Government Technology - October 2008 - (Page 4)

departments 26 Technology on the Cheap october 2008 VERIZON XV6900 BROADBAND SMARTPHONE govtech.com j With the growth of open source and hosted applications, a little money might go a long way. 32 Ditching the Desktop Online document management provides easy access and increased productivity. funding g S TAT E | L O C A L | F E D E R A L news 8 On the Scene 10 Big Picture 52 Spectrum Reports from the IT Horizon. GT editors report from the road. 36 Heightening the Experience The U.S. Library of Congress uses technology to give online and on-site visitors a more engaging experience. T echnology ontheChea B Y M A T T W I L L I A M S | A S S I S TA N T E D I T O R C 40 Pipe Dream OCT_08 South Bend, Ind., works to stop its sewage overflows with a wireless network that senses and controls the sewer environment. hris Anderson, editor-in-chief of Wired magazine, made a name for himself among technologists by questioning conventional wisdom. Whether it’s his indifference to the Net neutrality debate or his thesis in the book, The Long Tail, that there’s profit to be made in niche markets if obscure products are given large enough distribution. So it was little wonder Anderson stirred the pot at a Connected Government symposium during the Conference on California’s Future last spring in Sacramento, Calif., when he said government could do business much more cheaply than it typically does. “We’re talking about how to introduce these [Web 2.0] technologies more cheaply without having to go through the whole procurement process, and someone told me — this may be true in terms of the state [California] as a whole — that there was a $5,000 limit,” Anderson said. “Anything above $5,000 had to go through a [procurement] approval process. I think that’s a fantastic opportunity. What can you do for $5,000? What can you do for $4,999?” “You can start a company …,” he began. “Not much,” deadpanned California Secretary of State Debra Bowen, answering Anderson’s question. “Well, I disagree,” Anderson replied. “I’ve started two companies for less than that, each that are doing 1 million page views a month. Open source, hosted software — you can do an amazing amount for less than $5,000.” Anderson’s provocative claim is food for thought, because as some governments like California brace for deep budget cutbacks, cost-effective projections are certainly attractive. 54 Products With the growth of and hosted applic money might go a But is keeping costs below the ment threshold a realistic aim? Targus, Newton Peripherals, Dell, Das Keyboard Beware the Back End How do you do something fo nothing? Governments are turning open source software, according to Bryant, public-sector communities of the Open Source Lab at Oreg University. Though she said ther quantifiable way to measure the t evidence is anecdotal. She cited a fe ples among many: The Oregon Department of Hu vices deployed SugarCRM, a matu source customer relationship man (CRM) software suite that’s much than most CRM systems. 56 Two Cents 26 42 Falling Between the Cracks Agencies work to remove online obstacles for individuals with disabilities. columns 6 Point of View October Surprise 44 Come Together, Right Now … Florida Division of Emergency Management spearheads new statewide GIS strategic plan. 12 Four Questions for … Molly Rauzi, CIO, city and county of Denver 48 It’s a … Car? The vibrating Rumbler clears the way for cops on busy streets. 13 Letters 58 signal:noise Blurring the Lines 50 Digital State of the Art Utah tops 2008 Digital States Survey. month: Seeing Red National studies point to mixed results, but many jurisdictions are sold on the use of red light cameras. Cities across the nation are deploying red light camera — and even speed camera — systems to improve public safety and put some extra money in their coffers. In November we look at the results from these efforts. OCT_08 next AN AWARD-WINNING PUBLICATION 4 Silver Folio: Editorial Excellence Award http://www.govtech.com http://www.govtech.com

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Government Technology - October 2008 Contents Point of View On the Scene Big Picture Four Questions for... Letters Cover Stories: Border Crossing The Australian E-Connection Easy Rider Northern Exposure Technology on the Cheap Ditching the Desktop Heightening the Experience Pipe Dream Falling Between the Cracks Come Together, Right Now... It's a ... Car? Digital State of the Art Spectrum Products Two Cents signal:noise

Government Technology - October 2008

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