NRCS Future DirectionsNRCS Future Directions

• 5 Year Invest Strategy

• Changes in Technology Delivery

• Changes in Architecture

Natural Resources Conservation Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) Program Delivery Service (NRCS) Program Delivery SystemSystem

Across 3,000 offices, NRCS Across 3,000 offices, NRCS services 1.2 million services 1.2 million conservation plans and conservation plans and 500,000 program grant 500,000 program grant records in a national system records in a national system (250,000 applications per (250,000 applications per year) year)

The system contains 8 million The system contains 8 million geospatial land units and 22 geospatial land units and 22 million conservation practice million conservation practice recordsrecords

Between 5,000 and 35,000 Between 5,000 and 35,000 electronic customer folders electronic customer folders are checked out and serviced are checked out and serviced each dayeach day

NRCS disperses $2 billion in NRCS disperses $2 billion in financial assistance for financial assistance for conservation on agricultural conservation on agricultural landland

NRCS Has ALWAYS been about ChangeNRCS Has ALWAYS been about Change

• Helping Customers change their business practices to solve problems (erosion), be more conservation based (sustainability), and be more profitable (the bottom line).

• Conservation Program changes with each new fiscal year

• NRCS Workforce is constantly changing

• NRCS Organization is always changing in response to improved customer service, efficiency, diversity, and cost of operations

• Conservation Planning is about managing change

• Conservation Technology is always changing

Business Enabling TechnologiesBusiness Enabling Technologies

Business Driver Enabling TechnologyImproved Customer Service

• Common and secure Web access to customer information – Customer Statement • Anywhere, Anytime access to National Conservation Planning Database, eFOTG, Conservation Contracts (ProTracts), Electronic Payments

Team Coordination •Concurrent online access to Case files, technical references•Computerized vs Paper-based contracts•Email, net conference, and cell phone access 24x7

Efficiency and Cost of Operations

• Electronic government with fewer forms• Reliable, secure, and high performance Internet• Streamlined communications and transfer of documents

Mobile Workforce •Virtual office - mobile computers, network, voice communications, and online access to customer files, agency documents, and technical references•Work efficiently at home, in office, on the road, or at customer’s location

Access to Information

•Mobile Computing - Tablets/Notebooks, ToolKit, mobile broadband, blackberry/cell phone/PDA provide ready access to business data•Centralized databases for conservation plans, geospatial data, financial data, policies and procedures

Top 10 CIO PrioritiesTop 10 CIO PrioritiesGartner - Top 10 CIO Business and Technology Priorities in 2006

Top 10 Business PrioritiesTop 10 Business Priorities RankinRankingg

Top 10 Technology PrioritiesTop 10 Technology Priorities RankingRanking

Business process improvement 1 Business Intelligence applications 1

Controlling enterprise operating costs

2 Security technologies 2

Attracting and growing customer relationships

3 Mobile workforce enablement 3

Improving competitive advantage 4 Collaboration technologies 4

Improving competitiveness 5 Customer sales and service 5

Using intelligence in products and services

6Service Oriented Architectures (SOA)

6

Security breaches and disruptions 7 Workflow management 7

Revenue growth 8Networking, voice and data communications

8

Faster innovation 9 Virtualization 9

Faster innovation and cycle times 10 Legacy application modernization 10

Source: Gartner Executive Programs (EXP) (January 2006) Survey of 1,400 CIOs

http://www.gartner.com/press_releases/asset_143678_11.html

Five-Year Information Five-Year Information Technology Investment Technology Investment

Strategy – PrinciplesStrategy – Principles Provision the employee and not the office to the Provision the employee and not the office to the

extent possibleextent possible Maximize the mobility of the employee to the extent Maximize the mobility of the employee to the extent

possiblepossible Optimize partnerships and leverage capabilitiesOptimize partnerships and leverage capabilities Reduce total IT costs as a percentage of agency Reduce total IT costs as a percentage of agency

operations, from 10% to 8%operations, from 10% to 8% Convert to commercial managed services to the Convert to commercial managed services to the

extent possibleextent possible

Five-Year Information Five-Year Information Technology Technology

Investment Strategy - ActionsInvestment Strategy - Actions• Voice Voice Convert office phone systems to managed service, where Convert office phone systems to managed service, where

necessarynecessary Managed service for cell phonesManaged service for cell phones

