NSGIC Discussion: ESRI Enterprise License Agreements

Recently, Puerto Rico GIS Coordinator Iván Santiago posted a question to the NSGIC listserv seeking information from others on ESRI's Enterprise License Agreements (ELAs). What follows is his summary of the responses he received.

The original question was:

I’d like to know if somebody has information about states involved in global licensing agreements with ESRI, especially in terms of savings. The Commonwealth of Puerto Rico is in the process of evaluating an ESRI global licensing agreement. If someone can share savings/expenditure information, that will be very much appreciated.

Six out of the 18 states that shared their experiences have an active, signed ELA or are in the process of renegotiating one with ESRI. Two states with ELAs can show detailed savings and cost-recovery mechanisms. Their experience with their respective ELAs has been positive.

What factors made for a successful ELA?

1. Firm control over licensing.
2. Administrative cost recovery by charging other agencies by the usage of the software.
3. Dedicated administrative structure for ELA management. This may involve licensing and training registration management, technical support (at least at level [tier] 1). Technical support might involve a number of public employees to help with installation, GIS analysis and cartographic issues, server and database technologies, and programming.
4. Help developing geospatial technologies in their state agencies by reducing initial costs.
5. Virtual Campus: Their experience showed this is a good resource.

Success story #1:

1. Centralized license server with script and logging usage to charge agencies
2. Cost recovery through imposing fees to agencies using licensing and help desk services
3. Dedicate structure to manage ELA at the agency
4. Virtual Campus: advantageous

Success story #2:

1. Good organizational structure to manage licensing, passing costs to agencies and cost recovery
2. Advice: involve financial people
3. Advice: Define your needs/goals before begin negotiations

Cautionary tale #1:

1. Have ELA, but the state needs to reduce costs
2. Agency Point of Contact assumes administrative costs
3. Dedicated personnel to manage licensing, customer service, server architecture, programming
4. Other agencies were saving money
5. Difficulties in record keeping

Cautionary tale #2:

1. Advice: Figure out what has been spent, now and projected over the next few years
2. Work with your key agencies: “Big 7” or big players, Don’t meet with ESRI until you figure out what you need in an ELA
3. If ESRI offers a proposal, assume that [al]most everything is negotiable, Be patient
4. Education Agreement Program: ambiguous in terms of administration

Some reasons that ELAs were not adopted:

1. Administrative burden, which is also related to the lack of organizational structure
2. Perceived increased costs after initial period of agreement
3. The fear of unleashing unlimited licensing
4. Economic constraints and cost savings not showing during the negotiations
5. Satisfaction with existing Master Purchase Agreements

Some respondents (lead by Danielle Ayan [GA] and Michael Smith [ME]) discussed the advantages of the ELA, both to ESRI and to state and territorial governments.

Advantages for ESRI:

1. Ease administrative burden of licensing and maintenance accounts, all on varying time schedules
2. Reduce number of calls to support center
3. Encourage GIS adoption by many agencies, which is expected to lead to increased sales in the future
4. Revenue enhancement, revenue predictability, cost reduction

Advantages for states and territories:

1. Encourage GIS adoption through unlimited access to needed software
   
2. Help increase the use of geospatial technologies in their state, not just looking at it as a simple accounting exercise
3. Ease the procurement burden in acquiring software
4. Remove the high cost of starting out with the GIS software
5. Increase access to online training
6. Cost savings to the state
   

In general, an ELA is a good idea if the agency that will be the point of contact with ESRI has the personnel to deal with the administrative and technical support issues.

As Michael Smith put it, there are some other considerations that are not simply measured in dollars and cents. One of the main goals of this kind of agreement is to help disseminate geospatial technologies in government.

Once state employees know these technologies, a new level can be raised in which the state can explore new solutions, like open source and/or hybrid solutions made up of commercial and open-source tools.

NSGIC Member David Arbeit Named CGIO in Minnesota

In a move that surprised some in the state by its speed, Minnesota Commissioner of Administration Sheila Reger yesterday named David Arbeit as the state's first-ever Chief Geospatial Information Officer (CGIO). Mr. Arbeit had served as the director of the Office of Geographic and Demographic Analysis until this week.

