mr. Stice replied that there are no plans to make such a recommendation because at this time it is not justifiable. He added that the state requires him to maintain compatibility and make sure that no software or hardware that impedes with my ability to provide public records information to the general public is purchased. Mr. Fitzpatrick countered that there are some accessibility issues with Microsoft’s so-called open XML, and Mr. Stice stated that should he choose to go with an open source product that does not have compatibility issues he will choose the one that is most efficient for the Town’s operations. He reiterated that his responsibility from the state is to make sure that information is provided in a readable format to the general public as they request.
When asked why he felt compelled that this community should be considering open document format, Mr. Fitzpatrick replied that he felt continuing to use Microsoft products would be detrimental and that accessibility and functionality would be lost. Mr. Stice explained that there is often more difficulty in maintaining hardware, operating systems and bios compatibility than there is in being able to provide information in a format that is accessible to the public.
Mr. Fitzpatrick suggested that the Town adopt a document format that has a better future which, in his opinion, is open document format. Several board members observed that the Town has already been investigating ODF, along with other options. Mr. Fitzpatrick asked again what document format the Town would be using in the future and when that change would take place. Mr. Stice responded that there are many more factors to be considered than what has been discussed at this meeting. He reminded the board that the world of technology continues to grow and improve, noting that there will always be something newer and better to look at. He explained that it is his responsibility with the Town of Cary to make those decisions and explained that he takes this obligation seriously.
Mr. Stice went on to explain that, according to the general statute, he could be prosecuted personally if he purchased equipment that impaired accessibility to public information or if he did not make sure that information retained by the Town could be made available when a public records request was made. He noted that, while his job is to make sure that information is made available in a way in which the public can use it, there is nothing specified about the product on the back end except that it cannot impede or impair accessibility to the information.
Mr. Fitzpatrick expressed concern again about the loss of functionality with the new Microsoft file format and Ms. Moran replied that the Town has not made plans to use Microsoft Office 2007. Mr. Stice added that he has not had time to look at it yet, but there are a couple of copies in-house for review. He went on to explain that some products necessary to the Town’s business require functions are available in Microsoft Office but not Open Office. He noted that the Open Office spreadsheets do not have the high-level capabilities that the budget and engineering departments need.
Mr. Stice summed up by stating that there is nothing about Office XP that is causing problems that would require us to upgrade, so there is no reason for a move to another product. Mr. Evangelista stated that the Town has a system in place for reviewing technology and how the Town functions is not a purview of this board. He asked Mr. Stice if there was a state agency that they as individuals could petition on the subject, and he encouraged them to take it to the State Cultural Archive and History Division since they are in charge of all the archives and historical information throughout North Carolina.
Mr. Stice added that he met with Mr. Fitzpatrick earlier and wanted to express his appreciation for all the research he brings to the Town and that he will continue to look at these issues as they move forward. He added that he likes to hear both sides because that’s what helps him to make sure that things are done right, and he assured the board that he would continue to investigate all the options available.
Mr. Evangelista also noted that, having sat with him on the board for several years, he recognized that this has been a very important issue to Mr. Fitzpatrick and noted that he has shown a great deal of respect for the process, always going through the appropriate channels and not trying to get around the system.
Statement of Findings
The board found that the open document format has been identified as something they would like to keep an eye on. They are convinced that the Town is doing everything to consider it among all the other factors they keep in mind as they move forward, from business cases and public service standpoints, and that this may possibly find itself at the foot of the state as a consideration should any individuals take it up.
Citizen Comments
Mr. Raghavendran noted that the I-540 extension does not seem to be helping Cary significantly.
Member Comments
Ms. Hofer asked if there were any plans to decorate the new water tower, and Ms. Moran replied that she was not aware of any plans to do so. Ms. Hofer added that she and others thought it would be nice to see “The Heart of Cary” on it, and Ms. Moran encouraged her to present that idea to council.
Mr. Fitzpatrick mentioned that it appeared that the color of the lids for potable water versus reclaimed water may have been switched, and Ms. Moran noted that may have been a factor. Mr. Fitzpatrick asked if perhaps changing the shape of one of the lids might alleviate any future problems in that regard. Ms. Moran replied that the Town is already considering that as well as adding locks.
Mr. Evangelista reminded the board that the next topic for consideration would be IP Telephony.
Adjournment
The meeting adjourned at 7:13 p.m.