GIS/GPS

Report shows trends in GIS technology use

By: Ed Brock

Managing land records and tracking utility infrastructure are the most common uses for geographic information system (GIS) technology in the public sector,...

Fresh island perspective

Although it is hard to dispute the beauty of the Florida Keys' lush vegetation and vibrant colors, the coastal nature of the region presents challenges...

Healthy perspectives

By: By Greg Donahue

For public health officials, knowing where in the community people are contracting diseases or viruses is just as critical as knowing who has symptoms,...

Thousands of people move every day in America, which presents unique challenges for cities and counties before any election. Election agencies must ensure that voters are accurately assigned to districts, polling locations are properly sited and ballots are customized to reflect each special district....

ICMA survey shows increase in cities’ use of 311 systems

A growing number of local governments are implementing or considering 311 centralized customer service systems, according to a survey by the Washington-based International City/County Management Association....

Miami teams with Microsoft to create seniors

Miami’s senior residents now have access to computer training and equipment as part of the city’s eSeniors program....

John DeStefano, New Haven, Conn., Mayor

New Haven, Conn., Mayor John DeStefano talks with American City & County’s Deanna Hart about the city’s Municipal Identification Program...

Know the audience

By: By Chad Snow

IT managers often struggle to effectively communicate complex details about projects to elected officials and executive managers. The top city and county...

Saying hello to progress

Smith County, Texas, has grown quickly over the last few years, but the county's communications infrastructure has not kept pace. As a result, residents...

HELP!

By: By Annie Gentile

A city water line bursts, shooting liquid 20 feet into the air. A startled resident dashes to the phone and dials 911. Although the situation is urgent,...

Rise of the machines

By: By Alex Brisbourne

Machines that to other machines might sound like science fiction, but in fact, private industries and public agencies across the country use millions...

Proof of delivery

By: By Frank Maguire

Local government officials and employees now are generally comfortable using e-mail to send important information and contracts. However, many people...

A different perspective

Project: Geographic information system oblique imagery Jurisdiction: Monroe County, N.Y Agency: GIS Department Vendor: Rochester, N.Y.-based Pictometry...

Google-friendly tips

By: By Eric Enge

Local government Web sites are growing more sophisticated, employing new technologies to better present content and public information. However, many...

Keeping options open

By: By John Punzak

Historically, open source software has had a reputation for being unstable and insecure. Misconceptions and misunderstandings about licensing models and...

Signing up for the season

Last summer, the Phoenix Parks and Recreation Department launched a Web-based system to process registrations for 8,000 classes and programs at 26 community...

Pulling it together

By: By Marty Osborn

Local governments have spent millions implementing geographic information system (GIS) technology and dedicating resources to program data into their...

Pinpointing public assets

For many years, Covington, Ga., contracted with private consultants to survey and map the community. Two years ago, city officials decided to bring those...

Well served

By: By Betsy Harter

Streaming video is coming of age, a fact best demonstrated by YouTube, a Web site where 100 million videos are downloaded daily. Local government Web...

Why Wi-Fi? Why Not?

By: By Kevin Fitchard

In 2004, when Philadelphia officials announced plans to build a citywide broadband network using a wireless technology called Wi-Fi, they fired the starter...

Payback figures

By: By Alan Leidner

Instead of building separate geospatial information systems (GIS) for different departments, many local governments develop single systems to serve all...

Can they count on IP?

By: By Paul May

Technology developments are changing the world of public safety communications from simple analog radio networks to Internet Protocol (IP) packet-switched...

Avoiding fitful starts

By: By Chad Snow

Replacing a legacy computer system with a large enterprise resource planning or geographic information system can be challenging and time consuming. But,...

What's IT worth?

By: By Russ LeFevre

From Wichita, Kan., to Washington, D.C., governments are pressed to prove the value of their information-technology spending. Their efforts are more difficult...

In their own words

By: By Kim Patrick Kobza

With an array of new communication technology available such as e-mail, Web forms and blogs residents have numerous ways to express their opinions about...