His job change came on Wednesday morning, June 24, at a public meeting -- named "Point of Beginning" (PDF) -- called to introduce the new Minnesota Geospatial Information Office. The legislation (PDF) that created the office that was developed and passed just this year.

NSGIC President-Elect Will Craig, Associate Director at the University of Minnesota’s Center for Urban and Regional Affairs, and long a leader in GIS in Minnesota, was there.

"The Commissioner of Administration was invited to say a few words, invited David forward, and anointed him before us all," reports Mr. Craig. "I don't think anyone expected it at yesterday's gathering. We had expected David to be anointed, but nothing official had happened or been announced until this public meeting."

The appointment, the second announcement of a GIO this year, was noted yesterday on the web site of Government Technology News, which took the opportunity to further explain the idea of a Geospatial Information officer (GIO):

Modeled after a chief information officer (CIO), the GIO position -- instituted in some federal agencies and this March in California -- has served to acknowledge the importance of geospatial data and its coordination.

Will Craig was pleased with the appointment and proud of his state's approach to GIS coordination.

"I think we've got something unique here," he explained. "Michael Terner, from Applied Geographics, says were are the only place that has a GIO that reports to a state-level advisory body composed of the all state agencies with significant GIS interests, such as the Department of Natural Resources, the Department of Transportation, the Department of Agriculture. It's a real federation, trying to find efficiencies by coordinating activities."

Mr. Terner and his company assisted the state in the drafting of A Program for Transformed GIS in the State of Minnesota (PDF) that called for the creation of the Minnesota Geospatial Information Office and the creation of the CGIO position.

A Few Words From the NSGIC President: How Long Will It Take?

The following is the sixth in a series of monthly guest-posts from 2008-2009 NSGIC President Learon Dalby, of Arkansas.

I would like to share the following story to illustrate that progress does not always come quickly, and that time-lines don't always work out the way you expect.

In 2001, a group of folks sat around a table and decided the State of Arkansas needed a publicly accessible, statewide, geocode-able road centerline data collection that was maintained at the local level. The group had no money; but they had a vision.

I said, "that should take about two years to pull together."

A schema and an accuracy standard were adopted and a process was put in place:

• Work with city, county and state road centerline developers;
• Collect the data;
• Standardize the data; and
  
• Publish the data to the internet for consumption.
  

Fast-forward eight years and several months. The image at right represents the centerline data that are currently available online for Arkansas. Five counties are left; four are in the pipeline and, just this week, county and officials determined a process to complete the fifth county and get it into maintenance mode.

I don’t want to leave you with the impression that this road centerline file meets all of the business needs of a transportation network; it doesn't. Nor do I want to leave you with the impression that is without flaws (in attributes or accuracy), perfectly maintained, and always current; it isn't.

That said, it is a publicly accessible road centerline file that 911 centers save lives offices across the state every day. And others are taking this work, building on it to meet their needs, and sharing their products back. as well. This has been achieved by a group that includes no less than 150 individuals across the state.

This story has been repeated all over the country, with various framework datasets, over the years. This story is happening now. You likely have your own story of people working together, integrating data and building state spatial data infrastructures that will hopefully, one day, feed the National Spatial Data Infrastructure -- the NSDI that is our goal.

It won’t come easy, it won’t come quickly, but it is and will happen.

I think the Arkansas road centerline file (www.geostor.arkansas.gov keyword ACF) will be completed statewide in 2010, but if it is 2011, 2012, or 2013, that’s okay; the relationships that we have built are important and mean that the data will be maintained.

So here are a few things we learned along the way:

• It doesn't always require money, but it does require focused persistence.
• Take what you can get, and don’t make demands.
• Say thank you, and give credit.
• "ETL" is not always as easy as the letters make you think it is.
• You can’t put a timetable on large, coordinated efforts.
  

We have similar stories that pertain to other framework themes, but I would enjoy reading your story. How have you worked with others? What have you learned? Please share your lessons learned.

