The Advisory Council met on August 3rd to discuss issues about what's new with LOIS. The group reviewed enhancements that have already been made to the system which include:

• Image XML Feature: Realtor groups like Property Drive now have the ability to upload photos using XML technology.
• New Building Link: LOIS recently changed the word "New" to "Add New Property" in the label under the grey Buildings tab in the admin site.
• Sortable Columns - Modified Date: New sortable columns have been added to the building and site hide lists which appear under the User Settings tab.
• Header Suppress Feature: For those of you who would prefer not to display the header in your LOIS profile, a new feature has been added to the admin site, under User Settings, to allow you to suppress the header. This does not affect the header in the printable brochure nor the header within the admin screen.
• Image Order: Images can now be reordered for a property or a community in the admin site.

There are more enhancements scheduled to be completed by the end of this year. They are:

• Modify Date Filter: This feature will group listings by a modified date and notify users by e-mail that those listings will be archived after a certain time period. A 90-day time period was suggested. LOIS is not certain as to which contact will be receiving the e-mail notification.
• Document Center: An area for attachments will be set up in each main admin section, which will allow users to attach certain documents such as PDF's, Excel files and Word documents.
• Google Maps on Advanced Search: Upon performing an Advanced Search, visitors will be able to view a map of any locality, building or site that they are searching for. Work is still pending on this project.
• Map in Image Area: ESRI will be providing a new map option in all sections which will essentially place a map in the 4th image position that would be clickable.
• One Page Quick View Flyers: LOIS hopes to have this feature available soon whereby visitors will be able to generate a flyer when viewing a state, county or metro area.

It is the role of the Advisory Council, which now meets 3 times per year to collectively prioritize the order in which enhancements will be implemented. As always, if you have any questions, concerns or ideas for improving the system, please feel free to contact me.

LOIS will be accepting this summer's suggestions for enhancements at the next meeting in November.

BlueOcean Consulting presented a new product to the LOIS Advisory Council called EcoDev Tracker. This new Economic Development Project Tracking tool is a web-based system designed for the collection, tracking and reporting of community economic development project activity.

The system allows economic development organizations to keep project information up-to-date. Flexible reports can be generated at anytime and in real-time so you consistently get the most recent information. You can import buildings and sites from LOIS into EcoDev to aid in referral notifications.

Prices range from $6,000 for the basic package to $20,000 for the more robust and sophisticated package. Levels of customization determine exact price. Refer to the brochure below for more details about this system and for contact information.

Forward Wisconsin would like to welcome one of its newest LOIS administrators, Waupaca. Located just northwest of Appleton, it is home to nearly 5,800 people.

Nearby Waupaca, is the famous Chain of Lakes, which consists of 22 beautiful spring fed lakes. Click on the link below to find out more about what Waupaca has to offer.

This years marks the official celebration of Franklin's 50th Anniversary! To honor the event, FRANKLIN FAMILY DAY will be held at the Milwaukee County Sports Complex on Saturday, August 19th.

The Village of Bellevue is located in Brown County, just outside of Green Bay. It was a town and a census-designated place until it incorporated as a village on February 14, 2003. For official information about Bellevue, click on the link below.

Occasionally, the photos on Forward Wisconsin's home page change. If you would like us to include a famous landmark photo from your area, please e-mail a copy to Sharon at sseffrood@commerce.state.wi.us.