Oakley, Calif., is one small city trying to cash in on the explosion of smart city technology. Here's how they're doing it.
Much has been said about the impending reality of smart cities. Pictures of futuristic metropolises equipped with self-driving (even flying) cars, citywide high-speed Internet and sensors constantly gathering an endless flow of data come to mind. But what role do smaller cities play in this landscape? Oakley, Calif., is working to answer that question.
Weiterlesen: US: California: What Small Cities Should Know About Getting Smarter
Government Technology caught up with Benny Chacko, CIO of the Los Angeles County Probation Department, who discussed the importance of understanding your agency’s unique business needs and thinking beyond technology.
Understanding the more technical aspects of the job of a public-sector IT professional is just the beginning. Modern CIOs bring a very diverse set of backgrounds — educational and professional — to their positions, and the agencies they work for reap the benefits. CIO Benny Chacko, of the Los Angeles County Probation Department, supplemented his bachelor’s degree in computer science with an MBA in finance to broaden his skill set, and had a number of private-sector jobs before joining the county workforce. We caught up with Chacko recently at the Los Angeles Digital Government Summit, where he talked about the importance of understanding your agency’s unique business needs and thinking beyond technology.
Three aspects of open data for governments to consider as they transform data into insights for citizens.
With the world’s volume of data fast growing, organizations are quickly realizing the value of their information. Data is becoming a critical asset in helping organizations understand business performance, customer sentiment and market trends.
And the public, in turn, is having a similar epiphany. Citizens now see open data as the key to better understanding the issues they care about the most, be it education, health care or housing.
Weiterlesen: US: Welcome to the Era of Open Data in Government (Industry Perspective)
Accompanying important benefits of the switch from analog to digital, one challenge looms large: the increased risk of cyberattacks on 911 call centers.
Emergency Management has published several articles about the movement toward a next-generation 911 (NG911) system based on modern Internet protocols that will allow responders to take advantage of capabilities such as text and video messaging.
Beyond the capability to send and receive texts and multimedia, there are other benefits to the new types of networks. Public safety answering points (PSAPs) will be able to transfer calls and activate alternative routing to share the burden during an emergency or when they are closed by disaster.
Weiterlesen: US: Increased Connectivity Brings Cybersecurity Threats to 911 Call Centers
States have struggled to meet federal ID requirements since stiffer regulations were passed in 2005; now, as deadlines loom, extensions on compliance are getting more difficult to come by.
A looming federal mandate continues to put states on edge and threatens to further complicate air travel in the United States.
The so-called Real ID Act was passed in 2005 as part of the 9/11 Commission’s recommendations for more consistent identification standards, but implementation of the stricter rules — which includes incorporating anti-counterfeit technology into the card — has been anything but straightforward.
Weiterlesen: US: States Feel Pressure to Comply With Real ID as Stiff Consequences Loom on Horizon