1996 Annual Report
Center for
Technology in
Government
1996 Annual Report
Center for Technology in Government
Center for Technology in
Government
1996 Annual Report
July 1995 - June 1996
1996 Annual Report
The Center for Technology in Government
pursues new ways
of applying computing and
communications technologies
to the practical problems of information management
and service delivery in the public sector.
The Center's program seeks to reduce the costs
and improve the quality of government services,
reduce the risks of innovation,
and share the results of its projects throughout
the public sector.
Center for Technology in Government
July 1996
Dear Colleague:
The past twelve months have been exciting ones for everyone
associated with the Center for Technology in Government. As
our program year opened in July 1995, we found ourselves at
Harvard University presenting the CTG story to the Innovations
in American Government National Selection Panel. To our great
delight, CTG was named one of fifteen award winners honored
for programs that represent exemplary solutions to important
public problems. Since that time, we have responded to requests
from around the world for information about CTGs approach to
using information technology to improve the delivery of govern-
ment services. Weve assisted callers from as far away as Korea
and Brazil and from as nearby as New York City and Oswego
County, NY. We are proud of this prestigious award, but even
more proud and grateful for the many people and organizations
who helped design and build CTG.
Two major projects were completed this year. One, conducted in cooperation with the Office of Mental
Health, focused on improving psychiatric assessments in emergency rooms. The other, initiated by the
Department of Environmental Conservation, produced the award-winning New York State Spatial Data
Clearinghouse. A third project, now nearing completion, involves ten state and local agencies in an
exploration of the Internet as a means of delivering information and services. These Internet Testbeds
are being conducted in cooperation with many corporate partners and the Governors Task Force on
Information Resource Management.
As always, our projects depend on the generosity and imagination of agency, corporate, and university
partners. This year we welcomed Deloitte & Touche, EMI Communications, Eric Elgar Consulting,
Inteligis Corporation, and MultiTech Systems to our corporate partner roster. Faculty, staff, and
students from the University at Albany, the University at Buffalo, and Hudson Valley Community
College all contributed to the research and evaluation phases of our projects. The officers, staff, and
members of the New York State Forum for Information Resource Management continue to be a rich
source of ideas, resources, and advice. We have truly had a banner year at CTG and invite you to join us
in the exciting work that lies ahead.
Sincerely
Sharon S. Dawes
Director
1996 Annual Report
T
he Center for Technology in Government received a 1995
Innovations in American Government Award. Presented to
organizations that demonstrate the best in American Government, the
prestigious award is administered by the Ford Foundation and the John F.
Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University. The $100,000
grant that accompanies the honor is earmarked for replication and
information programs so that others may benefit from CTGs results. The
Innovations Award is a tribute to the vision and initiative of CTGs
government colleagues, the creative energy of the University community,
and the service and technology contributions of the private sector.
Vice President Al Gore honored the Center for Technology in
Government during a ceremony in Washington DC. President Clinton
met with the CTG delegation and other winners in the Rose Garden.
This country is bursting with pride
in your accomplishments.
Vice President Gore
October 26, 1995
Innovations in American Government Award
Page 2
Center for Technology in Government
Working Together for Good Government
Government
T
his year marked an important
transition in the kinds of
projects and range of government
partners involved in work at the
Center. While early projects
focused on a critical service
objective for a single agency, we
are now engaged in work that
crosses the boundaries of many
government organizations. The
recently completed GIS
Cooperative Project involved more
than 450 representatives of state,
local, and federal governments in
creating a government-wide
information resource, the NYS
Spatial Data Clearinghouse. The
Internet Testbeds, now underway,
directly involve ten state and local
agencies and indirectly will assist
all governments in New York
through the creation and
dissemination of practical
guidelines for using the WWW to
deliver services.
Business
B
usiness support for the Center
is critical to our success. In-
kind corporate contributions of the
latest technologies allow us to
tackle a range of projects that
would not be possible under
ordinary circumstances. This year
our Government Technology
Solutions Laboratory, equipped
almost entirely from corporate
contributions, has reached a high
state of maturity. New projects can
now take full advantage of the
robust and flexible infrastructure
that past contributions have made
possible. At the same time, new
equipment, software, and
consulting services expand and
refresh this state-of-the-art facility.
