Exploit the cloud, but save your data

 

Connecting state and local government leaders

Indiana Department of Natural Resources uses Caspio's platform as a service to allow searches of its records while keeping all of its data in-house -- only the index resides in the cloud.

One of the big concerns government agencies have about cloud computing is the idea of their data being stored in the cloud, under the control of a third party. The Indiana Department of Natural Resources has avoided that situation with a cloud platform that makes information and records available for search online without giving up control of the data itself. Only the search takes place in the cloud.

The department’s Oil and Gas, and Water divisions needed to quickly and inexpensively develop online databases that let the general public, landowners, and oil and natural gas contractors search for information about well records.

Data-entry operators were scanning records for oil and gas wells into PDF and TIFF files and putting them on storage servers, said Scott Davis, senior Web manager with Indiana’s DNR. 

“I’m talking about thousands of well records,” he said.  “We needed a way to let people search for those records.” 

People who wanted access to the records had to call the Oil and Gas Division, and employees then had to research the information and send out paper copies or CDs. Otherwise, the public had to make a trip to Indianapolis to retrieve the documents.  

Before he came to work for Indiana, Davis was employed at a media organization that used Caspio, a platform-as-a-service provider that helps organizations rapidly create Web applications.

Caspio’s wizard-driven framework lets users build online applications, databases and forms easily without a lot of programming, which is why Davis recommended that the Department of Natural Resources use the company’s products and services to quickly build databases.

After a pilot program test, DNR transferred into a regular account with Caspio.

DNR put the records on a server, indexed them and put the index into a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet, which is routinely updated, so people can search and view records.

“Now, the records themselves are still on our own servers,” Davis said.  “We don’t store the records on the Caspio server. The only thing we are storing there is the index, which we have a backup of.” That makes for easier management of the index, he said.

Basically, people can search by permit numbers, the Indiana Geographic System ID, county, the name of the operator of the well or township range. The information resides within an iFrame on the Indiana DNR site, so it looks like it is part of the site, Davis said.

“A lot of databases that are developed individually don’t look like part of Indiana’s site, and we have to work with developers to get them to match or link accordingly,” he said.

DNR pays about $190 a month for the account, which includes 50 applications. Hiring a software developer to build a database would cost around $200 per hour, Davis said.

DNR’s Forest Division also approached Davis about building a database for its Classified Forest and Wildlands Program, which encourages timber production, watershed protection and wildlife habitat management on private lands in Indiana.

Forestry wanted a database in which people could search for information about where to buy certified timber.

“I sat down with the program director, who told me what she wanted to search for,” Davis said. Caspio interfaces with a lot of the data being entered into a Microsoft Access database and Excel, he said – a lot of the DNR’s data is already being entered into this database and spreadsheet package, he said.

The biggest hurdle is not launching a new application but data entry and updating information into Access or Excel.  As long as information is properly entered into the database and spreadsheet, wizards – which walk people step-by-step through the process of creating Web forms or complex applications – work fine, Davis said.

So the program director sent Davis a spreadsheet with the information needed to develop a directory, and within an hour had set up a classified forest directory, he said.

Things can get a bit hairy if they need to work with a site that has an image map, he said. The platform is good for directory information. Davis’ team has developed a database for the Division of Entomology and Plant Pathology, which is a directory that lists beekeepers who can move swarms of bees to designated areas.

Farmers want beehives on their land because their pollination helps agriculture.  However, to some people these swarms of bees are a nuisance. So the database connects people with beekeepers in their counties who can come and grab the swarms of bees and transport them to another location, Davis said.

With the system, instead of having a search interface, users have an image map. As you click on a county it pops up and gives a name of the person, phone number and contacts, which are updated frequently. The information in the database was built with Caspio, he said.

Previously, DNR would have just created a long list. The image map adds a bit of interactivity to the search, he said.

“These are just simple projects that we haven’t done before because it was cost-prohibitive,” Davis said.  “The Caspio platform is capable of far more interesting stuff than what we are using it for,” he said.

The Georgia Criminal Justice Coordinating Council (CJCC) used Caspio Bridge to create an online application for grant funding in a matter of days, said David Milliron, vice president of government services with Caspio.

CJCC needed a database solution that would allow the agency to quickly develop an online grant application permitting state agencies to apply for new funds just released under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. Programming from scratch would have taken too long, given time and budge constraints. 

Caspio Bridge automated the entire process, letting the CJCC team design, integrate and launch the application on its Web site, he said.

X
This website uses cookies to enhance user experience and to analyze performance and traffic on our website. We also share information about your use of our site with our social media, advertising and analytics partners. Learn More / Do Not Sell My Personal Information
Accept Cookies
X
Cookie Preferences Cookie List

Do Not Sell My Personal Information

When you visit our website, we store cookies on your browser to collect information. The information collected might relate to you, your preferences or your device, and is mostly used to make the site work as you expect it to and to provide a more personalized web experience. However, you can choose not to allow certain types of cookies, which may impact your experience of the site and the services we are able to offer. Click on the different category headings to find out more and change our default settings according to your preference. You cannot opt-out of our First Party Strictly Necessary Cookies as they are deployed in order to ensure the proper functioning of our website (such as prompting the cookie banner and remembering your settings, to log into your account, to redirect you when you log out, etc.). For more information about the First and Third Party Cookies used please follow this link.

