Nova Scotia's
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1.5 A Communications Strategy for the Nova Scotia Geographic Information Standards Initiative

1.5.1 Introduction

The development of an effective and efficient communication strategy for the Nova Scotia Geographic Information Standards Initiative must consider not only the dissemination of the actual standards but also the communication of the processes involved in standards development. It has been suggested that communication of the process is as important if not more so than the communication of the product. [Coleman, n.d.] Such a suggestion cannot be echoed loud enough when referring to a communication strategy for the Nova Scotia initiative.

The development of standards in an existing information environment must take into consideration the activities presently underway within that environment. With a relatively stable and continually growing geomatics community, in Nova Scotia, consideration must be given to the producer's and consumer's needs. The communication strategy must give the geomatics community some reassurance that the standards being developed are in the best interest of the overall community. Producer's and consumer's needs must also be measured against one another to come to a workable implementation strategy.

1.5.2 Targeting Experience: Producers vs Consumers

There exist two types of geographic information groups, producers and consumers. The producers are perhaps the first group which come to mind when standards are being conceptualized and finally developed and implemented. It is the producers of information who will directly apply the standards to the final products. As such, they must be involved in all stages of the standards development process.

The consumers on the other hand are not as quickly associated with standards development. In many respects it is believed that the consumers of information are primarily interested in using the material they are given. At the same time however, it must be realized that it is the demands they place on that information which can direct how it is structured and maintained.

Within the context of the Nova Scotia Geographic Information Standards Initiative, emphasis will not be placed on any one group, both are equally important to the development process. As with the producers, todays consumers of geographic information have experience working with the information.

1.5.3 The Nova Scotia Committee on Standards for Geographic Information

The Department of Municipal Affairs has been mandated under the Nova Scotia Land Information Policy to coordinate, develop, implement and maintain standards as they relate to a land and water information system. To achieve its standards mandate the department has attempted to develop a consensus building process via broad ranging input from the geomatics community.

The products coming out of the initiative are more likely to be implemented in the community at large if a cross section of producers and consumers participate at the committee level. Within the present committee structure private sector, public sector and municipal interests, along with federal agencies and academic interests have been brought to the discussion table. While there has been a great deal of interest in the standards process and in what may evolve from the process, there still exists a gap in the makeup of the committee. As of January 1994, the committee membership consisted of 20 people, only 3 of which were from outside the provincial government system. It is anticipated that additional municipal and private sector involvement will be necessary if the standards are to be fully explored and adopted.

1.5.4 Associated Task Groups

Within the existing structure, as issues are to be addressed by the Committee, they are passed on to task groups. As defined in the Standards Committee's Operational Guidelines, a task group must be chaired by a Committee member but it can be made up of individuals from outside the participating members of the Committee. Through such a mechanism the Committee attempts to ensure the most appropriate people are brought together to deal with specific issues. Additional mechanisms will however, be put into place to ensure that additional expertise are brought to bear and communicated to the task group(s).

1.5.5 Regional and National Communication Efforts

The standards initiative of Nova Scotia is not unique in its purposes nor is it unique in its goals and objectives. There are many governments and agencies outside our provincial boarders which are moving parallel to us. In the first meeting of the Nova Scotia Committee on Standards for Geographic Information (Oct. 1993) it was noted, both in presence (participation by the State of Vermont, and Province of New Brunswick) and principal, that recognition of outside standards activities was essential for Nova Scotia. Through such recognition potential duplication of effort is anticipated to be reduced. All task groups will have embedded within their individual terms of reference specific mention of a need to incorporate regional and national work into their review and submissions.

Further to the Standards Committee's intent however, the Nova Scotia initiative needs to also become much more involved in outside activities. Just as this initiative seeks input from special interest groups, it must attempt to get more involved in activities at the regional and national levels. Through such involvement Nova Scotia will be better prepared to report on outside activities and will be in a better position to understand the direction of such activities.

Nova Scotia's involvement in balloting processes such as those instituted by the Canadian General Standards Board, Geomatics Sub-Committee will ensure some level of involvement in regional and national decisions but "across the table" interaction will be far more beneficial to Nova Scotia's program. If Nova Scotia only depends on sporadic reports and ballots its participation may be reactionary. Decisions to adopt only balloted decisions will not allow for a full appreciation of the level of work and detail required to maintain such standards.