University
T
omorrows leaders are todays
university students. At CTG,
students are often responsible for
the creative ideas and technical
expertise that go into project
prototypes. Faculty contribute to
the research and evaluation phase of
every project and this year included
faculty and staff from the
University at Buffalo and Hudson
Valley Community College as well
as Albany. Students and faculty
associated with Albanys
interdisciplinary program in
information science, have key roles
as CTG graduate assistants and
staff. They were joined this year
by graduate students in computer
science, geography, management
science and information systems,
public administration and political
science.
CTG staff members helped state and
local governments develop World Wide
Web site prototypes.
Page 3
1996 Annual Report
Sharing the Costs, Sharing the Benefits: The NYS Geographic
Information Systems Cooperative Project
U
nderstanding spatial relationships is essential for strategic
planning and effective delivery of government services.
Governments rely on geographic information systems (GIS) for a vast
array of purposes, from land use management to emergency services.
The value of GIS and spatial data can be seen most dramatically in
applications that promote economic development, public health and safety,
and environmental quality. Often organizations with similar needs can
share information and achieve considerable efficiencies and other benefits.
CTG and the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation were
joined by the New York State Temporary GIS Council and many others in
designing a framework for GIS coordination and developing the NYS
Spatial Data Clearinghouse.
The project demonstrated the depth and variety of existing human,
technical, and data resources in New York State. It showed the extent to
which spatial data needs overlap among key policy and application areas
and examined how data sharing strategies can reduce the cost and increase
the value of GIS at every level of government and in the private sector. The
project identified existing federal, local, and regional coordination efforts,
and it developed specific recommendations for overcoming barriers to data
sharing and coordination.
The Center played a leading role in designing and creating the NYS Spatial
Data Clearinghouse, an Internet-based repository of metadata describing
the spatial data holdings of federal, state, local, and private organizations. It
is an ideal sharing mechanism that helps GIS developers find and use data
that someone else has already developed. The Clearinghouse can be found
on the World Wide Web at http://www.ctg.albany.edu/gisny.html
The Clearinghouse won a 1996 NASIRE recognition award for outstanding
achievement in information technology. It was honored as the best
intergovernmental application among the 50 states.
Page 4
Government Partners
NYS Department of Environmental
Conservation
NYS Forum for Information Resource
Management
Erie County Water Authority
NYS Division of the Budget
State Archives and Records
Administration
Corporate Partners
Applied GIS, Inc.
Blue Moon Training Systems
Digital Equipment Corporation
Documentation Strategies, Inc.
Full Circle Communications
Harlan Wallach Graphic Arts
Inteligis Corporation
Sun Microsystems
Unified Technologies
Xyplex
Academic Partners
University at Albany
National Center for Geographic
Information & Analysis, University
at Buffalo
Recently Completed Projects
Center for Technology in Government
Office of Mental Health Project:
Supporting Psychiatric Assessments in Emergency Rooms
A
n inappropriate decision to admit or discharge a psychiatric patient
from an emergency room is often the starting point for a series of
undesirable results. The individual inappropriately admitted is deprived of
liberty and involved in a disruptive, stigmatizing event. Since each
admission to inpatient psychiatric care costs the mental health system
about $10,000, these admissions are also a costly misuse of scarce health
care dollars. A patient who needs help and is not admitted, however, goes
without care and may cause harm to self or others. Over 135,000
emergency psychiatric assessments are conducted in New Yorks hospitals
each year, and research shows wide variability in the resulting admission
and discharge decisions.
The New York State Office of Mental Health (OMH), the Center for
Technology in Government, and the Center for Policy Research worked
together to address this issue through the development of a computer-
assisted decision model to support psychiatric assessments in emergency
rooms. An expert panel representing both psychiatric health professionals
and consumers of mental health services helped design the model. The
decision support model and resulting software system are not meant to
replace the physician or the physicians own
expert judgment. Instead, they support the
practitioner in gathering and considering all
information relevant to an admissions
decision.
