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Posted by: rjrobinson@dot.state.nc.us	6/15/2007
Current and Proposed Organizational Activities GIS activities have been merged into the Information Management and Technology Branch (IM&T). Maintenance of the road centre line that had been part of Planning and Land Management Branch (PALM) has become the responsibility of the GIS Group within IM&T. Four staff have transferred from PALM to the GIS Group in IM&T. Infrastructure (Desktop, Networking, Server/Storage etc.) Over the past year a growth area has been in the use of virtualization.  We are currently using Microsoft Virtual PC and Virtual Server in our testing environment as well as some development environments.  We have expanded our blade server usage to 24 servers and coupled with our adoption of virtualization we have added over 25 new servers.  We are preparing for the release of Windows Vista for our desktop environment and are looking to increase our existing levels of desktop management, stability and security with this product. In the previous year we changed our laptop hardware standard to Lenovo Thinkpads and this year we continued this in our desktop environment by switching to Lenovo Thinkcentres. We have taken advantage of the increase in high speed internet (DSL) coverage within the Province of New Brunswick by installing over 50 new hardware based VPN sites replacing dial-up access to over 100 users.   We currently maintain a number of Oracle and legacy applications that support DOT's operations. We maintain Oracle versions between 8i and 10g. Our development environment has been expanded to employ Microsoft .NET technology. New Applications (Just Completed, In Progress, or Preparing to Start) In progress: Technical solutions for the Operations Management System Standardized Signs application development in .NET Part Harmonization application development RFI for a departmental Inventory System Asset Management Business Framework (AMBF): NBDOT has successfully implemented their new AMBF. The framework encompasses business processes and software tools that support strategic planning, program development, budgeting, program delivery, monitoring and feedback, and management of asset information. To support the framework processes and to bridge the gaps in information, two software tools are being used: 1. The Long-Term Investment Management Planning tool (LTIMP):  This tool uses condition information, deterioration curves and constraints to mathematically optimize and generate an investment strategy that yields a maximum return across all assets. 2. Program Development Tool:  This helps Department executives prioritize projects created through the LTIMP tool, resulting in tactical (four-year) and operational (one-year) plans. Using the AMBF, NBDOT is able to illustrate the potential long-term results of planning decisions, thereby improving their effectiveness. Achievable performance standards are used to assess the Province’s financial commitments over the planning horizon. Evaluation of various investment alternatives keeps the entire transportation network functioning at a least life-cycle cost. The framework has been implemented across New Brunswick and, if industry recognition is any indicator, may soon be in use outside it:  Along with receiving a 2007 knowledge industry achievement award, the solution has caught the attention of other provinces as well as countries such as the U.S., Australia and Costa Rica.  Operations Management System (OMS): We are working with Hansen Information Technologies to implement an Operations Management System (OMS) using the Hansen (Version 8) software. Hansen software will be used to record all expenditure and operational information regarding the Short-Term (daily) and Long-Term (seasonal and/or yearly) management of NBDOT’s personnel, equipment, and materials required for operations and maintenance activities.  All work information is recorded against individual infrastructure assets such as highway sections, bridges, buildings, lights, and ferries.  This will allow NBDOT to track trends in maintenance activities and costs associated to individual and groups of assets.  The historical data stored in the OMS will be utilized by NBDOT’s Asset Management initiative to assist in long term strategic planning.  A further goal is to improve efficiency through the reduction in duplicate data entry utilizing interfaces to other corporate systems such as Payroll, General Ledger, and Fleet Management. Business Process reviews, software configuration as well as interface and reports development are required in the following business areas: 1. Human Resources information and payroll 2. Materials Inventory management 3. Fleet Usage management 4. GIS-T integration 5. Capitol and Ordinary Budget management 6. Contracted Services 7. Workflow management 8. Financial Transaction management Implementation will be in two phases. Based on the current schedule, Phase 1 will rollout the software modules associated with the first 4 business areas and will begin in early 2008. The second phase will include the remainder of the modules. Each phase will be accomplished on a district-by-district approach and should each take approximately 6 months.  GIS-T: The GIS-T Implementation Project was initiated in January 2003 with the primary goal of developing a standardized, departmental approach for the collection, storage, maintenance, and use of spatial data. The project progressed through four phases including: Spatial Data Requirements Analysis, Spatial Data Model, Spatial Data Standards and GIS Implementation Plan, and Implementation. We have now moved from project mode to operational and are in the final steps of implementing Exor as our Network Management System. This system will allow us to tie in other spatial data with our Corporate Reference Network for use in other GIS applications. We have also implemented a Digital Video Data Collection system and are working to determine program details such as collection priorities, refresh rates, etc.   Just completed: Inventory analysis Implementation of the integration of departmental bridge data Upgrade of applications to Oracle Forms 10g We have implemented a new Change Management System, used to track support and maintenance of our custom applications. Ongoing application development includes: Technical solutions for the Operations Management System Upgrades to our existing Oracle applications Maintenance of the interface between our corporate HR Information System and Claims Management system Preliminary analysis for the replacement of our legacy Repair Parts Inventory system. Completed development of the integration of departmental bridge data mplementation of Claims Management for construction claims Preparing to Start: Analysis of requirements for Federal Claims application .NET replacement Upgrade of our departmental Records Management package Record of Exchange We are in discussions with our provincial mapping agency and other government agencies that maintain road data, as to how this data could be efficiently maintained and distributed. Information Wanted We are interested in lessons-learned from Parts Inventory System for Fleet Management System implementations.
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