• Data NetworkData Network Wireless broadband connection for each employeeWireless broadband connection for each employee Remove land line data connection to county officesRemove land line data connection to county offices

• HostingHosting Move business applications to two commercial hosting Move business applications to two commercial hosting

locationslocations Remove server capacity at county officesRemove server capacity at county offices

Five-Year Information Five-Year Information Technology Technology

Investment Strategy - ActionsInvestment Strategy - Actions• End User SupportEnd User Support Managed service to provision and support computers to Managed service to provision and support computers to

employeesemployees Managed service contract for print, copy, scan, fax, and Managed service contract for print, copy, scan, fax, and

plotter servicesplotter services

• Business Applications and DataBusiness Applications and Data E-mail, messaging, collaboration provided as a managed E-mail, messaging, collaboration provided as a managed

service (called USDA enterprise messaging)service (called USDA enterprise messaging) Virtual officesVirtual offices Customer Relationship Management (CRM) softwareCustomer Relationship Management (CRM) software Business functionality deployed as plug-ins in the CRM Business functionality deployed as plug-ins in the CRM

framework, and also outside the USDA network through framework, and also outside the USDA network through commercial farm management software.commercial farm management software.

ITS Status and TrendsITS Status and Trends

VOICE VOICE ($92 per month per employee)($92 per month per employee)

NETWORK NETWORK ($109 per month per employee)($109 per month per employee)

WEB FARMS WEB FARMS ($57 per month per employee)($57 per month per employee)

OFFICE and USER SUPPORT OFFICE and USER SUPPORT $75 per month per employee for $75 per month per employee for

hardware/software/leases/etchardware/software/leases/etc $100 per month per employee for technical support$100 per month per employee for technical support

Annual cost per employee = $5,200 Annual cost per employee = $5,200

Annual cost per office = $28,000Annual cost per office = $28,000

TSP provides service to producer; uses

conservation plug-in tool

District Conservationist

coordinates activities of

those engaged with providing services in the

watershed

NRCS field conservationist

services producer need using Toolkit, ProTracts, or

other tool

NRCS Main Office

Vehicle with broadband

connection for mobile training

and service delivery

Producer uploads data to USDA database

through conservation plug-in tool

Web Farm Conservation Plans

Cost-Share AgreementsTechnical Guidance

NRCS employees

process cost-share agreement

payments

Producer gets on-line and

applies for EQIP, CSP, or other

program

Partner records GPS coordinates and uploads to NRCS database

The Future Model…The Future Model…

• Customer Service Customer Service ToolkitsToolkits

• Program ContractsProgram Contracts• Smartech E-FOTGSmartech E-FOTG• Smartech Smartech

EngineeringEngineering• Smartech Resource Smartech Resource

AnalysisAnalysis• Integrated Integrated

AccountabilityAccountability• Program OperationsProgram Operations• Management Management

ApplicationsApplications

NRCS Application SystemsNRCS Application Systems

• Natural Resource Natural Resource Data Collection and Data Collection and ManagementManagement

• Natural Resource Natural Resource Data Warehouses Data Warehouses and Martsand Marts

• Natural Resource Natural Resource Data Information and Data Information and DeliveryDelivery

• National Resource National Resource InventoryInventory

Water and Climate Water and Climate Information System Information System

(WCIS)(WCIS)

NRIIANRIIACPDCPD

ACCESSACCESS

Order

Analyze

Report

STORAGE & MANAGEMENTSTORAGE & MANAGEMENT

Metadata Catalog

Spatial Data

Data Warehouse Soil

View

Tabular Data

Operational or Transaction Databases

COLLECTION ANDCOLLECTION AND INTEGRATIONINTEGRATION

Data MartsData Marts

Imagery Data

FRAMEWORK for ORGANIZING and MANAGING DATA

Extract, Transform,

Load

Updates

• data entry and processing

• reformatting

• reprocessing

• integration

• standardization

• documentation

• certification

Plant

Water Climate

EcologicalSite

WildlifeWildlife

We

b S

erv

ice

s

Consumer

Web Farm

Digital DataProduction

Services

GeospatialData

Warehouse(GDW)