The project enhanced understanding of the
emergency room process, including how it
differs from setting to setting. Also important
to OMH, the project demonstrated that
physicians can benefit from using computer
software. This knowledge has important value
as a guide for further efforts to improve
emergency psychiatry, which may include the
use of information technology. The field test
at the Psychiatric Institute of Westchester
Medical Center suggested that the software
might have special value as a training tool for
mental health and human service professionals
and resulted in a number of other
Page 5
Decision support software supports
psychiatric assessments in emergency
rooms.
recommendations for refinement
and further development.
Government Partners
Office of Mental Health
Corporate Partners
Microsoft Corporation
Borland International
Digital Equipment Corporation
IBM Corporation
Academic and Non Profit Partners
Center for Policy Research, UAlbany
Westchester Medical Center
Psychiatric Institute
Photo by Current Rutledge
1996 Annual Report
Increasing Access, Safeguarding Information:
Works in
Progress
Internet Testbeds
C
ustomers can access Internet-based government services 24 hours per
day, seven days a week. Agency staff can use the Internet to link
remote offices to central agency databases and link agencies with suppliers
and contractors, as well as exchange information with other governments.
CTG has been working with ten state and local organizations and the
Governors Task Force on Information Resource Management to
investigate the technologies, processess, costs and benefits of relying on
the Internet to deliver information and services. Through a series of
workshops, seven agency Web teams learned how to plan for networked
service delivery and how to design, develop, and evaluate their World
Wide Web sites. These teams include: Empire State Development,
Governors Traffic Safety Committee, Hamilton County, Division of
Housing and Community Renewal, Division of Military and Naval Affairs,
Office of Real Property Services, and Office of Alcoholism and Substance
Abuse Services.
In addition, CTG, the NYS Departments of Health and Transportation, the
State University System Administration, and several corporate partners are
examining security issues and the technical feasibility of adopting the Web
as a universal interface to government information and services.
Page 6
Electronic Records
M
ost government information
specialists in New York and
elsewhere see doing business
electronically as a way to overcome
declining resources and meet rising
public expectations for service.
Technological changes, though,
have a substantial impact on an
agencys ability to create, manage
and use electronic records to
support legal responsibilities and
business needs.
CTG is now working with the State
Archives and Records
Administration, the Adirondack
Park Agency, and University at
Albany faculty members to develop
and promote practical models that
will handle electronic records
management and archival
requirements in computing and
communications applications. This
two year project is funded in part
by a $140,000 grant from the
National Historical Publications
and Records Commission.
Participants at the June 1996 Internet Testbed Project demonstration viewed the
World Wide Web sites NYS agencies developed with CTG assistance.
Center for Technology in Government
A Partnership for the Common Good
Page 7
T
he Centers program is made possible by resources from public, private, and academic contributors. While
state funds ($744,000 this year) remain the core of our operating budget, the value of total resources was
nearly double that figure ($1.3
million). In-kind corporate,
agency, and university
contributions represented
$340,000. Grants from the
Ford Foundation and the
National Historical
Publications and Records
Commission added $240,000.
During the last three years,
total resources equalled $7.4
million (graph). Over that
period, our technical
infrastructure has become one
of our greatest assets,
representing more than $2.5
million in hardware, software,
and telecommunications including major loans and donations from Microsoft, Sun Microsystems, AT&T, Digital,
Hewlett-Packard, Novell, and Bay Networks. The GIS and Psychiatric Assessment Projects, and the Internet
Testbeds all relied on this excellent, versatile infrastructure. This year, 13 companies contributed new assistance
worth nearly $100,000 (table), mostly in the form of education and consulting services that augment the value of
our state-of-the-art facilities.
More than 50 government professionals,
academic experts, and non profit service
providers gave generously of their time and
expertise. The value of government ($205,000),
and academic ($38,000) services totaled nearly
a quarter million dollars this yearwithout
considering the hundreds of people who
participated in the research seminars associated
with the GIS Project or the planning seminar that
defined the Internet Testbeds.
