The California Online Tobacco Information System (OTIS)

The California Online Tobacco Information System (OTIS)
The California Online Tobacco
Information System (OTIS)
It almost goes without saying (or seems
cliché) that the Web has revolutionized
the way we live and more importantly,
the way we do business. The benefi ts of
using a uniform interface via the Web to
collect, organize, manage, and distribute
information in real time are enormous
at state and local levels. After seeing
Florida’s success with a Web-based
system for managing local partnerships
and other systems such as the CDC
Chronicle, the California Department of
Health Services (CDHS), Tobacco Control
Section (TCS) was convinced that it
was ready to lead the way into the 21st
century with a Web-based system to
manage its numerous and varied
tobacco control efforts.
Annually, TCS funds 61 local agencies and
hundreds of competitive grants to provide tobacco
prevention/cessation products and services locally
and statewide. To effi ciently manage the submission,
approval, and progress/cost reporting of the
various tobacco control plans in a effi cient manner,
TCS needed a unifi ed, fully interactive webbased
system that could allow submiting, editing,
deleting, searching, and generating reports. Also
needed was the ability to produce aggregate
reports of all project information to be used as a
management tool by the TCS. The TCS staff identifi
ed the following benefi ts of such a system:
Create a less burdensome mechanism for agencies/
organizations to respond to requests for proposals.
Improve the quality of submitted plans by creating a
system that would guide the user in making the correct
selection/entry based on previous selections.
Streamline the approval process.
Manage contracts more effi ciently.
Increase accountability (internally and externally).
Coordinate tobacco control efforts.
Identify programmatic gaps.
After assessing the key features/components
for a system based on TCS needs, a Request for
Proposal was released in December 2000. In January
2001, the Florida State University, Educational
Services Program (FSU/ESP), was awarded the contract
to develop the California TCS system. The
design phase for the Online Tobacco Information
System (OTIS), Comprehensive Tobacco Control
Plan (CTCP), for local agencies began in February
and was implemented in 61 local health jurisdictions
on August 1, 2001. Since then the Approval,
Progress Report, and Cost Report components of
the system have been designed, developed, and
implemented.
Advantages
The following is a list of several major advantages
in managing a statewide initiative with a unifi
ed Web-based system:
Allows for the collection of uniform information
Promotes standardized data collection methodology
Allows easier data entry and plan development
Facilitates timely feedback and approval
° Logs all communication
Improves coordination, collaboration, and accoun
ability
Combines multiple forms into one online system
Tracks plan/reporting approval process
° Includes the ability to highlight those items that
are approved and make new changes to the plan
display in a different color
Generates useable reports
° Tracks who, what, where, and how much funding is
going toward particular programs/activities
° Identifi es contractor training needs
Technical Specifications/Hosting
OTIS is passcode protected and was developed
using Microsoft Sequel Server for the database side
and Internet Information Server and Cold Fusion
Server to publish to the Web. The system currently
encompasses 200+ tables (many of which are
lookup tables with standardized data).
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The California Online Tobacco Information System (OTIS)
The system is currently being hosted by FSU/
ESP but plans are in place to move OTIS to TCS
sometime late next year. TCS strongly recommends
letting the developer host a site the caliber
of OTIS for at least the fi rst year. No system is
absolutely perfect and no team (clients/developers)
can possibly anticipate every need.
Next Steps—Design and Development for
the Coming Year
This year involves further expansion of the system
to include the following:
Incorporation of competitive grants
Integration of OTIS with other systems, e.g., link to
local surveillance/evaluation data
Electronic signatures for cost reports/invoices
Directory Web site of local program evaluators
Additional reporting capabilities
Keyword search interface (especially for identifying
specifi c or uncommon data sets)
Planning Committee
The success of any project is dependent on
good planning and design. Creating a Web-based
system is no different. The OTIS planning committee
included inside/outside stakeholders from
TCS, local agencies, clearinghouse staff, and FSU/
ESP developers.
A Web page was established to provide all
committee members a central place to get access
to each other and to prototypes of the system. A
Web bulletin board was also established to accommodate
instant communication and create
an archive of all supporting documents, meeting
notes/agendas, and decisions.
Comprehensive Tobacco Control Plan
The following is a list of the sections that
comprise the Comprehensive Tobacco
Control Plan (CTCP). Each section of the
plan is completed by the appropriate Local
Lead Agency (LLA) representative (project
director, fi scal contacts, etc.), and then
submitted to TCS for review and approval. A
presubmit check is available that allows the
LLA to check before the fi nal submit date to
determine if their plan meets all necessary
requirements for submission.
CTCP Menu
Contact Information
Project Director
Fiscal Contacts
Agency Signatory
Evaluator Profi le
OTIS Design
To soothe the fears of local
agency staff who were not
anxious to embrace technology,
TCS felt that the system image
should be unpretentious, warm,
and inviting. It literally became just that when
TCS staff designed the system logo that included a
little dog affectionately referred to as OTIS. Some
were skeptical, but the logo was well received by
local staff who, if they had fears, overcame them
quickly when they logged into the system and
were greeted by furry little OTIS.
