Government Technology Magazine January 2010

GOVERNMENT TECHNOLOGY®

VOLVOL2322 ISSUE ISSUE021 SOLUTIONSSOLUTIONS FORFOR STATESTATE ANDAND LOCAL LOCAL GOVERNMENT GOVERNMENT IN IN THE THE INFORMATION INFORMATION AGE AGE JANUARY MONTH 2009 2010 A PUBLICATION OF e.REPUBLIC A PUBLICATION inside: Houston Hybrid: City takes new path to enterprise GIS Techno Trash: PLUS: Solar-powered Nebraska CIO compactors cut costs Brenda Decker Unwelcome Gifts: Mystery laptops rattle governors’ ofﬁ ces

12PAGE Digital DESTINY Portland, Ore.’s ERP implementation wasn’t easy, but it was ultimately successful

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COVER STORY 12 Digital Destiny Portland, Ore.’s ERP implementation wasn’t easy, but was ultimately successful.

BY CHAD VANDER VEEN

18 Building a Better Map Houston’s hybrid approach improves GIS accuracy and builds agency buy-in. BY ANDY OPSAHL

e The inside pages of this publication are printed on 80 percent de-inked recycled fiber.

Government Technology (ISSN# 1043-9668) is published monthly by Government Technology, 100 Blue Ravine Road, Folsom, CA 95630. Periodicals Postage Paid at Folsom, Calif., and additional offices. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to: Government Technology, 100 Blue Ravine Road, Folsom, CA 95630 Copyright 2010 by e.Republic, Inc. All Rights Reserved. SUBSCRIPTIONS: Subscription inquiries should be directed to Government Technology, Attn: Circulation Director. 100 Blue Ravine Road, Folsom, CA 95630, 916/932-1300. Canada Post Publication Agreement #41578525, undeliverables 27496 Bath Road, Mississauga, Ontario L4T 1L2 or e-mail [email protected]. www.govtech.com 3

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Editorial Prepress �� PAGE �� Other OK to go govtech.com contents VOLUME 23 » ISSUE 1 JANUARY 2010

departments 37 22 Who Rules the Net? 28 Th e debate over network neutrality is far from over. With recent moves by the FCC, some say the battle’s just beginning.

news

7 govtech.com/extra Updates from Government Technology’s daily online news service. 30 10 8 Big Picture 28 Unwelcome Gifts 27 Spectrum Mysterious laptops show up in several columns governors’ offi ces, prompting some to Reports from the IT horizon. wonder if they’re part of a hacker’s plot. 6 Point of View Liberating Work 37 Product News 30 Small Changes, Big Ideas From Time and Place Plastic Logic, Pantech, Panasonic A tough economy drives one county to think outside the box when prompting citizens to practice 10 Four Questions for good health. Brenda Decker, CIO, Nebraska 34 Speed Bump 38 signal:noise IN OUR Is the federal government’s defi ned Resolutions for speed for broadband too slow? Zombie Governments NEXT ISSUE ... Thinking Outside the Book 36 High-Tech Trash In a growing number of cities, interactive gaming helps keep public libraries Solar-powered, self-compacting trash relevant in an age where information is a bins cut the cost of garbage collection commodity. Find out how in the February in Pasadena, Calif. issue of Government Technology.

