Information Insights is working with staff of the McDowell Group to design and implement a public input process to inform communities and other stakeholders about the Alaska Marine Highway System Analysis project and to solicit public input on service option alternatives for analysis. Public outreach initiatives include regional presentations to stakeholder groups, special presentations to the Marine Transportation Advisory Board (MTAB), a household survey, and public comment website.
In 2004, the Alaska Mental Health Board contracted with Information Insights to conduct a statewide planning and implementation project which included providing technical assistance to communities interested in doing community-wide planning for the coordination of behavioral health services. Information Insights provided assistance to 17 communities, involving consumers, behavioral health providers, representatives of the Office of Children’s Services (OCS), Corrections, primary care, and other key community stakeholders. Project updates and findings were presented to the statewide behavioral health provider organization and the COSIG project steering committee (twice for each group). Oral presentation of project results was not accompanied by an electronic presentation.
This 2002 project provided research support and process facilitation for the development of proposed regulations to implement Alaska’s new commercial passenger vessel program for vessel waste handling and wastewater discharges into marine waters of the State of Alaska. The goals of this process were to achieve consensus among members of the Commercial Passenger Vessel Environmental Compliance (CPVEC) Committee on the regulatory language, to submit their recommendations to the department, and to identify outstanding issues where consensus was not achieved. This was the first negotiated regulation making completed under AS 44.62.710 – 44.62.800.
Between June 2002 and May 2005, Information Insights served as meeting planner and facilitator for a series of convocations that brought together the tribal Chiefs, Elders, often a youth representative, the Tribal Administrator, and senior staff of Tanana Chiefs Conference. The role of Information Insights included facilitating joint decision-making with the rest of the steering committee to determine when the invitations would be issued to the Tribes, how many people would attend, times and locations of events, refreshments, speakers, entertainment, structure of each day and desired results. Our staff then facilitated the two- and three-day conferences, provided meeting supplies, transcribed easel notes from breakout sessions, and produced reports.
In 2006 Information Insights collaborated with Macleod Institute, HDR Engineering and other partners on a Strategic Environmental Assessment for an Alaska Canada Rail Link. Information Insights assessed the social and economic impacts of linking Alaska’s rail system to existing railroads in Canada and the U.S. The assessment forms part of an initial scoping of issues that need to be understood by policy-makers and affected communities before deciding whether to move forward on the proposed Alaska-Canada Rail Link.
As a subcontractor for Lockheed Martin to the Alaska Department of Military and Veterans Affairs in 2005, Information Insights provided data collection and documentation of current emergency communications systems in Alaska, followed by analysis and recommendations based on findings for actions that should be taken by the State of Alaska. Information Insights is again being contracted for implementation work in 2006.
This 2004 project assisted the borough in a comprehensive study of borough service delivery. Information Insights presented study results in every community of the North Slope Borough, accompanied by Borough Mayor George Ahmaogak.
This 2004 study conducted on behalf of the Municipal Advisory Group to the Alaska Department of Revenue used public and confidential proprietary industry data to determine the impact of proposed gas pipeline construction on Alaska municipal revenues and expenditures. This project required gathering and synthesizing a wide variety of information and data from many sources and developing a comprehensible report for municipalities to inform their policy decisions and recommendations to the state. It is available online at: www.magalaska.com/pdf/Municipal_Impact_Analysis-Producers_Application-corrected.pdf