Anticipation of PA-SHARE has been building among the staff of the PA State Historic Preservation Office (PA SHPO). We first introduced PA-SHARE to our partners and the public in early 2018.
What is PA-SHARE?
PA-SHARE, or Pennsylvania’s State Historic and Archaeological Resource Exchange, is the PA SHPO’s enterprise-wide, spatially enabled, cultural resource information system, to replace CRGIS and the other independent databases.
PA-SHARE is the culmination of years of extensive research and planning and we are in the final stages of building this new project management tool. Our goal was to transform project planning by putting every tool needed to interact with the PA SHPO in one convenient place.
PA-SHARE is integrating the vast amounts of data that exist in both hard copy and digital formats and will support a revised business process for the effective management of the many programs for which PA SHPO is responsible.
There are four good reasons to make PA-SHARE part of your plans:
- Convenience
- Connections
- Efficiency
- Options
Let me explain…
Convenience
PA-SHARE is an innovative platform designed to streamline every project.
By providing one place to access all PA SHPO data, digitized documents, project communications, and programs – as well as new tools and user dashboards – PA-SHARE can transform project planning.
And bring real time- and cost-saving benefits to developers, consultants, agencies, municipalities, and individuals. Less paperwork means faster processes and shorter review times.
Connections
From the start of development, it has been our goal for PA-SHARE to assist the public, agencies, and our partners achieve preservation outcomes by providing needed data to help make informed decisions. A successful project or preservation effort requires numerous pieces of information.
The PA-SHARE platform unites PA SHPO information and will make it easier for you to monitor project statuses, communications, and track overall progress in real time. PA-SHARE standardizes terminology and alphanumeric identifiers to easily track projects across PA SHPO program areas.
This will streamline consultants’ time and efforts, eliminate lost or missed communications, and provide transparency. PA-SHARE will also help the PA SHPO and our partners more fully achieve proactive historic property identification and documentation goals.
Efficiency
The PA-SHARE platform eliminates the need for paper submissions and responses. The implementation of this new system will result in more efficient internal processes and procedures, improved coordination and communication with all external constituents, and increase accessibility to data.
PA-SHARE’s companion app, Surveyor, will permit users to capture resource surveys in the field –above ground resources, archaeological sites, and proposed historic districts – for enhanced efficiency.
Surveyor is a simple, form-centric, mobile application which can be used by anyone within Pennsylvania to conduct surveys in the field from a variety of hand-held devices (e.g., smartphones, tablets, etc.). All Surveyor data will be stored in a secure, cloud-based environment and will work with a web app where users can review, manage, and edit incoming information. Data will be transmitted directly to PA-SHARE for acceptance into the system.
Future PA-SHARE updates will reveal more about this mobile tool ecosystem native to PA-SHARE.
Options
PA-SHARE will include four levels of access to accommodate user needs for interacting with PA SHPO. Additional functionality will be available for different levels of access.
| GUEST | BASIC | PRO | BUSINESS |
| No login | Account with login required | Account with login required | Account with login required |
| Free access | Free access | Monthly & annual subscriptions | Monthly & annual subscriptions |
| Abbreviated data view | Abbreviated data view | Full data view | Full data view |
| Users can electronically submit projects and resources to PA SHPO | Users can electronically submit projects and resources to PA SHPO | Users can electronically submit projects and resources to PA SHPO | |
| Users will track projects via a system generated link in emailed responses | Users can track submissions, projects, requests, and PA SHPO responses in a dashboard | Up to 5 users within one organization can track projects in an ‘At a Glance’ dashboard | |
| Users will have access to the Surveyor mobile app | Users will have access to the Surveyor mobile app |
Countdown to launch
PA-SHARE is 70% complete. Application development is underway with progress being made in the areas of database design, submission wizards, internal and external user dashboard implementation.
The SHPO has completed requirements analysis, conceptual design prototyping and most of the resource inventory data design work. Development is progressing well on implementation of the user submission forms for Environmental Review, Marker Nominations, Federal Tax Credits and Preservation Success Stories.
The staging environment, beta website and production website have been brought online. Development takes place in an iterative, Agile environment. The SHPO staff reviews progress at the end of three-week sprints, conducts user testing and provides feedback to the developers.
WYNTK: Key Dates
We’ll be sharing more about these important dates in upcoming posts but here are the critical ones you need to know:
Early January 2021:
CRGIS will go “read-only,” meaning you can still use CRGIS but it will no longer be updated. It will remain “read-only” until PA-SHARE goes live.
End January 2021:
PA-SHARE launch to all users and PA-SHARE training opportunities.
We know you’ll have lots of questions!
We need to know what you need to know so we can tailor our communications and training about PA-SHARE to your needs. Please comment on this post with questions, comments, suggestions about PA-SHARE.
The best way to learn more about PA-SHARE and get your questions answered is to sign up to receive updates on PA-SHARE’s development, benefits & uses, and other important information as we countdown to launch.
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