Mapmaking has helped government agencies tell better stories In the late 1800s, Charles Joseph Minard created a map charting the losses suffered by Napoleon’s army in their attempted conquest of Russia in 1812. Edward Tufte, world-renowned expert in data visualization, refers to Minard’s visualization as “one of the greatest ever.” Minard’s chart is a greatRead… Read more »
A few days ago, we highlighted King County’s governmental offices’ transition to cloud computing. We threw around a bit of tech jargon as well – virtualization, software as a service, and legacy systems. However, for King County, the technology simply served as an enabler for the changes currently taking shape. The real transformation took placeRead… Read more »
Libraries have always been dear to me. When I was growing up, the Carnegie-built library in my hometown was my sister’s and my favorite place to swing by during the summer — and not just for the books, mind you. They hosted wonderful youth engagement activities: volunteer opportunities, educational classes, and they even had a rental programRead… Read more »
GovLoop’s recent guide, How Cloud is Reinventing Government, explores the how cloud is helping agencies unlock innovation and improve service delivery. The report includes four government case studies, best practices and insights from industry leaders. Below is an excerpt from our guide. Read the full report here. Cloud computing is providing government agencies access toRead… Read more »
Democracy is built around the idea of equality, the idea that all citizens can participate equally and exercise their power through elected officials. For a true democracy to thrive, citizens must be willing to engage. They must vote, participate and collaborate with government at all levels. Otherwise, the model falls flat on its face. NotRead… Read more »
“Retaking the Senate” seems a strange goal for a party that already holds 32 of 63 state Senate seats. In New York, however, that’s exactly what the Democratic Party wants to do. Last year, five state Senators, after running as Democrats, decided to break away from the Democratic caucus and to share power with theRead… Read more »
In our last post on digital innovation, we set the stage for the future of the public service agency. We talked about the goals of the digital public agency: the ability to engage with constituents; the ability to simplify operations at all levels; and the ability to change and adapt to new circumstances. We alsoRead… Read more »
Today, public sector organizations at all levels are facing shrinking budgets, with some of the most severe cuts taking place in information technology and support services. But at the same time, these organizations are expected to deliver services and conduct business at the speed of technology, as citizens of all ages – from boomers toRead… Read more »
Last week, three high-powered flares erupted from the Sun in a single 24-hour period, emitting electro-magnetic energy particle toward Earth and throughout the Solar System. The flares were categorized as X-class flares, capable of inflicting damage to the electrical grid. Also last week, a power station in Nogales, Arizona, was targeted for attack by aRead… Read more »
In ancient Greece, privileged countrymen consumed a sacred drink called barley wine containing barley, grated cheese, and wine. But the if drink was not kept in a constant state of movement, the contents would harden and became undrinkable. Just like the barley wine, if we settle for comfortable routines, our thinking becomes rigid and ourRead… Read more »