DataProduction

TransformedData

RawData

DataWarehouse

Data Mart

ProcessedData

Web ServiceFinished

Data

FormattedData

DataDelivery

WebApplication

RequestedData

Data Management Architecture

USDA Customer Relationship USDA Customer Relationship ManagementManagement

Conservation ContractConservation ContractManagementManagement

Embedded Virtual EarthEmbedded Virtual EarthMaps and ImageryMaps and Imagery

• Conservation PlansConservation Plans• Land Units and Conservation PracticesLand Units and Conservation Practices• Customer Files stored in SharePointCustomer Files stored in SharePoint• Cross-agency coordinationCross-agency coordination• Analysis by State, County, Watershed, Service Analysis by State, County, Watershed, Service

Center, etc…Center, etc…

CRCRMM

CRM Integrates Right Into CRM Integrates Right Into OutlookOutlook

Conservation Planning Case FileConservation Planning Case File

CRM - Virtual EarthCRM - Virtual Earth

Grants Management in Grants Management in USDAUSDA

Thirteen USDA agencies Thirteen USDA agencies disperse a combined $50 disperse a combined $50 billion in grants each billion in grants each yearyear

More than 150 programsMore than 150 programs Low volume, high amount (e.g. Low volume, high amount (e.g.

food assistance, research) food assistance, research) High volume, low amount (e.g. High volume, low amount (e.g.

farms to improve water quality)farms to improve water quality)

Six agencies at least Six agencies at least partially automate their partially automate their grants managementgrants management

Customer Relationship Management (CRM)Customer Relationship Management (CRM)

USDA Grants SystemUSDA Grants System

Federated Approach to Streamlining Federated Approach to Streamlining Grants Management in USDAGrants Management in USDA

Grants Management Grants Management and Administration and Administration

(USFS)(USFS)

USDA Financial System (FMMI)

USDA Enterprise Messaging (Outlook/Sharepoint)USDA Enterprise Messaging (Outlook/Sharepoint)

USDA Invoice System (USFS)USDA Invoice System (USFS)

Agency Components Agency Components (e.g. ProTracts)(e.g. ProTracts)

USDA Loan System (RD)USDA Loan System (RD)

Agency Business Agency Business SystemSystem

Agency Business Agency Business SystemSystem

Agency Business Agency Business SystemSystem

Agency Business Agency Business SystemSystem

Agency Business Agency Business SystemSystem

Agency Business Systems Agency Business Systems (e.g. Toolkit)(e.g. Toolkit)

DatabaseDatabase

DatabaseDatabaseDatabaseDatabaseDatabaseDatabase

Service Oriented ArchitectureService Oriented Architecture

Web ServicesWeb Services

Business Business ApplicationApplication

Web ServicesWeb ServicesWeb Web ServicesServices

Enterprise Service Bus (ESB)

Conservation Plug-In ArchitectureConservation Plug-In Architecture

NRCS NRCS CRM S/WCRM S/W

NRCSNRCSCustomerCustomerFoldersFolders

Conservation PlansConservation PlansFinancial AssistanceFinancial Assistance

NotesNotesFilesFiles

Field OfficeField Office(inside USDA (inside USDA

network)network)USDA Web USDA Web FarmFarm

TSP OfficeTSP Office(outside USDA (outside USDA

network)network)

CommerciCommercial Partneral Partner

CommercialCommercialTransaction BrokerTransaction Broker

Plug-Plug-InIn

Plug-Plug-InIn

CommerciCommercialal

PartnerPartnerPlug-Plug-InIn

NRCS Web ServicesNRCS Web Services

NRCS InternalNRCS InternalTransaction BrokerTransaction Broker

CommerciCommercial Partneral Partner

Plug-Plug-InIn

InteragenInteragencycy

Plug-Plug-InIn