August 18, 2005
Tele – conference Call
9:30 to 11:00 AM (GMT 6:00)

Note Taker: Bill Winters (ARCC) 

Participants:
WRCC: Bill Clark, Mary Greene, Lou Hamm, Bob Welsh, Dianne Osborne, Veronika Eskova, Mike Benavides, Al Wilhelm, Greg Morlock, Bill Kannawin
MCRCC:
ARCC: Mike Dunn, Bill Winters
KFO: Bill Card,
Big Stone Gap FO: Harry Morris

Section: Priority Items 

Topic: FY05 budget 

A. EOY purchases underway

Discussion: Most items on the List will be procured. Tape BU for WR and PA Highwall data are on hold. TOPO USA procurement delayed at Department level until 2006. Dunn and Wilhelm to acquire 2 sets for entire country to evaluate. 

B. Mobile Computing Devices

Discussion: All Level 1 items are being bought. No level 2 or 3 items being bought at this time.

Topic: FY 05 Annual Report
Discussion: Although in HQ, contributions will be accepted until EOY. If you "wore a TIPS hat," even briefly, on a Project or a Customer Call, etc., give your customers an Evaluation form and send their responses to Dianne and Greg REAL SOON NOW! It was suggested that a downloadable form be posted on TIPS web site. Greg is working on an interactive form for the Web also.

Topic: Greenbook for FY07
Discussion: Greenbook reinforces budget requests so more stuff is better. What goes into GB? Projects/intiatives active/ongoing and planned for next 18 to 24 months. When is stuff due to Louand Dianne? They gotta have it by Thanksgiving

Topic: "Global" sharepoint (ftp replacement)
Discussion: is seeing some use and seems to be working better since MCI addressed some WAN issues

Topic: PA request for GIS workshop
Discussion: tabled

Topic: USGS Demo projects
Discussion: nothing new. However, USGS reorganization is getting resources closer to WRCC. The NTM? (National Technical Means) may be a cheaper alternative to LIDAR and is a product that the USGS has suggested to TIPS.

Topic: FLEXlm and CAD
Discussion: tabled 

Topic: Training
Discussion: Training and travel coordination has been assumed by Kate Smith, Bea Hill, and LaVaonne Zaboda followed Karen Pierson's retirement. These people are doing great work! Course managers should refer to the e-mail of August 5th requesting course development costs and instructor assignments for FY06, and submit any edits or additions. Training Coordinator needs Instructors names to forward to NTTP for inclusion in new course catalog. 

Topic: New Software deployment
Discussion: send Mary Greene email if you have candidate software "on the horizon” TIPS is entertaining future deploys to be on portable hard disks. 
Software managers will be expected to work closely with Lewis to ensure "things go well.” prototyping needs to consider issues that might arise due to OS versions, filesystem attributes and things like compression. 

Topic: Wilkes University
Discussion: tabled.

Topic: EGIM
Discussion: mtg in mid September to modernize older geospatial "architecture."

Topic: TIPS Web Team
Discussion: The new web site is progressing, the team hopes to make the site available to the TIPS team for review in September. The Deadline for the new web site completion is December 31, 2005.

Topic: Geofluv
Discussion: tabled 

Team reports:
Clark spoke at WEIB meeting RE: several TIPS projects. Wyoming has multi-agency initiative and funding for full spectrum GIS to include permitting, inspection, etc.
MCI WAN changes have restored access to some licenses and blocked access to others. New Galena is ready but can't be "keyed" until WAN issues fixed.
GPS stuff has been deployed to the Hopi.2005.

Next meeting Thursday September 1, 2005