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