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Department of Neighborhood Empowerment
DONE Newsletters 2007
February 15, 2007
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To:
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Neighborhood
Council Leaders |
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From:
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Lisa Sarno, Interim General Manager
....Department of Neighborhood Empowerment (DONE)
Ken Simmons, Interim General Manager
....Information Technology Agency (ITA) |
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E-mail:
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done@lacity.org |
Re:
Internet Video-On-Demand Pilot Project Participation - Lottery Drawing for Neighborhood Council Meeting
The City of Los Angeles (City) will be launching Internet video-on-demand access from lacity.org for City Council meetings and Cityview Channel 35 programming content. In addition, the Department of Neighborhood Empowerment in partnership with the Information Technology Agency will soon begin a pilot (demonstration) project to evaluate the concept of Internet video-on-demand access to taped Neighborhood Council meetings. Interested Neighborhood Councils (NC) are invited to apply for participation in a lottery drawing event, which will take place on Saturday April 21, 2007, during the upcoming Congress of Neighborhoods event.
The number of NC’s participating in this pilot project will be limited to three (3). The project’s evaluation period will be 6 months, with a proposed start date of July 1, 2007. Selected NC’s are expected to pay approximately $9,000 for a one year outsourced web publishing service including video camera and audio equipment , using their Fiscal Year 2007-08 budget for Outreach. Selected NC’s will assist the City in evaluating community interest in using this service, developing well-defined requirements, roles and responsibilities, and procedures necessary for launching this service Citywide.
NC’s that are interested in participating in this pilot project can contact Brandi Martinez at the Department of Neighborhood Empowerment before March 31, 2007, to register for the lottery. Ms. Martinez can be reached at (213) 485-1360 or via email at
Brandi.Martinez@lacity.org. Additional questions regarding this project can also be directed to Ms. Martinez.
We encourage NC’s to sign up for the drawing and take advantage of this exciting opportunity. This pilot project promotes everyone’s goal of involving the greatest number of residents in the development of City policies and budgetary priorities through use of Internet technology.
City of Los Angeles Neighborhood Council Meeting
Internet Video-On-Demand Pilot Project
Pilot Project Description In an effort to improve communications between Neighborhood Councils (NC) and residents and pursuant to Los Angeles City Council Motion (Hahn/Garcetti 05-1922), the City of Los Angeles is planning to launch a pilot (demonstrational) Internet Video-On-Demand project. This program will allow up to three (3) participating NC’s to record and publish up to 12 of their meetings (one meeting per month) on the web for the public to view archived videos of those meetings via the Internet.
Goals of this pilot program are to:
• Evaluate community interest in using this service and usage level
• Evaluate the proposed technical solution
• Define technical standards
• Understand the level of support required to sustain the service (staffing resources)
• Clarify roles & responsibilities
• Establish procedures and processes for a self-service & sustainable operation |
The proposed process would include each NC being responsible for recording their meetings, using a high quality consumer grade video camera, sending their recorded media, via U.S. mail, to a designated address for encoding and publishing on the web. A seven (7) day turn around time can be expected from the day the recording is received until the time it is published on the web.
The City’s existing contract(s) can be leveraged to provide Neighborhood Councils with support services necessary to develop and maintain a web-based video archive of NC meetings.
Roles & Responsibilities
As part of this pilot project, the City will:
• Identify technology solutions and establish Citywide contract(s) for Web hosting and Video-on-Demand service,
• Lead and manage the project plan, help coordinate the pilot phase and assist with administrative processes, and
• Coordinate the evaluation and acceptance of the concept. |
The NC’s selected to participate in the pilot program will be responsible to:
• Provide the start up cost associated with the program, which can come from the NC’s budget itemized for Outreach,
• Drive and lead the project in their community,
• Promote the service locally,
• Produce appropriate content on their web sites,
• Video tape meetings,
• Send recording of meetings to a designated address,
• Assist in drafting and adopting standard procedures and policies related to this new service and applicable to NC using the service,
• Help test and recommend equipment (cameras, microphones, etc.), and
• Help identify and assign staffing resources necessary to support and sustain the operation. |
Estimated Pilot Program Cost for Each Neighborhood Council
• Video Equipment to Record Meetings (cameras, microphones, etc.)
• Outsourced Tape Encoding and Web Publishing ($250/ meeting X 12 meetings/ year)
• Software and Setup for Video-on-Demand
• Annual Subscription/Maintenance for Video-on-Demand
• Estimated U.S. Postal Service Fees
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Pilot Phase Total Cost per Neighborhood Council: |
$ 3,000
3,000
1,400
1,400
200
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$ 9,000
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Once the three participating NC’s are selected, the project team, lead by City project manager, will meet with the representatives of each NC to assist with the details and coordinate all activities related to the pilot project. This would include any training necessary for the NC’s.
The recommended duration of the pilot project is 6 months. Services, however, would be established for one-year (12 months) with a proposed start date of July 1, 2007. Following the 6-month evaluation period, the project team will look at expanding this service City-wide to interested NC’s.
KS:LWS/ap:ma
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Lisa Sarno, Interim General Manager
done@lacity.org
Department of Neighborhood Empowerment
334-B E. 2nd Street
Los Angeles, CA 90012
866 / LA HELPS
213 / 485-1360
213 / 485-4608 fax
done@mailbox.lacity.org
email
www.lacityneighborhoods.com
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