The University at Albany continues to provide
strong support for CTGs program. Graduate
assistantships funded by the Office for Research
and the Information Science Doctoral Program
help us attract some of the best doctoral and
masters students on campus. Faculty continue to
contribute their time as consultants and student
supervisors, and our President and Vice
Presidents strongly support and encourage our
applied research objectives.
In-kind C orporate Co ntribution s for 1995-96
D eloitte & Touche
$ 4,000
D igital Equipm ent Corporation
5,200
D ocum entation Strategies
2,300
EM I C om m unications
2,400
Eric Elgar C onsulting
2,000
Full Circle Com m unications
1,200
Inteligis C orporation
525
M icrosoft C orporation
4,929
M ultiTech Systems
13,896
N ovell
19,070
Sun M icrosystem s
36,500
U nified Technologies
4,000
Xyplex
1,000
Total for 95-96
$ 97,020
$1,000,000
$2,000,000
$3,000,000
$4,000,000
$5,000,000
$6,000,000
$7,000,000
$8,000,000
1993-94
1993-95
1993-96
Grants
Academic partners
Corporate partners
Government partners
NYS appropriation
Total CTG Resources 1993-1996
1996 Annual Report
CTG on the Web
World Wide Web sites have
become a popular way to
communicate with government
constituents and among units of
government. CTG has been on the
Web since early 1994 providing
information about our organization,
partners, projects, and connections
to other government sites. In April
1996, the Center launched a new
version of the Web site which is
now deeper and richer in its
information coverage. Between
April and June, the site hosted
more than 5,600 user sessions
averaging 84 per day. The CTG
Web site is organized into eight
interlinked categories of
information.
Page 8
CTG Information Products
contains our mission statement, operating policies and
other descriptive information.
takes center stage in the site. Each project has its own
menu, and each major document has a table of contents.
Users can drill down to the information needed by
clicking on the menu items. Long documents can be
downloaded directly to the users computer.
lists corporate, academic, and government partners and
links to their Web sites.
introduces our staff and fellows.
describes the place where project prototypes are built.
presents news and highlights updated features in any of
the other categories.
announces and provides a means to register for
seminars and other happenings.
is an extensive library of linked or downloadable
resources such as project reports, bibliographies, other
Web sites, and news items.
http://www.ctg.albany.edu
Center for Technology in Government
Page 9
Newsletter
Last fall CTG developed a quarterly
newsletter to keep our colleagues
informed. As a new
communications tool, Innovations
reports on projects in process and
presents results from seminars and
events. Web site recommendations,
hot information technology
trends, and other resources are
covered in each issue as well. CTG
has already had requests to reprint
sections of Innovations, and we
continue to receive inquiries
generated by newsletter stories.
Video
Thanks to funding from the Ford
Foundation, CTG has produced an
eight-minute video that shows how
the Center works. Improving
Government through Partnerships
and Technology features projects
involving the Adirondack Park
Agency, the Office of Mental
Health, and the Internet Testbeds. It
shows the roles played by partners
and the interplay among policy,
management, and technology issues
that is at the heart of each
project.The video is available for
loan and is used often at
conferences and educational
programs.
Publications
The following reports describing the results of CTG projects were issued
during the year. All reports are available in print and digital formats. They
can be downloaded from the Centers Web site, or ordered by phone or fax.
University faculty lend their expertise
to CTG staff on research projects,
seminar presentations, and reports.
Photo by Current Rutledge
Geographic Information System Cooperative Project
♦ Sharing the Costs, Sharing the Benefits: The NYS GIS Cooperative Project
♦ The New York State Spatial Data Clearinghouse Technical Report
♦ Compelling Reasons for GIS Coordination in NYS
♦ A Framework for Evaluating Public Sector Geographic Information Systems
Adirondack Park Agency Project
♦ Balancing Environmental Quality & Economic Vitality in the Adirondack Park
♦ Evaluating the APA Prototype: Prospects for Providing Cheaper, Faster, and
Better Services to APAs Customers
♦ Using Technology to Change Work: Technical Results from the APA Prototype
Office of Mental Health Project
♦ Supporting Psychiatric Assessments in Emergency Rooms
♦ Report of the Field Test to Evaluate a Decision Support Tool for Psychiatric
Assessments in Emergency Rooms
1996 Annual Report
Looking Back on a Banner Year
Page 10
1996 has indeed been a banner year at CTG. We completed two major
projects and launched two new ones, conducted four public demonstrations
of project prototypes, issued three project reports and associated working
papers, launched an updated version of
our Web site, and answered hundreds
of queries from around the world.