AN AWARD-WINNING PUBLICATION 10 Silver Folio: Editorial Excellence Award JANUARY

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Editorial Prepress �� PAGE �� Other OK to go point of view GROUP PUBLISHER: DON PEARSON [email protected] BY ANDY OPSAHL FEATURES EDITOR EDITORIAL Editor: STEVE TOWNS [email protected] BY STEVE TOWNS Associate Editors: EMILY MONTANDON [email protected] EDITOR CHAD VANDER VEEN [email protected] Chief Copy Editor: MIRIAM JONES [email protected] Managing Editor: KAREN STEWARTSON [email protected] Justice and Public Safety Editor: JIM MCKAY [email protected] Copy Editor: ELAINE PITTMAN [email protected] Features Editor: ANDY OPSAHL [email protected] Assistant Editor: MATT WILLIAMS [email protected] Staff Writer: HILTON COLLINS [email protected] Editorial Assistant: CORTNEY TOWNS [email protected] Contributing Editors: TOD NEWCOMBE [email protected] Liberating Work PAUL TAYLOR [email protected] DESIGN Creative Director: KELLY MARTINELLI [email protected] From Time and Place Senior Designer: CRYSTAL HOPSON [email protected] Graphic Designer: MICHELLE HAMM [email protected] Illustrator: TOM MCKEITH [email protected] Production Director: STEPHAN WIDMAIER [email protected] magine your boss announced that he or at 9 a.m. and left aft er completing his work Production Manager: JOEI HEART [email protected] I she didn’t care how much time you spent by 2 p.m., a ROWE-oriented manager would PUBLISHING completing your work or where you did it. simply congratulate the programmer for being VP Strategic Accounts: JON FYFFE [email protected] What if that boss only cared about the quality so quick and effi cient. VP Bus. Development: TIM KARNEY [email protected] of the results you produced? Consultant Jody “Th is is about paying people for work, not EAST Th ompson made this approach thrive at for time,” Th ompson said. Regional Sales Directors: LESLIE HUNTER [email protected] EAST retailer Best Buy. Th e company’s productiv- She considers it foolish to believe that SHELLEY BALLARD [email protected] ity grew 41 percent and voluntary turnover employees work more if they’re forced to WEST, CENTRAL dropped 91 percent during the mid-to-late spend a set amount of time working. Oft en Account Managers: MELISSA CANO [email protected] 2000s. She pitched her methodology to a employees just slow down based on the EAST ERIN GROSS [email protected] ballroom of government IT offi cials at the amount of time they need to fi ll, according to WEST, CENTRAL

Center for Digital Government’s Best of Cali- Th ompson. Why fi nish your workload in fi ve Business Development Dir.: GLENN SWENSON [email protected] fornia event last December. Many attendees hours if a co-worker with the same job takes Bus. Dev. Managers: JOHN ENRIGHT [email protected] appeared spellbound as Th ompson explained 10 hours and looks more dedicated because LISA DOUGHTY [email protected] KEVIN MAY [email protected] the Results-Only Work Environment of it? Exec. Coordinator to Publisher: JULIE MURPHY [email protected] (ROWE), which she insisted could apply to Th ompson ridiculed companies that built Regional Sales Admins: SABRINA SHEWMAKE [email protected] any job. She and business partner Cali Ressler sprawling campuses with amenities designed CHRISTINE CHILDS [email protected] National Sales Admin: JENNIFER VALDEZ [email protected] started consulting fi rm CultureRx to help to keep employees at their offi ces longer. All Dir. of Marketing: ANDREA KLEINBARDT [email protected] governments and businesses transition to the that accomplishes is creating a more pleasant Dir. of Custom Events: WHITNEY SWEET [email protected] ROWE offi ce culture. I think all government prison, in Th ompson’s view. Associate Dir. of Custom Events: LANA HERRERA [email protected] Custom Events Coordinator: KARIN MORGAN [email protected] agencies should consider it. “Employees don’t want a dry cleaner at Dir. of Custom Publications: STACEY TOLES [email protected] “ROWE” is not just a fl ashy way of saying the offi ce. Th ey don’t want a day-care center,” Custom Publications Writer: JIM MEYERS [email protected] “telework policy.” Working remotely may Th ompson said. “What they want is some Dir. of Web Products and Services: VIKKI PALAZZARI [email protected] Web Services Manager: PETER SIMEK [email protected] or may not be appropriate in a ROWE, control over their lives.” Custom Web Products Manager: MICHELLE MROTEK [email protected] depending on what a given job requires. For It seems doubtful that an onsite customer Web Advertising Manager: JULIE DEDEAUX [email protected] example, I’d choose to work in the offi ce free service representative or security guard could Web Services/Proj. Coordinator: ADAM FOWLER [email protected] from home distractions. function without set shift s. However, it would Subscription Coordinator: GOSIA COLOSIMO [email protected] Th e basic idea is to let people work when be fascinating to see how far governments CORPORATE CEO: DENNIS MCKENNA [email protected] and where they want, as long as they com- could take the ROWE philosophy. As a new Executive VP: DON PEARSON [email protected] plete their work at the level their managers decade dawns, it could be a way to entice Executive VP: CATHILEA ROBINETT [email protected] stipulate. If a soft ware programmer arrived badly needed new talent. CAO: LISA BERNARD [email protected] CFO: PAUL HARNEY [email protected] VP of Events: ALAN COX [email protected] Marketing Director: DREW NOEL [email protected]

Government Technology is published by e.Republic Inc. Copyright 2010 by e.Republic Inc. All rights reserved. Government Technology is a registered trademark of e.Republic Inc. Opinions expressed by writers are not necessarily those of the publisher or editors. Article submissions should be sent to the attention of the Managing Editor. Reprints of all articles in this issue and past issues are available (500 minimum). Please direct inquiries to the YGS Group: Attn. Mike Shober at (800) 290-5460 ext.129 or [email protected].

