Outlined below are a few of the initiatives led by the County's Department of Technology Services.

TransformMCG

“Transforming the way Montgomery County serves its residents and customers by setting new standards for how government operates" is the vision that drives the ERP initiative, which will be known here as “TransformMCG.”  TransformMCG will have lasting benefits for Montgomery County and its constituents.

Status: In Planning Phase.
Implementation Phase scheduled to begin January, 2009

FiberNet is a Montgomery County owned and operated multi-service optical network. What does that mean? There are two key phrases in that statement:

• The first is "owned and operated." Montgomery County, unlike most governmental entities, operates its own telecommunications network. Every mile of optical fiber, switch and router in the network is either owned by or ceded to the County.
• The second phrase is "multi-service optical network." Multi-service means FiberNet carries voice, video, emergency radio and data traffic throughout the county. Telephone calls on 247-777 and 240-773 are carried over FiberNet. Resident focused information services, emails to County employees and the County's business applications travel over FiberNet. Optical networking indicates the use of fiber optic cable and transmission technologies to carry broadband communications.

These are the technologies modern telecommunication carriers and ISPs use to deliver services to governmental, commercial and consumer customers throughout the world. Today, FiberNet supports 127 sites within the county with many more to come.

Integrated Justice Information System
Enterprise Applications Division

Montgomery County is constructing and implementing a web-based Integrated Justice Information System (IJIS). The County defines IJIS as the ability to electronically access and exchange critical information at the key decision points throughout the County’s law enforcement and justice system processes. IJIS will serve as a mission-critical information system that will link together and provide access to current and future public safety and criminal justice information systems in the County.

The IJIS project consists of multiple phases. Phase I includes the installation and deployment of all required IJIS hardware and software. Infrastructure components will be firewall-protected, load-balanced, 3-tiered, distributed, J2EE-based architecture catering to web applications with LDAP/AD based security. Phase I also includes the implementation of Business Processes that enable Public Safety and Law Enforcement staff to perform Wanted Person and Background Checks, receive Inmate Transport Reports, query Arrest History, file a Petition of Delinquency and transfer data from State’s Attorney to Circuit Court. Additional phases include the implementation and integration of State’s Attorney’s Case Management System, Law Enforcement Records Management System, Correction and Rehabilitation Information Management System.

The Juvenile Justice Information System (JJIS)

JJIS is one component of the IJIS system. The JJIS system is designed to connect all county agencies involved in the Juvenile Justice process to provide for true juvenile tracking. When completed, the JJIS system will provide a single, comprehensive source of juvenile information for the county Police, Health & Human Services, State’s Attorney’s Office, Circuit Court, and the state Department of Juvenile Justice (DJJ). JJIS will deliver more complete information and reduce redundant data processing across agencies. The JJIS System is a key component of a comprehensive county strategy to improve juvenile outcomes by intervening quickly and effectively when delinquent behavior occurs.
 

Property Tax Account Information and Bill Payment System
Enterprise Application Division

The Montgomery County, Maryland Department of Technology Services - Enterprise Application Division (DTS-EAD), in cooperation with the Department of Finance developed a web-based tool that allows County residents and businesses to pay property taxes on-line. The system allows users to search for and view both real property tax and personal property tax records. Payment options include credit card and automatic bank deductions.

Real Property Tax System >>
Personal Property Tax System >>

Geographic Information Systems (GIS)

The Montgomery County DTS-GIS team offers GIS consulting services, database management, custom maps, application development, and training services to the Montgomery County Executive Branch departments and offices using a variety of local (stand-alone or intranet) and wide area (Internet) network solutions. Major priorities of the DTS GIS team include:

• Collaborates with MC:MAPS (Montgomery County Map Automation and Preparation System) Consortium members (Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission, Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission, etc.) on the creation and maintenance of common GIS data layers. In this regard, M-NCPPC is responsible for planimetric and property data layers, WSSC is responsible for water and sewer data layers, and DTS-GIS is responsible for digital orthophoto images, street centerlines (described below) and assisting user departments in creating special purpose data layers. The collaborative nature of the GIS database development leverages the expertise of the individual agencies and avoids duplication.
  
