municipal functions, components and processes.

The embedding of information system technology into routine municipal operations cannot be achieved through the design and development of short-sighted computer applications. Such applications may fill specific needs but they generally ignore the operational environment within which they are placed. Applications of this type are frequently developed on an emergency basis in response to a recognized need for currently unavailable but urgently required information. In many cases, the operational activity requiring the information has need of wider based support from the information system specialist but rarely receives it. Accordingly, the Charlotte Consortium defined the fourth requirement of the design task:

The design effort must not only address the specific applications to be used within a municipal activity, but the activity itself must be designed as an individual, operational "process".

Consequently, a module design effort consists of several process design tasks, the exact number of which depends on the number of municipal processes addressed within the module. Furthermore, each process design must be completed and documented to a level of detail which will facilitate the training of user personnel in process operation.

A major factor in the application of information system technology to accommodate informational relationships is the design, development, and maintenance of an integrated data base. A key characteristic of an integrated data base is that its structure serves the data requirements of a multitude of municipal processes and users. If the design of the data base is left to individual design teams the data base will tend to be structured to optimize individual data requirements. Additionally, portions of the data base may have to undergo constant and significant change as new processes are designed and their data base requirements satisfied.

A major objective of the Consortium, therefore, is to structure an integrated data base so that the data requirements of all processes are satisfied. To meet this objective, the Charlotte Consortium defined the fifth requirement of the design task:

The organization of the design effort should be structured to allow the designing of the automation of municipal processes (process design) to be separate from the designing of the integrated data base (data base design).

The responsibilities of file structuring were taken from design teams and assigned to a System Coordination Group. This group is charged with designing an integrated municipal data base that satisfies the individual data base requirements of a large number of users. The specific responsibilities of the System Coordination Group and Design Group are discussed in more detail in Section 3.2.2, Staff Organization.

The design and maintenance of an integrated system also require a degree of control not normally found in typical municipal systems. Integrated systems require management monitoring and control of individual design modules and of proposed and approved changes to the system. To insure management review and control, the Consortium established the sixth requirement of the design task:

A mechanism must be developed for the continuous review of system design and for the evaluation of design changes as they are proposed.

3.1.3 Modularity

To accommodate the requirement for modular system construction, the design of IMIS is accomplished through a series of system module designs. These modules, when programmed and implemented, constitute the major increments of the developing system. Each module is further divided into one or more processes which together form a basic operational capability of the system and which generally relate to the municipal processes identified and described during the System Analysis and Conceptualization Tasks.

The conceptualization effort clearly indicated that a vast number and variety of informational relationships exist, or should exist, among municipal processes. Although these linkages can be automated, procedural problems may be encountered. Specifically, the activities strictly within the boundary of an individual process can be automated without involving other processes. The complexity of automating the linkages of one process to another process, however, is related to: (a) the nature or direction of the linkage, (b) whether or not the second process has already been automated and is operational, and (c) whether or not the second process is included within the same module as the first. If the linkage is outward; e.g., transmitting a message, the U. S. Postal service or interoffice mail could, for example, suffice as a solution until a terminal is installed at the location of the receiving process. If, however, the process being designed requires an input from another process, particularly one that is neither currently automated nor included within the same module, the solution to satisfy the linkage will have to be sub-optimized. Furthermore, when the transmitting process is designed, the linkage and, therefore, a portion of the receiving process will have to be redesigned.

The design approach taken by the Charlotte Consortium was influenced by the desire to manage and control these complex relationships and to insure that the modular implementation of municipal processes and the changes made to previously implemented processes would not unduly burden either the data processing staff or municipal employees involved in process operations. The seventh requirement of the design task was derived from these considerations:

Each process must be concerned both with its own requirements and with its relationships to previously implemented processes. In addition, the design documents must indicate improvements that should logically take place during subsequent automation of other processes. The design must be modular but, at the same time, recognize that few modules are truly self-contained entities.

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USAC program goals clearly indicate that USAC expects the integrated systems in Charlotte, North Carolina, and Wichita Falls, Texas, and the four subsystem projects to result in significant improvements in the basic ability of municipal government to serve its citizens. USAC and the City of Charlotte are not interested in technology for the sake of technology, nor are they interested in merely computerizing those municipal processes that lend themselves to the traditional application of computer technology. Charlotte desires and expects the IMIS to have a significant impact on the "quality of life" of its citizens. Charlotte expects the IMIS will improve the distribution of services, as well as improve the delivery system. The City expects to have an improved information base upon which to reach decisions about the types of services that it should provide and the amount of resources that should be allocated to each service. Plans both for future programs and facilities will be even more responsive to needs than in the past and the frequency with which the administration reacts to problems will diminish and the amount of time spent on anticipating needs will increase. Charlotte also expects the system to reduce the frustration of the citizen in dealing with city hall and to give its citizens a feeling that the government does serve the people. Specifically, improvements in information handling and the ability to better evaluate and control municipal operations are certain benefits. When the intergrated systems are fully operational, the response times of emergency vehicles can be reduced because of automatically developed and optimized routing; life and property losses occasioned by fires can be minimized because of immediate access to current data concerning building occupancy and characteristics; and traffic signals can be automatically adjusted to meet the demands of traffic flow. The time required to purchase a business license or receive public health care can be reduced as recording work is automated and eligibility checks made automatically. Citizens' complaints or requests for services can be immediately directed to the proper authority and automatically monitored for action. All services offered by the City will be coordinated more efficiently. To provide an idea of the types of modules being developed by the Charlotte IMIS, the following descriptions are provided.

The Fire Operations Module is concerned primarily with providing firefighters at the scene of an alarm with information necessary for the application of appropriate firefighting or rescue tactics. The module provides for the on-line storage and retrieval of critical fire support data for each building within the municipality for which an inspection has been conducted by either in-service companies or Fire Prevention Bureau personnel. These inspections are designed to collect information in support of fire operations as well as provide data relative to fire code violations and the fire prevention programs within the municipality.

Implementation of the Fire Operations Module provides the following benefits:

Rapid access to current emergency support information,

Improved fire services to the community.

Increased protection for the firefighter.

Minimization of life and property losses occasioned by fires within the municipality.

The Building Permit Processing Module will issue permits and inspections to insure code adherence in the City of Charlotte, including the redevelopment areas. The module will assist the government in insuring that structures are safe for human occupancy.

The module will provide the following benefits:

Provide a means to record, validate, and retrieve data on permits and plan reviews handled by the organizations served.

Provide an alert scheduling capability which notifies the department of forthcoming permit inspections.

Provide an on-line checklist of the permits required and issued for each unique job.

Serves as a trigger for adding to the file those addresses not already in the data base.

Provide a method and validate bonds of contractors and tradesmen working within the City's jurisdiction.

Provide on-line displays, on-line teletypes, and off-line reports to support the information and reporting needs of the department.

The Equipment Management Module provides a continuing service program for the maintenance and repair of all municipal equipment. The principal purpose of this service program is to insure that each equipment unit provides a maximum of services with a minimum amount of down time.