Authors

Shane Peterson

Associate Editor


RECENT ARTICLES

October 2, 2007

People Power

This column marks the end of Shane Peterson's tenure at Government Technology after more than eight years. We are grateful for his dedication and hard work, and wish him luck in his future endeavors.
May 31, 2007

Miracle Cure?

Now firmly established in IT shops of all stripes, open source software is spreading to the medical sector.
May 7, 2007

Doctor's Orders

Open source software makes inroads into the world of medicine.
May 1, 2007

Tech Medicine

Texas Gov. Rick Perry creates a public-private consortium to stimulate the growth and adoption of health IT.
April 28, 2007

Ready. Set. Showdown.

In February 2005, the California Franchise Tax Board announced the launch of the ReadyReturn pilot for the 2004 tax year, stirring immediate controversy.
March 9, 2007

Cloudy Forecast

Regional clouds could be the next generation of municipal wireless networks, but governments must collaborate.
March 1, 2007

The Cost of Free Wi-Fi

The Cost of Free Wi-Fi
March 1, 2007

Turnover at the Top

The 2006 elections are past, but states will just now begin to feel the results.
January 29, 2007

With a Bullet

Some states shot up the rankings in 2006's Digital States Survey, becoming top 10 finishers and strong contenders.
January 29, 2007

Family Matters

States struggle to upgrade child welfare information systems.
January 24, 2007

Richard Barton, Co-founder, Zillow.com

Richard Barton, Co-founder, Zillow.com
January 22, 2007

L. Brooks Patterson, County Executive, Oakland County, Mich., and Phil Bertolini, Deputy County Executive and CIO, Oakland County, Mich.

L. Brooks Patterson, County Executive, Oakland County, Mich., and Phil Bertolini, Deputy County Executive and CIO, Oakland County, Mich.
December 26, 2006

No Man Is an Island

No Man Is an Island
December 8, 2006

Year in Review

A look back at the issues and events that drove government IT in 2006.
December 1, 2006

A Better Piggy Bank

Minnesota lawmakers create an IT savings account to fund state technology projects.
November 28, 2006

Two Cents: On the Big Screen

Samsung's SyncMaster 215TW delivers a widescreen experience without taking over your desk.
November 6, 2006

Phone Banks

Joint city/county 311 call centers could be local government's next step in the evolution of customer service.
November 5, 2006

Rock the Vote

Electronic voting was supposed to render paper in the polling booth obsolete.
July 31, 2006

Foot in the Door

Foot in the Door
July 31, 2006

Formatting for the Future

A second state looks to switch to open formats for state documents. Will the fight get as ugly as it did in Massachusetts?
July 6, 2006

Quid Pro Quo

State and local governments decide disaster-recovery partnerships make more sense than going it alone.
July 1, 2006

Texas Ticker

IT innovation by agencies, cities, counties, schools and universities throughout the state.
July 1, 2006

From the Editor: Do or Die

From the Editor: Do or Die
July 1, 2006

Working Out the Kinks

Telecommunications reform in Texas might be a microcosm of national reform.
June 1, 2006

Inside Information

State and local governments mold a new relationship with constituents, helping them become better and smarter consumers.
May 2, 2006

GT Spectrum

Reports from the IT horizon.
May 2, 2006

It's the Network

The National League of Cities launches the National City Network, giving local governments a new outlet to share information.
March 30, 2006

CIOs and Health IT

CIOs and Health IT
March 30, 2006

GT Spectrum

Reports from the IT horizon.
March 30, 2006

Moving Medicine Forward

Electronic health records are key to transforming a fractural health-care system. Who's helping hospitals and physicians make the transition?
March 1, 2006

GT Spectrum

Reports from the IT horizon.
February 3, 2006

GT Spectrum

reports from the IT horizon.
January 2, 2006

GT Spectrum

Reports from the IT horizon.
January 1, 2006

Texas Ticker

IT innovation by agencies, cities, counties, schools and universities throughout the state.
December 8, 2005

Roy Soto

CIO, New Mexico
December 8, 2005

Wi-Fi for the Masses

Municipal wireless networks really heated up in 2005. Will they keep spreading in 2006?
December 8, 2005

GT Spectrum

Reports from the IT horizon.
December 8, 2005

The Golden Egg?

