INFRASTRUCTURE (DESKTOP, NETWORKING, SERVER/STORAGE/ETC.)

Crystal Reports upgrade – The tool currently used for report writing (Crystal Reports) has been updated by Business Objects to a newer version. This project will move the Crystal 8 server reporting process to the Business Objects / Crystal Reports XI server reporting process. This migration involves moving reports from the Crystal 8 Development, Test and Production report servers to the Business Objects XI servers and testing the applications. Preliminary work would include finalizing the process, moving reports from Development to Test and Production and finalizing a common application interface. The licenses, hardware and software have all been installed on our infrastructure and theses costs will be reflected as historical costs.

UPS (Uninterruptible Power Supply) and Fire Suppression Upgrade – Replace existing 19 year old UPS with new technology that supports the Becker-Hansen computer rooms (A100, A102, A106, A110), and add fire suppression protection to the A100 room where the UPS will reside. The UPS provides battery backup support until the diesel generator can get up to speed in the event city power fluctuates or fails. Not only does this keep clients operating, it also prevents damage to sensitive computer resources resulting from electrical spikes or hard crashes.

NEW SYSTEMS (JUST COMPLETED, IN PROGRESS, OR PREPARING TO START)

Automated the Process of making DOT Contract Maintenance Payments – eliminates manual data entry, improves accuracy, and helps DOT better manage their contract maintenance budget. DOT can now make use of the Service Contract feature of the state's accounting software package. This allows DOT to encumber funds for maintenance projects. Payments can be made using the fiscal year funds in which the maintenance project was awarded. In addition, a new electronic interface transfers payment information directly thus eliminating manual data entry of the payment information.

Enhanced the DOT Utility Permits System – provides a central repository of all utility permit information saving staff time by eliminating looking for information in multiple places.

The database and system can now store additional data that previously existed only on paper. Examples are how the utility was installed, when it was installed, and the type of utility i.e. cable.  Word documents with utility information that were stored in multiple locations are no longer needed. The system technology was also refreshed to meet the current .NET state standard.

Completed automation of the Federal Report FHWA-534 for the DOT– saves DOT time and improves the quality of maintenance project cost information. Every year DOT is required to submit an FHWA-534 report, titled “State Highway Capital Outlay And Maintenance Expenditures”. This report summarizes expenditures on Construction projects for the previous calendar year. Maintenance project costs were being collected manually and entered into spreadsheets. Because the C2C (Concept to Contract) system has become more fully implemented, and detailed expenditure information is more readily accessible from PAT (Project Activity Tracking), a more accurate breakdown can be provided by generating the report information from C2C/PAT for the Construction project costs.

Implemented an automated tracking mechanism of DOT PE (Preliminary Engineering) costs – lowers error rates when reporting to Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), provides automatic notification to DOT when obligations reach a specific threshold so a revision can be processed, eliminates Excel spreadsheets, electronically produces a PE cost report for the Local Government Assistance program, and speeds processing of reporting to FHWA. FHWA has the authority to reject a request for reimbursement of PE costs if DOT does not follow their regulations. The old process involved a lot of manual inputting, review and tracking of data. Under the new process, a yearly PE project is created in the STIP (Statewide Transportation Improvement Program) and given an estimate for PE costs. If DOT exceeds the estimated PE amount, DOT must submit a revision to FHWA to increase the total funds. Information from the C2C (Concept to Contract) system is used to track the expenses.

Improved DOT's ability to retrieve and view Construction Plan Sets online – provides more powerful search capabilities and simplifies access to design plan sets and microfilm reels saving staff time. An old Microfilm Inventory system allowed users to search a database, then select and view microfilmed copies of construction plan sets. The new C2C (Concept to Contract) system now provides additional information about a construction project that can improve search capabilities. The old microfilm database was eliminated, and the new microfilm search engine utilizes the C2C database; eliminating the need to maintain the same construction project identification information in two separate databases. During the database integration, several duplicate records were eliminated, while other records were found to be in error and were corrected. A plan set consists of many pages, and bridge plans are imbedded amongst those pages. A workflow was defined that allows DOT Bridge staff to see only the bridge plan pages, eliminating the need for them to browse through the whole plan set.

