Information Services Division

Information Services Division Organizational Chart PDF

The Information Services (IS) Division at the Office of Court Administration (OCA), with the guidance of the Judicial Committee on Information Technology (JCIT), strives to improve the use of technology in the Texas judicial system. The IS Division monitors and evaluates emerging information technologies and systems; develops technology standards for use by the judiciary; assists trial courts in the implementation of technology tools; provides network, email, and desktop support to the appellate courts and judicial agencies; and develops and maintains selected application systems used by the judiciary.

The Information Services Division Service Desk is the primary source of general information about OCA technology programs and services. The Service Desk provides telephone and on-site support and education through information, technical assistance, documentation and training to promote knowledge and the use of technology to the OCA and its external customers. Email the Service Desk: service.desk@txcourts.gov

OCA Information Technology Projects

TexFile – OCA Information Services is working with the vendor to configure TexFile for production use in the summer of 2013. TexFile replaces the current Texas.gov eFiling system. By using the Electronic Case File (ECF) standard, TexFile will enable any Electronic Filing Service Provider (EFSP) or Case Management System (CMS) to integrate, providing a streamlined document flow from the filer to the court.

Custom Software – OCA also provides custom software applications for specific court purposes. The following projects are currently in production and fully supported by OCA Information Services.

Texas Appeals Management and Efiling System (TAMES) - 2011
TAMES is the current appellate case management system in Texas. It allows for the receipt of all documents electronically from attorneys, district and county clerks, and court reporters. Once the case has been set for submission, Judges and staff attorneys can also draft, circulate and vote on opinions in a secure electronic environment. TAMES also provides web capabilities to the appellate courts, allowing them to post as much (or as little) information about cases as the court desires.

Child Support Case Management System (CSCMS) – 2011
CSCMS is a web-based case management system in use by OCA’s IV-D courts. Since these courts are spread all across the state, OCA houses the system in a central Austin location and each court communicates back via the web.

Court Activity Reporting and Directory System (CARD) – 2010
CARD is the current judicial information data collection system. Each month, every court in Texas is required to report their monthly activity in accordance with requirements from the Texas Judicial Council. CARD allows courts to submit information via a series of web screens or by submitting a XML file.

Child Protection Case Management System (CPCMS) – 2008
CPCMS is used by OCA’s 17 child protection courts serving most of the state. This system is also web-based because of the amount of travelling that the Judges and Court Coordinators are required to do in order to effectively do their jobs.

Court Improvement Program – Information Services also hosts the Court Improvement Program technology staff. The group has several technology projects that are directed by the Supreme Court’s Children’s Commission.

Video Conferencing
CIP Tech staff are working with residential treatment centers (RTCs) and courts across Texas to connect them via a common video conference link. This communication link saves the RTCs costs in transporting children to court hearings, and allows children to attend court hearings they would otherwise be unable to attend.

CPCMS Updates
As the CPCMS product matures, additional features and improvements are identified. The CIP Tech team works to implement the identified improvements as prioritized by the child protection advisory committee and the children’s commission.