# Presentation: 713547

## NOAA CIO Council Informational Briefing NOAA Web Committee

- Ron Jones, Acting Chair
- NOAA Web Committee
- Tuesday, November 7, 2006

## 		Outline

- Purpose
- Background & Discussion
- Alternatives
- Coordination and Views
- Status/Summary

## 		Purpose

- Information Briefing on:
- Recommend a Web governance structure
- Create plan to consolidate and better organize NOAA Web content
- Implement a common NOAA banner on NOAA.gov and other high level Web sites
- Transition NOAA intranet from pilot to operations

## Background & Discussion

- CIO Council tasked to:
- Design and implement a new NOAA Web presence
- Design and implement a new NOAA Intranet
- Implement a “portal” for storm information and data
- NOAA CIO Council established Web Committee tasked with improving NOAA Web presence
- Need was endorsed by all NOAA SES at SES Summit

## Alternative Approach – Status Quo

- No clear chain of accountability or responsibility of Web content
- No clear branding, global navigation, or global search on the NOAA Web Presence
- NOAA information and data will be posted in a scatter- gun approach rather than a logical, user friendly, easy-to-find and focused approach
- NOAA employees will continue to hunt for internal information from many different places rather than one NOAA Intranet.
- But there is one positive - No additional resources or technology will be required

## Develop A Web Governance Plan

- Development Web Governance plan identified dual components and areas of responsibility
- Content – the “message”
- Information architecture and technology – the “delivery”
- FY07 Goals
- Continue work to align NOAA Web policies with other controlling policies
- Provide documented guidance to Web content developers on implementation of new policies

## Web Governance / Oversight

- NOAA Web Committee

-  OCIO provides the Web Server architecture and technology to deliver content
-  Communications Office manages content
- Web Committee coordinates between content developers and IT

- Content / Presentation
- Managed by Communications Office

- IT Infrastructure to Deliver  Web Content and Services
- Managed by Office of the CIO

- NOAA Web Committee

**Notes:**
The division of technology and content, with an overlap ensures content does not out pace technology, and the technology supports new content and services.

## Create Plan to Consolidate Web Content

- Web Content Better Organized/Consolidated
- Inventory of existing Web sites
- Including topic of the site (how does this site help meet the mission of NOAA?)
- By Content manager/Webmaster
- Spreadsheet or Online inventory?
- Develop plan to consolidate information on NOAA web sites
- Resources Needed to Move Forward
- Time – to develop, respond to, and compile the results of a data call
- Database Application/Programming Support/Server resources/Database Admin
- A Program Manager to provide oversight

**Notes:**
Before the sites can be accurately inventories, a clear and consistent definition of terms such as “Web site”, Web content manager, and Webmaster must be defined.

The web site inventory needs to address URL – for the topic of tsunami, NOAA sites include:
tsunami.gov
www.tsunami.noaa.gov 
www.noaa.gov/tsunamis.html 
nctr.pmel.noaa.gov/ 

This presents an opportunity to consolidate content into a tsunami portal.

## Implement Common NOAA Banner

- Benefits
- Branding of NOAA
- Information and data easier to locate
- Common navigation and search across NOAA
- Phased approach
- Prototype pages (2 weeks)
- Phase 1 (Jan 07 – Feb 07) 2 months
- Phase 2 (March 07 – Aug 07) 6 Months
- Phase 3 (March 07 -  Dec 07) 12 months from beginning of Phase 1

## Implementation of Common Banner

| Phase | Time to Complete | Personhours | Opportunity Costs
(GS-13/5) | Percentage of Pages Completed |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| One | 2 Month | 2199 | $88,373 | ~30% |
| Two | 6 Months | 9145 | $367,371 | ~60% |
| Three | 12 Months | 9044 | $362,868 | 99% |
| Total | 12 Months | 20388 | $820,005 |  |

**Notes:**
Phase One page would include NOAA.gov and LO/CO main pages and additional “main points of entry into NOAA web sites)

Phase two pages would include labs, regional centers, division/branch, program office HOME PAGES

Phase three will be remainder of pages (second/third tier pages from LO/CO sites)

Implementation will vary by LO since some LO’s are using this as an opportunity to reduce the current diverse set of page layouts down to a much lower number of layouts using the ONE NOAA banner - which is largely a manual effort.	

Other Offices have a small number of sites and will complete implementation much earlier than LO’s with hundreds of sites.

