With more than 300 years of experience, the Boston Fire Department continues to find new ways to improve fire safety.
When it comes to civic history, it’s hard to beat the city of Boston. It’s the home of America’s first public park, first public school, first college and first post office. It’s also where fire safety got its start. In 1631, Boston passed the first fire prevention ordinance, banning thatched roofs and wooden chimneys. Fire suppression followed next when, in 1653, the young city contracted with Joseph Jynks to build a fire engine. By 1678, Boston had its own fire department.
Weiterlesen: US: Massachusetts: Boston: Fighting Fire with Data
Drones monitor construction progress. Robots probe the sewer system for insights into human health. Streetlights maximize street parking and report on air pollution.
These innovations are not taken from the storyline of a sci-fi series. They are real technologies in use in so-called “smart cities,” and they have the power to transform urban life in America.
Weiterlesen: Can smart city tech shape America’s real estate?
'They’re the first on scene even though they’re not physically there, and the quality of your response often starts with a skilled 911 dispatcher.' Imagine a job that involves managing the worst day of someone’s life dozens of times every day. Answering phone calls from scared or angry people for 10 hours or more at a time and coordinating a rapid response from multiple agencies. One mistake or misstep could have potentially fatal consequences. This is the job description of a 911 dispatcher.
Weiterlesen: US: Montana: Kalispell: 911 Center a Critical Link to Public Safety
It's been 10 years since the world first discovered blockchain. The hype about its potential has been extraordinary, but there's still no killer app.
In April, the city of South Burlington, Vt., issued what is considered the first property deed using blockchain technology. The effort was little more than a pilot project that mostly involved the company which provides mobile and Web-based property transactions. But the transaction has been heralded as a first and a glimpse of government’s future in which information can be stored and exchanged by a network of computers, without a centralized host. Often referred to as decentralized ledger, blockchain makes it nearly impossible to alter or hack the data.
Weiterlesen: US: Blockchain: Hype, Reality and the Public Good
Acting Admin: "We are better positioned to make change now than ever before."
On the sidelines of the recent Code for America summit held at a downtown Marriott, Matt Cutts has a pitch to the legions of coders and other tech workers of America: your country needs you.
Weiterlesen: Uncle Sam wants you to join the United States Digital Service