10 gov Web apps that get results

The push for open government and public engagement has intensified the spotlight on the Web, affecting the way federal agencies communicate with one another and interact with the public.

During the past two years, GCN has focused on highlighting 10 great government Web sites. The rise of social networking in 2009 prompted the smarter agencies to establish a presence on Twitter, Facebook and other sites. The previous year — GCN’s first list of 10 great government Web sites — reflected the realization that the Web can be the primary form of interaction with constituents.

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first published week of:   07/26/2010

3 Policy Priorities for Incoming Governors and CIOs

With the November elections behind us, governors new and old now face the tough job of delivering on policy priorities. This is a difficult enough task in its own right, but the challenges are amplified in today’s economic and political environment. Elected officials in cities and towns from the West Coast to the White House increasingly see innovations in technology as key to making changes, particularly in such difficult times.

The credit for this new understanding of the relationship between technology innovation and achieving policy priorities goes to CIOs — they’ve worked long and hard to ensure that the highest level leaders understand the potential technology has for transforming government. Elected officials are now turning to technology as part of their core strategy. Technology as an engine for change is now a topic of campaign speeches; new attention is paid to technology-based services as a differentiator for economic development; officials seek to be identified as running “e” cities or digital states; and officials regularly highlight technology-enabled efficiencies and program innovations in their governments.  

Among elected officials’ many priorities are government consolidation, increased access to quality education, stimulating economic development, and opening government data and processes. However, these same officials often lack full understanding of the role they must play in creating the conditions necessary for technology innovation to support policy changes. And if these officials don’t do more in this capacity, CIOs may be facing a case of “be careful what you wish for.” Most truly transformational technology applications require changes in the institutional and organizational fabric of government. If CIOs are pressured to deliver on technology’s promises without receiving the gubernatorial support necessary to provide institutional and organizational capabilities, costly and critical failures may result.

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first published week of:   12/06/2010

911 Systems: Past, Present and Future

Bob Oenning is the administrator of the Washington State Enhanced 911 Office, a position he has held since the program’s inception in 1993. The E911 Office’s ongoing programs continue to strengthen and define the quality of service to include improving the accuracy of location-capable 911 services to wireless customers and system upgrades to accommodate new technologies and private telephone systems. These upgrades include implementation of next-generation 911 using advanced Internet protocols for 911 call delivery, data management and potentially the future integration of social media.

Question: What changes in 911 center technology have you seen in the last 20 years?

Answer: Twenty years ago we were working to solve the problem of how to route 911 calls in a complex geopolitical environment. The result was enhanced 911 that used the caller’s address as a key to route the call to the correct public safety answering point (PSAP) and as an additional lifesaving feature displayed the address with the call. Getting accurate routing on close to 100 percent of the calls with the front door address was an achieved goal.

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first published week of:   12/20/2010

iPads Win Government Support in Birmingham, AL

Birmingham leaders believe they will soon have the power to save money and improve communication right in their hands. After visiting an Apple Store this week, Birmingham Mayor William A. Bell and City Councilor Johnathan F. Austin decided to move forward with the plan to bring iPads to City Hall.

The tablet touchscreen computer could help the city cut down on paper usage and save hundreds of thousands of dollars, according to Austin, chair of the Council Technology Committee.

“We’re burning through 20,000 sheets of paper a week just to use on Tuesdays for two hours,” he said. “The iPads give us the ability to communicate more efficiently and more effectively with each other and our constituents.”

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first published week of:   08/02/2010

iPhone GIS Application Released for Virginia

Integrity Logic today announced the release of Geograph VA, the latest version of the popular GIS (Geographic Information System) for the iPhone/iPod platform, covering the commonwealth of Virginia. This release features over 45 layers of geographic data which can be combined and merged.

“Our users have been clamoring for more states, and Virginia has so many interesting features,” said Max Tardiveau, founder of Integrity Logic. “This is our best release so far, and we really look forward to hearing about all the different things people will do with it.” Like its 19 sister applications already covering 22 states, Geograph VA contains a wide array of data layers: - geological map from the U.S. Geological Service - public land ownership (local, state, federal) - states outlines - land elevation from NASA - ocean bathymetry - old faults - over 5,800 named features (summits, tunnels, cliffs, bridges, etc...) with link to USGS web site for each feature - hydrologic units - ecological regions from EPA - counties with link to Census data - UTM zones, township and range, USGS quadrangles - congressional districts with links to representatives' web sites - urban areas, hydrological features - cities, roads and railroad tracks - active mines and quarries - zip codes - potassium/argon dates - surficial material - main aquifers - over 4,400 mineral resource data points with link to USGS web site for each resource This release introduces a number of additional layers, which can be downloaded from the application: - state assembly districts with link to the representatives' web sites - state senate districts with link to the senators' web sites - school districts - cities and villages with link to Census Bureau's statistics - town and city limits - landmark points and areas - airports with link to FFA web site for each airport - over 20,000 geodetic points - public and private golf courses - American Indian areas - national parks - railroad crossings More details are available atwww.integrity-logic.com/GeographVA Geograph VA is a completely self-contained application, which does not require any Internet access. This is critical for anyone who needs access to this information when out of cellular range, in the field.

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first published week of:   02/01/2010

Amtrak to take free onboard WiFi nationwide

Amtrak’s Acela Express trains run along the Washington-Boston-New York corridor and offer two things not often seen by US rail passengers: decent speeds and free WiFi. One of those benefits could soon come to every Amtrak train nationwide. Guess which one?

Onboard WiFi has been a huge hit on the Acela trains. Amtrak announced last week that 39 percent of all Acela riders had logged onto the Internet aboard the train and that the service had given Amtrak a major competitive advantage over bus and air travel in the Northeast corridor.

Now, Amtrak wants to expand the bandwidth available to the system and hopes to extend WiFi service to its nationwide fleet. A request for proposals has just gone out to vendors, and installation should begin this autumn.

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first published week of:   06/07/2010

Volume 31

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