Future Technologies

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Last week, CivSource reported on the launch of a new initiative in Virginia to grow that state’s cybersecurity economy. The initiative, called Semper Secure, included a partnership with Northrop Grumman. Now, Virginia is rolling out the next phase of the plan – MACH37 – a cybersecurity accelerator.[read more]

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According to the U.S. Dept. of Treasury, the IRS collects $2.4 trillion dollars each tax year from an estimated 234 million tax returns. If the data submitted on all tax returns and W2s was available in an electronic format, state governments could perform big data analytics to identify and prevent fraud and recover billions of dollars in tax revenue.[read more]

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Maryland State Senator Catherine E. Pugh has introduced four bills in this legislative session, and Governor Martin O’Malley has announced a package of initiatives designed to further Maryland’s leadership as a hub for cybersecurity jobs.[read more]

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At the Gov 2.0 lunchtime event last week (video coming soon), Darren, Manager, Media and Community Information, from the ACT's Emergency Services Agency talked about how closely he'd worked with Richard, his technical lead, to create their social media presence and new website. He proudly told us the website had cost only $43 to build,...[read more]

When I read that a mere fifty years ago there was a debate about whether or not public servants should get telephones for their work, I realized that the same debate continues today and repeats itself until a government becomes a technology leader. Today, Google, Wikipedia, and other knowledge extenders are so common that they are in our pockets, on our mobile phones; and yet and some local governments STILL debate whether or not internet access is allowable.[read more]

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In recent years, states and utility companies have started examining smart grid technologies as a means of improving service delivery, cutting costs, and maintaining grid security. Alcatel-Lucent has launched a new network technology that will enhance communications for utility companies to make power distribution across an entire grid, for the first time, ‘smart’ – from power generation through to customer delivery.[read more]

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Augmented Reality, or AR, involves the projection of information onto our physical landscape through some form of assistive device, such as the heads-up displays (HUDs) used in many aircraft, the use of a mobile device with a camera to photograph a location and add information or the upcoming Google Goggles, which promise a wearable AR experience.[read more]

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As CivSource reported, wind energy has been steadily growing in the US, supported in large part by this tax credit. Clean energy projects were announced in 30 states in the second quarter and nearly one-third of those announcements were in Midwest states, including Michigan, Ohio, and Illinois – all states with high unemployment and drought conditions, making the need for renewables real and immediate.[read more]

Bristol has been used as a test bed for 4g for the last few months, but from today you will be able to browse the web in the City using a superfast mobile connection. The first commercial 4g services have been launched by EE (formerly Everything Everywhere) here and in London, Birmingham, Cardiff, Leeds, Sheffield, Edinburgh, Glasgow,...[read more]

  In a recent survey performed by Accenture, citizens were asked if they felt as though police agencies were maximizing their use of technology to communicate with the public.  The results of the survey were quite clear – three quarters of all respondents said they would like to see police forces using more digital channels to...[read more]

I just finished reading Steven Johnson's "Where Good Ideas Come From" and it's an absolute must read for anyone interested in the sweet science of innovation; he's actually got a TED talk that addresses some of these issues but it isn't nearly as compelling as the book). I was so impressed with the book that I simply had to...[read more]

I am excited to announce the release of my first sole-authored book: “Social media in the public sector“. It will be officially introduced to the public at the annual NASPAA conference in Austin, TX, on October 18, 2012. The book is based on my research that started about three years ago. My initial interest started with the success of...[read more]

Gigabit Squared, a US-based municipal broadband provider has received an Illinois Gigabit Communities Challenge award. Through the award the state will invest $2 million will help support Gigabit Squared’s nationally renowned Gigabit Neighborhood Gateway Program (GNGP) and the company will deploy gigabit fiber and wireless in Chicago’s...[read more]

World Bank seminars this past Spring surprised me when I learned that several developing countries seem to be on the cutting edge of the global performance movement. But the series offered some occasionally cautionary insights, as well, as to what may be next for the movement. Some encouraging insights for the global performance...[read more]

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Following a recent announcement from New York City, that it was working to expand its broadband infrastructure – Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel has announced a similar initiative for Chicago. The Mayor wants Chicago to be the top city for high-speed broadband access in America.[read more]