Technology Committee

From PCSAR

Revision as of 03:23, 23 April 2016

This is a committee that has not yet been formally charted by the Board. It is currently discussing what it will look like.

Members

• Brett Wuth (Chair)
• Matt Lynch
• Pat Neumann

Mandate

• chartered at 2016-03-01 board meeting

Meetings

• 2016: 04-22

Discussion

The committee members have agreed to take on a technical role in PCSAR.

We don't want to create extra work for us, so we're proposing that we only rarely meet as committee, instead we use technology for our advantage. Email, SMS and the wiki. Or other means if you can recommend them.

As PCSAR is increasing its use of technology, it needs people like us to recommend a path forward and to support that technology when others can't.

One of our strategies should be to set up technology in such a way that non-technical members can use it without requiring much of our time. This should be especially true during searches, when we're all likely to be tied up elsewhere. We can achieve this through our choice of technology, our design of how its used, simplification procedures, and good documentation.

Areas which we think will fall partially under our area of responsibility:

The server, including

• The wiki and web server
• The membership database stored online
• Mailing lists

D4H (the OFC's on-line record system)

RapidNotify (the call-out system)

Custom mapping

Phone.com (our multifeatured virtual phone system)

Our two regular phone lines (403-627-5804 and 403-627-2262)

inReach (satellite texting and locating service and device)

And possibly, when we look at the merits of future changes, to

• the Sat Phones
• the radios

Most of these are areas where Brett has traditionally been doing work. The intention isn't to dump these things on other people, but rather to make sure they're part of the decision making of where we are going with these and others have the knowledge and access to step in if he's not available.

Issues

• See Suggestions

Immediate

• plan inventory tool
  • select tool: by May 3
  • trial run: firehall cabinet
• hand-off access to server (root)
• moving pcsar server to commercial host
  • not necessarily Canadian host
  • consider whipport.com in Lethbridge
  • upgrade the distribution
  • better DNS
• orientation to RapidNotify
• orientation to Phone.com

Medium Term

• investigate adding LASARA channel to PCSAR radios
• examine whether cheaper phone configurations (627-2262)
• data connectivity at MCP
• computer in MCP
  • dedicated
• email services
  • president@pcsar.ca
  • email portal webmail
  • email archive accessible to members
  • consider google for business
• inReach
  • how to integrate member's inReach devices into search
  • plan increase in number of team inReach devices
  • automating inReach rate changes

Medium Term extending into Long Term

• GPS data integration
  • download data from members GPS's or PCSAR's GPS's
  • load GPS with waypoints, route, base map, or segment area (geofence)
• examine cost of sat phones and alternatives
• custom mapping
  • standard search segments
  • can we use front end tools that don't require much training

Long Term

• Develop plan for provincial digital radio system

Priorities are set by:

1. what offloads work from people that are busy
2. what creates most impact
3. what saves money