Allow All Cookies

Manage Consent Preferences

Strictly Necessary Cookies - Always Active

We do not allow you to opt-out of our certain cookies, as they are necessary to ensure the proper functioning of our website (such as prompting our cookie banner and remembering your privacy choices) and/or to monitor site performance. These cookies are not used in a way that constitutes a “sale” of your data under the CCPA. You can set your browser to block or alert you about these cookies, but some parts of the site will not work as intended if you do so. You can usually find these settings in the Options or Preferences menu of your browser. Visit www.allaboutcookies.org to learn more.

Sale of Personal Data, Targeting & Social Media Cookies

Under the California Consumer Privacy Act, you have the right to opt-out of the sale of your personal information to third parties. These cookies collect information for analytics and to personalize your experience with targeted ads. You may exercise your right to opt out of the sale of personal information by using this toggle switch. If you opt out we will not be able to offer you personalised ads and will not hand over your personal information to any third parties. Additionally, you may contact our legal department for further clarification about your rights as a California consumer by using this Exercise My Rights link

If you have enabled privacy controls on your browser (such as a plugin), we have to take that as a valid request to opt-out. Therefore we would not be able to track your activity through the web. This may affect our ability to personalize ads according to your preferences.

Targeting cookies may be set through our site by our advertising partners. They may be used by those companies to build a profile of your interests and show you relevant adverts on other sites. They do not store directly personal information, but are based on uniquely identifying your browser and internet device. If you do not allow these cookies, you will experience less targeted advertising.

Social media cookies are set by a range of social media services that we have added to the site to enable you to share our content with your friends and networks. They are capable of tracking your browser across other sites and building up a profile of your interests. This may impact the content and messages you see on other websites you visit. If you do not allow these cookies you may not be able to use or see these sharing tools.

If you want to opt out of all of our lead reports and lists, please submit a privacy request at our Do Not Sell page.

Save Settings
Cookie Preferences Cookie List

Cookie List

A cookie is a small piece of data (text file) that a website – when visited by a user – asks your browser to store on your device in order to remember information about you, such as your language preference or login information. Those cookies are set by us and called first-party cookies. We also use third-party cookies – which are cookies from a domain different than the domain of the website you are visiting – for our advertising and marketing efforts. More specifically, we use cookies and other tracking technologies for the following purposes:

Strictly Necessary Cookies

We do not allow you to opt-out of our certain cookies, as they are necessary to ensure the proper functioning of our website (such as prompting our cookie banner and remembering your privacy choices) and/or to monitor site performance. These cookies are not used in a way that constitutes a “sale” of your data under the CCPA. You can set your browser to block or alert you about these cookies, but some parts of the site will not work as intended if you do so. You can usually find these settings in the Options or Preferences menu of your browser. Visit www.allaboutcookies.org to learn more.

Functional Cookies

We do not allow you to opt-out of our certain cookies, as they are necessary to ensure the proper functioning of our website (such as prompting our cookie banner and remembering your privacy choices) and/or to monitor site performance. These cookies are not used in a way that constitutes a “sale” of your data under the CCPA. You can set your browser to block or alert you about these cookies, but some parts of the site will not work as intended if you do so. You can usually find these settings in the Options or Preferences menu of your browser. Visit www.allaboutcookies.org to learn more.

Performance Cookies

We do not allow you to opt-out of our certain cookies, as they are necessary to ensure the proper functioning of our website (such as prompting our cookie banner and remembering your privacy choices) and/or to monitor site performance. These cookies are not used in a way that constitutes a “sale” of your data under the CCPA. You can set your browser to block or alert you about these cookies, but some parts of the site will not work as intended if you do so. You can usually find these settings in the Options or Preferences menu of your browser. Visit www.allaboutcookies.org to learn more.

Sale of Personal Data

We also use cookies to personalize your experience on our websites, including by determining the most relevant content and advertisements to show you, and to monitor site traffic and performance, so that we may improve our websites and your experience. You may opt out of our use of such cookies (and the associated “sale” of your Personal Information) by using this toggle switch. You will still see some advertising, regardless of your selection. Because we do not track you across different devices, browsers and GEMG properties, your selection will take effect only on this browser, this device and this website.

Social Media Cookies

We also use cookies to personalize your experience on our websites, including by determining the most relevant content and advertisements to show you, and to monitor site traffic and performance, so that we may improve our websites and your experience. You may opt out of our use of such cookies (and the associated “sale” of your Personal Information) by using this toggle switch. You will still see some advertising, regardless of your selection. Because we do not track you across different devices, browsers and GEMG properties, your selection will take effect only on this browser, this device and this website.

Targeting Cookies

We also use cookies to personalize your experience on our websites, including by determining the most relevant content and advertisements to show you, and to monitor site traffic and performance, so that we may improve our websites and your experience. You may opt out of our use of such cookies (and the associated “sale” of your Personal Information) by using this toggle switch. You will still see some advertising, regardless of your selection. Because we do not track you across different devices, browsers and GEMG properties, your selection will take effect only on this browser, this device and this website.