• Maintains the Montgomery County Street Centerline (CLINES) and Districts data layers. CLINES records street-names, hundred-block address ranges, and a myriad of district codes for the two sides of the roadway centerlines. District codes include Police Reporting Areas, Fire Box Areas, School Service Areas, Election Precincts and Districts, municipality codes, zipcodes, etc. These data layers support address matching for assigning X-Y coordinates to records with street addresses. Once coordinates are assigned, these records (representing pupils needing to be enrolled, voters needing to be assigned to Precincts and Districts, etc.) can then be assigned to the proper service districts. The CLINES database was recently enhanced to support the brand new computerized public safety dispatching system.
  
• Develops custom maps for Executive Branch departments and offices.
  
• Provides project-oriented GIS analysis services for clients including the Montgomery County Department of Fire and Rescue, the Police Department, the Department of Environmental Protection, the Department of Public Works and Transportation, the Department of Economic Development, the Department of Housing and Community Affairs, the Board of Elections, the Department of Permitting Services, the Department of Health and Human Services, and the Office of State Attorney’s, etc. These services enable these departments to make better decisions or gain productivity improvements.
  
• Develops enterprise and public access GIS applications and Web sites (http://gis.montgomerycountymd.gov/). The GIS Web site contains information on GIS data, map gallery, interactive map composer and viewer, GIS-based Web services for the citizens, GIS resources, and links to federal, state, and County GIS Web sites.
  
• Facilitates GIS education and training seminars for County employees who are authorized by their supervisors to take such training.

If you should have any questions or comments concerning DTS-GIS, please complete the DTS-GIS Comment Form. If you would like to send a regular mail package or fax to DTS-GIS, please use the following mailing address:

Montgomery County
Department of Technology Services
Geographic Information Systems Services
110 N. Washington Street, Suite 501
Rockville, Maryland 20850-2204
240-777-2909 (fax)

Public Safety Communications System

Montgomery County is in process of rolling out a Records Management System (RMS) which is composed of the following sub-projects

1. Law Enforcement Field Reporting Upgrade

The current Field Reporting system has enabled law enforcement personnel to complete arrest, incident, and traffic accident reports on the mobile computer located within the vehicle. The software integrates with the Computer Aided Dispatch system used by Montgomery County’s 911 operators and dispatchers and transmits the officer’s reports via a wireless network to their supervisor for approval and to a data repository.

Soon the new upgraded version of the field reporting system that we are planning to rollout in early 2007 will interface with the Law Enforcement Records Management System (RMS) allowing the information that is captured on scene to automatically transmit to the RMS.  The new version will facilitate the transformation from an all paper process to an automated and integrated reporting process.

2. Addition of Law Enforcement Records Management System

The new Records Management System will provide an integrated data repository that will contain Arrests, Incidents, Collisions, Citations, Warrants, Property, Field Interviews, Civil Papers, Domestic Violence and Investigations. Numerous stand alone databases and redundant data entry processes will be replaced by this unified and comprehensive RMS. The County’s police agencies and Sheriff’s Office will each be able to conduct their specific mission and at the same time share a consolidated database foundation of persons, events and criminal history.

3. Evaluation of Emergency Medical Services Field Reporting

The Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Services are currently evaluating a Field Reporting system that will enable Fire and Rescue Services personnel to complete Emergency Medical Service (EMS) reports while on the scene of an incident. The EMS reports will be completed in Tablet PCs that will also integrate into the County’s 911 Public Safety System. The Tablet PC will also have wireless communication capabilities via both industry standard Bluetooth and Cellular networks. The system also could notify the hospital with patient diagnostics and treatments from the scene or while in route via facsimile.