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Internet Tide Raises Government Information

The politics and the technology of the Internet.

Stepping into that enormous web of networks known as the Internet is easy, technically speaking. The hard part is overcoming the organizational resistance to losing control over distribution of public information. After all, the loss of information control can send shivers up the spine of even the most battle-hardened technologist. Just ask Wayne McDilda, a technology planner for the Texas Department of Information Resources.

"Most of my problems are nontechnical," said McDilda, "the problems tend to be political power."

As governments increasingly put public information onto the Internet, agencies tend to become uneasy because their once-guarded information is opened for nearly unrestricted public scrutiny. "People tend to hoard what gives them power, and people get very intimidated when you blow away their power," McDilda said.

How to manage an agency through this organizational stress will be among the issues McDilda will discuss at the "Internet and Community Free Nets" seminar during the Government Technology Conference in Austin next month. McDilda also plans to show examples of how other states are using the Internet, such as California's online legislative information and North Carolina's statewide network.

John Gage, director of Sun Microsystems' Science Office and a Sun founder, will accompany McDilda in the seminar. Gage plans to demonstrate the rich variety of government information being provided over the Internet and practical applications of the data.

TEXAS AND PUBLIC ACCESS

Texas has steadily increased public access to state information over the past few years. Among the state's online databases are agency organization charts, reports to the Legislature, and even winning lottery numbers.

A database with online vendor catalogues for state employees is about half complete, McDilda said. By putting an estimated 700 catalogues on the network, state purchasers can do electronic searches for products and will find it easier to compare prices and other data.

But currently, the main Internet tool used by Texas employees is electronic mail. This messaging tool is beginning to replace games of "telephone tag" and is easing communication between individuals, agencies and even jurisdictions because e-mail allows messages to be exchanged easily and quickly.

THE INTERNET FOR RESEARCH

Since the state began using the Internet, probably the biggest gain has been the ability of employees to research subjects quickly without leaving the office. "There's a lot of government information out there," McDilda said, adding that most federal agencies now have some kind of Internet connection.

This capability comes in handy when agencies are crafting legislation or regulations. McDilda said that "one of the first steps is to see what others have done. There are probably [statutes] out there that can be used" in Texas. Without online research, agencies often need to work the telephones and fax machines to find out what other states are doing.

Yet another, but often overlooked, benefit of the Internet is the plethora of free software available. Because Texas requires state agencies to use networks and equipment that can communicate, public domain software pulled off the `Net can be used in most parts of the state government. "If it adheres to open standards, I can get software for any client [machine] for free," McDilda said.

USING THE UNIVERSITIES

To connect with the Internet, Texas mainly uses state college and university connections to gateways. Because of the state's size, hooking to local universities cuts down on telephone charges because the agency can make a local call with a modem, rather than calling a central university computer an area code away.

McDilda's advice to other states considering Internet hookups was to go to local universities first. "That's important because the knowledge is in the colleges," he said. Most universities are nodes on the Internet, and computer science departments usually have resources, such as graduate students, who can help agencies get plugged in.

Universities can also be resources to help train employees on how to use the Internet. Training has two purposes, the first of which is making employees familiar with online research. The other is to help mitigate resistance to hooking into the Internet and putting information online for the world to access. McDilda stressed the importance of exposing employees to this new technology, since most of the state's technology is close to ten years behind it.

While many smaller jurisdictions, such as cities or counties, have begun putting information online, a number of them are using access services, such as Prodigy, rather than plugging into a university gateway. The advantage of going through a service provider is that such companies can help maintain a system when a jurisdiction doesn't have necessary expertise. "It's easier to hand it off to them," McDilda said.

But no matter what route they take to the Internet, the trend of government at all levels putting public information online is unlikely to slow in the near future. Data that was once "invisible" because it was stored on computers unavailable to the public is now accessed and used by individuals around the world, Gage said. "This is a tide that cannot be stopped."

The Internet and Community Free Nets seminar will be held Thursday at 1:30.

Test Drive the Internet!

GTC's Internet Theatre will offer attendees a test drive on the Information Superhighway. The Theatre will feature 20 workstations connected live to the Internet, allowing participants a hands-on opportunity to independently explore the many resources and sites. In addition, it will guide participants on a brief tour of current applications developed by government.

The Internet Theatre - sponsored by GTC and Sun Microsystems and presented by Pencom Systems Administration - will be open Wednesday through Friday, February 15-17 on the GTC exposition Floor.

Ed Foreman

Ed Foreman made his first million by the time he was 26 and was elected to Congress at the age of 28. He is the only person in this century to have been elected to the U.S. Congress from two different states (Texas in 1962 and New Mexico in 1968). He has enjoyed a close working relationship with five U.S. presidents and served as a presidential appointee in two national administrations.

Although a private business entrepreneur and investor, Foreman regularly speaks at corporate leadership meetings and addresses convention groups throughout the world. Foreman takes his audience through his "Thirty Day Mental Diet Formula," in which he teaches attendees skills to help them learn to live a "quality life."

Foreman will speak on Friday, February 17 at 8:30 a.m.

Carol Anne Ogdin

Carol Anne Ogdin is founder of Deep Woods Technology, an enterprise that thrives at the intersection of organizational culture and modern technology. She consults and collaborates with top management in large corporations who recognize that the introduction of major technology always incurs changes in organizational culture. She recently lead a major project to change the style and habits of communication of a 30,000-person corporation.

Ogdin plans to discuss how managing resources - especially people - is going to get harder, not easier, as a consequence of rapidly evolving information technology. Ogdin believes the challenges are going to be even more dramatic inside government, as that same technology threatens the very viability of government as we know it.

Ogdin will focus on what will happen in these, the last few years of the millennium - especially those things we can manage to the benefit of each of us, and our neighbors. Ogdin's presentation is sponsored by Bell South. She will speak Wednesday, February 15 at 11:00 a.m.

Hank Hayes

Hayes, the executive vice president of Texas Instruments, will explore the concept of a "networked economy" made possible by advances in digital technology. Hayes will address some of the key new technologies, such as wireless communications, which will bring about changes and the political, economic and technological challenges associated with adopting these new technologies.

Hayes believes that the digital revolution will dramatically change the way we live, work and play. While these advances are primarily driven by the private sector, they hold great promise to dramatically change the way government operates.

Hayes will speak Thursday, February 16 at 8:30 a.m.