MIN RDC 2011-05-12.tif - Laserfiche WebLink

Home

MR. UDOVIC: The rules require that the date for the alternate be set by the fourth meeting, not that the alternate plan be submitted. CHR. SIRACUSA: Ah, okay, thank you for clearing that up for me. I was starting to panic. MR. MIDDLESWORTH: I downloaded the demo version of the ESRI redistricting software, which any body can do from their web site and you can play with it using the 2000 census numbers. You cannot use the 2010 numbers because we havenÓt paid for it. In the course of this, then they started sending me emails about do you want to buy it and all this kind of stuff. Once they found out that I was a Redistricting Commissioner, I got an email yesterday from the ESRI guy in Honolulu saying--Royce Jones--saying they are still in negotiations with the State about the purchase of the software. He did not give any indication in that email as to when that might be completed. The software itself seems to be reasonably to use; it overlays in their GIS software, and so on. Actually IÓve been using computers for the last 35 years and have taught computer use and all that. I think itÓs going to require quite a bit of ramping up before other people are going to be able to use it; particularly the general public, just learning that software is going to take a considerable amount of time. CHR. SIRACUSA: Not all of us are equally talented in that department either. MR. MELROSE: You know, in that regard, I have a suggestion; and we can talk about it a little bit, and make a motion if we need to. I think, having been a user of GIS systems for the last 15- 20 years, I understand the background of them. I have also used a little bit of web based GIS systems and I am aware that we, as a group, and maybe as a broader community need a little bit better orientation to Geographical Information Systems (GIS) generally. So rather than jump right into the web based system which is a manifestation of GIS, I think that it might be useful that our next meeting we actually have a little workshop with our IT. We have good GIS staff at HawaiÒi County. Separate from the web based system, but simply just to try and understand and let everybody gain a common understanding of what the system can do, use the census data as an example that we can work up. I would suggest that while we are waiting for the State to bring their web based system, we continue to build our capacity going forward and being able to deal with this. In this discussion I would suggest that: 1. we have that on our agenda next time and we work with it, and, 2. we might think about creating a technical sub committee of this group to help work that up so it doesnÓt just come from left field, and we actually work at it a little bit together. IÓm glad to do that. ItÓs just something I know more about than maybe others at the desk, and I would like to help rise all boats in that process. That would just be a suggestion. MS. NAKAMOTO: Following up on that, Jeff; I did talk with our IT Department. We have just one GIS person here in Hilo and there is one person in Kona. For that training, if we could get someone from the U.H. to come in and provide us with that information, that would be helpful. I donÓt know how soon we are looking at conducting the training, they may not be available. MR. MELROSE: I think that is an option. The University is an ESRI certified educator; they do train on that, and I work there and I do see a fair amount of that. IÓm not looking for a full training yet; itÓs more a matter of a taste and a smattering of that. It doesnÓt have to be a full training, but like an example of how the system works. Whether itÓs the U.H. or whether itÓs the 13