Tech

WMATA to launch new social media campaign

The Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (DC) is launching a social media campaign intended, in part, to create a two-way dialogue with riders. After years of using Twitter almost exclusively to push out automated service updates, Metro recently created a new Twitter account (@MetroForward) that engages customers in conversation. “We’re putting the people, the toolsRead… Read more »

Quiet cars 101

Just in case its customers have not yet grasped the concept, the Massachusetts Bay Commuter Railroad Company created a video guide to explain the ABCs of quiet cars. As The Boston Globe explains: The video features clueless passengers, played by the company’s staff, peppering real-life train conductors with not-so-complex questions about quiet car rules: “CanRead… Read more »

The Groupon model for transit

This Big City tries to apply the lessons of consumer-demand services like Groupon and Living Social to transportation planning. These programs are based on the economic concept of market equilibrium, or the intersection of supply and demand. Translating this concept from consumer goods to transit services, the post asks the following: Why not take theRead… Read more »

Emergency 2.0 Wiki Blog is now live!

Hi All, Thought you might be interested to know that the Emergency 2.0 Wiki Working Group have just launched the blog site and are undertaking a “Blog Launch Blitz” right this minute, to promote the wiki locally and globally to our stakeholders using social media! We’re in Brisbane, Australia with our laptops and mobile phonesRead… Read more »

IT Players up against UK Government Spending review

Mark Kobayashi Hillary reflects on the outcome of the UK Government Comprehensive Spending Review – Does a dip in IT Outsourcing look likely as the UK Government looks set to shift from pure IT deals to include services and business process? By: Mark Kobayashi-Hillary, IT Editor, Shared Services & Outsourcing Network (SSON) The UK governmentRead… Read more »

The NextDrop Initiative

This post was written on the Health Unbound website in development last month in my writing role there to highlight innovative global health projects. As an update, big congrats to the NextDrop team for recently winning the Knight Foundation News Challenge. The confidence most of us have in our local municipal systems to provide consistentRead… Read more »

Process for Price Negotiation Memo in Sole-Source Acquisitions

NMCARS ANNEX 2.docx Download this file “Holy-crap, I’m overwhelmed” moments often come before breakthroughts. I recently had that happen to me with a pre-business clearance also known as a price negotiation memo (PNM). The purpose of these are to show we did our homework, the government will get a good deal, and that the governmentRead… Read more »