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Andy Opsahl

Staff Writer


RECENT ARTICLES

March 10, 2011

IBM Data Comparison Site for Cities Launched

City Forward, an online city data tool for comparing cities to one another, gives statistics on education, energy and employment, among other areas.
February 2, 2011

Seattle Ramping Up Single Sign-On

Seattle Department of Information Technology working to include more functions in Seattle.gov’s single sign-on function.
February 1, 2011

Web 3.0 Could Lead to E-Government That Anticipates Citizens’ Needs

‘Machine-to-machine’ Internet communication enabled by microformatting will help citizens get more targeted information.
December 29, 2010

Minnesota Municipalities Offer a Prototype for Sharing Applications

Offsite hosting is offered through a local consortium.
December 23, 2010

Maryland StateStat Director Discusses Efficiency Measurement in Government

Beth Blauer talks about data analysis and information sharing.
December 21, 2010

How to Make Procurements Less Painful

Ways around costly and time-consuming open procurement bids exist for state and local agencies strapped for money and staff.
November 12, 2010

Survey: Majority of Governments Aim to Reduce Energy Used for IT

Survey shows state and local governments reducing IT energy usage and a majority are paying close attention to energy efficiency.
November 3, 2010

‘Code for America’ Programmers to Work in City Governments

Code for America announces fellowship winners will work as open-source Web programmers for city governments for a year.
September 29, 2010

College to Merge Phones and Website on VoIP

San Jacinto College in Texas will deploy voice over Internet protocol system that enables new functions.

September 13, 2010

Boston Business Agencies Syncing Customer Data in Cloud

The Boston Office of Business Development is deploying cloud-based customer relationship management system to better track constituents, will sync with other agencies using same platform.
March 2, 2010

Extension Granted for Round 2 Broadband Stimulus Applications

Federal government grants 11-day extension for infrastructure-related broadband stimulus applications.
March 1, 2010

Bill Hobgood, project manager, Richmond (Va.) IT Department

Bill Hobgood, project manager, Richmond (Va.) IT Department
March 12, 2009

911 Standard Could Speed Emergency Response

Association of Public-Safety Communications Officials approves standard for alarm companies to automatically alert 911 centers - eliminating millions of phone calls.
March 4, 2009

Andy Stein: Open Source Is the Answer for Newport News IT Director

Andy Stein: Open Source Is the Answer for Newport News IT Director
December 31, 2008

Opinion: Technology Shouldn't Dehumanize Customer Service

A trip to the airport underscores the downside of automation.
September 17, 2008

Offenders Check in With Pretrial Services Online in Arapahoe County, Colo.

"The goal is to get all of our pretrial supervision offenders, at least 25 percent of them, on this process."
September 5, 2008

Sacramento Payroll System Debuts Successfully After Ironing Kinks

The HR and payroll component of the rollout benefited from lessons learned after introducing the finance portion.
September 5, 2008

DNC Communications Ran Smoothly for Denver CIO

City deploys temporary 311 call centers resolve questions sparked by massive four-day political convention.
August 18, 2008

Austin CIO Pete Collins Resigns Amid Investigation

Collins' resignation ends probe into possible improper use of city property.
August 4, 2008

Indiana Welfare Automation Project Experiences Growing Pains

State officials seek cause of slow benefit processing under outsourced system.
June 25, 2008

Possibility of National Electronic Medical Records System Growing

"Can you imagine going to your bank and having them write out your account, keeping track of it by pen and paper, and then you go to another bank and they don't have that record?
June 17, 2008

Public Education Comes Online to Texas Homeschoolers

Texas Virtual Academy offers online public education to homeschoolers.
June 9, 2008

Public Document Redaction Process Updated by New Software

"When new content is put in that file folder, it triggers a redaction process."
May 21, 2008

HP Merges with EDS to Form IT Services Powerhouse

New HP/EDS merger could lead to another large-scale IT vendor for state and local governments.
April 23, 2008

Integration and Outsourcing Simplify Social Services in Indiana

Outsourced case management operations open new channels for citizens and improve efficiency.
April 11, 2008

Environmental Site Calculates Carbon Footprint for Californians

CoolCalifornia.org portal analyzes emission sources to determine total carbon footprint for individuals.
March 13, 2008

Green Technology and Renewable Energy are Keys to San Jose Conservation Plan

California city uses virtualization and more efficient cooling to cut data center power consumption.
February 29, 2008

Arnold Schwarzenegger, Governor, California

Arnold Schwarzenegger, Governor, California
February 8, 2008

Best of California Winners Honored by Center for Digital Government

Best of California winners gather in Sacramento.
February 8, 2008

Oregon Consolidates 11 Data Centers into One Energy-Efficient Facility

Centralization and green technology cuts state's power bill by 35 percent.
February 3, 2008

State Procurement Contracts Ease Purchasing for Texas Agencies

Texas DIR contracts give state and local government agencies leverage at the negotiating table.
January 31, 2008

IT Work Force Shortage Forces Government to Change Recruiting Methods

CIOs alter work environments to attract young IT workers to government and retain them.
January 29, 2008

Municipal Wireless Projects Need Viable Business Model

Cities and counties shouldn't count on municipal wireless networks if they expect vendors to foot the bill. 
January 17, 2008

Cities Use WiMAX to Create Municipal Wireless Networks

WiMAX gains momentum as replacement for Wi-Fi to provide wireless Internet access.
January 14, 2008

Waukesha, Wisconsin, Uses Green Technology to Conserve Energy and Cut Costs

Energy-efficient lighting and LED traffic signals could generate $2 million in savings for city.
December 20, 2007

Oregon Data Centers Go Green

Oregon state government consolidates 12 data centers into one energy-efficient facility.
December 19, 2007

A Paler Shade of Green?