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Editorial Prepress �� PAGE �� Other OK to go govtech.com/extra Updates from Government Technology’s daily online news service.

Here are the 10 most popular stories from Nov. 7, 2009 to Dec. 7, 2009. Texas Releases Recommended Gaga for Google Fixes for Data Center Consolidation Th e public sector could be entering the era 1 Study suggests Texas renegotiate its of cloud computing sooner than most expected. 8,000 contract with IBM. In a recent sit-down with Government L.A. city www.govtech.com/733336 Technology, Los Angeles Chief Technology Offi cer Randi Levin said her staff has fi elded employees State CIOs Offer Government inquiries from more than two dozen govern- signed up to Cloud Option 2 ments in California that are interested in Los participate State-operated government clouds add Angeles’ decision to transition all city employees another option to a growing menu of hosted to Google Apps — the company’s “hosted” in the Google infrastructure and application off erings. productivity suite that includes Gmail. Other www.govtech.com/734128 governments nationwide also have expressed Apps pilot interest, she said. WWW.GOVTECH.COM/733435 project. Chicago 911 Offi cial Resigns Over $2 Million Mistake 3 Deputy commissioner resigns to avoid being fi red, according to newspaper report. www.govtech.com/733288 10 LUFTBALLOONS: In December the $ Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) won the Defense 369 Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) Network Real ID Act Deadline BILLION Challenge. The challenge saw the agency hide 10, 8-foot red Pushed Back to 2009 The total budget shortfall balloons in various locations around the country. Any person 4 DHS extends deadline for states to facing states between or organization that, between Dec. 5 and 14, submitted to implement regulations of the Real ID Act now and fi scal 2012, DARPA the correct longitude and latitude of each balloon’s to Dec. 31, 2009. according to the Eco- location would win $40,000. The MIT team, via a nationwide www.govtech.com/104173 nomic Policy Institute. network of searchers, found all the balloons in only nine hours. Site Reveals Salaries of New York State Employees 5 Conservative think tank launches Web site with comprehensive state fi nancial data. California IT Plan Saves Millions www.govtech.com/383701 California’s fi ve-year capital plan for and allows us to ensure prioritization and IT spending has delivered more than alignment with the state’s policy and pro- San Francisco, Amsterdam $400 million in savings and cost avoidance grammatic standards,” said Chief Deputy Work Toward Sustainability since its release in early 2009, according CIO Adrian Farley, in testimony to a legisla- 6 Mayors meet via Cisco Telepresence to the Offi ce of the State Chief Information tive committee in November. California’s to discuss the cities of the future. Offi cer (OCIO). OCIO will oversee 600 IT projects worth www.govtech.com/734210 “The process specifi cally focuses on $7 billion over the next 11 years. what the state’s emerging needs for IT are, www.govtech.com/734136 Dozens of Governments 7 Interested in Google Apps, Los Angeles Offi cial Says City’s plan to transition work force to Google Apps draws plenty of attention. Web Comment www.govtech.com/733435 of the Month

Personal Computing: It’s all very nice to think of social 8 Should You Upgrade to Windows 7? networking as ‘private’ and not related Most existing computers with Vista or XP to work. But the merger is inevitable. don’t need Windows 7 upgrade. When the fi rst company is sued because a www.govtech.com/732885 something in his background SAN FRANCISCO, worker had that suggested he was not trustworthy (and AMSTERDAM WORK Enterprise Architecture Demystifi ed the employer should have known because TOWARD SUSTAINABILITY What is enterprise architecture and it was on the guy’s will Facebook require thatpage), employers all 9 liability insurers San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom, Cisco Chief who is it intended to benefi t? Globalization Offi cer Wim Elfrink and Amsterdam www.govtech.com/418008 look at social networking sites in order to have insurance coverage.” Mayor Job Cohen showcased the latest developments in the Connected Urban Development initia- Many More Government Records 09 – In response tofor By Bob on Dec. 4, 20 applicants tive, which aims to demonstrate how incorporating Compromised in 2009 than Year Bozeman, Mont., asking job technology into the foundation of urban develop- 10 their passwords to social media Web sites. Ago, Report Claims www.govtech.com/732085 ment can enhance sustainability and diminish a Public-sector organizations see a drastic city’s carbon emissions. The three offi cials gave increase in breached records, but the a presentation on the initiative in December via number of data leaks appears to decline. Cisco Telepresence. www.govtech.com/734210 www.govtech.com/734214

