TIPS Bi-Weekly Meeting
October 26, 2006
09:30 a.m. – 10:00 a.m. (CDT)

Participants

AR: Mike Dunn, Lisa Kosareo, & Ken Elschlager
KFO: Bill Card, Jo Gault, & Daniel Lewis
MCR: Paul Behum, Len Meier, & Min Kim
WR: Janine Ferarese, Karyn Evans, Paul Clark, Dawn Trudeau, Robert Welsh, Tonya Blackburn, & Jessica Villanueva

Review action/pending items for the last meeting:

TOPIC: Distribution of Garmin GPS at Garmin Training Class – This is what was done last year, this is our most requested training class, how should we proceed?

DISCUSSION: Len voiced his concerns to Lou via e-mail (concerns attached) about the distribution of the Garmin units during the TIPS training courses.  He didn’t seem like setting up additional Garmin classes and providing Gamin units is acceptable and has concerns about the way it is being handled. 
Len’s concerns as follows:

Concern 1:            
Provision of hardware as a component of a TIPS class is a new concept, well outside what has been previously approved by the Steering Committee (SC).  We recognize that the SC recommended provision of additional classes to SMCRA field personnel.  However, the SC did not specify changing how we distribute hardware.
 
Recommendation 1:
The concept of distributing hardware to students as a component of attending a training class should be presented to the TIPS Team to be debated and a recommendation made for the SC.  The concept should then be presented to the TIPS SC to be debated and a decision made.

Concern 2:             
Provision of hardware to States and Tribes has always been based on an evaluation and recommendation by the Service Manager considering his/her understanding of the needs and plans of the State/Tribe/OSM office, followed by a discussion/decision of a subgroup of the TIPS TEAM.  This new process circumvents this evaluation and recommendation process.  How does the TIPS training manager, whose job it is to select students, know that the units are getting to a State/Tribal/OSM office that really needs them?

Recommendation 2: 
The decision to purchase Garmin GPS units on a large scale for TIPS students/customers should be made by the TIPS Team.  I do not remember such a discussion.  There was some discussion last year of the special class that Ken Eltschlager taught in 2006, however subsequent discussions indicated that the provision of hardware during that class was special and would not be repeated.  We were told thet the decision to buy the Garmin units was, first, needs based and then the training was scheduled to make sure users had the capability to use them. If there is a proposal to, in the future, provide Garmin GPS units to State/Tribe/OSM offices as a core hardware item, then the TIPS TEAM should make that decision.
Paul C. – believes that the SM does not need to be involved for this course.
Tonya – Greg has forwarded a list of the Hopi tribe.  The request was not fulfilled for certain reasons.

Concern 3:              
The SC made a clear statement during the 2006 meeting that we should give priority to two types of hardware: emergency needs for technology equipment to keep programs operational when existing high tech equipment fails, and equipment that furthers the use of new technology and/or innovation.  Garmin GPS units are neither emergency nor new technology.  In fact, basic GPS units such as these can be found in most government offices around the country today.  Their provision by TIPS does not reflect the technology direction that the SC wants us to follow.

Recommendation 3: Same as recommendation 2.
Bob Welsh – the students are told to bring their own mobile computing units.

Concern 4:              
We do not give out hardware at other GPS classes or mobile computing classes.  There are other hardware items such as Bluetooth GPS receivers (which cost the same amount) that could be used by inspectors and others with existing state and tribal laptop computers, to do real mobile computing.  If we are going to begin giving out GPS units with a class, then we need to look at all of our classes to decide what is the best use of our funds within the direction we receive from the SC and our charter.
Recommendation 4: Same as recommendation 2.

Concern 5:             
There is a great potential for any agency office to request an on-site course in order to equip their office with GPS units.  TIPS’ policy has been to buy seed units to demonstrate technology in state/tribal offices.  We have not been in the business equipping whole offices.  It has been our experience that inexpensive GPS equipment is common enough that states do not have problems buying it as needed. 

Recommendation 5:
The TIPS Team should review our current policy of buying only seed units to jump start offices on new technologies, and decide if we will change that policy.

Concern 6:            
We do not believe that Garmin GPS units fit the category of mobile computing.  Therefore, if the SC and the TIPS Team decide we should provide these to our customers, they should not be purchased from the Mobile Computing budget.
Recommendation 6: Same as recommendation 2.

Dawn – we will have to buy 6 more units to provide enough for the classes to use during training. 

Len - does not have a problem with setting a new presidence about distributing hardware.
Karyn – the concern about the students taking the training (not having the unit) and returning back to their office and not being able to utilize the knowledge learned in the course.
A pre-requisit should be in place for this course stating if you were nominated then you need the equipment/software to participate in the course.
Ken – Thinks that the students should have units in their hands when they go back to the states.
Need to have a more defined expectation of what is seed equipment.  When will we provide it and when will we not provide the equipment.
Paul B – we are fazing out the distribution of hardware, we were once in the business of supplying PC’s.
Len – see’s where we could be fazing out that distribution.  Unit some great new breakthrough comes out, we have provided the latest equipment.
The states are feeling the pinch from the reduction of grant money.
If we are going to be changing the policy then it needs to be brought up to the Steering Committee.
This is not a unanimous opinion, but we can change the ideas of how this course is done.
Bob – direct TIPS core software support.  There is a perception of ethical concern.  Do we boost their expectations during the courses by providing them things?
Are we buying higher evaluations by wanting to provide free equipment?
How about charging them for the equipment?  NO – because the money collected goes back to the general treasury fund.
The inspectors/field personnel know that this training is provided and that the equipment is purchased for them.
Ken – has a problem because some states cannot get money to buy this equipment.
If the SM/TIPS coordinator can justify the need for these pieces of equipment then we can distribute hardware that way.
Bob – The state of Colorado employees were provided ONE GeoXT & GPS unit by TIPS.  The state has provided the equipment to the staff members that needs the equipment. 
Len – is the SM for Illinois – and they had a computer with OLD software and wanted TIPS to buy Windows XP for them. 
Lisa – During the training would we ask the students to bring Garmin units or other comparable GPS units like Magellan?
Ken – the course is Garmin specific.  This is a 2 day course and ¾ of the class is Garmin specific.  They cover the software and introduction to the units.  They also use Topofusion which is TIPS software.
Could this class be expanded by bringing in other units?  Maybe something to think of.  Workshops have been an idea and mobile computing is moving toward that idea.
We recommend the type of software and hardware that our customers should use.
Ken – settled on Garmin in their region.  The seed concept seemed to be working. 
We are already cutting from the training budget.  Mobile computing should not be using their money to buy these Garmin units.
Len – Ken has demonstrated the need for this training.  Go to the Steering Committee and address warehousing the distribution of providing them the equipment.  This has been kicked around through TIPS for years.
Lou needs to make the decision during the next meeting.  The action item will be to take a look at these notes. 


Other items up for discussion:

Karyn suggests that the TIPS team looks at the training web-site.  There are old things out there.  Please take a look at that and check to see if the information is up to date.

In FY 06 TIPS trained 362 students and 51 on-line students.

Bob – wanted to thank Dawn on the support that she has provided.

Mobile computing team met yesterday about issues for more procurement.  Explorer tablets can be allocated to 18 states. 

Who is going to be the receiver in each region?  SM’s have distributed software and hardware in the past.

All mobile computing equipment is being entered into the property system by Tina and Bob.

Min Kin in MCR has stepped up to receiving property and Tom Mastaller or Bill Winters will be receiving property for AR.    

November 9th, 2006 is the next TIPS Team Conference Call.