People's Choice Award

Project History

OpenWeb was originally introduced by Clark County in 1998.  As technology and user needs changed during the years, the GISMO Application Development Team initiated a two-phase business methodology to assess the current and future OpenWeb technological requirements.  This team, consisting of Robert Vega (Senior GIS Analyst), Dustin Nelson (Programmer Analyst 2), Eugene (Geno) Astarita (GIS Analyst II) and Rudy Yanos (Programmer Analyst 2) designed and implemented a two-phase OpenWeb enhancement work plan.  Each team member was relied upon to perform a wide range of tasks to support this effort.  

Mr. Yanos and Mr. Astarita split the Project Manager role for each of the two phases respectfully.  Dustin Nelson was the Lead Programmer and primarily responsible for research and design regarding web application concept, prototype creation/testing and release deployment.  Mr. Vega served as the public's representative and subject matter expert.  All four team members assisted in the testing various application releases, and Mr. Astarita and Mr. Yanos also handled all the training and public relations work to publicize the new product.  It should be noted that Deputy CIO Russ Nelson was the Project Sponsor and owner, while Ricki Henry served in the role of Project Management Advisor as this effort was the first attempt of GISMO at using a project development methodology.

Phase 1 conducted a feasibility and technology study while Phase 2 (not yet officially implemented) will involve an analysis of business solutions. 

Phase 1 Overview & Benefits

Phase 1 of the OpenWeb Project began in March 2009 and involved an in-depth feasibility and technology study.  The catalyst for this study was the rapid change in technology, the fact that the Environmental Systems Research Institute (ESRI) would no longer support Map Objects or ArcIMS and the need to ensure a sustainability mandate regarding the re-design of OpenWeb.  GISMO worked closely with ESRI during Phase 1 to ensure that ArcGIS Server would work regarding the porting of features within the technical framework of OpenWeb. 

Another component of Phase 1 focused on re-designing the many mapping applications and development of new tools based upon market needs and specific user input. Although the new tools and functionality of OpenWeb are too numerous to fully explain in this article, the new web-based mapping applications include dynamic navigation, paneled tool sets and tabbed or table query results.  Improved image caching allows for detailed panning and zooming and extremely fast image refresh speed.  Historic aerial imagery has been included, which provides aerial pictures dating back to 1990. 

A new drawing toolbar allows users to create cursory maps utilizing different mapping symbology.  Maps can be easily exported as a Portable Network Graphic (.png) and printed or included into documentation or email communication.  Any feature that can be drawn can also be measured.  Lengths and areas are quickly calculated, and locations can be identified in "state plane feet" or decimal degrees.  OpenWeb also contains important information such as flood zone data and provides links to several other County offices.

The re-design of OpenWeb provides a clean and easy to use application that requires only a basic knowledge of web browsers to operate.  GISMO encourages everyone to explore the possible uses of OpenWeb by visiting http://gisgate.co.clark.nv.us/openweb/.   

Phase 2 Overview

Although not yet officially implemented, Phase 2 of the OpenWeb Project will focus on business solutions.   Geno Astarita will assist Rudy Yanos by researching topics such as:  how OpenWeb solves business problems, who is using it, what groups use OpenWeb as a critical tool in the profession, metrics associated with monthly usage, and other cost savings recognized by the County or customers.  Geno stresses a major component of Phase 2 as the ability of the research to actually define key questions regarding how GISMO and OpenWeb continues to support the needs of public and private sector entities.  

Initial Findings of OpenWeb Benefits

Because Map Objects licenses are no longer required by OpenWeb, the County immediately has saved $20K/year by the elimination of 200 software licenses as the

OpenWeb aerial imagery.

older mapping technology is retired.  Although difficult to quantify, OpenWeb has dramatically reduced the number of phone calls and counter visits because the general public can now easily access information that previously required County staff assistance.  The "head's up" mapping capability now allows users to print required information without leaving their homes.  The OpenWeb application supports approximately 9 million hits per month, and literally thousands of daily data queries.  It should be noted that this monumental effort was achieved with a small staff over a relatively short time frame and at NO additional cost to taxpayers. 

