4. CONSIDER
APPROVAL OF SOFTWARE AND HARDWARE PURCHASES FOR INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY
Meeting Date: March 15, 2004 Budgeted:
Yes
Cost
Estimate: $46,575.00
General Counsel Approval: N/A
Committee Recommendation: The Administrative
Committee reviewed this item at its March 10, 2004 meeting and recommended
_____________________________________.
CEQA Compliance: N/A |
SUMMARY: Staff seeks
authorization to purchase new, upgraded and replacement hardware and software
for use at the District for various information technology functions. This
equipment consists of computers, software and other peripherals that are used
by staff in their daily functions.
RECOMMENDATION: Staff recommends approval of expenditures
not-to-exceed $46,575.00 to purchase the items listed in the table below:
ITEMS DESCRIPTION |
ESTIMATED COST |
|
ESRI 3-D Analyst
software |
$ 2,700.00 |
|
ESRI Arcpress |
400.00 |
|
ESRI Mr. Sid license |
1,600.00 |
|
Trimble Geo XT DGPS
upgrade |
2,300.00 |
|
Handheld pocket PC for
GIS |
900.00 |
|
Laptop upgrades for
field data collection equipment |
5,800.00 |
|
Desktop computer
replacements/upgrades |
2,700.00 |
|
Pilot server for
Windows 2003 |
1,900.00 |
|
Pilot computer for
Windows 2003 |
900.00 |
|
Backup software
upgrades |
1,000.00 |
|
Video surveillance
equipment for Water Demand Division |
2,300.00 |
|
Software/Hardware
upgrades: memory, renew licenses, monitor switch, cables, firewall support
etc. |
4,200.00 |
|
LCD panel replacement
for the computer room |
700.00 |
|
Printer replacements |
3,200.00 |
|
UNIX server for
database to web integration |
1,100.00 |
|
DVD-burner and
recordable DVD media |
1,000.00 |
|
Windows 2003 and
exchange server software upgrades |
2,700.00 |
|
Adobe Acrobat 6.0 professional
licenses + media |
2,500.00 |
|
Adobe Photoshop 7.0
licenses and media |
3,500.00 |
Mini-trolls transducers, programming cable/kit, handheld pc |
3,675.00 |
|
Firewall upgrade |
1,500.00 |
TOTAL |
$ 46, 575.00 |
IMPACT ON STAFF AND
RESOURCES: The hardware, software, data collection
equipment, development tools and peripherals listed in the table above are
included in the Fiscal Year 2003-2004 budget, that includes an additional
amount of $27,600 that was added to the original budget during the mid-year budget
adjustment process. There are sufficient funds remaining to pay for these items
in Account Nos. 99-9160 (Computer Equipment & Programs), 4-7858.51
(Fisheries Program Expenditures) and 4/5-9130 (Machinery & Equipment). To
have the work completed at a low cost, staff will be installing the new
hardware and configuring the new software in-house with support from the
manufacturers and vendors of the equipment.
BACKGROUND: The District’s computer network and
information technology infrastructure allows staff to perform their daily tasks
to support many required District functions. Over time, and with constant use
of the equipment, the equipment wears out and/or needs frequent software
updates. Examples of important functions requiring up-to-date equipment are
staff monitoring of data loggers in the field that collect data around the
clock, daily use of databases and programs to issue permits and log
conservation and inspections information, preparation and presentation of
financial records and constant use of email and the internet for research and
to share data with other agencies and the public.
Starting in September
2003, the District began work on a geographical information system/global
positioning system (GIS/GPS) system. This system will allow staff to visually
represent data that has been collected over time. It will also allow staff and
the public to understand some of the complex datasets that are hard to
comprehend when represented in table and chart formats. GIS allows data to be
analyzed by location and time series to show various trends that might be
taking place for a particular area of interest. An example of a GIS product
that will be developed in-house is a District map showing the locations of all
production wells. The system allows various sized wells to be represented with
various different shapes and/or colors. Staff could use the maps to determine
the effects of over-pumping in a certain region. To support and develop the GIS
program at the District, a number of software tools for 3-D analysis/map
generation need to be acquired along with proper hardware to run and use them.
Some of these tools have been acquired over the past few months and the list
above includes a few more that are needed.
Computer viruses and
hacking into unprotected computer networks are now very common events. Staff has been monitoring and keeping the
firewall and virus updates current to stop such attacks and constantly monitors
the entire network to keep it fully protected from outside attacks. The tools
and hardware used for this purpose need modification and replacement over time.
Additionally, to deal with spam, staff needs to start evaluating the new
Windows 2003 based email server software in addition to spam filters that are
available today. Staff loses valuable
time due to spam and frequently requests that something be done about it. IT
staff has been researching spam filters available and other ways of reducing
incoming spam.
Staff training is a very
important aspect of computing. A tool or program can be fully utilized only if
the person using it is fully trained. Staff has scheduled regular peer-to-peer
training as time allows and has also gone to off-site training as a group to
meet their needs.
Based on lapsed time and usage of computer equipment and software programs, staff conservatively budgets for the IT related expenses each year. Keeping the equipment and software updated is necessary to have a 24 hour day, 7 day week, error free computing environment at the District.
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