TIIMS is being developed in phases through the collaborative efforts of the TIIMS Partners, technical consulting resources, and with continued input from Basin stakeholders.  There are four primary phases of development: 

• Requirements and Planning (Phase I);
• Pilot (Phase II);
• Production (Phase III); and
• Operations and Maintenance (Phase IV).

Requirements and Planning (Phase I)

Phase I involved completing an extensive Requirements Analysis which identified information resources, information needs, information management systems and the desired functionality of TIIMS.  Approximately 25 federal, state, local, academic and non-profit agencies and organizations participated in this effort and over 140 people were consulted.  This phase included extensive outreach activities to enlist participation and garner support for the project. 

Pilot (Phase II)

During Phase II, the pilot or prototype version of TIIMS was developed and released in December 2003 for comment.  The prototype incorporates priority functions and information/data resources identified in the Requirements Analysis.  This phase included public outreach activities to advertise the site, garner more support and gather feedback about the TIIMS prototype. 

Production (Phase III)

The Production Phase (Phase III) is slated to start in October 2006 and finish in December 2008.  During this phase, the Prototype will be expanded into a fully operational system.  During this phase, the system will migrate towards a more distributed design.

Operations and Maintenance (Phase IV)

The fourth and final phase of production involves operations and maintenance during which two major components will be implemented:  program management and operational support.  This phase will begin at the end of the Production Phase and will continue for the life of the system.