Can municipal wireless networks solve economic development challenges for rural communities?
December 7, 2005

The Year in Review ... 2005

Consolidation and other cost-cutting moves continued throughout 2005, but technology also returned to the political stage as a potentially transformative force. Here's our look back at the events that shaped 2005.
December 2, 2005

Consolidation: Texas Style

Maybe everything really is bigger in Texas.
November 14, 2005

Boiling Point

Cities and towns build wireless broadband networks for residential use, but Congress is part of the fight now.
November 4, 2005

Howard A. Stern

CIO, Pittsburgh
November 4, 2005

GT Spectrum

Reports from the IT horizon.
November 4, 2005

Boiling Point

Cities and towns build wireless broadband networks for residential use, but Congress is part of the fight now.
September 30, 2005

GT Spectrum

Reports from the IT horizon.
September 30, 2005

Building Trust

Enterprise identity management draws governments' attention, but it's not an easy problem to solve.
August 31, 2005

Generation Gap

Generation Gap
August 31, 2005

Steve Lewis

Information Technology Director, Data Processing Department, Delaware County, Ohio
August 31, 2005

GT Spectrum

Reports from the IT horizon.
August 31, 2005

Finding a Way

Work force issues test the public sector's human resources strategy.
August 12, 2005

Picking Up the Tab

"The self-funded model, by the way, has been very successful in Utah. I can't imagine being this far along in e-government without it"
July 28, 2005

GT Spectrum

Reports from the IT horizon
July 28, 2005

John Gillispie

Iowa CIO and Chief Operating Officer, Information Technology Enterprise (ITE), Department of Administrative Services
July 27, 2005

Picking Up the Tab

Self-funding portals have long supported e-government services.
June 27, 2005

GT Spectrum

Reports from the IT horizon.
June 27, 2005

The Better Part of Valor

The Cabinet seems to have lost its luster for state CIOs.
May 26, 2005

Final Frontier

Final Frontier
May 26, 2005

David Heck

Deputy Chief Information Officer, Tempe, Ariz.
May 26, 2005

GT Spectrum

Reports from the IT horizon.
May 26, 2005

Storm Sense

GIS helps this North Carolina city manage the cycle of disaster recovery and preparedness.
May 26, 2005

Integrating the Ivory Tower

Government and education make forays into consolidating information systems.
April 28, 2005

Guarding Information

Though cyber-security seems to get a lot of headlines, cyber-security expert and professor Eugene Spafford argues it's not getting enough attention from policy-makers.
April 27, 2005

Change of Pace

Open source forces new status quo.
April 27, 2005

GT Spectrum

Reports from the IT horizon.
April 27, 2005

Proving Its Mettle

Open source software has come a long way, baby.
April 4, 2005

Breathing New Life Into EOCs

The push is on to revitalize emergency operations centers into sophisticated, dazzling headquarters for officials from the major branches of emergency response.
March 28, 2005

Thera Bradshaw

CIO and General Manager, Los Angeles Information Technology Agency
March 28, 2005

GT Spectrum

Reports from the IT horizon.
March 28, 2005

Social Services Synchronicity

States face decision on integrating health and human services eligibility: Rip and replace, or work with what they have.
March 4, 2005

Phoenix CIO Danny Murphy, One of Government Technology's 25 'Doers Dreamers and Drivers'

'We now have about 4,000 police officers on the system. This is a digital, 800 MHz system that's Project 25 compliant.'
March 4, 2005

San Diego County, Calif., CIO Michael Moore, One of Government Technology's 25 'Doers Dreamers and Drivers'

'The hardest part about public-sector IT, in my view, is you have 50 very disparate business units'
March 4, 2005

