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Birmingham, AL Adds Integrated Vote Management and Streaming Media for Public Meetings

The City of Birmingham, Alabama launched its new integrated vote management and audio/video streaming media system for public meetings. The system is specifically designed to help Birmingham engage and inform its communities by providing citizens with greater access to a unified, completely integrated public record. Birmingham is the first city in Alabama to install this type of solution, according to a release from Granicus. Birmingham is now able to provide its constituents and staff with a comprehensive public record comprised of real-time voice, video and public documents all synchronized, archived, keyword searchable and made available live and on-demand over the Web.

Birmingham City Council now will be able to make council meetings available live and on-demand over the Internet with audio/video streaming. Beyond enhancing access with streaming media, a voting system called Granicus VoteCast is built into the streaming platform. This enables the streaming video to be indexed in real-time against the legislative process itself.

Details Here: www.govtech.com/gt/articles/265264?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=link

first published week of:   02/25/2008

Board OKs participation in county's GIS program

Napoleon Township Board members have resolved cost-benefit concerns over participation in Jackson County’s geographic information system, or GIS.

On a recommendation by Trustee Dan Wymer, the board Tuesday approved Napoleon’s participation in the GIS program, agreeing to spend no more than $12,066 in 2008, and with anticipated expenses of $8,125 in 2009 and $5,000 in 2010.

Napoleon weighed benefits of the program two years ago and decided against it. Last December the board was more impressed after a presentation by Scott Ambs, the county’s GIS coordinator. He displayed layered maps and other features of the computerized program.

Details Here: www.mlive.com/news/citpat/index.ssf?/base/news-24/1203159913177601.xml&coll=3

first published week of:   02/18/2008

California Launches the Nation’s First Statewide Green Buildings Database

The California Department of General Services today announced it has developed the nation’s first statewide online database, www.applications.dgs.ca.gov/dgs/GreenBuildings, of “green” buildings that employs Geographic Information Systems mapping technology.

“By using readily-available GIS mapping tools, we have created an easy-to-use online gateway to California’s most energy-efficient and environmentally-friendly buildings,” said DGS Director Will Bush. “The map highlights state-owned facilities that are meeting Governor Schwarzenegger’s goal to build and operate buildings that save energy, conserve natural resources and decrease their carbon footprint, while furthering our goals to make state government open and accessible.”

Commercial buildings use 36 percent of the state’s electricity and account for a large percentage of greenhouse gas emissions, raw materials use and waste.

The state’s online green building portfolio is an example of the governor’s vision for California’s future, and the role that technology and government can play in meeting the challenges that lie ahead.

“Governor Schwarzenegger has made the use of GIS technology a priority, recognizing the tremendous potential it has to serve Californians,” said Teri Takai, Chief Information Officer for the State of California. “This new site is a terrific application that will help carryout the Governor’s environmental goals, while at the same time providing a great way to keep up with the progress on this significant effort.”

The online map will enable the public to track progress made toward achieving the energy and environmental goals of the governor’s green building executive order (S-20-04).

Details Here: www.businesswire.com/portal/site/google/?ndmViewId=news_view&newsId=20080604006099&newsLang=en

first published week of:   06/09/2008

Chicago Fusion Center Gives Police New Criminal Investigation Tools

In a windowless room with walls dotted by TV screens and large computer monitors, a detective replays the sound of gunshots. It has been automatically detected and recorded miles away by a new gunfire detection system, one of many features available to Chicago’s new Crime Prevention Information Center (CPIC). The gunshot detection system recognizes and tapes the sound of gunfire in the city’s hot crime zones, and immediately alerts the center’s staff, providing a street address through triangulation so police officers can investigate.

Details Here: www.govtech.com/gt/articles/261463?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=link

first published week of:   03/10/2008

China now #1 in executions, population... and web surfing!

The United States is no longer #1 when it comes to warm bodies surfing the Internet. According to BDA China, a Beijing-based consulting and research firm, China has some 228 million surfers. The China Internet Network Information Center puts that figure at 225 million. The US had been in the #1 seat for almost 40 years, dating back to the birth of the Internet in 1969 when it was a Defense Department project.

The AFP headline reads “China outsurfs the US,” but whether or not China is truly in the lead is debatable. These studies all use statistics to project the number of people online, and statistics can lie. Simple statistics also don't tell the story of the disparity between the US and China in terms of user experience and innovation. China may have 228 million Internet users, but politics in that region are stifling innovation and the freedom of expression for nearly all of them, and the problem is getting worse, not better.

Details Here: arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20080316-china-takes-the-surfing-crown-or-in-its-case-noose.html

first published week of:   03/17/2008

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