Kansas NG911 2017 GIS Data Steward and Data Maintainer Certification Classes - Lawrence

Morning Session (9am-12pm): KS NG911 Data Steward Training

In the Kansas NG911 GIS Program, the Local Data Steward is the person responsible for assuring maintenance is performed on the GIS data for the agency and providing GIS data updates to the Coordinating Council. Every PSAP (Public Safety Answering Point) must have a certified Local Data Steward. The Local Data Steward must be a staff person for the City or County responsible for the PSAP, even if a vendor handles the actual data maintenance. Those completing this class will be certified as Local Data Stewards.

Topics to be covered: The role of GIS in NG911; an update on the status of the NG911 program in Kansas; the role of the Local Data Steward and the responsibilities that come with the position; the role of the MSAG and how to align the MSAG with your GIS data, what you need to know if you intend to do the maintenance locally and what you need to know if you have hired or plan to hire a vendor to do the maintenance.

Afternoon Session (1pm-4pm): KS NG911 Data Maintainer Training

In the Kansas NG911 GIS Program, the Data Maintainer is the person who will be performing the actual maintenance of GIS data for the NG911 Program. Every PSAP (Public Safety Answering Point) must have a certified Data Maintainer or have a maintenance contract with a vendor that has a certified Data Maintainer on staff. Those completing this class will be certified as Kansas NG911 Data Maintainers.

Topics to be covered: The role of GIS in NG911; an update on the status of the NG911 program in Kansas; the role of the Data Maintainer and the responsibilities that come with the position; the Kansas NG911 GIS Data Model and its requirements; the tools available to assist in data maintenance; and an in-depth discussion of GIS/MSAG/TN data alignment.

Instructor: Sherry Massey

FAQs

Who should attend the Data Steward session in the morning? PSAP Administrators and anyone else that may be assigned as a Data Steward should attend the Data Steward class at a minimum.

Who should attend the Data Maintainer session in the afternoon? Any GIS staff maintaining NG911 data locally, any vendors planning to seek contracts for maintaining NG911 GIS data and any PSAP Administrator considering having local staff without GIS experience handle the data updates.

Who should consider attending both? Any vendor planning to offer long term NG911 GIS data maintenance services, any PSAP Administrator considering having local staff without GIS experience handle the data updates, any PSAP Administrator or GIS staff member that wants a full understanding of the KS NG911 GIS program.

Must Kansas GIS vendors attend? Each GIS vendor planning to seek contracts for maintaining NG911 GIS data in Kansas should have at least one staff member attend training and maintain the Kansas NG911 Data Maintainer certification; however, vendors are welcome to send as many staff members to training as like. It is critical to have at least one staff member attend a session of this class, as the Kansas 911 Coordinating Council will deny the use of 911 funds to pay for maintenance of the GIS data unless the vendor has, at least, one certified Data Maintainer on staff. It is strongly recommended that vendors attend the Data Steward class, as well, so they understand the expectations of the program.

Is this the same class that was offered last year? No. This class includes some of the material from those classes, but it also includes substantially new material.

But I attended one of those previous classes. Aren't I certified? Possibly. Classes held in 2016 qualified for certification, but classes held in 2014 and 2015 did not. If you are not sure about your certification status, you can check on the Kansas 911 Coordinating Council Web Portal

If I'm already certified why should I attend? If you are already certified, you are not required to attend. However, new material is added every year. In 2017, much of the new material focuses on the MSAG and the alignment between TN lists and the GIS data. While this topic has been mentioned in previous classes, this will be the first in-depth discussion of why it needs to be done and how to do it.

This day doesn't work for me; will this class be offered again? Yes. We will be offering the class several times a year around the state.

What is the deadline to get certified? Every PSAP (Public Safety Answering Point) must have a certified Data Steward and a certified Data Maintainer or have a maintenance contract with a vendor that has a certified Data Maintainer on staff by July 1, 2017.

What if my PSAP isn't scheduled to hook up to the State system for a long time or doesn't plan to at all? Regardless of the PSAP roll out schedule, maintenance of your NG911 GIS data is critical and should be on-going.

Where can I get more information on future classes and NG9-1-1 in Kansas? You can find more information at the DASC website or the Kansas 911 Coordinating Council website.