Lately we’ve had some experiences in our area with hacking of construction message boards. At first, I figured it must have been some programmers who figured out how to get into the computer system. But after seeing another report of it today, I searched for “how to hack a highway message board” and found thereRead… Read more »
Philadelphia is one of the leading cities in the country as far as making government more open, transparent and collaborative with citizens. Some of the great things being done in Philadelphia are: – The Mayor has issued an Open Data Executive Order. – Created an Open Data Guidebook for city departments. – Created an OpenRead… Read more »
Today another question came up in our ongoing discussions about copyright and government. So I thought I’d post the scenario and question and see how others viewed this. It seems that many counties, at least in Illinois, arrange for the production of aerials and the creation of data such as parcel information, roadway and waterRead… Read more »
Public servants and community leaders get a lot of things right. Because of their efforts, their communities enjoy services and benefits that the community rarely needs to consider. However, a few crucial decisions can become lightning rods for communities we know. This guide was written with those high-voltage community decisions in mind. We, the authors,Read… Read more »
As communities across the country make more information available on-line, greater attention is being placed on making that information more understandable to the public. In particular government budgets are often reported in a format that is hard for most people to decipher and understand. The Association of Government Accountants (AGA) several years ago started aRead… Read more »
Chula Vista California is a city with 243,000 residents located seven miles from San Diego. The City Council of Chula Vista has adopted a new strategic approach for making decisions. The goal of the strategy is to link every action in the city to a goal laid out in a strategic plan. The City’s ContinuousRead… Read more »
Six months ago New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg started a Business Customer Service Initiative to streamline the process of opening a business. A key element of the new initiative was to determine how long it was taking businesses to obtain permits needed prior to opening. Paying rent and other expenses while waiting for cityRead… Read more »
With a New Year upon us, many people will resolve to make improvements in their lives as far as exercise, diet, relationships, and career. Successful people set goals and track their progress in achieving them. Successful organizations also set goals and track their progress in achieving them. As the old saying goes, “What gets measuredRead… Read more »
Over the last few days I’ve been exposed to two ideas that interest me in how each demonstrates the need to properly vet an idea. (As an aside for for all of you familiar with MMORPGs: I figure if life was a game, “Vetting an Idea” would be considered a passive ability for those inRead… Read more »
The New York State Committee On Open Government, led by Executive Director Robert Freeman is a great resource regarding New York’s Freedom of Information Law (FOIL) and New York’s Open Meetings Law. Mr. Freeman is very accessible by telephone, mail and e-mail and always willing to provide guidance to anyone with questions about accessing governmentRead… Read more »