During the past year, the Center and its
projects have been featured in the New
York Times, the Washington Post,
Governing, Government Technology,
Public Innovator, the Albany Times
Union, the Troy Record, the
Schenectady Daily Gazette, Empire
State Report, Capital District Business
Review, Government Computer News,
NASIRE Exchange, and GIS World.
Staff gave presentations to an array of
audiences including: Capital Area
Chapter of the American Society for
Public Administration, the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission
Technology Center, the State of Marylands Information Technology
Support Center, the Institute for Operations Research and the Management
Sciences, the NYS Local Government Information Technology Directors
Association, the Adirondack Park Commission, and the Brookings
Institution, just to name a few.
In the past year the number of entries in our contact database has nearly
doubled to more than 3,000. We receive an average of eight requests a
week for general information packets or project reports and continue to
receive requests for general and project specific information from around
the world including more than 80 visits a day to our Web site.
July 1995
The CTG program was presented to the Innovations in American
Government National Selection Panel at Harvard University, Cambridge,
MA.
Corporate partners provide
consultation to CTG technical
staff as they participate in the
Centers projects.
Photo by Current Rutledge
Center for Technology in Government
Page 11
Reengineering business
processes can be as important as
hardware and software solutions.
Public demonstration of the Office of Mental Health Prototype, Making
Psychiatric Assessments in Emergency Rooms, was held at the UAlbany
Executive Development Center. Representatives from a legislative
commission, private hospitals, local government health care organizations,
and several state agencies attended the program.
August 1995
Three half-day research seminars, conducted
by the NYS GIS Cooperative Project, were
held in Albany, Buffalo, and New York City
to collect perspectives on issues related to
statewide GIS coordination. More than 400
people representing the private, public,
academic and not-for-profit sectors
participated in these meetings.
September 1995
CTG hosted an information and
demonstration booth at the Government
Technology Conference held in Albany.
Prototype demos, reports and information
packets were provided to visitors who
attended the annual three day event.
CTG released the Supporting Psychiatric Assessments in Emergency
Rooms Project Report. Nearly 800 copies of the paper report were
distributed and a digital version was made available on our Web site for
downloading.
October 1995
The New York on the Internet Workshop, held at the Empire State Plaza,
was attended by more than 150 state and local agency representatives.
Participants defined the goals of the Internet Testbeds and identified
security on the Internet as the topic of greatest interest which led to our
April, 1996 Security Day.
Photo by Current Rutledge
1996 Annual Report
Sharing the Costs, Sharing the Benefits: NYS GIS Cooperative Project
Demonstration, held at the UAlbany Performing Arts Center, was attended
by 153 people. The attendees represented 30 state agencies, 13 corporate
partners, three legislative commissions and staff from the Assembly,
Senate, and US Geological Survey. Speakers included representatives from
the Federal Geographic Data Committee, National Center for Geographic
Information and Analysis (University at Buffalo), Department of
Environmental Conservation, and Applied GIS, Inc.
CTG staff went to Washington for the Innovations in American
Government Award presentation and paid an unexpected visit to the
White House.
November 1995
First Government Technology Solutions Laboratory Open House was held.
This informal program has become a monthly event.
December 1995
First edition of Innovations Newsletter was mailed to 3,000 people across
the country.
Released Sharing the Costs, Sharing the Benefits: The NYS GIS
Cooperative Project and Balancing Economic Vitality and
Environmental Quality in the Adirdonack Park project reports on our
Web site. More than 1,600 paper copies of these reports have been mailed
to interested parties.
January 1996
Staff support was provided to the NYS Temporary GIS Council
throughout the fall and winter culminating in a two day event in January.
