The Challenge
The Ontario Ministry of Community and Social Services (MCSS) required a system to track applications for support and assistance from individuals and families seeking support from development services programs. The province had developed a common application process and needed an information system that would scale to support agencies serving families living in different regions of Ontario. They needed a common system to capture current and needed supports, including assessment data from the Support Intensity Scale (SIS), contact notes, and other application information. The challenge was to implement a full, web-based application data management system that gave agencies the flexibility to modify forms while meeting stringent Canadian scalability and security requirements.
The Solution
A.J. Boggs teamed with the American Association on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (AAIDD), the publisher of the SIS assessment instrument, and the Digital Fortress of London, Ontario to develop the Developmental Services Information System (dSIS) in a pilot project with the Community Services Coordination Network (CSCN), a London, Ontario not-for-profit organization funded by the MCSS. dSIS is a web-based application solution that is integrated with the SISOnline. It also has a tablet PC version (dSIS Mobile) that supports data management when in the field, away from Internet connectivity. The system was developed using the Microsoft .NET framework and the SQL Server database system. A.J. Boggs enhanced the AAIDD’s SISOnline Venture solution to provide a dSIS Mobile product, based upon Microsoft’s Tablet PC technology. The tablet solution integrated with the website so that consultants could meet with individuals and families in the field, to gather information offline (using common data forms), and later upload the data to synchronize it with the central dSIS database. The systems were carefully reviewed and tested to ensure compliance with security and accessibility requirements.
The Results
The dSIS improved the management of data for CSCN, both offline and via the web. dSIS received the approvals necessary to host the service in Ontario. The project team met its other program performance criteria and delivery objectives, including staff satisfaction and organizational effectiveness within the planned schedule and budget.