Progress 07/01/02 to 06/30/05
Outputs
This grant has resulted in multiple projects and products that have benefited local decision-makers in Vermont. The Community Build-Out Analysis Software package has been enhanced through a process that entailed research into appropriate commercial and industrial parameters, coordination of software and manual development with the programming consultant and outreach and training to users. The Center for Rural Studies (CRS) has recorded over 340 downloads of the program and manual, which are available at http://crs.uvm.edu/cpdp/buildout/. This grant also allowed CRS to provide essential leadership in the development and coordination of training and technical assistance to local land use officials. The CRS-hosted Vermont Planning Information Center at www.vpic.info was quickly stocked with various materials and information to help local officials deal with recent changes to Vermont's land use planning and regulation law. CRS continues to update and maintain the
much-hailed Vermont Indicators Online website (http://crs.uvm.edu/indicators) which ensures that local decision-makers have access to community-level data. This website receives accolades from planners and grant-writers alike. The website enjoyed over 23,000 user visits during the course of this grant. As another testament to this grant, many municipal officials have communicated that the 2004 Municipal E-Government Conference helped to create or reinvigorate website efforts in their towns (see http://crs.uvm.edu/egov/conf2004/). CRS staff also taught over 150 municipal officials in various regional training workshops, covering everything from how to find community data to how to keep municipal computers and information safe and secure.
Impacts
The projects and initiatives that have resulted from this grant have accomplished important goals toward the mission of making sure that communities in Vermont can make important decisions with quality data, incorporate development analysis and public involvement into their planning processes, and integrate information technology into new and innovative ways of doing municipal business. This grant has contributed to the cause of ensuring strong local communities in rural Vermont.
Publications
- Sawyer, W.R. and Schmidt, F.E. 2004. Citizen Participation Strategies for Municipal Planning in Vermont. University of Vermont Extension (FS 176: 1-6). http://www.uvm.edu/~uvmext/publications/fs176/
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Progress 10/01/03 to 09/30/04
Outputs
Many activities have been ongoing during this period. Updates and maintenance have continued at Vermont Indicators Online (http://crs.uvm.edu/indicators), the Vermont Planning Information Center (www.vpic.info), the Town Plan Guide (http://crs.uvm.edu/cpcp/planner), the Vermont Housing Data site (www.housingdata.org), and the Vermont State Data Center Portal (http://crs.uvm.edu/census). All websites have experienced a steady or increasing rate of use. The enhancements to the Build Out Analysis Software are being tested, and user outreach is pending. The 2004 Municipal E-Government Conference was a resounding success with more than 50 municipal officials in three locations across Vermont sharing and learning about municipal website possibilities.
Impacts
This grant has supported the use of data and information technology in local decision-making processes and by the general citizenry in Vermont. In addition to visits to website resources, project work has had an impact through contact with more than 150 Vermonters at various workshops during the reporting period and by the fulfillment of an estimated 360 data requests. In particular, many municipal officials have communicated that the 2004 Municipal E-Government Conference helped to create or reinvigorate website efforts in their towns.
Publications
- No publications reported this period
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Progress 01/01/03 to 12/31/03
Outputs
Many activities have been ongoing during this period. Updates and maintenance have continued at Vermont Indicators Online (http://crs.uvm.edu/indicators), the Vermont Planning Information Center (www.vpic.info), the Town Plan Guide (http://crs.uvm.edu/cpcp/planner), the Vermont Housing Data site (www.housingdata.org), and the Vermont State Data Center Portal (http://crs.uvm.edu/census). All websites have experienced a steady or increasing rate of use. The enhancements to the Build Out Analysis Software have been completed. Preparations are underway for the 2004 Municipal E-Government Conference.
Impacts
This grant continues to support the use of data and information technology in local decision-making processes and by the general citizenry in Vermont. In addition to visits to website resources, project work has had an impact through contact with more than 150 Vermonters at various workshops during the reporting period and by the fulfillment of an estimated 360 data requests.
Publications
- No publications reported this period
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Progress 01/01/02 to 12/31/02
Outputs
The three projects within this grant will contribute to the development of outreach and technology resources to assist communities and citizens in using data to support decision-making processes, and in implementing innovative new ways to provide municipal government information and services. The objective of the Municipal E-Government Outreach Project (http://crs.uvm.edu/egov) is to support the use of information technology in municipal offices for the development of new and innovative ways of disseminating services and information and conducting municipal business electronically. Plans are underway to convene a Municipal E-Government Conference in 2004. This will be a collaborative effort with the Vermont League of Cities and Towns and other interested organizations. The primary theme of the conference will be the creation of management of municipal websites. The proper management of electronic records and information will also be a major theme. The conference will
consist of hands-on workshops as well as discussion sessions. The objective of the Community Planning Tools Project (http://crs.uvm.edu/cpdp) is to develop data tools that will support community planning activities in Vermont. This project has focused on the development and enhancement of tools to assist municipal land use officials in the data collection and analysis aspects of their duties. Enhancements to the Town Plan Guide (http://crs.uvm.edu/cpdp/planner) will include integration with the Vermont Planning Info-Center (VPIC) website. Planning and development for the VPIC is currently underway through collaboration with the VT Municipal Land Use Curriculum Collaborative. Work has also begun on enhancements to the Community Build-Out Analysis Software (http://crs.uvm.edu/cpdp/buildout) to incorporate more commercial development factors into the tool's analyses. The Indicators for Vermont Communities Project addresses the provision of social and economic data for the purposes of
community and small business development and to address the needs of Vermont decision-makers. The centerpiece of this project is the Vermont Indicators Online (http://crs.uvm.edu/indicators) website. This project is also helping to support the Center for Rural Studies' (CRS) activities as the Vermont State Data Center for U.S. Census Bureau information. CRS also performs approximately 60 data requests a month via email or phone.
Impacts
This grant will continue and expand upon the I.T. training and outreach and the development of data resources that began with earlier USDA funds. This grant, through the planned E-Government Conference and the creation and enhancement of online data resources, will make contact with more than 250 municipal officials and show all Vermonters how they can utilize information technology to span geographic distances throughout the state and enrich community decision-making processes. Municipal data and processes are what make Vermont's government operate effectively, and the work of this grant will continue to show resource-strapped municipal officials and planners new ways to properly provide this information to the state's residents. Thus, once again, USDA resources will be used to set the stage to further the use and provision of E-Government and I.T. for decision-making in Vermont.
Publications
- No publications reported this period
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