## OneNOAA Intranet

- Benefits
- Improved efficiency for NOAA employees locating administrative information/materials
- Consolidate corporate info and reduce locally maintained Intranets
- move information from public web sites onto internal net
- Increase visibility & improve communications across NOAA
- Phased Implementation
- Phase 1 (Top level content) 1 year (Dec 07)
- Phase 2 (Incorporate LO/Program level info) (Dec 08)
- Phase 3 (Continue incorporate content) (Dec 09)

## Implementation of NOAA Intranet

|  | Year One | Out Years |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Project Staff (Opportunity Costs)
Project Manager (GS-14/5)
Developer/CMS Admin (GS-13) | ~$180,000 | ~$180,000 |
| Infrastructure (Real Costs)
Operational Support
CMS Software Licenses
Database Development Server | ~110,000 | ~$100,000 |
| Training (Real Costs) | ~$26,000 | ~$26,000 |
| Totals
(**)Less $60,000 contributed by OCIO
 | $180,000
$136,000
$316,000 (**) | $180,000
$126,000
$306,000 |

**Notes:**
Offsets:
Corporate Contributions-600000 (FY 06 carry over contribution from OCIO)

## 	Coordination

- Coordination:
- Line Offices / Staff Offices
- Commitment of people
- CIO Council
- Commitment of support
- Championing Web
- CFO Council
- Commitment of Support
- Financial buy-ins
- Administrative Oversight of Web Content (Office of Communications)
- Program Management
- Staffing

## Status

- What are we doing now?
- Governance / Web policy Working groups continue to work toward better alignment with other controlling policies
- Provide documented guidance to Web content developers on implementation of new policies
- Develop Common Banner Implementation Plans, Intranet Plans, explore Web content consolidation opportunities
- Are we on schedule?
- Governance Plan – 2nd QTR FY07
- Web Content Consolidation Implementation Plan-  4th QTR FY07
- Common NOAA Banner Implementation - 2nd QTR FY07
- NOAA-wide Intranet Implementation - 4th QTR FY07
**Assuming resources are available**

## Backgrounder Slides Follow

## Slide 16

| Office | Time
Months | Person
Hours | Cost (based on GS13/5 - $40.22/hr | Percent Of Pages Completed | Time | Person Hours | Cost (based on GS13/5 - $40.22/hr | Percent Of Pages Completed | Time | Person Hours | Cost (based on GS13/5 - $40.22/hr | Percent Of Pages Completed |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| OMAO | 1 Mon | 60 | $2,431.20 | 40% | 5 Mon | 350 | $14,077.00 | 60% | 8 Mon | 40 | $1,608.80 | 99% |
| OAR | 2 Mon | 849 | $34,146.78 | 30% | 6 Mon | 2445 | $98,337.90 | 70% | 12 Mon | 1404 | $56,468.00 | 99% |
| NESDIS | 1 Mon | 400 | $16,088.00 | 8% | 4 Mon | 1200 | $48,264.00 | 55% | 10 Mon | 1200 | $48,264.00 | 99% |
| NMFS | 2 Mon | 400 | $16,000.00 | 1% | 6 Mon | 2000 | $80,000.00 | 20% | 12 Mon | 4000 | $160,000.00 | 99% |
| NOS | 1 Mon | 160 | $6,435.20 | 5% | 6 Mon | 2000 | $80,440.00 | 55% | 10 Mon | 1500 | $60,330.00 | 99% |
| NWS | 1 Mon | 120 | $4,826.40 | 10% | 4 Mont | 900 | $36,198.00 | 60% | 12 Mon | 900 | $36,198.00 | 99% |
| Corporate Services | 2 Mont | 200 | $8,044.00 | 30% | 4 Mont | 250 | $10,055.00 | 99% |   |   |   |   |
| Public Affairs | 1 Mon | 10 | $402.20 | 99% |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |
| USEC |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |
|   |   |   |   |   |   |   |  |   |   |   |   |   |
| Totals |   | 2199 | $88,373.78 |   |   | 9145 | $367,371.90 |   |   | 9044 | $362,868.80 |   |

**Notes:**
Both NMFS and OAR estimates reflect the man hours required to consolidate the LO web presence from its current diverse set of page layouts down to a much lower number of layouts using the ONE NOAA banner - which is largely a manual effort.						

