Information technology leaders agree that citizens will want more information than ever from their government. They predict important technology initiatives will move forward, just as most Americans go on with their lives. Priorities will shift toward the security arena, but the momentum that drives the nation's top digital states will continue.
The 2001 Digital State Survey demonstrated there is a foundation for continued growth in the coming year, said to Cathilea Robinett, executive director of the Center for Digital Government, the knowledge-management and research division of e.Republic. "Certainly, states will be challenged to fine-tune their efforts and collaborate as never before," she said. "But the results of the survey show that governments clearly understand that technology is a tool to accomplish the nation's collective mission."
In addition, Robinett pointed out that the 2001 list of top digital states includes many newcomers, yet another sign of the growing importance of electronic government.
There was a significant change to the No. 1 spot in this year's survey, with Illinois and Kansas sharing the position. Illinois moved up from the previous year's fourth place ranking and Kansas from second place, displacing three-time consecutive winner, Washington state, which moved to third position.
To achieve top ranking, Illinois had to score extremely well in a number of areas. For example, the state placed in the top 10 in six of the eight areas measured. Again, Reynolds points to her boss. "The executive support is crucial to all that we do," she said. "We have him behind us. He gets additional money even in tight budget years. His leadership has been the key."
This message resonates throughout Illinois government. Reynolds said that too often government employees are not encouraged to be innovative. Not so in her state. "We have asked employees to second-guess how we can use technology," she said. "It really is eye-opening when there is encouragement and support."
Kansas CIO Don Heiman traces his state's success to its early efforts to deal with groundwater management - an issue he calls critical for the mostly-rural state. Subsequently, an online GIS tool was built for managing the state's water supplies. The system crossed agency boundaries and even included local governments. That architecture, Heiman explained, became the backbone of the Information Network of Kansas. With standards in place, and interagency cooperation already established, the state was poised to glean benefits from its IT investment. "It allows us to drill down and coordinate training, to do better negotiations for products and equipment, to do important things in security," he said. "The infrastructure is so enabling when it is done well, because it tears down walls."
Kansas was the only state to score in the top 10 ranks in seven of the eight areas surveyed.
Washington moved to third place in this year's Digital State survey, continuing to make a distinguished showing. The state was ranked in the top 10 in six of the eight categories, falling short in the digital democracy arena and taxation and revenue. Washington has, however, consistently served as a model for good electronic government under the leadership of former CIO Steve Kolodney and current Department of Information Services Deputy Director Paul Taylor.
Maryland moved up significantly from ninth place in 2000 to rank fourth in the 2001 survey. Earning high marks for implementing technology in justice systems and management and administration, it was also ranked first for e-commerce and business regulation. The state's Electronic Government Initiative outlines aggressive plans to have 50 percent of information and services available over the Internet by next year.
Arizona re-joined the top 10 ranks, earning fifth place. The state distinguished itself in the areas of business regulation, digital democracy and the use of GIS - in which it was ranked second in the nation. The area that pulled the state's otherwise high scores down was taxation and revenue. Arizona made the top 10 list in six of the eight areas and was ranked eleventh in management and administration.
Also new to the top 10 was Maine. The state finished in fifth position, making remarkable progress. Last year, Maine did not appear on the list of the top 25 states. The small but digitally mighty state showed excellent scores in its use of technology in social services, management and administration and e-commerce and business regulation.
New Jersey and Utah share seventh spot in the overall assessment, followed by Ohio and Michigan in ninth. Ohio also moved up from the bottom 25 in 2000 to achieve recognition for its significant progress in this year's survey. Others, such as 13th-ranked Florida and 23rd-place California, worked hard to make remarkable progress toward model digital government. New York also made significant improvement to earn 16th position.
The Digital State Survey has become a bellwether for many governments as a measurement tool that provides important information about their progress. Although this was one of the goals of the survey, Robinett said there is a deeper philosophy behind the national effort. "Initially, the Digital State Survey was designed to support the efforts of governments to create and provide electronic services, particularly in the days when technology wasn't viewed as a necessary tool in government," she explained. "Today, electronic government is a given. The states that shine or make progress in this arena deserve to be recognized and rewarded. Today, they challenge each other to reach for even greater goals that promise to unite our nation as never before."
This was the fourth annual Digital State Survey done by the Center for Digital Government with the support of the Progress & Freedom Foundation and Government Technology magazine. Sponsors of this year's survey were AMD, Bull, Compaq, GovOne, Lockheed Martin IMS and Worldcom.
