Clapp helps Town Hall get ready for the 21st Century
Published on June 17th, 1998
STONEHAM, MA - Stoneham has been making steady strides in the recent past to catch up with technology but with last month's arrival of a new MIS/GIS Manager Brian Clapp, this progress has been accelerated.
Clapp, a native of western Massachusetts, has been assigned the daunting task of improving the flow and efficiency within town departments through the enhanced use of computers, software, Email, the internet and a geographic information system. These enhancements will ultimately effect service and access to the citizens of Stoneham.
To accomplish this, Clapp is currently splitting his time between MIS (management information systems) and GIS (geographical information systems) obligations. Some of the MIS responsibilities include keeping software up to date, solving computer problems, and maintaining the E-mail system.
"There was no one to do the day-to-day technical and computer management", stated Clapp, whose presence, he surmises has been a welcome one for users, judging by the amount of problem solving he has done thus far.
Another concern Clapp has been addressing is year 2000 compliance. This involves inventorying computers, software, phones and other technical equipment to identify those that are not compliant with the imminent change to the year 2000 and addressing appropriately.
On the GIS side of things, Clapp's excitement is evident. This system, he describes, is a computer mapping system that allows viewing of data geographically.
Clapp explained that within the system, "a data warehouse is created which allows us to centrally store data types important to certain departments."
"We're making very good progress. We will be utilizing the GIS system very quickly...departments are very excited about it," he stated.
According to Clapp, Stoneham had consultants working on the base layers of the GIS system for the past couple of years, and he is now responsible for developing the system from where the consultants left off and bringing it to the end users.
Clapp credits the work of the Boston based consults, Applied
Geographics, Inc., as well as that of Town Accountant Thomas
Cicatelli, who performed much of the technological work in addition to his full-time accounting responsibilities, prior to Clapp's arrival.
The first of many projects Clapp will be addressing is the automation of the Department of Public Works (DPW) and Inspectional Services Department, as well as enhancing the 911 system.
The DPW will benefit from the GIS system by the development of a history tracking system. Examples of the benefit of such would be the DPW's ability to track the time and money spent on water main breaks in a specified period of time, as well as the location of each break. Such valuable information could aid in the decision making process regarding replacement of such equipment.
The Inspectional Services Department is also a good candidate for automation since, Clapp explains, it is still using manual log books to track data.
As many residents have found out, the time-consuming process of obtaining an abutters list in order to apply for a building permit is in dire need of improvement. The GIS system will readily access and produce a list of abutters within a specified distance from the point of origin.
"The old way can take three hours. With the GIS, it will only take 10-15 minutes," Clapp predicted.
Data modeling will look at the flow of information through departments. Clapp stated, for instance, that information available and created by the DPW may be helpful to Inspectional
Services and can be shared between the two departments instead of each separately tracking the same information.
Enhanced 911 will be a service that will also benefit from the GIS system as more information can be stored and accessed by emergency response personnel.
Clapp foresees Stoneham's system as being able to quickly access additional information for 911 dispatch over what is now available through its "cumbersome" system. Locations of hydrants, residents, the ages of those residents and any potential hazardous material in the area of the emergency are examples of some of what the GIS has to offer in this regard.
"Stoneham's 911 has some of this ability already but the new system will add and enhance performance," said Clapp.
Educated at Westfield State College and UMass Amherst, Clapp received both his Bachelors and Masters degrees in geographical and regional planning. He calls himself a Planner at heart who likes the technical side of things.
He reports directly to Town Administrator Jeffrey Nutting.
Describing technology as a "tool for decision making," Clapp asserts that the technology that Stoneham is putting in place will be a bonus for the citizens who can expect faster, more efficient, and increased service from the town.
"I'm very excited about the future of technology in Stoneham," stated Clapp.
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