Delaware Governor Ruth Ann Minner, One of Government Technology's 25 'Doers Dreamers and Drivers'

'Reforming how Delaware uses technology was one of my first orders of business as governor'
March 4, 2005

Florida CIO Simone Marstiller, One of Government Technology's 25 'Doers Dreamers and Drivers'

'We've put Florida in a position to become the first state in the nation to have a statewide seamless, fully interoperable law enforcement and first responder radio network'
March 4, 2005

California CIO J. Clark Kelso, One of Government Technology's 25 'Doers Dreamers and Drivers'

'We've made such substantial progress on consolidation of our major data centers, and we're very close to the very formal statutory consolidation. We've made an enormous amount of progress in getting the two data centers to work together'
March 4, 2005

Delaware CIO/Secretary Thomas M. Jarrett, One of Government Technology's 25 'Doers Dreamers and Drivers'

'Even the people who charged us with doing it don't truly appreciate how difficult it is to dissolve an organization and build a new one from scratch.'
March 4, 2005

Georgia's Deputy State Superintendent for IT Dr. Michael Hall, One of GT's 25 'Doers Dreamers and Drivers'

'Changes made in public-sector IT greatly impact the direction and sustainability of our society as we know it.'
March 4, 2005

Colorado Secretary of State Donetta Davidson, One of Government Technology's 25 'Doers Dreamers and Drivers'

'We're the only state that has mandated electronic filing of charitable solicitations.'
March 2, 2005

Two Cents: Next-Gen Keyboard

Look ma, no keys!
March 2, 2005

GT Spectrum

Reports from the IT horizon.
March 2, 2005

In Like Flynn

A former state CIO is running for Congress. Will others follow suit?
February 8, 2005

An Open Question

Just how far can open source software go in the government enterprise? Plenty far.
January 31, 2005

An Open Question

Just how far can open source software go in the government enterprise? Plenty far.
January 26, 2005

Star Power

Could this be the year things get done in California?
January 26, 2005

GT Spectrum

Reports from the IT horizon
January 26, 2005

CPR for California

The California Performance Review is the latest blue-ribbon commission to prescribe state government reform.
January 5, 2005

Two Cents: A Flat Panel for Goldilocks

NEC's AccuSync LCD71V is a crisp, clear monitor that doesn't hog a lot of room.
January 5, 2005

GT Spectrum

Reports from the IT horizon
January 4, 2005

Bracing for Impact

Oracle's merger with PeopleSoft has government customers holding their breath.
December 3, 2004

GT Spectrum

Reports from the IT horizon.
November 1, 2004

Getting Personal

Getting Personal
November 1, 2004

GT Spectrum

Reports from the IT horizon.
November 1, 2004

In Memory

States create Web sites for families of highway traffic accident victims to memorialize those who are gone.
November 1, 2004

Big Iron's Rebirth

People once looked down their noses at mainframe computers, but a new generation of equipment may erase the passé stereotype.
October 5, 2004

Stepping Into Quicksand

Stepping Into Quicksand
October 5, 2004

Simone Marstiller

CIO, Florida
October 5, 2004

GT Spectrum

Reports from the IT horizon.
October 4, 2004

Unintended Consequences

To millions of workers, e-mail is as important as the air they breathe. To IT managers, it's just another word for problem.
October 4, 2004

Unintended Consequences

To millions of workers, e-mail is as important as the air they breathe. To IT managers, it's just another word for problem.
October 4, 2004

Outside In

Governments have long used outsourcing to shed certain functions, but jurisdictions now turn over entire business areas to the private sector.
September 2, 2004

Dr. Michael Hall

Deputy State Superintendent, Information Technology, Georgia Department of Education
September 2, 2004

Two Cents

Two of our editors tried different editions of palmOne's famous handhelds -- here's what they thought.
September 2, 2004

GT Spectrum

Reports from the IT horizon.
September 2, 2004

Easy Street

Wisconsin finds the enterprise service bus a smooth ride.
August 3, 2004

Daniel Hatton, Ph.D.

