I've been involved off and on in IT for 16 years, and at no point could we ever agree on a standard protocol. This was the first time. While other states have also undertaken large networking initiatives, New York's commitment to involving local government sets the NYT project apart, Dawes said. Driving that commitment is the fact that many programs administered by the state are actually operated by local agencies. But, she added, there are plenty of other challenges.
Organizations collect, use and define information differently.
They're funded from different sources or on different timelines. However, Thomas said the NYT governance council has been meeting for about a year to manage those types of concerns. The committee handles anything from organizational issues to setting protocols and developing rules governing how NYT is used. I don't think the NYT would have happened without it. A key issue for the committee will be developing a billing mechanism to support the project.