The Nova Scotia Geographic Information Standards Initiative will therefore take steps to become more involved in regional and national activities. Inroads will be made and positions secured at the Canadian General Standards Board meetings. Closer ties will also be developed with other provincial standards bodies.

1.5.6 Province Wide Communication Efforts

The private sector represents both consumer and producer information groups. They apply the standards as required by agencies when information is being produced. They also place requirements on standards when applying the information during analysis. Private sector agencies will have had a great deal of experience trying to get diverse data set to relate with one another and as such their voice must be heard throughout the standards development process.

To get the private sector more heavily involved, the standards initiative will attempt to better promote its activities and invite interested parties to submit ideas and/or become a part of the Committee and/or task group(s). If the level of voluntary participation begins to make the decision making processes too cumbersome, the standards initiative may have to revisit its development mechanisms so as to ensure the voices of these agencies are heard. Referring to other similar initiatives in neighbouring provinces, such restructuring has not been necessary. In both New Brunswick and here in Nova Scotia however, the standards initiatives are flexible enough to change. For example a balloting process, while not a preferred option, could be implemented (similar to that of the CGSB).

As with the private sector, municipalities are heavy consumers as well as producers of geographic information. The arguments for addressing consumer needs in standards development is further strengthened here. Municipalities will also have a great deal of experience in connecting diverse data sets. And as with the private sector, such experiences should not be lost when standards are being developed.

In the case of municipalities, a number of them have already made efforts to develop standards for information sharing and thus the Nova Scotia initiative would be better served if such expertise were incorporated into the process. This initiative will therefore continue to involve municipalities in the standards development process, inviting them to also become a part of the committee /task group structures.

The perception of public sector involvement in standards development is often "matter of fact". Most people considering standards development turn to the government to take the lead. This is not surprising, particularly since government is a major producer of geographic information. The public sector is however a major consumer of information. The initiative must not loose sight of this fact and not neglect to incorporate public sector consumers in the standards process.

Because of their involvement, public sector representatives have a critical role to play in the development and communication of standards. For instance, public sector representatives notify the Nova Scotia Geographic Information Standards secretary of activities within their agency which may have an impact on geographic information standards. They also have a responsibility for communicating back to their department on all standards activities. Representatives are also encouraged to compile communication lists of personnel within their organization who require direct mailing of standards updates. These lists are then supplied to the Committee Secretary for appropriate mail outs.

Public sector representatives will also play a key role in spearheading involvement from outside interest groups. If they determine that outside interest goes no further than a willingness to adopt the standards, then at least promotion of the standards initiative will have taken place. If however, outside interests wish to be more involved in open discussions, additional expertise will be available in standards development.

1.5.7 Access and Dissemination

To date a number of mechanisms have been put into place in an effort to solicit responses to standards developments. There is of course cooperation and input at the Committee and task group(s) levels. In January 1994 the Standards Committee adopted the "Request for Establishment and/or Modification of Nova Scotia Standard(s) for Geographic Information" form. While it does allow a person or agency to make suggestions for new standards, its primary function is reactionary. The standards initiative will therefore take steps, wherever possible, to solicit comments prior to a standard being adopted. While the benefits of solicited comments prior to adoption may include saving of time and prevention of possible embarrassment, it will have an associated cost. It will place additional strains on the development process both in terms of slower approval and additional demands on all Committee and task group participants to promote their activities.

To ensure comments are handled in a timely manner, the Standards Committee will allot time during its meetings to address public input. Each proposal will also be addressed in the next scheduled meeting(s). Where a suggestion cannot be adequately covered by written correspondence (via the previously mentioned request form), the individual(s) will be encouraged to voice their concerns at Committee meetings. Once a position has been established regarding a particular request, that position will be relayed back to its originator.