Editor's Note: Learon Dalby wrote this, sent it to me by e-mail, and we worked together to craft a final blog-post. There's no reason that your stories shouldn't be posted here as well. The NSGIC Communications Committee maintains this blog as a tool for the membership to use to spread the good word. We're here to help you get your story published. All you have to do is ask.

A New GIS Coordinator in West Virginia

West Virginia has a new GIS Coordinator. The West Virginia Department of Commerce has announced that J. Antonio "Tony" Simental has been chosen for that job. Mr. Simental has for several years administered the Mined Minerals GIS unit in the Department's Property Tax Division. He has also served as Interim Public Works Director and as engineering technician for the City of Huntington.

Said Deputy Secretary Jon Amores in a recent announcement e-mail:

Tony will bring to this position a combination of academic training, GIS skills, research interests, and work experience in private, governmental, and educational organizations.

Welcome, J. Antonio, to the wonderful world of GIS coordination. I think I speak for the community of state GIS coordinators when I say, "Good luck! And call on us any time if you have any questions."

"...It's Time to Go Hiking?"

The Utah GIS portal blog includes an announcement today of the planned retirement of Utah Automated Geographic Reference Center (AGRC) Manager Dennis Goreham, who will step down at the end of the year after 24 years (19 as manager) with AGRC and another 6 with the US Forest Service. Jeanne Watanabe, AGRC's Business Manager, will take over as Manager starting January 1.

Along with the impressive list of accomplishments noted on the Utah portal, Dennis will be fondly remembered by NSGIC members as a strong voice for the western states in national GIS discussions, as a calm and logical thinker, and as an amused and amusing companion.

Dennis is quoted as saying "I had the best job in state government but it's time to go hiking." He probably will do some hiking, but he won't stop being a part of the national GIS discussion. He remains as a member of the National Geospatial Advisory Committee and will continue working with NSGIC.

I think I speak for many among the NSGIC crowd when I say, "good." We're happy Dennis gets to retire, but we're not ready to let go of him just yet.

Rhode Island is Looking for a State GIS Coordinator

The Rhode Island Statewide Planning Program has posted a job announcement for a "Supervising Geographic Information Specialist" (PDF) to serve as Coordinator for the Rhode Island Geographic Information System (RIGIS).

The RIGIS Coordinator serves in the role of State GIS Coordinator for Rhode Island. The Coordinator's core responsibilities include:

• Coordinating updates of existing geospatial data and metadata, as well as the acquisition of new geospatial data on a statewide and regional basis.
  
• Working with local, state, regional and federal agencies, as well as with academia, non-profits, and private industry on common data needs.
• Supporting the ongoing work of the University of Rhode Island to provide access to RIGIS data by the general public through direct data access as well as web mapping services.
• Leading the implementation of the Rhode Island State government Enterprise GIS, and coordinate future hardware, software, and geospatial data maintenance.
• Responding to the needs identified by the RIGIS Executive Committee as described by the RIGIS Strategic Plan.
• Representing the interests of RIGIS and the Statewide Planning Program at a State, Regional (NEARC and URISA), and National levels (NSGIC).
• Overseeing geospatial data development and supporting GIS use within the Statewide Planning Program.
• Promoting the development of a team of professionals that support the use of geospatial technology in the State similar to the Massachusetts Office of Geographic and Environmental Information (MassGIS) or the Vermont Center for Geographic Information Inc (VCGI).
• Actively seeking out funding sources that support these core responsibilities.
  

GIS Coordination requires a wide range of skills, including excellent verbal and written communication, technical competence, team-building, contracting, and grant-writing. GISP certification is a plus.

More information and application instructions are available at on the Rhode Island Department of Labor and Training web site. The posting is open through December 15. Even more information is available from Jared Rhodes, Chief of the Statewide Planning Program, at (401) 222-5772. I presume he'd be the Coordinator's new boss.

Note: The information above was largely cribbed from an e-mail announcing the posting to several regional GIS listservs from Greg Bonynge (GISP) of the University of Rhode Island Geospatial Extension Program.

Learon Dalby Provides "An Insider's Take"

The latest edition of Fugro EarthData's Perspectives newsletter includes an interview with NSGIC President Learon Dalby "on the relationship between technology and GIS user needs within state government."

