Photo: Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper in 2004 consolidated the city's fragmented IT operations into one integrated agency

The importance of municipal technology systems took center stage during Denver's preparations to host the 2008 Democratic National Convention. From safety, transportation and permits to communications, greening and public events, nearly all city and county of Denver departments and agencies played a vital role in planning for and successfully hosting the convention. Behind the scenes, Denver's Technology Services Department provided the critical IT infrastructure, applications and communications systems to link these efforts and enable city officials to manage the historic event. Technology Services was created in 2004 when Mayor John Hickenlooper consolidated the city's fragmented IT operations into one integrated agency serving the city's technology needs.

"Over the past several years, Denver has made significant investments in information technology and communications systems," said Chief Information Officer Molly Rauzi. "From our two-year-old 3-1-1 customer service system to our upgraded public safety communications systems, these investments are tremendous assets not only during large-scale events like a national political convention, but each and every day."

External Communications Tools

Disseminating information to local residents and businesses, the media and visitors was a critical function of Denver's convention preparations and operations. Technology Services' external communications tools played an important role in these efforts:

• Denver 8 TV: A variety of nonpartisan educational and public information programs were produced for the city and county of Denver's municipal television station -- in partnership with the Denver Metro Convention and Visitors Bureau -- in advance of the convention. Additionally, Denver 8 provided coverage of nonpartisan, city-sponsored public engagement events during convention week. Programming was available to Denver 8 TV viewers and online.
• DenverGov.org: Activity on the city and county of Denver's Web site swelled to 56,130 average visits per day during the Convention, a 177 percent increase from normal daily averages. The Web site was optimized in advance to handle the increased traffic.
• 3-1-1: Launched in July 2006 to provide convenient one-call access for all city services and information, the 3-1-1 customer service call center utilized two auxiliary phone centers in the month leading up to -- and during -- the convention to handle the additional DNC-related call volume, which increased 18 percent during the week of the convention itself. Ninety volunteers were trained to man the phones in the auxiliary call centers and use 3-1-1's PeopleSoft Customer Relationships Management (CRM) application for case- tracking and answering questions.
• DenverMaps/GIS: As part of Denver's commitment to host the greenest national political convention ever, Denver's Geographic Information Systems (GIS) group created a walking and biking guide/map that was distributed to delegates, visitors and residents.

Emergency Communications and Operations

Local, state and federal law enforcement partners collaborated to ensure that the highest levels of public safety were maintained for this federally-designated National Special Security Event (NSSE). Denver's Technology Services Department provided the integrated infrastructure used for emergency communications during the convention, with costs covered by the federal security funds both host cities received:

• Emergency Operations Center (EOC) and Joint Information Center (JIC): An enduring legacy of convention preparations are Denver's enhanced state-of-the-art EOC and the newly-created JIC -- located within Denver's Office of Emergency Management (OEM). Technology Services worked with OEM and other city agencies to equip the EOC and JIC with the necessary IT and telecommunications equipment, applications and secure paths of communication. Additionally, multiple command and dispatch centers were outfitted to enable the management of safety and traffic operations from centralized locations.
• Secure Radio System: In addition to the large-scale deployment of secure radios to safety personnel, Technology Services set up a system allowing regional police and fire departments to access the radio system