Technology Assessments

As part of this project we conducted a technology assessment in each county based on the Computer System Policy Project (CSPP) Readiness Guide. This was a significant effort the details of which can be found at http://top.bev.net/tamp which includes the technology assessments and master plans for each county as well as appendices. The rest of this section is a condensed description of the process used and a brief summary of the assessment results.

To obtain local Network Readiness information, we interviewed members of the Technology Leadership Teams (TLT) and others in the communities identified by TLT members. An Interview/Survey template was created to serve as a guide for questions and a format for documenting answers. This template can be found in the appendix. Since we anticipate that data, voice, and video are evolving to an integrated digital network, we included questions for voice and video needs. Though some of those interviewed, or surveyed, did not answer all questions, the information obtained was still valuable.

Information sought during interviews/surveys included:

• Current voice/data/video services, providers, costs, and needs
• Measure of network applications in use and those expected to be used
• Network speed and throughput needed to support expected applications
• Estimated levels of network application utilization and training needs
• Desired cost for expected network access needs
• Suggestions for community network needs and solutions

We considered the following sectors for the assessment:

1. Telecommunication access providers
2. Government
3. Education
4. Healthcare
5. Business and home users

Telecommunications access providers were included as a special sector due to their importance for broadband Internet access. Business and home categories are considered together, since many small businesses and homes use similar broadband access.

In addition to interviews, information used for assessments included results of Take Charge (or other) planning process, TLT meeting notes, county comprehensive plans, planning/vision documents, demographic/census reports and GIS data (street, boundary, business points).

Useful sources of information included:

• VEDP (Virginia Economic Development Partnership) county profiles'the best single source found for comprehensive county profile information (www.yesvirginia.org)
• U.S. Geologic Survey GNIS (Geographic Names Information System)'the official source of known places and features within counties (geonames.usgs.gov)
• SRC custom demographic reports'a commercial online source for census and demographic information (www.demographicsnow.com)
• U.S. Dept. of Labor Consumer Expenditures in 2002'includes statistical averages for income and expenses (www.bls.gov)
• U.S. Dept. of Agriculture NASS (National Agriculture Statistics Service) census report- 2004 data for 2002 was recently released; agriculture is a major business in many rural areas (www.nass.usda.gov/census/)
• Virginia Dept. of Education 2002 School Census data (www.pen.k12.va.us)
• FedStats State and County'FedStats is an online Internet gateway to over 100 sources of official statistics collected and published by Federal agencies (www.fedstats.gov)
• VDOT (Virginia Dept. of Transportation) county highway maps-only hardcopies available (www.virginiadot.org)
• Local area telephone directories and yellow-pages
• Numerous websites

Much of this information was also useful for technology planning.

The table below contains a summary of the assessments. Detailed reports are available in Publications > TAMP.

Summary of TOP County Readiness Stages

Metrics in the above table for access, application level, and training level are estimates derived from the Interview-Survey results. The Interview-Survey form asks the interviewee to identify from a list the network applications currently in use, or those that are expected to be used in the future. From these, one can deduce the broadband speeds needed to support the applications, even if the person interviewed does not know. In general, it followed that if affordable broadband was not available, then people were not able to utilize the more advanced applications and they did not have the experience and training needed.

Definition of Metrics

• Current Access: the current primary type of telecommunications line and the implicit speeds for accessing the Internet
• Access Needed: the perceived access speeds needed to support expected future applications
• Cost/mo Expected: price questions were unanswered by many, but the general expectation is current broadband prices, such as $30-$50/mo for residential service
• Application Level: estimated level of networked application utilization on a scale of 1 to 10, where 10 is the highest level; application level can also be deduced from the range of applications currently in use as identified on the interview form
• Training Level: estimated level of existing training/expertise where 1 is lowest and 10 is highest; the need for training may be indicated by the level of applications currently in use as identified on the interview form
• Network Readiness: assessed level of Network Readiness on a scale of 1 to 4; for example, if only dial-up is used, then the lowest level of 1 is assessed, but if an organization is making full use of high-speed wired and wireless applications, then it is assessed at the highest level 4.

Technology Master Plan

The methodology for developing the technology plan was a three-step process. First, identify needs and goals. Second, identify technology solution alternatives. Third, recommend solutions that appear to be most applicable.

Needs and goals were determined from community interviews and recommendations from leaders in the Federal Government, Virginia State Government, and from industry experts. Technology alternatives include DSL, Cable TV modem, wireless, BPL, satellite, and fiber optics. Recommendations include a vision, mission, and consolidated goals from extensive lists recommended from the federal, state, and local sources. Coordination with the Virginia Center for Information Technology (CIT) and other partners are recommended. Funding sources are covered in a guide prepared by CIT. Periodic reassessments are recommended to measure progress.

Detailed technology plans for each county are found in Publications > TAMP along with appendices that contain county specific and general information for all counties.

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