Government Technology - March 2008 - (Page 24)

GOVERNOR, AL ABAMA BOBRILEY Alabama Gov. Bob Riley is the force driving the state to the forefront of technology leadership. Widely regarded as a governor committed to government efficiency and openness, Riley has lent his clout to initiatives that showcase his state’s technology prowess. To help fulfill his vision, Riley’s administration launched the Specific, Measurable, Accountable, Responsive and Transparent (SMART) budgeting process. “In the past, there was little logic to the budgeting process,” Riley said. “SMART budgeting requires each agency to set priorities and goals for improvement, along with specific outcomes that can be measured. The reports are posted on the Internet so anyone can see where every penny in every state program is going.” SMART allowed Riley to pursue more innovative efforts. The Alabama Connecting Classrooms, Educators and Students Statewide (ACCESS) project, for example, is a distance learning program that uses, interactive videoconferencing technology to connect teachers with students in different parts of the state. “ACCESS levels the playing field for our students no matter where they come from,” Riley said. But perhaps more than any other program Riley is credited with, Virtual Alabama shows what can be achieved with the right combination of technology and leadership. This project, led by Riley and Alabama Department of Homeland Security director Jim Walker in partnership with Google, is a first-of-its-kind undertaking: It incorporates imagery from all 67 Alabama counties, and lets local officials securely share access to statewide geographic data using Google Earth. Virtual Alabama represents the most comprehensive GIS data set in the country — something public safety officials have dreamed of for years. “Virtual Alabama is taking government to a different level,” Riley said. “We might not know the true value of this application until another major disaster occurs. Of course, we hope it never does, but when the next devastating hurricane or tornado comes through, emergency responders in Alabama will have the best tools available anywhere in the country to save lives and help people recover.” CHAD VANDER VEEN, TECHNOLOGY & POLITICS EDITOR BILL SCHRIER C H I E F T E C H N O L O G Y O F F I C E R , S E AT T L E Seattle is laden with accolades — from its awarding-winning Web site and TV channel, to its new emergency operations center — all under the leadership of Bill Schrier, CTO and director of the city’s Department of Information Technology. In 2006, Seattle.gov was named the top city government portal by the Center for Digital Government because of its rich content, design and operability. Schrier is quick to credit the collaboration between the mayor and a team of content providers. “The biggest thing I would credit is the personal involvement of Mayor Greg Nickels,” Schrier said. “He knows the Web is the official portal for Seattle, and is the future way that the city will interact with its constituents or residents and visitors on a whole variety of things.” Schrier said he’s also proud of Seattle’s Cable Channel 21, which was named the top U.S. TV channel by the National Association of Telecommunications Officers and Advisors in 2007. “We were one of the first municipal governments to videotape virtually every city council meeting, which can be downloaded and viewed by anyone who has Internet access,” he said. “We also indexed those council meetings so you don’t have to view the whole thing to see a particular topic.” Schrier said 22 years of military service left him well equipped for his role as Seattle’s CTO. “Ninety-nine percent of the military in a peacetime situation is much more collaborative effort than people commonly think,” he said. “In other words, soldiers or officers working together and making decisions together — certainly the commander’s got the final decision-making authority. I think that’s probably true here in city government too.” KAREN STEWARTSON, MANAGING EDITOR T O P 25 D O E R S D R E A M E R S A N D D R I V E R S POLICE COMMISSIONER, NEW Y ORK CITY RAY KELLY Crime statistics from 2006 showed a nationwide increase in violent crime — a trend for the last several years. But things are different in New York, where 2006 FBI statistics show a 3.1 percent decline in violent crime and a 7.2 percent fall in crime overall. Resources and innovation are part of the reason for success, but everything revolves around Commissioner Ray Kelly, a 31-year veteran of the NYPD. Kelly has continued New York’s pioneering CompStat crimemapping strategy, but he’s also taken city lawenforcement efforts to another level, presiding over the development of New York’s Real Time Crime Center (RTCC), and the concept of the Lower Manhattan Security Initiative. The $11 million RTCC is staffed with about two dozen investigators, and it processes information from the field and billions of records. RTCC staff has access to 120 million criminal complaints, arrest records and 911 calls from New York City, as well as 5 million city parole and probation files. In addition, RTCC investigators can tap into 30 million national crime records. The RTCC also monitors satellite images, maps, diagrams and surveillance camera photos from around the city. The visuals plus real-time information let investigators plot strategy moment-by-moment rather than after the fact. The Lower Manhattan Security Initiative is a London-style surveillance system that deploys more than 3,000 private and public surveillance cameras, including 116 license plate readers in fixed and mobile locations, such as cars and helicopters. JIM McKAY, JUSTICE & PUBLIC SAFETY EDITOR MAR_08 24 http://Seattle.gov http://www.govtech.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Government Technology - March 2008

Government Technology - March 2008 Contents Point of View Big Picture The Last Mile On the Scene Four Questions for... Top 25 Doers, Dreamers and Drivers Let's [Not] Get Physical No Data Left Behind Conservation King Community Drug Test Reinventing the System Better Late Than Never Closing the Deal Spectrum Products Personal Computing signal:noise Digital Communities The Expanding Focus of Digital Communities The Digital Imperative Hot Fusion Redefining Municipal Wireless Made in the USA Bridge Detectives The 2008 Agenda

Government Technology - March 2008

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