Information and Communications Technology (ICT)

The Information and Communications Technology Department reports to the Head of Finance and is accountable for the support and maintenance of all computer applications and systems, hardware and software that are used throughout the Council.

The ICT Department is divided into 5 Sections as follows:

• Internet/Intranet Department
• Technical Services
• Departmental Systems Unit, (In-house development).
• Financial Management Systems Development
• Geographic Information Systems

Internet/Intranet Development

The Internet/Intranet section is involved in the ongoing development of the Wexford local authorities’ websites internal and external.  Work completed in this section can be identified under various heading including
Content Management System (CMS)
Excellence through Accessibility (EtA)
The Internet/Intranet section continue to participate in the EtA project.  The New Ross Library was awarded the highest level of achievement, reaching the “Excellence” level.
Online Payments and Application
Awards and Recognition
The Council website, www.wexford.ie, received the award for “Best Use of External Communications” for the Local Authority Members Association (LAMA) awards 2009.

Technical Services

Under this heading the work of the ICT department is concentrated on areas of network development customer services and disaster recovery planning and is aided by projects such as

• New Disaster Recovery Site
• Wide Area Network Expansion
• Helpdesk Software
• File Storage
• Wexford WIFI (Wireless Network)

Departmental Systems Unit (in-house development)

The Departmental Systems Unit provides technical and end-user support for a range of software systems which are in daily use in all of the Wexford Local Authorities.  The software systems provided by external suppliers include APAS (planning application information), HOME (housing application information) and SoftCo R7 (document management).  A wide range of software applications developed in-house using Microsoft Access, ASP, ASP.NET and SQL Server also require ongoing support, enhancement or replacement.  Other systems supported and developed by this section of the ICT department include

• Document Management System (Planning Applications)
• HOME System (Housing Applications)
• APAS System (Planning Applications)
• The APAS system is used in the Planning Section to manage information on planning applications, objections, bonds, contributions and planning enforcement cases. 
• In-house Systems (Database Applications)
• Over forty multi-user database applications were developed in-house and are still in use in Wexford County Council. 

Financial Management Systems (FMS) Development

The Financial Management system (FMS) within Wexford local authorities, Integra, is managed jointly by the ICT Department and the FMS team within the Finance Department.
Wexford County Council asks as the host of a centrally managed system integrating the financial systems of the three major urban authorities within the county, Wexford Borough Council, Enniscorthy Town Council and New Ross Town Council.
Ongoing work under this heading includes

• Upgrades/Enhancements to Financial Applications such as:
• Payroll System
• Refuse System
• Credit Control/Mobile Credit Control Systems

To manage the County-wide consolidation of debt management, with the amalgamation of all debtor accounts in the County, including urban accounts, and the division of these accounts into ten Credit Control areas.
and New Developments which include

• Housing Systems
• Modules for Loans Payable, Rental Accommodation Scheme (RAS) and Housing Grants.

Holmestown Waste Management Facility – FMS Integration
Following the installation of a landfill management system, GeneSys, at the Holmestown Landfill Site, a landfill integration sub-system was developed and implemented.  The system automatically exchanges data between GeneSys and Integra, keeping financial information in both systems synchronised.  Customers prepay for usage of the site via the Integra CMS receipts system, and the credit is posted to their GeneSys account.  Invoices generated at the landfill site by the GeneSys system are automatically exported to the Integra debtor account.

Workflow – Online Travel Expenses System
An integrated employee expenses system, uses Integra Workflow, with web-based application and e-mail authorisation, and integrates with the Integra purchase ledger system.
Water Capital Expenditure – Online Project Control System
A system to extract water capital expenditure data for integration with the national PCS system. The system allows recoupment claims to be compiled online, accessing expenditure transactions up to previous day, and features project management tools to allow scoping and tracking of projects.

ICT Deskription

Information and communications technology or information and communication technology (ICT), is often used as an extended synonym for information Tecology (IT), but is a more specific term that stresses the role of unified communications and the integration of telecomunication(telephone lines and wireless signals), computers as well as necessary enterprise software, middleware, storage, and audio-visual systems, which enable users to access, store, transmit, and manipulate information.

The phrase ICT had been used by academic researchers since the 1980s, but it became popular after it was used in a report to the UK government by Dennis Stevenson in 1997 and in the revised National Curriculum for England, Wales and Northern Ireland in 2000.

The term ICT is now also used to refer to the convergence of audio-visual and telephone networks with computer networks through a single cabling or link system. There are large economic incentives (huge cost savings due to elimination of the telephone network) to merge the audio-visual, building management and telephone network with the computer network system using a single unified system of cabling, signal distribution and management.