Implemented a new version of the DOT Needs Book system – automates manual processes, saves staff time and updates the book to the newest version of the ArcGIS products. The Needs Book is used across all Divisions in the DOT. It is used to identify, define, and scope candidate construction projects. Many manual processes have now been automated. The Needs Book system had been written in Visual Basic version 6. In order to use the newest version of ArcGIS, it needed to be rewritten in .net.

Implemented a new major release of the DOT CMS (Construction Management System) – eliminates outdated technology. The Material, Sampling, and Testing (MS&T) and the Central Lab Tests components in the previous version of CMS still used PowerBuilder for the Graphical User Interface (GUI). The GUI for this new release is written in .net which is the BIT standard. It is easier for BIT to support .net systems where skills are more plentiful.

Enhanced the DOT C2C (Concept to Contract) Funding system – provides automatic printing of a statement when ARRA funds are used, saving staff time. A form 292 is submitted to the FHWA to request approval to use Federal Funding for a project, or to request the release of Federal Funds as compensation for money expended on a Federally funded project. When a project uses money from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA), a statement is now automatically created along with the form 292 that states that SDDOT knows why these funds are being used and that the State is following the requirements of the Act.

Updated the SDARS (South Dakota Accident Records System) to retrieve vehicle identification information from SDCARS – provides most accurate up to date information.

SDARS previously obtained vehicle identification information from the old Vehicle Registration System. Serious issues could arise if Accident Reports contained erroneous information. A new interface has been built to retrieve current data from the new SDCARS database.

Implemented a DOT Guardrail Inventory system to track the condition, type and location of guardrail on state highways – shows guardrail segments that need repair prioritized based on type of damage or location. In the past, there has been no guardrail inventory. DOT needed to implement a guardrail inspection program due to liability issues. Guardrail information can be displayed using ArcGIS products. Reports show guardrail segments that need repair prioritized based on type of damage or based on location.

Completed the re-design and re-write of the DOT MRM (Mileage Reference Marker) Inventory – replaces a mainframe system that was 35 years old and difficult to maintain. This is just one component in the RES (Roadway Environment System). All RES systems are slated to be re-designed, re-written, and migrated to run on PCs instead of the mainframe. The mainframe systems are no longer meeting the needs of the DOT, and the technology is too old to handle major modifications. All DOT employees now have access to MRM information on their desktop. MRM edits and data validations have been extensively streamlined.

Rewriting HR40RESRoadwayFeatures – The HR40RESRoadwayFeatures system is one of six systems that currently make up the RES (Roadway Environment System). Re-writing this mainframe application is the second step in transitioning the RES systems to the PC. Each of the RES systems will be migrated from a mainframe environment to a PC environment. The present RES system will be called the RIS (Roadway Information System). Upon completion of this project, the remaining RES systems will still need to be migrated to the RIS.

• HY41 Maintenance Cost Inventory – maintains the maintenance costs associated with roadway segments
• HR41 RES Traffic System – maintains an inventory of traffic data for all highways on the state highway system.
• HR44 RES Intersection Inventory – inventory of all intersection locations where more than one state highway or inventoried ramp meets each other.
• HY42 RES MRM Purge – removes outdated MRMs and validates any new MRMs (completed annually)

Combining ROW (Right Of Way) Applications – Currently there are three ROW applications that contain information on parcel acquisition and relocation (HW03, HW04 and HW06). These three applications contain landowner, parcel, and relocation information. Each system has its own user interface and database. By combining the three applications into one, there will be a reduction of data entry (duplicate entry), a reduction in network server space needed for the applications and a reduction of database server space.