Important to note that these estimates do not reflect the individual numbers of pages maintained by NOAA offices

## NOAA Storm Portalwww.noaawatch.gov

- NOAAWatch.gov serves as entry point to NOAA information on environmental hazards
- Soft launch on June 1, 2006
- Managed by cross-NOAA team of editors
- Content provided and updated by multiple Programs Offices using content syndication (RSS)
- Long-fused Watch/Warning information, restoration and recovery efforts, and educational/preparedness materials linked from a single site
- Very positive feedback from the public and user groups (Red Cross, AARP, etc)
- Aug 2006 – average 438K hits/day
- https://logger.woc.noaa.gov/webalizer/www.noaawatch.gov/

**Notes:**
NOAAwatch test bed for “theme” approach of site management, contributed content from across NOAA, cross-agency information. Other sites like pbs.org and nasa.gov have also implemented common navigation elements in an consistent banner and location. 

Soft roll out for testing of the site – links from NOAA.gov and NWS pages  resulting in nearly 500,000 hits in August. 

NOAAWatch is promiently linked from noaa.gov under new design – NOAAwatch link included in template to increase visibility of the site.

## NOAA’s Intranet (Internal) Presence

- Baseline
- Multiple small Intranets
- Public Web sites (NOAA.gov) used to post internal communications
- Inefficiencies in the technology to deliver Web content
- Different look/feel by LO/Program
- End State Vision
- NOAA-wide Intranet
- Better able to target content to internal and external audiences
- More efficient use of resources
- Intranet pages customizable by users

## NOAA’s Intranet (Internal) Presence - Progress

- Accomplishments:
- Seed funding provided by OCIO
- NOAA Research providing management and oversight of prototype Intranet site *Inside.NOAA.gov*
- Prototype Intranet developed
- FY07 Goals
- Content structure for administrative information
- Collaborative work area outside of the public view
- Coordination of scientific information
- Add layer of protection of sensitive information such as PII

## Inside.NOAA.govInternal Site (Intranet)

**Notes:**
As the public pages, Technology behind the page –
Contributed content (RSS) allows LO/PO to have input into NOAA.gov
Flexibility with Cascading Style Sheets) control presentation of content based on browser type c based, PDA/cell phone) and renders the content appropriate for the platform.

Page layout is organized by theme, navigational tabs allow user to select the theme – displayed below the fold based on their selection.

## Alternative OneStatus Quo

- No changes in Content management, technology.
- Pros
- No changes in existing management of content, no changes in existing technology
- Cons
- Users will continue to have difficulty locating information
- Managing policy compliance will continue to be very resource intensive
- No clear NOAA branding since Web pages will continue to have different looks and navigation

## Alternative TwoOutsource Redesign / Implementation

- Pros
- Professional Web design staff
- Consistency in design/functionality
- Quicker delivery
- Cons
- Most costly, major redesigns / implementations can range into several hundred thousand dollars (NASA spend several million on their redesign). IBM Intranet option several million dollars
- Recoup efforts for costs may impact labor costs
- Do not have in depth knowledge of NOAA programs, information, and services, requiring NOAA to continue to manage content
- Diverse server configurations across NOAA Web will require extensive customization of applications and services

- Contracting out the design and development

## Alternative ThreeNOAA  Web Management

- Pros
- Use existing Web resources
- Knowledge of programs, information, services and audience for end to end management of technology and content
- Knowledge of NOAA IT infrastructure
- Lower costs to manage development/implementation of future Web services
- Cons
- Currently no organizational affiliation for funding/management
- Resource constraints, no dedicated staff
- Slower delivery times

- In-house resources to design / develop / implement / manage Web Content (External and Internal)

## Web Governance and Oversight

*Approved by CIO Council – March 2006*

**Notes:**
Governance model for existing NOA Web presence. As IT consolidation advances local IT resources presently involved in supporting delivery of Web services and data can be beetr utilized.

On the content side, a more defined process of managed content will reduce resources required at regional/office levels,

## Web Presence Staffing IT Infrastructure

**External – *****noaa.gov****
- Site Administrator
- NOAA Web Farm (NOAA OCIO)
- Site Technician
- NOAA Web Farm (NOAA OCIO)
- Server Administrator Contractor
- NOAA Web Farm (NOAA OCIO)
**Internal – *****inside.noaa.gov***
- Site Administrator
- Content Management Server (OAR)
- Site Designer/Technician** **
- Content Management Server (OAR)
- Server Administrator Contractor
- Content Management Server (OAR)

- *   Administration for other external sites will remain federated until NOAA’s target Web architecture is determined and implemented.

