2. Executive Summary

Background

In 1997 and 1998, two groups in San Antonio began to plant the seeds to develop a system that would bring information-based resources to the community at large. The San Antonio Community Information System (SACIS) and SATNET both envisioned providing the residents of San Antonio and its surrounding counties the ability to access information related to healthcare, education, city, public and social services. While numerous information resources exist, the information is difficult to locate, once located, it is difficult to access, once accessed it is not comprehensive and too often outdated.

Although both of these system’s objective involved bringing interconnectity and relevant content to the population of San Antonio, the individual approach of getting to that ultimate objective was quite different in terms of timing and implementation. After several planning meetings among working and policy group members, the consensus was that the mission of both initiatives was too similar to keep the projects on separate tracks. In March of 2000 the two groups formally merged to create the Alamo Area Community Information System (AACIS).

Prior to receiving a TIFB planning grant, SACIS had developed a work plan that incorporates the functionality of five components as follows:

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As was stated in the original SACIS planning grant, funds were and continue to be sought for the development of phase two of the work plan which include the information and referral and community building components of the AACIS. However, as the planning phase began in March of this year with both groups, AACIS working group members realized that incorporating the engineering and technical expertise of members from the original SATNET group would allow for a quicker implementation of a decentralized information system.

It is the result of this merger that creates the document presented to the Telecommunications Infrastructure Board for favorable review in funding a community network that will provide a decentralized single point of access for the multitude of information and community resources available to the Alamo Area community that will improve the condition of individual’s lives.

Statement of Needs

The mission of AACIS is to provide a collaborative community network for the Alamo Area which provides community members with new opportunities to access a rich selection of information resources and to utilize the new communications technologies for purposes which enable them to improve their own circumstances educationally, socially, or economically.

To meet AACIS’s mission the following goals and objectives will be tracked and evaluated to show success of the community network.

· Providing a web-based home for a community network;

· Increase awareness about existing public access computers

· Increase public access opportunities in areas of greatest need

· Provide training and support of new users by reaching out to low literacy, senior citizens and rural communities end users;

· Create an interactive system for end user feed back

· Provide access to on-line information about local health and human service resources in the twelve-county area;

· Provide access and support to specific programs to increase participation in community life, growth and development

As a result of the strategic merger between SACIS and SATNET the AACIS will implement a single point access system that provides end users and project management staff with culturally relevant content and training. To successfully begin implementation, AACIS is requesting $500,000 of TIF funds, our partners will provide a local match of $50,000 and in-kind services valued at $189,634. Total cost of the project is $739,634.