A goal for the Nova Scotia standards initiative is to develop standards for effective and efficient geographic information sharing. Material emanating from the initiative, including a comprehensive standards manual, must be easy to access and inexpensive. Anyone, producers and/or consumers of geographic information, interested in this material will be given access to it and future updates. For the first two years of publication, The "Geographic Information Nova Scotia - Standards Manual" will be produced in both hard and soft copy. Only a limited number of hard copies however, will be made available (not more than 10% of total distribution). These hardcopy documents will be single sided, three hole punched for D-ring binder use. Digital formats for manual distribution will include: ITAP standard wordprocessing format - Word Perfect; ASCII file format; PC Print file format; Replica document format. After the two year period is complete (September 1996), except for exceptional circumstances, the manual will only be disseminated in the digital formats listed above. (Endnote2) Previously maintained paper copies will be replaced with diskette versions.

1.5.8 Education and Promotion

Promotion of the standards initiative falls primarily to the lead agency, the Department of Municipal Affairs. If however, a high level of interest is to be maintained throughout the geomatics community, promotion and education will have to be shared with the other agencies involved in standards development.

Where will the initiative focus its attention in promoting and educating the geomatics community on the need for and development of standards? First, the initiative has and will continue to be "put on display" in that its goals, objectives and/or processes will be publicized and anyone interested will have an opportunity to comment. Second, it will continue to stress its consensus building concept by inviting interested people to become involved and ensuring that volunteers are fully included in consultation and decision making processes. Third, members of the Standards Committee and associated task groups will make themselves available to discuss specific issues with any interested group(s) and relay their discussion to the Committee. Forth, the standards process will continue to promote its activities in a variety of external newsletters and bulletins thereby informing the geomatics community of its efforts. As well it will use these sources to announce opportunities for involvement in the development process. Some examples of sources presently in use include: Network, a Nova Scotia Technology Colloquium newsletter; Planning and Development, published by the Department of Municipal Affairs. It will also be available to promote its activities in discussionary forums, such as lunch hour presentations or seminars. Regardless of the communication mechanisms used, information dissemination will be, at a minimum, every four to six months and all communications will be shared with the Standards Committee.

With respect to the standards manual itself, the initiative will, as indicated earlier, ensure it reaches both consumers and producers of geographic information. Update frequency will, of course be dependent on the activities and progress of the individual task groups. In the first year of dissemination the manual may require two to three updates. In the second and subsequent years, frequency will be reduced to perhaps one update every six months. Consideration will also be given to having one full recompilation of the manual at the end of the third year to ensure that all subscribers have a complete and comprehensive reference document.

Promotion and education will of course need to be carried out in an effective and timely manner. More and more individuals, groups and agencies are taking advantage of electronic media to disseminate information. The Nova Scotia Standards initiative will also take advantage of such mechanisms by linking itself to InterNet. InterNet will in turn allow the initiative to not only promote its efforts provincially, but it will also be able to share its experiences with national and international interests. Networking via the InterNet will also allow the initiative to seek out others who have experienced specific standards development, before the Nova Scotia initiative evolves more fully.

1.5.9 Conclusion

The Nova Scotia Geographic Information Standards Initiative is not unique. Many provincial, national and international agencies have taken it upon themselves to develop standards in an effort to make information sharing easier. The Nova Scotia initiative can learn a great deal from the other standards programs and initiatives. What is unique here in Nova Scotia is how the initiative applies the standards and how the process for the development of those standards is communicated.

This initiative will continue to foster a consensus building process and will make every effort to strengthen such an approach by calling upon the consumers and producers of geographic information for input. It must also educate the consumers and producers as to why they should be involved outlining for them the benefits of being a part of the process and the costs which might be incurred if they are not.

The Nova Scotia initiative will also access as many possible avenues of communication as it can handle and will be prepared to access not only the traditional avenues but also explore new ones. Through the use of electronic document dissemination and InterNet, the initiative can built a better profile in the geomatics community.

Finally, but most importantly, it must be remembered that the standards to be developed are for the betterment of communication and sharing of geographic information in a province wide geographic information management system. In such a system the target audience is both the consumer and producer. If they all do not have input into the development of the standards, they will become a reluctant participant in the information age. Participation, Education, Publication, Dissemination, are all key elements to consider when attempting to develop a good communication strategy and a healthy standards initiative.

Endnotes:

Chapter One Table of Contents