Deputy CEO, CIO: County of Orange, Calif.
August 3, 2004

Two Cents: Have a Ball

KeyTronic's LT Tball is a party on your desk.
August 3, 2004

GT Spectrum

Reports from the IT horizon.
August 3, 2004

Butterfly Effect

The Critical Decision Institute finds a novel way to train senior public officials and business leaders to make better decisions in disaster scenarios.
August 3, 2004

Past Tense

Aging IT systems still trundle along in state and local government back offices.
July 9, 2004

Stepping Over the Line

The backlash against the USA Patriot Act continues, especially as perception mounts that law enforcement has too much latitude to pry.
July 9, 2004

Easy on the Eyes

ViewSonic's VP171b makes staring at a monitor a pleasant experience.
July 9, 2004

GT Spectrum

Reports from the IT horizon.
July 9, 2004

Transparent Privacy

Who should be watching the watchers?
July 8, 2004

Broadband Battle

A Supreme Court ruling is the latest twist in a fight over the ability of public utilities to provide telecom services.
June 3, 2004

GT Spectrum

Reports from the IT horizon
June 3, 2004

Juggling Act

In this bleak budget climate, CIOs find themselves overseeing more than just technology.
May 11, 2004

Fight the Power

If enough ordinary people get together, extraordinary things can happen.
May 11, 2004

GT Spectrum

Reports from the IT horizon.
May 7, 2004

Evolving ERP?

Enterprise resource planning systems take on unconventional tasks.
March 29, 2004

A Modern Gordian Knot

A Modern Gordian Knot
March 29, 2004

GT Spectrum

Reports from the IT horizon.
March 26, 2004

The New Taboo

Is offshore outsourcing too politically charged for government?
March 2, 2004

Will Wi-Fi Work Magic?

Will Wi-Fi Work Magic?
March 2, 2004

Two Cents

Dell Latitude X300
March 2, 2004

GT Spectrum

Reports from the IT horizon.
March 1, 2004

VoIP in the Crosshairs

Voice over Internet protocol has dodged state regulation so far, but several states have the emerging telecom technology in their sights.
February 4, 2004

GT Spectrum

GT Spectrum
February 4, 2004

They Never Forget

They Never Forget
February 4, 2004

The Open Road

Massachusetts drafts a statewide policy to move toward open standards in the government enterprise.
January 6, 2004

GT Spectrum

Reports from the IT horizon
January 6, 2004

Squeeze Play

More and more states look at consolidation to minimize IT spending and get the most out of scarce resources.
December 4, 2003

GT Spectrum

Reports from the IT horizon
December 4, 2003

Grassroots Partnerships

For some jurisdictions, a bottom-up approach to collaboration may be the key to success.
December 4, 2003

Rising to the Top?

CIOs might be well suited to lead more than just technology agencies.
November 18, 2003

Does Thinking Big Mean Big Brother?

It's becoming easier for public CIOs to create sophisticated new applications that merge and analyze data from different information silos. Unfortunately not everyone is happy with the results.
October 31, 2003

Meat and Potatoes Mobility

Meat and Potatoes Mobility
October 28, 2003

Security Steps

Confronting existing and potential security vulnerabilities doesn't have to make a CIO the bad guy.
October 28, 2003

GT Spectrum

Reports from the IT horizon
October 28, 2003

Insecurity Complex

The ease with which the Blaster worm crippled government networks and one state's security scandal show just how vulnerable the public sector is.
October 13, 2003

GT Spectrum

Reports from the IT horizon.
October 13, 2003

Scrapping the Civil Service

At Delaware's Department of Technology and Information, employees work without the usual protection of the civil service system.
October 13, 2003

Buying into VoIP

With the right preparation, VoIP doesn't have to be a trip to uncharted waters.
September 3, 2003

GT Spectrum

Reports from the IT Horizon
September 3, 2003

Instant Messaging Goes Legit

No longer simply a toy for teenagers who like to carry on five conversations at once, IM is fulfilling viable business needs in the corporate enterprise.
September 3, 2003

