2009 Issue

28 I N 1996, A QUALITY ACTION team recommended consolidation of physical files and pursuit of digital versions of contents. Economics of content management in those days were not favorable for implementation of content manage- ment strategy. Since then, the scope of a content management system has also grown. It stands now for a computer application used to create, edit, manage, search and publish various kinds of media including storing, controlling, versioning, and publishing, of digital files, images, audio and video files and web content. The system typically features identification of all users and their roles, production workflow, managing versions of a single document, creation of searchable docu- ments through scanning and optical character recognition, and a scheme of document attributes for easy retrieval. Utah Department of Environmental Quality took leadership in this process and developed an implementation strategy of a system selection. Applications selected were EMC Corporation’s product known as Documentum for content management, and Kofax PLC’s Kofax Capture, formerly Ascent Capture, for production-level document and data capture. Concurrent to the selection of applications, planning for necessary hardware for storage, imaging, andmanagement began. The division joined the implementation effort of the department through participation on a committee. Content Management KIRAN L BHAYANI, P.E, D.EE , F.ASCE, UTAH DIVISION OF WATER QUALITY AND KYLE C. PETTIT, DOCUSOFT The Utah Division of Water Quality, like many other organizations, is drowning in paper, pictures, e-mail and all other forms of communications. Since the mid-nineties, the division has recognized this management of contents—physical and digital—as an issue. Policies and decisions rendered by the division are the most valuable products and are incumbent to safeguard those products. In 2006, the division planned for consolidation of physical paper management into a mobile shelving system with an intelligent labeling sys- tem. Concurrent to that effort, development of infrastructure for storage and retrieval of digital media began with the help of a committee of various program representatives in the division. The change is difficult, but adaptation to change can be made easier with patience, persistence and perseverance. Figure 1 gives an overview of the process of collecting documents, transforming them into accurate, retrievable information, and delivering it into business applications and databases. Figure 2 shows a snapshot of folder structure in facilities area including sections of the division, folders and subfolders. Similar setup is also devel- oped for watershed, programs and administration areas. This setup appears to be complex, but as searching skills sharpen, the structure can be eas- ily rolled up or modified to take advantage of any and all attributes of a document. Of the several training sessions planned, a couple of them have already occurred. Continual training will be offered on a regular basis so the staff can work around search and retrieval of documents conveniently. It is also envisioned to develop various animated how-to tutorials. Resources for the content management effort come from within the department. The informa- tion technology staff assigned to the department will be providing all technical help. Technical assistance will be supplemented by contracted services also. The reassignment of staff within the division will fulfill the division’s needs. Each pro- gram area will provide a representative who will refine business model and provide assistance to others in navigating content management system. Patience, persistence and perseverance will help everyone overcome difficulties arising out of the changes in the way the business was done in the year here-to-before. Figure 3 shows the hardware setup at the de- partment level. The work has been underway since late 2006 and shouldbe completed in next twelvemonths or so. The efficiency gained in storage and retrieval of the division’s most important products – per- mits and approvals, will help offset the investment in five to six years. Mr. Bhayani, alumnus of Universities of Mumbai, Mumbai, India, and Rhode Island, Kingston, Rhode Island, holds Masters degrees in Public Health, Civil and Environmental Engineering, and is associated with the Utah Division of Water Quality as an engineering manager. Mr. Pettit a Senior Architect with Docusoft Corporation, has been implementing enterprise content management solutions over twelve years for various governmental agencies and corporations. Figure 1