Digital Governing

Why Can’t the U.S. Keep Pace With Europe on IT?

The World Economic Forum’s most recent Global Technology Report pointed to a serious disconnect between the real achievements of the US government in IT and the failure of the business community to recognize that achievement: “for any country and its government, the determinant factors — regarding the successful use of ICT [information and communications technology] — include the functioning of the legal system and how the business community perceives the political and regulatory system is functioning,” Bilbao-Osorio said. “On that count, the U.S. fails to impress because we found that the business community, in particular, does not have enough confidence in the politicians to effectively address the problems that the country faces both in terms of economy as well as ICT.” Are governments at every level in the US suffering more from an image problem than an achievement gap in ICT and if so why?

Your House: An Integral Part of the 'Internet of Things'

“In 2010, there were about 12.5 billion objects connected to the internet. The same year, a former director of Internet technology at IBM, Michael Nelson, predicted that within 5-10 years, 100 billion objects would be connected to the Internet. A more conservative 2011 estimate by Cisco puts the number of connected devices at 50 billion by 2020.”

The growth of the Internet of Things will have vast implications for all kinds of public services but especially to those services aimed at the handicapped and elderly. The sheer volume of online items makes it highly likely that someone with modest mobility and strength will nonetheless be able to live in their own home and independently simply by obtaining mastery over their home environment. Should government play a role in facilitating this process? How much could government save in providing services to the elderly and infirm over what it expends today if that population could take care of itself better using connected devices.?

In reading Turing’s Cathedral, George Dyson’s fascinating account of the birth of the computer, I came across an early prediction of the decline of politicians in the face of the rise of digital computing. The prediction came in The Tale of the Big Computer: A Vision by the Swedish astrophysicist Hannes Alfven. According to the author, computers would gradually outwit politicians eventually rendering them powerless. This was inevitable for the proper organization of society because computers “are designed to be problem solvers,” while politicians maintain control by “generating trouble”. In this blog, I have been paying attention to what I have dubbed “the third wave” of political phenomena by which citizens using digital media can gradually undermine the independence of their official legislators and hopefully get legislation that not only better reflects the will of the electorate but is the result of an intelligent public debate. But suppose Alfven is correct in one of his main assumptions: “the problem of organizing society is so highly complex as to be insoluble by the human brain, or by many brains working in collaboration.”. If that were to be the case, then it would make sense to follow Alfven’s prescription “to turn the organization of human society and it’s social networks, over to the machines.” 

Tech Has Transformed How We Find Missing Children

Amber Alerts and all sorts of new technology is transforming the way we are alerted to child disappearances and other public emergencies since the Patz case in 1979.

Citizen Advisers Shape New Palo Alto, Calif., Website

Citizen co-production was a key element in the massive overhaul of the Palo Alto California city website. Cash strapped counties and cities should think about seeking pro-bono work from local experts for tech projects. Citizen co-production is a good way to supplement frequently shorthanded local and regional governments and attain results that would not have been possible with existing staff.

Can Twitter and Facebook Transform 311? (VIDEO)

The significance of this video is that of the people interviewed the overwhelming majority underscore the fact that social media is increasingly where those who use public services are now and where younger generations will be. Government must be there as well without losing an understanding of the due care that must be exercised.

Made In New York Digital Map

This digital map of New York shows more than 500 start-ups and individual users can add their start-ups as well. For a county, such a map could chart the pattern of economic activity (start-ups or established companies) and include such things as companies hiring, vacant properties for industrial or commercial purposes) zoning etc. This could be a vital economic development tool.

Made in New York: Mayor Bloomberg Unveils Map of Tech Startups

Made in New York, a digital map that shows the city’s tech start ups and pinpoints the commercial centers within the city is not only a boon to job seekers but to economists or investors who want to see just where economic activity is most intense. Could your county benefit from such a map that would show potential investors where and what kind of economic activity is happening within the county and also contained contact information to your local economic development agency? 

The map, which plots the city’s tech startups, visualizes the commerce hubs within the city and connects jobs seekers with job listings.

Senator Goes 'Lights, Camera, Action' For Video Chats With Voters

Senator Chuck Grassley uses the video platform VYOU to communicate with constituents. Constituents can pose questions and Grassley holds a virtual town hall answering them in brief bursts of video. Could VYou be the perfect platform for the busy county or city officeholders to answer citizen questions without renting space or equipment to produce a formal video>

Use Good Design Principles to Prepare Your Government Site for Mobile Devices

Prepare for mobile by adopting some of these pieces of advice from the commercial sector. Above all test your website to see if it is responsive to mobile access. The extremely rapid adoption of mobile devices (especially mobile phones and tablets) means that more and more constituents will be accessing your government site from mobile devices.