Section 7. Future Plans

Section 7. FUTURE PLANS

The abagOnline project commenced in February 1994 and posted ABAG's first Web pages in April 1994, prior to the award of the TIIAP grant. With the conclusion of the TIIAP grant, abagOnline will continue to offer services to governments and citizens of the Bay Area. abagOnline will not fundamentally change from its current form.

Before we look at the future of abagOnline, we must acknowledge the role of the NTIA and the TIIAP grant. Prior to the grant, abagOnline was a small project in the very early days of the World Wide Web. It had more curiosity value than anything of substance. At best, abagOnline held the promise of what could be.

The TIIAP grant provided the necessary initial capital which, when combined with local match, permitted ABAG to create and demonstrate to local governments and citizens the real and potential uses of the Internet. With the assistance of the TIIAP grant, ABAG was able to obtain the necessary equipment to offer a wide range of Internet services. ABAG also was able to create software programs, demonstration pages and content, ultimately reaching a critical mass that could no longer be dismissed as a curiosity or fad. It was this ability to provide the tools and the platform for serious government business applications that convinced skeptical leaders that participation in the Internet and the World Wide Web were inevitable extensions of local government communications.

abagOnline now enters a more stable period of growth and services. This period will be characterized by gradual addition of participating agencies, reduced outreach programs, and a slower augmentation of our services. abagOnline has become an integral element of ABAG's publishing and communications functions and will continue to serve ABAG's many departments. Local governments still look to abagOnline for inspiration, new ideas and assistance. abagOnline provides the only organized, comprehensive directories of local governments in the Bay Area and this function will be maintained.

The ability to rapidly create a central clearinghouse of information about new issues of local concern, under the auspices of abagOnline was demonstrated in the Telecomm Network. This local resource is now being accessed even by communities from across the nation. Assistance to local governments in dealing with future programs and issues will be efficiently and quickly provided through abagOnline.

Assistance to local government staff also will be offered in future months. This includes periodic meetings of the abagOnline Advisory Committee to discuss new developments in the World Wide Web. ABAG will offer, and has scheduled, technical training courses for local government staff to help them publish their home pages and further develop their Internet presence.

ABAG will seek opportunities to partner with industry and other agencies in testing and developing new Web applications for local governments. This includes continued participation in Smart Valley and CommerceNet. ABAG will be submitting grant applications and proposals to fund the development of new features for regionwide and local use. In the short-term we see the greatest potential and activity in the following areas

* collaborative online participation in city/county public meetings with text, audio and video

* online processing of permits, applications and fee payments

* increased online access to government databases such as county assessor's or zoning records

* online distribution of legal notices, draft Environmental Impact Reports and draft local planning documents

* secure online posting of requests-for-proposals and acceptance of legally binding bids.

The basic continuation of current abagOnline features and services will be funded from a variety of sources. First, ABAG has made a commitment to use and support abagOnline for our programs to members. abagOnline will continue to receive revenue from hosting services offered to local government and non-profit organizations. ABAG currently receives very modest fees from agencies advertising on selected pages of abagOnline. Continued training courses for local government employees will include a cost recovery fee. Finally, grants and contracts could be received and would fund new features and services.

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