CTG staff helped draft portions of the Council report, Geographic
Information Systems: Key to Competitiveness which was forwarded to
the Legislature and Governor in March, 1996.
The Kickoff for the Internet Services Testbed Project was held. Seven
state and local government agency teams participated in six workshops held
over the following five months. The workshops consisted of presentations,
exercises, hands-on tutorials focusing on the technology, and management
and policy discussions associated with designing, developing, and
managing Web-based services in their agencies. Corporate, academic, and
agency partners provided speakers and other resources for the workshops.
Page 12
Center for Technology in Government
February 1996
CTG staff and fellows served as consultants in Lebanon, helping to plan
the countrys information infrastructure. The
U.S. Agency for International
Development Lebanon Project was
conducted through UAlbanys Center for
Legislative Development.
March 1996
CTG received a two-year research grant from
the National Historical Publications and
Records Commission entitled Models for
Action: Developing Practical Approaches to
Electronic Records Management and
Preservation.
April 1996
Security on theInternet was held at Hudson Valley Community
College. The day-long program was attended by more than 150 people,
representing 42 NYS agencies, seven local governments, three academic
institutions, and nine representatives from the private sector. Presentations
were made by CTGs public sector and corporate partners including the
NYS Health Department, Digital Equipment Corporation, Microsoft
Corporation, Sun Microsystems, and Unified Technologies.
June 1996
Developing Internet-Based Services: Management, Policy and
Technology Issues in the Public Sector was held at the UAlbany
Performing Arts Center. The half-day program was attended by more than
170 people, representing 44 NYS agencies, seven local governments, three
academic institutions and five private organizations. Presentation focused
on the technical, policy and management lessons for using this new and
versatile technology to achieve service objectives. Six agency Web sites
were demonstrated.
Next year we look forward to completing the Internet Testbeds and the
Electronic Records Project, and to launching new work that will help
government managers design high quality, responsive, and cost-effective
public services.
University at Albany graduate
students in computer science,
information science, and public
administration learn while
working on CTG research
projects.
Photo by Current Rutledge
Page 13
1996 Annual Report
Center for Technology in Government
Director
Sharon Dawes
Team Leaders
Peter Bloniarz, Research and Laboratory Director
Sally Goodall, Operations
Theresa Pardo, Projects
Professional Staff
Peter Avery, Systems Administrator
Donna Berlin, Internet Coordinator
Ann DiCaterino, Project Support Manager
Winsome Foderingham-Hérard, Facility Manager
Kristine Kelly, Research Associate
Claire McInerney, Information Coordinator
Derek Werthmuller, Systems Administrator
Research & Faculty Fellows
David Andersen, Public Administration & Policy and Information Science
Salvatore Belardo, Management Science & Information Systems
Anthony Cresswell, Educational Administration & Policy and Information Science
Thomas Galvin, Information Science
Jeryl Mumpower, Center for Policy Research
John Rohrbaugh, Public Administration & Policy
Sandor Schuman, Public Administration & Policy
Thomas Stewart, Center for Policy Research
Graduate Assistants
David Connelly, Public Administration & Policy
David Filbert, Political Science
Christian Harris, Computer Science
Fazal Ilahi, Computer Science
Kai Larsen, Information Science
Ursula Marcus, Management Science & Information Systems
Ranjana Syam, Management Science & Information Systems
Mei-Huei Tang, Computer Science
Wen-Li Wang, Computer Science
Jihong Zeng, Information Science
Xiaomin Zheng, Computer Science
Student Assistants
Monica Estrada, Criminal Justice & Political Science
Michael Kersten, Biology
Mari Anne Lavelle, History
Tiara Miller, Africana Studies & Sociology
Michelle Molina, Mathematics
Sean Mornan, Political Science
Funding for the production of this Annual Report was provided in part by the Ford Foundation
Center for Technology in Government
CENTER FOR TECHNOLOGY IN GOVERNMENT
UNIVERSITY AT ALBANY, SUNY
1400 WASHINGTON AVE, PAC 264
ALBANY, NY 12222
PHONE: (518) 442-3892
FAX: (518) 442-3886
email: info@ctg.albany.edu
http://www.ctg.albany.edu