System Components and Users
Components Users
Comprehensive Local Lead Agency (LLA)
Tobacco Control Plan
Progress Report LLA
Cost Report LLA
TCS Approval Program Consultant (PC)
Contract Manager (CM)
Technical Assistance
Consultant (TAC)
Supervisor
Fiscal Contacts
TCS Site Administration TCS Staff Administrators
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The California Online Tobacco Information System (OTIS)
Demographic Profi le
Media
Coalition Functioning
Chair/Co-Chair
Coalition Information
Operating Procedures
Subcommittees
Recruitment/Assessment
Coalition Membership
Indicator Worksheet
Assessment Selection
Assessment Data
Assessment Populations
Data Sources
Completers
Assets Worksheet
Assessment Data
Assessment Rating
Data Sources
Completers
Indicator Worksheet—
Shown is an example of the
assessment data form embedded
within the worksheet.
Assessment Rating and Assessment Data Forms
—from the Assets Worksheet
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The California Online Tobacco Information System (OTIS)
Scope of Work
Overview
° Priority Area
° Indicator
° Audience
° Objective
° Activity
Evaluation Plan
Activity Plan
Narrative Summary
Materials Development
Scope of Work—Evaluation Plan
Scope of Work
—Materials Development
Scope of Work—Objectives
Scope of Work
—Narrative Summary
Scope of Work
—Activity Plan
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The California Online Tobacco Information System (OTIS)
Budget Justifi cation
Evaluation Budget Synopsis
Non-Proposition 99
Administrative/Collaborative Activities
Agency Certifi cation
Evaluation Budget Synopsis
CTCP Reports
Report Menu
Local Information
° Contact Information
° Local Program Evaluator
° Demographic Profi le
Coalitions
° Coalition Functioning
° Coalition Membership
Scope of Work
° Scope of Work
° Program Deliverable Percentage
° Narrative
° Material Development
Budget
° Budget
Indicators & Assets
° Indicator Assessment Results Summary
° Indicator Assessment Results Detail
° Asset Rating
Other
° Agency Certifi cation
° Administrative/Collaborative Activities
° Non-Proposition 99
° Procurement Status/Comments
Budget Justifi cation
CTCP Reports—Contact Information
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The California Online Tobacco Information System (OTIS)
Progress Report
Funded procurements are required to
report the progress of their funded plan on
a biannual basis. The Progress and Cost
Report components of OTIS refl ect what was
originally submitted to TCS and approved
with specifi c questions (text boxes/dropdowns)
that refl ect the progress of various
sections of their plan. Like the Plan, the
reports are submitted electronically to TCS
for review/approval.
Contact Information
Project Director
Fiscal Contacts
Agency Signatory
Document Repository
Staff Tracking
Subcontracts
Technical Assistance
Challenges/Barriers
Coalition Activities
Coalition Membership
Collaboration Tracking
Scope of Work
Additional Activities
Agency Certifi cation
Progress Reports—Staff Tracking Form
Progress Reports—Agency Signatory
Progress Reports—Challenges and Barriers
Progress Reports—Collaboration Tracking
Progress Reports—Scope of Work Form * Screen captures made from fi ctitious data
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The California Online Tobacco Information System (OTIS)
Cost Report
Staff Tracking
Subcontracts
Prospective Payment
Equipment
Expense Report
Agency Certifi cation
Cost Reports—Prospective Payment/Equipment
Cost Reports—Expense Report and the corresponding
Expense Report Form (right)
Cost Reports—Staff Tracking
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The California Online Tobacco Information System (OTIS)
TCS Approval
The Approval component of OTIS provides
TCS with the ability to have multiple staff
reviewing/approving or requesting revisions
of plans and reports. Based on usernames/
passwords, specifi c types of staff are able to
view/comment/approve various sections of
a procurement. The Communications section
allows all members of the review team
to communicate with each other and the
LLA via e-mail. The To: section of the e-mail
lists all the TCS staff assigned to a specifi c
procurement (Program Consultant, Contract
Manager, Technical Assistance Consultant,
and Supervisor) and the LLA contact. A
log of all communications is kept so that a
team member can quickly see what has been
communicated with the LLA or other team
members.
Approval Menu
Plan
Procurements
Sections
Communications
System Freeze
Reports
Progress Reporting
Cost Reporting
Communications
Coalition Functioning
Application Approval
Sections
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The California Online Tobacco Information System (OTIS)
TCS Site Administration
The Site Administration component of
OTIS allows TCS (no technical expertise
is required) to manage various tables of
controlled vocabulary such as the audience
drop-down menu that appears on various
forms throughout the system. With a
Web interface, TCS just simply pulls up a
form that will either allow the user to make
changes to an existing controlled vocabulary
term or add a new one. The site also
provides TCS the ability to manage users
(name, usernames/passwords) of the system,
again with a simple Web-based form. The
Site Administration component is basically
the last part of a system to be built. The site
will continue to grow in the coming year to
manage the competitive grant and Progress
and Cost Reporting components.
Announcements
Agency Assignments
Users/Assets
Audiences
Broad Ethnic Groups
Specifi c Ethnic Groups
Ethnicity/Race
Reports
Users
Test Sites
Mail Labels
Administration Splash Page
Audience Groups
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