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Community Development: LocationOne&

Administration Site FAQ

The LocationOne& Information System (LOIS) administration site is where you enter and maintain your data. Users are assigned a username and password to access the administration site. Download a printer-friendly version of this FAQ [PDF format - 2 pages, 123KB] Download the LocationOne Training Manual [PDF format - 53 pages, 3.65MB] Who is responsible for entering state, county and metro data? As a subscriber, Alliant Energy is responsible for populating these sections. Alliant Energy has purchased the data for Minnesota and Wisconsin from the Institute for Decision Making and it will be added to the system shortly. It is the responsibility of each community to complete and maintain the building, site and locality sections.

How do I access the administration site?

Open your browser (i.e. Internet Explorer, Netscape Navigator, etc.) and type in www.locationone.com/lois/adminindex.html in the address bar.

We have established a regional organization. Can we use LOIS on a regional level to promote the buildings, sites and localities in the region?

Yes. Each community in the region would still maintain their individual profile and a new, separate user profile can be created for the region.

This will enable each community in the region to maintain and promote their own buildings, sites and locality on their individual Web site without promoting the entire region.

It also allows the region to promote itself either through a separate Web site and/or by a link on an individual community's Web site to the regional profile.

How do I add/delete a locality?

The LOIS Administrator is the only user authorized to add or delete a locality. Contact Shelly Turner for this request.

Can I add images?

At this time, the LOIS Administrator is the only user authorized to add images. Images should be submitted to Shelly Turner .

What format and size should the images be?

Images can either be submitted electronically as a .jpg file or an actual photo can be mailed (and will be returned upon request).

When possible, use a high resolution (i.e. 300-600 “dpi”) when submitting electronic images. If you are not using a digital camera, it is recommended that you use a 35mm camera (not disposable).

The large image will be sized by the LOIS administrator; the thumbnail image should be resized to 150 x 113 “pixels” using your photo editing software.

If you are uncertain how to resize photos, you may either contact Julie Ruehle for assistance or send them to her directly and she will resize them for you.

DPI: dots per inch. A measure of print and screen resolution.

Pixel: A pixel is one “dot” on your monitor. It's the smallest point of light your monitor is capable of displaying. The exact size depends upon your monitor's resolution, which in turn depends upon the video drivers in your computer.

Why am I getting an error message that says “This field requires a number (no commas)”?

One of the numeric fields in the page you are working in either has nothing entered in it or has a comma. When you click on OK, the error message will disappear and the cursor will be blinking in the field that is causing the problem.

On some pages, there is more than one numeric field, so the same error message may pop up again upon clicking on the Submit button and the cursor may be blinking in another field. All numeric fields require a number (0 is acceptable).

What is the significance of the fields that are red or have an asterisk?

Fields in red are searchable; fields with an asterisk behind them are required fields. To avoid being eliminated from a search, we recommend that all search fields be completed.

What are the printable flyer fields?

To keep the printable flyer a manageable size, printable flyer fields were created that have a limitation on the number of characters they will accept.

In order for the information to appear on the Printable Flyer, you must enter data in those fields. For example, see the Locality Overview page: there is a field called Business Climate and a field called Printable Flyer Business Climate.

What is the difference between archiving, deleting and hiding a record?

• Archiving a record will make the property inactive. For example, if a building has been sold, occupied or taken off the market, the record should be archived. If the property should become available again, it can simply be re-activated instead of having to re-enter all of the information.
• Deleting a record will remove it permanently from the database and it will no longer be available to any user. For example, if you have a duplicate record, you would delete the duplicate entry. There are very few instances when a record should be deleted.
• Hiding a record causes it to no longer be displayed on the presentation site for that user only. For example, a county development organization may have a locality that is located in multiple counties. If the county doesn't want to show properties in the locality that lie in another county, they would hide the record, causing it not to display on their Web site, but still allowing other users (i.e. locality, state, utilities) to display it on their Web site.

We have a labor study available. Do I need to type all of this information into LOIS?

You can upload Microsoft Word or Adobe PDF files on the Labor Force page (in the Localities section) to display your labor force data or you can link to that information if it is located elsewhere on the Web.

To do this, click on New Labor Force Report. Complete the fields called Title to be displayed for this link and brief description of this document.

To upload a Word or PDF file:

• Click on the button that says Upload and link to a document on the LocationOne server in the Document Location field.
• In the Upload file field, click on the Browse button and find and choose the file on your computer. The file size limit is 3 MB.
• Click on the Insert button. For uploaded files, the document will be available to the public on the LOIS presentation site within 24 hours after completing the insert.

To link to the information somewhere else on the Web:

• Click on the button that says Link to document outside of LocationOne system in the Document Location field.
• In the Link Address field, insert the “URL” of the Web site where the information is located.
• Click on the Insert button.

URL: Universal Resource Locator. Address used to get a page on the World Wide Web.

Can I customize LOIS with my logo and contact information?

Yes, this is done in the Profiles section. You can add text and your logo on the Overview page (logos must be sent to Shelly Turner ).

Information on the Overview page will be the header on each page. The footer on each page will be your contact information, which should be entered on the Contact Information page. The header and footer that are displayed are driven by the Web site used to access the information.

For example, if the visitor goes through Alliant Energy's Web site to view a property in Janesville, Alliant Energy's information will appear; if the visitor goes through Janesville's Web site, Janesville's information will appear.

It is important that you complete the Contact Information page. In the future, this information will likely be used to notify you of any LOIS updates.

How do I submit suggestions for improvements or modifications to LOIS?

Alliant Energy is on a LOIS advisory group that meets quarterly. Contact Shelly Turner with your suggestions.