## Staffing the NOAA WebRoles & Responsibilities

**Web Program Manager (Internal and External)**
- Program champion & authority
- Formulate vision and strategies
- Coordinate with External/Internal Content counterpart and Technical Manager
- Manage site support staff
**Editor-In-Chief**
- Coordinate Content Subject Area Editors/Coordinators to identify site content
- Approve and edit content
- Coordinate up for accuracy & propriety
- Oversee editorial policies & processes
**Subject Area Editors/Coordinators**
- Tap organization for subject matter experts for content contribution
- Author high-level Web content
- Fact check and acquire legal clearance as appropriate
**NOAA Web Committee**
- Advisors to the Web program staff for the development of policy, specific project R&D (task teams), and additional multi-disciplinary coordination for Web projects (working groups)

**Notes:**
The Program manager works closely with the Web Committee to formulate vision and strategy.  The rotational staff is limited in scope to development and implementation of Web content on internal and external sites

## Web Presence StaffingContent

**Pros:**
- Demonstrates NOAA leadership support for both internal AND external Web programs & activities
- Provides authority and accountability for process and policy formulation and enforcement
- Removes burden from line office Web committee representatives for execution of Web activities
- Affords coverage for analyzing, organizing and executing Web content to meet internal and external
- stakeholders needs as appropriate
- Dedicates time to developing rotational staff and organizing subject matter experts
- Separates editorial responsibility for internal and external content
- Establishes adequate staff to coordinate and navigate the PPBES process
**Cons:**
- Cost of high-level leadership positions
- Tap on all NOAA offices to staff rotational positions

| Role | Staffing Source |
| --- | --- |
| Web Program Managers: | 2 New FTEs:  1 Internal, 1 External |
| Editor-in-Chief: | Use Rotational Staff |
| Subject Area Editors/Coordinators: | Use Rotational Staff |

**Create an Internal Web Program Manager ****and External Web Program Manager **

**Notes:**
Separates editorial responsibility for internal and external content ensures appropriate coverage and attention to delicate matters (i.e. security of content (internal), propriety of public release (external), etc.)

## Web Presence StaffingComparison

| Alternative | Pros | Cons | Cost Estimates |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 – Status Quo | Low cost | No dedicated staff or other resources
Limits authority and accountability for process and policy formulation and enforcement through the Web Committee
Single leadership position limits time spent organizing and developing staff
 | $0
(no new money – sunk costs of Web Committee at 25% of member salary)
 |
| 2 - Create an Internal Web Manager and an External Web Manager position  | Provides NOAA leadership for both internal AND external Web programs & activities
Separates editorial responsibility for internal and external content
Provides authority and accountability for process and policy formulation and enforcement
Dedicates time to developing rotational staff and organizing subject matter experts | Cost of leadership FTE positions
Cost of use of NOAA offices staff for rotational positions
 | $250 - $290k ($220 - $260k for FTEs*, $30k for Office Space)
 |
| 3 - Create a NOAA Web Manager and a subordinate Editor-in-Chief position  | Same as 1 above, except reduces FTE costs by reducing grade of Editor-in-Chief position | Same as 1 above, except that risk that one primary leadership position may not be sufficient for both internal and external web responsibilities
 | $235 - $280k 
($205 - $250k for FTEs*, $30k for Office Space)
 |
| 4 - Create a NOAA Web Manager  | Same as 2 above, except further reduces costs of Editor-in-Chief by reclassifying as detail position | Same as 2, additionally does not provide continuity of Editorial leadership and guidance. | $135 - $160k ($110k - $130k for FTEs*, $30k for Office Space) |

- * Salary range based on DC locality pay for GS15/14 step 1 and GS14/13 step 1 @ 22% benefit rate.  Does not account for rotational staff.

**Notes:**
Where would these offices be physically located – oversight and supervisory capability?
If separate, 
External could sit in Office of Education
Internal in Office of the CIO
Eventually both in Office of Communications

If combined, both in Office of Education – eventually in Office of Education

The costs for outsourcing some of the staffing would depend on the projects but here's a ROM (aka WAG):
Usability for www.noaa.gov:  $65k 
Content Inventory & Analysis for www.noaa.gov:  $50k 
Inside OneNOAA Project Management:  $100k 
Of course, actual bids will differ from these estimates depending on the vendors and the SOW.I would argue that the management positions including the Editor-in-Chief positions need to be government personnel.  It is difficult to imagine a contractor having the necessary institutional knowledge of NOAA and the clout to make the editorial decisions necessary for www.noaa.gov and inside.noaa.gov to be successful.