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Identify A Long-Term Financing and An Organizational Structure(Oct 98 to Mar 00)
Project
Manager: Randall Johnson, MetroGIS Staff Coordinator
Responsible Advisory Team: Policy
The basic concepts for this project were conceived by Randall Johnson, the MetroGIS Staff Coordinator, while
participating in a January 1998 NSDI Institutional Workshop held in Annapolis, Maryland. In late 1997, MetroGIS had
begun to investigate appropriate legal organizational structures and options to secure long term financing. Mr. Johnson
was invited to attend the Annapolis Workshop to share MetroGIS’; experience. After two days of stimulating
dialogue it became obvious that MetroGIS’ was heading into generally uncharted territory; that the results of
MetroGIS’ efforts would most likely have relevance to the broader NSDI community; and the subject matter was
worthy of consideration for an NSDI Framework Demonstration Grant. Subsequently, an application was submitted in March
1998. Mr. Johnson and David Arbeit, Director of the Minnesota
Land management Information Center (LMIC) and member of the MetroGIS Coordinating Committee, co-authored the
application.
In June 1998 notification was received that MetroGIS’ proposal had been awarded an NSDI Framework
Demonstration Grant. With the $100,000 received in grant funding, a multi-disciplinary consultant team was retained to
assist with this project, known as the MetroGIS Fair-Share Financial Model and Organizational Structure Project. The
Request for Proposals (see Scope of Work
below) was published July 20, 1998. Over fifty firms from across the nation were invited to submit a proposal. A
consultant team was retained September 1998.
Phase I: Roles, Financial Model and Organizational Structure
The consultant team began their work on the project October 1, 1998. The team met monthly with the Project
Steering Committee from October 1998 through August 1999. Phase I was comprised of four components (The scope of work
(see ackowledgment in the final project report) provides a detailed description of the project objectives and of the
desired deliverables):
- Identify the roles and responsibilities necessary to support multiple participant data sharing in a
regional environment which exceed the internal business needs of the individual stakeholder organizations,
- Estimate the costs of supporting these roles and responsibilities,
- Define a means to equitably share these costs among the beneficiaries,
- Identify an appropriate legal organizational structure for MetroGIS
The findings and conclusions of the consultant team are documented in their final
report and accompanying
appendices. These preliminary project
conclusions were shared for comment at the MetroGIS a Peer Review Forum held on September 16, 1999. The comments
received from the forum participants were documented in the Forum
Summary. The preliminary recommendations presented
at the Forum were modified by the Policy Advisory Team and Coordinating Committee to address issues and concerns raised
at the forum. The modified recommendation was presented to the Policy Board on October 27, 1999. The Board concurred
with the modified recommendations and unanimously found the public purpose would be served by moving MetroGIS to the
next phase – preparation of a detailed Business Plan to guide implementation of MetroGIS to maturity. The Board
was also asked to act on several recommendations relating to securing sustainable financing and concerning selection of
an organizational structure appropriate for the authorities needed to support a mature MetroGIS organization. With this
action by the Policy Board, Phase I of this strategic project was complete.
The final Phase I Project Report, prepared
by the MetroGIS Staff Coordinator, summarized the assumptions that drove the work to identify an equitable cost
allocation model and an appropriate organizational structure; conclusions of the consultant team; modifications to the
preliminary recommendations of the consultant team to address concerns raised at the Peer Review Forum; relevance of
the findings for MetroGIS to NSDI; and the conclusions themselves.
Phase II: Business Plan
Work on preparation of a Business Plan was initiated November 1, 1999. As with Phase I, a consultant team was
retained to assist MetroGIS officials. The Metropolitan Council financed this consultant contract in accordance with
its MetroGIS "sponsor" commitment. The scope of work for the consultant contract details the tasks that the desired
components of the MetroGIS Business Plan. On April 26, 2000 the MetroGIS Policy Board unanimously endorsed a
Business Plan for MetroGIS with a planning horizon of 2000 - 2003.
In addition to reccommendations concerning long-term financing and next steps, the endorsed plan provides a summary of
the business planning process, description of functions identified priorities for MetroGIS, regional business
information priorities, organization structure issues, projection of annual expenditures, and long-term funding issues
and opportunities.
Upon adoption of the Business Plan, Phase II of this strategic project was complete as was the Design Phase of
MetroGIS.
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