Survey

Over 100 organizations in the Tahoe area were contacted and surveyed:

1) Basic Internet/TTCN Questions

• Is your agency/organization connected to the Internet?
  1. If yes, does everyone have access to the Internet from their computer?
  2. How do you use the internet?
• Does your staff need training in the use of the Internet?
  1. If yes, approximately how many staff need training?
  2. What type of training is necessary?
  3. If no, do you have plans to connect to the internet?
• Does your agency/organization have a Home Page on the World Wide Web?
  1. If yes, what is the address (URL)?
  2. If no, is your agency/organization interested in creating a Home Page?
• Are you familiar with the Tahoe Truckee Community Network (TTCN)?
  1. If no: The TTCN is a local electronic bulletin board which serves primarily public service uses. It can be accessed by dialing any one of a series of local numbers around the Region. Once connected, the system lets you upload or download information, send local e-mail, or real time chat with other users concurrently logged on.
  2. If yes,
     • Is your agency/organization connected to the TTCN?
     • Does your staff need training in use of the TTCN?
     • Approximately, how many staff need training?

2) Information/Data Use and Needs

• Do you now have Tahoe information which you believe is or could be of value to others?
  1. If yes, please cite some specific examples.
  2. If yes, what form is the data in (paper, electronic, other)?
  3. If digital, what format is it in?
  4. What is needed for someone else to access and use your electronic data (other than PC or Mac)?
  5. If you maintain GIS or other large data sets, what format are they in?
  6. How well identified and catalogued is your information?
  7. What cataloguing system(s) do you use?
• Do you know of others who have valuable information about Tahoe which you need?
  1. How do you access this information and do you consider it easy to do?
  2. 2. Please list the top five orgainizations with which you would like electronic linkages?
• Do you have general comments or concerns about using electronic communications? What are they?

3) Computer Equipment Inventory

• What type of computer equipment does your agency/organization use, and what is your best estimate of the number of each?
  • PCs DOS
  • PCs Windows
  • Macintoshes
  • UNIX
  • X or Win 95
  • Win NT
  • Other
• Are your computers networked?
  • If yes, how are they networked? (i.e. Novelle, Banyan, Windows NT, UNIX,
  • Appletalk, Ethernet, 4D, etc.)
• Does your agency/organization use modems?
  • If yes, what is the baud rate?
• In order to connect to the TBWAN or TTCN, a computer and modem are required. does your agency/organization need to purchase equipment in order to connect to the Internet or TTCN?
  • If yes, what?
• Your organnization must also have an Internet Service Provider for use of the TBWAN.
  • Do you currently have an account with an ISP?
  • If yes which one?
  • What is your monthly internet expense?
• If yor agency/organization needs to purchase equipment or get an ISP, is it possible to do so within the next six months?
• Who is your designated communications/systems person?

4) Cost/Benefit Analysis

At the end of one year, TCSF and TTCN staff will complete a cost/benefit analysis to determine the effeciveness of electronic communications. Specifically, we waqnt to knwo whether this type of communication is effective in producing increased access to government, improved communication between government entities working on similar problems, and improved quantity and quality of data easily available to all sectors of our community. We also want to know how it saves participants time and money. For each of the 25 agencies participating in the grant program, we envision the need to track use of electronic communications, complete surveys about that use, and participate in determining improved efficiency of operation and cost savings.

• If your agency is selected to participate, will you be ale to commit to contributing to the cost/benefit analysis?

5) Potential Participation in Program

If your aency/organization is selected for the program:

• Who will be the principal contact?
• Can you commit to placing new information onto a system on a regular (weekly/biweekly/monthly) basis?
• Who will make the decisions and enter into an MOU if participation in this program is appropriate?
• On a scale of 1-10, ten being very interested, how interested is your agency/organization in being included in the Tahoe Basin Wide Area network (TBWAN)?
• On a scale of 1-10, ten being very interested, how interested is your agency/organization in expanding its communication using the TTCN?