Andy Opsahl is a former staff writer and features editor for Government Technology magazine.
City Forward, an online city data tool for comparing cities to one another, gives statistics on education, energy and employment, among other areas.
Seattle Department of Information Technology working to include more functions in Seattle.gov’s single sign-on function.
‘Machine-to-machine’ Internet communication enabled by microformatting will help citizens get more targeted information.
Offsite hosting is offered through a local consortium.
Beth Blauer talks about data analysis and information sharing.
Ways around costly and time-consuming open procurement bids exist for state and local agencies strapped for money and staff.
Survey shows state and local governments reducing IT energy usage and a majority are paying close attention to energy efficiency.
Code for America announces fellowship winners will work as open-source Web programmers for city governments for a year.
San Jacinto College in Texas will deploy voice over Internet protocol system that enables new functions.
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.
Federal government grants 11-day extension for infrastructure-related broadband stimulus applications.
Bill Hobgood, project manager, Richmond (Va.) IT Department
Association of Public-Safety Communications Officials approves standard for alarm companies to automatically alert 911 centers - eliminating millions of phone calls.
Andy Stein: Open Source Is the Answer for Newport News IT Director
A trip to the airport underscores the downside of automation.
"The goal is to get all of our pretrial supervision offenders, at least 25 percent of them, on this process."
The HR and payroll component of the rollout benefited from lessons learned after introducing the finance portion.
City deploys temporary 311 call centers resolve questions sparked by massive four-day political convention.
Collins' resignation ends probe into possible improper use of city property.
State officials seek cause of slow benefit processing under outsourced system.
"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?
Texas Virtual Academy offers online public education to homeschoolers.
"When new content is put in that file folder, it triggers a redaction process."
New HP/EDS merger could lead to another large-scale IT vendor for state and local governments.
Outsourced case management operations open new channels for citizens and improve efficiency.
CoolCalifornia.org portal analyzes emission sources to determine total carbon footprint for individuals.
California city uses virtualization and more efficient cooling to cut data center power consumption.
Arnold Schwarzenegger, Governor, California
Best of California winners gather in Sacramento.
Centralization and green technology cuts state's power bill by 35 percent.
Texas DIR contracts give state and local government agencies leverage at the negotiating table.
CIOs alter work environments to attract young IT workers to government and retain them.
Cities and counties shouldn't count on municipal wireless networks if they expect vendors to foot the bill.
WiMAX gains momentum as replacement for Wi-Fi to provide wireless Internet access.
Energy-efficient lighting and LED traffic signals could generate $2 million in savings for city.
Oregon state government consolidates 12 data centers into one energy-efficient facility.
Survey blames bureaucracy for apparent lack of environmental concern in government IT.
Green IT emerges as a solution to rising energy prices.
California schools use formalized standards to prevent watered-down green technology programs.
Clinton Foundation opens green purchasing cooperative to more than 1,000 cities.
Public health experts say the lack of a national vision for disaster preparedness cripples biological and chemical readiness in government.
Mooching Off the Middle Class
Utah's consolidation plan seeks value of centralization without sacrificing flexibility.
Chicago's mobile command vehicle takes the emergency operations center directly to emergency sites.
Government cracks the renewable energy whip on public utilities as green technologies struggle to reach maturity.
Texas agencies are drastically changing IT development and forcing vendors to change business strategies by implementing service-oriented architecture.
Taking a cue from the private sector, Mayor Richard Daley launched a secret shopping program in late 2005.
Dell releases the OptiPlex 745, matching the all-in-one concept of the Gateway Profile.
Thomas Menino, Mayor, Boston
E-voting machines perform well in November election, but glitches remain.
Bill Ezell, CIO, Tennessee
The Fairfax County Economic Development Authority tries to woo Silicon Valley companies to Virginia.
The Gateway Profile 6 performs solidly, and is well suited for employees in cramped workspaces.
The Third Rail of IT
Some say governments could save money through offshore outsourcing, while others say the benefits don't justify eliminating jobs.
A string of troubled deployments prompts IT project management changes in Colorado. Is reform legislation the answer?
Texas officials discuss implementing a regional 211 information and referral system with neighboring states to better handle disasters.
Vendors complain that tough government contract terms demand everything but the shirts off their backs.
States use databases to pinpoint uninsured drivers and enforce auto insurance laws.
San Diego County applies hard-earned lessons in outsourcing IT to selecting a new outsourcing partner.
A nonprofit organization brings free technology curricula to high schools nationwide.
Congress solidifies the transition to digital TV, ushering in a new era for the public's spectrum.
Leads the charge to blanket Corpus Christi with Wi-Fi connectivity
"A redesign is all about what real users who use your Web site need and want in their experience"
"We want to get the best, and we want to keep people hungry for our business"
The key to success, according to this middleman, is finding innovative ways to make IT partnerships beneficial for all players involved
"You have to be a good listener, because you have to hear what people don't like"
States hire companies to monitor traffic congestion by averaging cell phone signals on major roadways.
States compare their back offices to those of other governments and similar private-sector organizations to measure their own efficiency.
The U.S. Department of the Treasury wants paper Federal Tax Deposit coupons to fall by the wayside.
Using auditing software, the Comptroller of Maryland discovers millions in liquor retailers' unpaid taxes.
Patrons of the Tampa Bay Library Consortium check out audio books without ever leaving home.