Survey blames bureaucracy for apparent lack of environmental concern in government IT.
November 26, 2007

Money Talking

Green IT emerges as a solution to rising energy prices.
November 12, 2007

No Greenwashing

California schools use formalized standards to prevent watered-down green technology programs.
November 8, 2007

Former President Bill Clinton Urges Cities to Boost Energy Efficiency

Clinton Foundation opens green purchasing cooperative to more than 1,000 cities.
October 1, 2007

Blind Preparation

Public health experts say the lack of a national vision for disaster preparedness cripples biological and chemical readiness in government.
August 31, 2007

Mooching Off the Middle Class

Mooching Off the Middle Class
July 31, 2007

Best of Both Worlds

Utah's consolidation plan seeks value of centralization without sacrificing flexibility.
July 2, 2007

EOC on Wheels

Chicago's mobile command vehicle takes the emergency operations center directly to emergency sites.
July 1, 2007

Power Struggle

Government cracks the renewable energy whip on public utilities as green technologies struggle to reach maturity.
May 18, 2007

SOA Revolution

Texas agencies are drastically changing IT development and forcing vendors to change business strategies by implementing service-oriented architecture.
April 25, 2007

Stealth Mode

Taking a cue from the private sector, Mayor Richard Daley launched a secret shopping program in late 2005.
March 1, 2007

Two Cents: Redux

Dell releases the OptiPlex 745, matching the all-in-one concept of the Gateway Profile.
February 5, 2007

Thomas Menino, Mayor, Boston

Thomas Menino, Mayor, Boston
January 29, 2007

Split Decision

E-voting machines perform well in November election, but glitches remain.
January 24, 2007

Bill Ezell, CIO, Tennessee

Bill Ezell, CIO, Tennessee
December 1, 2006

Open for Business

The Fairfax County Economic Development Authority tries to woo Silicon Valley companies to Virginia.
November 5, 2006

Two Cents: If I Were an IT Guy ...

The Gateway Profile 6 performs solidly, and is well suited for employees in cramped workspaces.
October 2, 2006

The Third Rail of IT

The Third Rail of IT
October 2, 2006

The Line Government Won't Cross

Some say governments could save money through offshore outsourcing, while others say the benefits don't justify eliminating jobs.
October 2, 2006

Weathering the Storm

A string of troubled deployments prompts IT project management changes in Colorado. Is reform legislation the answer?
September 7, 2006

United We Stand

Texas officials discuss implementing a regional 211 information and referral system with neighboring states to better handle disasters.
September 7, 2006

Hard Bargain?

Vendors complain that tough government contract terms demand everything but the shirts off their backs.
June 2, 2006

No More Hiding

States use databases to pinpoint uninsured drivers and enforce auto insurance laws.
June 2, 2006

Second Time's a Charm

San Diego County applies hard-earned lessons in outsourcing IT to selecting a new outsourcing partner.
March 30, 2006

Replacing Woodshop

A nonprofit organization brings free technology curricula to high schools nationwide.
March 30, 2006

Television Wasteland

Congress solidifies the transition to digital TV, ushering in a new era for the public's spectrum.
March 9, 2006

Leonard Scott: One of Government Technology's 25 Doers Dreamers & Drivers

Leads the charge to blanket Corpus Christi with Wi-Fi connectivity
March 8, 2006

Laura Parma: One of Government Technology's 25 Doers Dreamers & Drivers

"A redesign is all about what real users who use your Web site need and want in their experience"
March 8, 2006

Walter Ekard: One of Government Technology's 25 Doers Dreamers & Drivers

"We want to get the best, and we want to keep people hungry for our business"
March 8, 2006

George Boersma: One of Government Technology's 25 Doers Dreamers & Drivers

The key to success, according to this middleman, is finding innovative ways to make IT partnerships beneficial for all players involved
March 8, 2006

Terese Butler: One of Government Technology's 25 Doers Dreamers & Drivers

"You have to be a good listener, because you have to hear what people don't like"
March 1, 2006

Rush Hour

States hire companies to monitor traffic congestion by averaging cell phone signals on major roadways.
January 30, 2006

Does This Benchmark Make Me Look Inefficient?

States compare their back offices to those of other governments and similar private-sector organizations to measure their own efficiency.
January 3, 2006

Simplify Taxes

The U.S. Department of the Treasury wants paper Federal Tax Deposit coupons to fall by the wayside.
December 8, 2005

Crack Down

Using auditing software, the Comptroller of Maryland discovers millions in liquor retailers' unpaid taxes.
November 9, 2005

Download a Trip to the Library

Patrons of the Tampa Bay Library Consortium check out audio books without ever leaving home.