The California Online Tobacco Information System (OTIS)

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
* Screen captures made from fi ctitious data
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