The Confederated Tribes purchased their first computer in 1971, and have continued to emphasize the effective use of technology. Today, there are three basic platforms or groups of computer technology being utilized. They are the central computer, microcomputers, and networks. The applications running on these platforms are predominantly business applications. There are also several computing centers with scientific and engineering applications. They include construction, water quality (Water Master), computer-aided design (Project Engineer), and geographic information systems (GIS).

Central Computer Facility

The central computer is a Hewlett-Packard 3000/957 with 104 terminals and microcomputers directly connected to it. Up to 9 remote dial-in lines are also used. To reduce costs, a project is underway to phase out the central computer and move its applications into a network environment. Applications which now run on the central computer are a combination of in-house developed systems and purchased packages. They include the purchased Financial Management System (FMS) consisting of General Ledger, Budgeting, Purchasing, Accounts Payable and Accounts Receivable. The Vital Statistics system was developed by the Tribal Office of Information Systems (OIS) to meet the special requirements for Tribal member enrollments, per capita payments, bonus payments, pension payment, and family histories. The loan administration system, also developed by OIS, is used to process personal, automobile, and home loans.

Microcomputers

In 1989, the Office of Information Systems was already servicing more than 50 microcomputers in the Tribal government. With the growing need for PC training, OIS set up the Computer Learning center to provide in-house training to Tribal employees and members of the community. Today, the Tribal government has over 480 microcomputers. Approximately 90% of these are Dell OptiPlex GX1 PCs. By standardizing on a single brand name, the Tribes have been able to keep maintenance and replacement costs down.

Networks (LAN & WAN)

A majority of the Tribal and BIA (Bureau of Indian Affairs) microcomputers are connected into Local Area Networks (LAN). The Tribes have standardized on Novell as the primary network operating system with Microsoft Windows NT being used for our application servers. Of the eight networks in the Tribal organization, five are connected through frame relay and DSL circuits utilizing Cisco routers to form the Tribal Wide Area Network (WAN). The GroupWise application provides e-mail, calendar / scheduling, and document sharing to all WAN connections. As a result, many Tribal and BIA employees are able to communicate and work together more effectively.

Geographic Information System (GIS)

In 1991, the Office of Information Systems assisted the Natural Resources branch of the Tribal in setting up a GIS Center. This system uses ArcInfo from ESRI to build and maintain a database of maps and information pertaining to locations. It is a very important tool in management of natural resource areas like agriculture, land use, forestry, fish and game.