Great Expectations

Can Web services live up to the hype?
August 28, 2003

Building Blocks

The construction industry and government work to simplify states' building codes and disseminate critical building information to first responders.
August 1, 2003

Leap of Faith: The Story of Trust, Technology and the Intergovernmental Way

Intergovernmental applications ought to be the next incarnation of electronic government, but is everybody really ready to put aside their own self-interest?
August 1, 2003

Trading Places

California's new controller, Steve Westly, wants to put a little eBay into state government.
July 29, 2003

GT Spectrum

Reports from the IT Horizon
July 29, 2003

A Fair Share

Giving is just as good as receiving for states belonging to the multistate information sharing and analysis center.
June 27, 2003

STATEments

Mapping government IT
June 27, 2003

GT Spectrum

Reports from the IT Horizon
June 27, 2003

Eye of the Storm

New Jersey's Department of Human Services faces a firestorm of controversy as it looks to rebuild the image of its Division of Youth and Family Services.
May 21, 2003

STATEments

Mapping government IT
May 21, 2003

GT Spectrum

Reports from the IT Horizon
May 21, 2003

Treasure Hunt

Budget trouble sparks renewed interest among states in taxing sales made via the Internet.
April 30, 2003

West Virginia Selects Implements Digital Mapping Services

The state has chosen to develop and employ a statewide digital mapping system that will assist public safety officials and emergency response personnel.
April 30, 2003

City and County of Honolulu Live with Integrated GIS Solution

The city and county of Honolulu has gone live with Enterprise Asset Management (EAM) and Computerized Maintenance Management (CMMS)
April 30, 2003

OGC Prototyping U.S. Government's Open Platform ''Geospatial One-Stop Portal''

The Open GIS Consortium (OGC) recently announced that work on the Geospatial One Stop Portal
April 30, 2003

City of Charlotte Selects Launches Street Centerline Project

Departments throughout the city recently formed a collective group (including Mecklenburg County) and merged their multiple street centerline databases
April 30, 2003

Satellite Imagery Helps U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Effectively Manage Walrus Populations

High-resolution satellite imagery is being used to support a significant wildlife observation study in Bristol Bay and the Bering Sea, Alaska.
April 29, 2003

Gary, Ind. Begins Important GIS Project

The city has begun a geographic information system (GIS) strategic planning project.
April 28, 2003

Mobile GIS Grows Locally

Pilot projects lead the way for mobile GIS applications in local government.
April 28, 2003

On the Verge of Extinction?

Once all the buzz, the enterprise CIO may be disappearing. What went wrong?
April 22, 2003

STATEments

Mapping government IT
April 22, 2003

GT Spectrum

Reports from the IT Horizon
April 22, 2003

Seeking Assurance?

Governments grapple with Microsoft volume licensing changes.
April 22, 2003

Something for Nothing?

Tight finances prompt agencies to take a hard look at open source software.
April 4, 2003

STATEments

Mapping government IT
April 4, 2003

GT Spectrum

Reports from the IT Horizon
April 4, 2003

More Than a Monitor

Smart displays remotely access applications and data on desk-bound PCs.
February 14, 2003

Statements

Mapping IT Government
February 14, 2003

GT Spectrum

Reports from the IT Horizon
February 14, 2003

Mr. Fix-It?

California CIO J. Clark Kelso attempts to repair the state's IT governance structure.
January 30, 2003

Lost Signals

How poor communication and other nontechnical issues hampered Arkansas' innovative statewide ERP implementation.
January 30, 2003

ERP of a Different Color

While Arkansas' ERP implementation got plenty of bad press, Pennsylvania's Imagine PA seems to be cruising along smoothly. What's the difference?
January 29, 2003

Statements

Mapping government IT
January 29, 2003

GT Spectrum

Reports from the IT Horizon
January 29, 2003

Starting Over

California finds itself at the core of a debate over centralization vs. decentralization as the state attempts to rebuild its IT management structure.