The interview covers a range of topics related to how changing technology, and the expanding use of new technologies in the workforce, affects GIS coordination in the states. It looks at the relationship between states and the private sector, discusses data access policies, new challenges brought by changes in technology, common misconceptions about GIS coordination, and future directions for data coordination.

Mr. Dalby discusses new challenges and opportunities related to technological change, but reminds us that the fundamentals of GIS coordination remain constant:

The technology comes and goes with the seasons. But no technology can replace the hard part; creating and maintaining trust with partners. That includes service providers, decision-makers…anyone involved in the process. The real success ingredient of our state GIS coordination business is building relationships.

The Fall 2008 Edition of Perspectives also includes articles on Land Use/Land Cover data, a new, NGA funded geospatial research and internship partnership, and other news and events listings.

Job Opening: GIS Coordinator for West Virginia

The West Virginia Geological and Economic Survey has posted a job opening for a Statewide Geographic Information System Coordinator.

If you have ever wanted to enter into the fast-paced and exciting world of statewide GIS coordination (and can meet the requirements listed in the job posting) this may be your big break.

The position will be in Charleston, West Virginia. The posting is open through November 14.

NGAC Transition Recommendations Posted

Materials from the most recent meeting of the National Geospatial Advisory Committee (NGAC) have been posted on the FGDC web site. The NGAC met October 15 -16, 2008, in Shepherdstown, West Virginia.

The posted materials include a meeting summary (PDF), updates from NGAC members, an action plan for the committee and information on several major issues now under discussion by the committee:

• The "Changing Landscape" White Paper
• National Land Parcel Data
• Imagery for the Nation (IFTN)
• The Geospatial Line of Business (LoB)

Most timely on this election eve, there is also a three-page paper outlining the NGAC's recommendations (PDF) for the transition team of which-ever candidate will be the next President of the United States.

An Interview with the USDOT GIO

Adenda Schutzberg has a five-question interview with USDOT GIO Steve Lewis up on DirectionsMag.com today. Mr. Lewis, who was with NSGIC in Colorado this fall and spoke this past March at the NSGIC Mid-Year, includes a gratifying shout-out to NSGIC when speaking about the role of a federal agency GIO.

But the part of the interview that caught my eye is where Mr. Lewis explains how his approach to coordinating the use of geospatial technologies will differ from past attempts in his agency, which focused on technical governance requirements.

There were no attempts to create a true sense of community, where the members can learn from each other and leverage the work that is being done across all of the DOT Operating Administrations. The community will, of course, address FGDC and OMB requirements, but it will also focus heavily on sharing experiences and working together.

This is an important aspect of coordination efforts that sometimes gets lost in the bureaucracy. NSGIC has, I think, done a fairly good job of building a community, and many of us working at the state level find that a sense of community and shared-purpose, while hard to measure, can be a valuable asset to coordination.

A Discussion of the Roles of the GIO and the State GIS Coordinator

The latest Directions on the News podcast features a discussion of the implications of the recent announcement of plans to appoint a GIO (Geospatial Information Officer) for the Department of the Interior. Joe Francica and Adena Schutzberg explore two basic some questions about the idea: is there time to find the right person? And, what should be the role of a GIO for such a large agency?

Two models fro the GIO role were discussed. One is a CIO focused on geographic issues. Ms. Shutzberg noted that a CIO tends to be a technology leader, someone who focuses on the technology sides of things but not as much on coordination with other levels of government.

The other model is that of the GIS Coordinators who make up much of the NSGIC membership, whose role "tends to be more about ... being the champion for GIS in the state."

Ms. Shutzberg added that a State GIS Coordinator does have to have some technical savvy (and that some have a great deal of technical savvy) but that the coordinator role is broader.

"...unifying the troops. Getting the partnerships together. Creating the vision. Working with the Governor and other state agencies. And it is far more of a, dare I say, political sort of role."

Joe Francica added that the State GIS Coordinator also serves as a liaison between the local and federal levels.

