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funded agencies should ideally make their data available in a standard format, for inclusion in the Flood DSS. Or, at a minimum, some level of data consistency should occur, to allow the Flood DSS to direct users to a county or municipal web site. For counties and municipalities without sufficient resources, the Flood DSS standards should be defined and applied consistently, to provide users with consistent data across political boundaries. Regardless of approach, effort to define standards and procedures should occur with the Flood DSS effort. The initial effort may be to coordinate standards development, perhaps initially as part of data inventory efforts, with follow -up via appropriate meetings or correspondence with agencies such as the CASFM and the State GIS Coordinator. An attainable goal may be to use the Flood DSS effort to standardize metadata and data processes, which will then allow for more rigorous inter- agency standards to be developed in future years. 3.3 Software /System Recommendations for Full -Scale Flood DSS The following recommendations are related to the full Flood DSS software /system, involving additional software development and /or system integration. Additional evaluation performed below should consider the results of the User Needs Assessment described in Section 3.1. 3.3.1 Evaluate Alternative Technologies for Flood DSS The Flood DSS prototype utilizes ESRI's ArcIMS software, which is mature but also has known limitations. ESRI also phases out older products over time as new products are released. An evaluation of user needs, CWCB IT plans, and ESRI support may identify cases where existing ArcIMS technology cannot meet requirements. Consequently, an evaluation of alternative technologies may be appropriate, before a full -scale Flood DSS is implemented. ESRI's next generation of map server software is the Server product. ArcServer allows additional customization of features and allows software modules to be reused among various ESRI products. For example, a tool to process SNODAS data could be utilized similarly in desktop GIS and in the ArcServer web application. Based on recent information from ESRI, it is likely that ESRI will be encouraging existing ArcIMS users to convert to ArcServer in the near future. 3.3.2 Content Manager Replacement The CWCB currently uses IBM's Content Manager software to manage and view scanned documents. However, Content Manager is being replaced by a new product, which has different functionality. Consequently, the features implemented for the prototype Flood DSS will need to be upgraded to integrate with the new document system. It is recommended that the requirements of the Flood DSS be considered when implementing the new system. The effort to utilize the new system cannot be fully estimated at this time until more is known about the CWCB's implementation of this new system. 3.3.3 Automate Flood Outlook, SNODAS, and SNOTEL Data Processing and Management The prototype Flood DSS includes snapshots of the HDR flood outlook products, SNODAS gridded data (Snow Water Equivalent), and SNOTEL site data. Providing a statewide clearinghouse for these data to be provided in a timely fashion will require enhancement to automatically download, process, and manage data from the original sources, and provide as layers in the Flood DSS Map Viewer. An evaluation of user needs should occur to determine the number of days of products to display, and the data types and statistics utilized in displays (e.g., whether a layer for "change in SWE" is made available). Some level of quality control is likely also needed to verify the reliability of data products. However, since the original providers of the data are presumably performing review and validation before publishing the data, a totally automated solution may be appropriate. The procedures to process the data should be documented to allow for additional enhancements and maintenance of the system. 11