Future Plans

Throughout this initiative, Google Analytics supported the project by providing justification for the development of specific tools and gave insight into what tools customers used, what platforms and software interfaces were required, etc.  In the future, the ongoing usage of Google Analytics and the statistical information derived from its use, will serve as the impetus for additional OpenWeb development.  The goal is to make technology enhance business, as it will be the driver for the product.

The GISMO team is committed to bridging the gaps between users and technology.  In the future, capabilities and enhancements will be ongoing and developed based upon customer input.  At this point, with present resources and the team's vision, the sky is the limit. . .

Silver Shield logo.

Silver Shield operates in conjunction with Nevada's fusion centers to develop and disseminate information derived from multiple sources that provides public and private sector entities with a clear and accurate operational picture, providing them with the ability to act preventatively. Fusion Centers house various local, state, and federal agency representatives in a coordinated effort to facilitate the exchange of information and intelligence, optimize efficiency, and ultimately enhance the ability to combat crime and terrorism.

Emergency responders consist of fire departments, law enforcement, bomb squads, SWAT, medical response teams, and other emergency managers at the tribal, local, state, and federal levels. These key agencies were instrumental in determining the information deemed useful and necessary while responding to an incident. Silver Shield is responsible for collecting, cataloguing, and analyzing this information and making it accessible to first responders through the Critical Infrastructure Protection System (CIPS).

The CIPS tool was devised as a means of archiving and disseminating critical infrastructure information to emergency responders, via an interactive, web-based tool designed to integrate geospatial/geographic information system (GIS) software. The integration of critical infrastructure data with a GIS system and the ability for emergency responders to access said data is intended to enhance incident command capabilities, support the development of site-specific protective programs, and improve planning for and management of special events where mass population safety is a concern.

The utilization of GIS software permits the creation of individual critical infrastructure sites within the CIPS tool by geo-referencing their locations, specifically the perimeter of their property to a map display. Within a critical infrastructure site, the structures the facility is comprised of can be created within CIPS in a similar fashion. Furthermore, individual floors of the structure can be created as well.

The ability to create structures and floors within a critical infrastructure is significant not only for identification purposes but also important when incorporating associated information in the form of attachments. The tiered creation approach allows for a

CIPS example. (Courtesy of UER)

greater level of specificity in associating the content of an attachment with the tier it is most relevant to. Attachments consist of critical infrastructure information, including, but not limited to, aerial photographs, tactical pre-plans, and floor plans. An aerial photograph that captures the site in its entirety would be associated at the critical infrastructure level. A tactical pre-plan, such as an evacuation plan for a specific building, would be associated at the structure level. A floor plan would be associated at the floor level. Tiered classification is beneficial for locating and retrieving specific information quickly and efficiently during an emergency. In the event that emergency responders require a floor plan for a specific floor of a building, they can navigate to the attachments associated with the respective floor of that structure, rather than sift through numerous attachments associated with the critical infrastructure as a whole.

Map layering is another feature of GIS software with seemingly boundless potential applications. The ability to create and access map layers that highlight different points of interest generate virtually unlimited analytical, preventative, and responsive opportunities. Law enforcement can utilize map layers that highlight crime hotspots as an analytical tool and to improve the allocation of resources. A map layer that displays locations, which house hazardous materials could prove invaluable to emergency responders when assessing the optimal approach to containing a fire. In the event of a chemical spill, map layers can emphasize the locations of schools, hospitals, senior centers, etc., that would need to be evacuated or act as staging areas. The possible applications of the map layering feature are virtually limitless.

The CIPS tool was developed in coordination with ESRI and involved the complex integration between various components, specifically; the ESRI ArcGIS Server, the ESRI Situation Awareness Bundle, Microsoft SharePoint, Microsoft InfoPath, Microsoft Silverlight API, and Colligo Contributor.