Free portal-building resources for agencies

• By Susan M. Menke
• Dec 19, 2003

The Center for Technology in Government at the University of Albany, N.Y., has built an online workbench for portal or clearinghouse design collaboration.

'Creating an access program depends on project managers who are skilled at cultivating individual commitment and on participants who have a stake in the outcome,' lead author and center deputy director Theresa Pardo said.

The Opening Gateways Guide and Online Workbench walk agency collaborators through tasks such as:

Building a group and identifying a leader

Assigning tasks with fill-in online worksheets

Deciding how information will reach the repository, whether metadata will be present, how long data should remain available, and what laws or regulations apply

Setting costs and IT products needed.

The site shows worksheets for three actual data repositories built by agencies in New York state for geospatial information, homelessness and children's status.