Both agreed that the GIO for a large federal agency such as Interior will need to fit the political role, and be able to coordinate among agencies and levels of government, with strong technical know-how. They concluded that the new GIO will have to be a "high-powered individual" and that it is a real question whether or not there will be time to find and appoint the right person before the end of the current administration.

This podcast makes interesting listening for all of those who work with agencies within the Department of the Interior, for those who now work as GIOs and for those who are State GIS Coordinators. Our roles are growing and changing as we adapt the shifting geospatial industry and the rapid growth of the use and sharing of geospatial data and information.

Agenda Posted for NGAC Meeting

A draft agenda is now posted for the next meeting of the National Geospatial Advisory Committee (NGAC). The meeting is set for June 3 and 4, at the American Institute of Architects Building in Washington, DC.

The agenda includes work on organization issues related to the creation of the NGAC and discussions of the Geospatial Line of Business, Imagery for the Nation, and a National Geospatial Strategy. The meeting is open to the public and there are opportunities for public comment.

Directions on the News Podcast Previews 2007 NSGIC Annual Conference

Joe Francica and Adena Schutzberg, of Directions Media, have posted a 12-minute Directions on the News podcast that looks ahead to the 2007 NSGIC Conference in Madison, Wisconsin.

In their discussion, Joe and Adena review the importance of GIS Coordination at all levels of government and discuss the potential for the new position of GIO (Geographic Information Officer) to meet that need.

They explore the differences between the roles of a GIO and a data coordinator and various areas in which each needs to have some expertise, from the technical, to the managerial, to the political.

There is also a brief discussion of the need to develop new GIS leaders for the future. Adena notes the role that NSGIC is now playing in developing new state-level leaders. She also points to the new URISA Leadership Academy and to new aspects of some Masters in Geographic Information Sciences programs.

"Information is a national asset"

The federal Office of Management and Budget (OMB) and the CIO Council have released a set of IT Architecture Principles for the U.S. Government, according to a story in Federal Computer World.

The Architecture Principles (PDF) are intended to support "a single Federal Enterprise Architecture to achieve operational excellence for the American public."

The Introduction includes a basic statement of purpose:

Government coordination depends upon consistent decision making across multiple business units, departments and projects. But a natural tension exists whenever more than 100 agencies and thousands of sub-agencies and programs must work together as one. An enterprise-wide architecture tries to create a framework for effective decision making across multiple business units. Otherwise, independent groups decide alone resulting in inconsistency, information islands, isolated business processes, and inefficient technologies. This mixture is a recipe for poor performance.

Among the seven principles is one that sounds a theme familiar to NSGIC members: "Information is a national asset."

The rationale for this principle speaks of the importance of "a well-informed citizenry" and notes that "accurate information is critical to effective decision making, improved performance, and accurate reporting."

Among the implications of this principle are several that reflect lessons learned by NSGIC members about geospatial data coordination:

• Government must "identify authoritative sources of high quality information, and agencies to provide access to specified data and information."
• This may require some "restructuring" of data sources.
• The federal government will need a strategy "to promote cost effective data sharing with other levels of government."
  

Job Posting: WV GIS Coordinator

The WV Geological Survey (State Agency) seeks to fill the Statewide Geographic Information System Coordinator (GIS) position which is housed in Charleston, WV. Interested candidates should respond by Friday, September 7, 2007.

Link: www.nsgic.org/news/giscoordinator.cfm

Job Posting: Idaho GIO

The State of Idaho has posted a Job Announcement for a Geospatial Information Officer (GIO) in the Office of the CIO:

The State of Idaho’s Office of the CIO is seeking a Geospatial Information Officer (GIO) to lead state government GIS efforts as well as serve as a collaborative leader for statewide GIS initiatives. This position will provide GIS direction and staff support to the state’s Information Technology Resource Management Council (ITRMC).

The job posting is open through July 23.

FGDC Releases 2006 Annual Report

The Federal Geographic Data Committee (FGDC) has released its 2006 Annual Report. The report is available on the FGDC web site in both PDF and HTML versions.

The report includes highlights and successes from th past year, as well as goals for 2007. There is also a status report on the NSDI Framework Data Themes.