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A M ON TARGET Airdropping supplies or troops has always been an inaccurate affair. Wind and altitude can wreak havoc on missions, and faulty data can send people and materials miles off target. To solve this problem, Planning Systems Inc., a Reston, Va.-based military contractor, developed the Precision AirDrop System (PADS) software, which incorporates the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Laptop Analysis and Prediction System. The software shrinks the drop distance error rate from 5,000 feet away from the drop zone to just 1,300 feet. PADS is a laptop-based application operated aboard aircraft, such as this C-130 dropping troops over Kenya.

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Editorial Prepress �� PAGE �� Other OK to go questions 4 BY STEVE TOWNS EDITOR AND CHAD VANDER VEEN ASSOCIATE EDITOR Brenda Decker CIO, Nebraska

What’s your top priority as CIO 1 of Nebraska? Right now it’s dealing with our economy and the economic conditions of all our citizens. We’re in the process of trying to do more with less and more with the technologies we own today.

Are there technologies on the 2 horizon you’re interested in? We’re really looking at combining some of the things we own today. The technologies out there providing services — in an area like health and human services — can be transferred into some of our other agencies to assist people. For example, our call centers. We’ve never really used our call centers to help us get intelligence so that we can give people the information they need right away.

What’s been Nebraska’s approach 3 to transparency? Nebraska’s approach has been twofold. One is that we, like many other states, put up a transparency Web site where we allow citizens to look at data, research it and do some manipulation. The other side, I think, is more interesting: We’re becoming BRENDA very transparent in making sure citizens see how DECKER has we actually set our policies and allowing them to worked in Nebraska state government for participate in their government. We’re doing a more than 20 years lot with [video] streaming Web services to make and has served as CIO since Gov. Dave sure they can see how government operates, Heineman appointed how laws are made and how the governor interacts her in 2005. During her tenure as the with councils and committees. We’re being state’s technology transparent in a lot of ways we’ve never been before. chief, her office and the state’s Web site have received Are you looking at ways to get numerous awards 4 and accolades, citizen input into that process? including several Nebraska is big into Web 2.0 technologies. We’ve from this magazine, the Center for Digital been trying very hard to educate our younger Government and the citizens, who have never seen newspapers and National Association of State Chief don’t deal in the things we have traditionally used. Information Officers. These are people who use Facebook and Twitter as the normal way to gather information. We have things like health information that we want delivered to our citizens, and the best way to get to them is through Web 2.0 tools. 10 JANUARY

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Editorial Prepress �� PAGE �� Other OK to go The Public Sector Software Company

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BY CHAD VANDER VEEN ASSOCIATE EDITOR D 10 JANUARY

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Editorial Prepress �� PAGE �� Other OK to go Portland, Ore.’s ERP implementation wasn’t easy, but was ultimately successful. DIGITAL DESTINY iSTOCK.COM/BILLYFOTO

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If there’s one truism that can be attrib- Tips for ERP Optimization uted to enterprise resource planning (ERP) John Hoebler, a director at McLean, Va.-based business and technology solutions projects, it’s this: Th ey’re hard. Th ey’re hard company MorganFranklin, offered ﬁ ve tips for anyone looking to optimize an enterprise resource planning (ERP) implementation. to plan, they’re hard to predict, they’re hard to manage. But with the right combination Explore and understand your needs and capabilities. of committed leadership and skilled work Determine what your current business and operational objectives are, and examine what force, plus a little good luck, the grueling you are using in your current ERP package. It’s best to document precisely what modules work of ERP implementation can pay off . 1you have in place, and then move through each module, feature by feature, to assess if Such was the case for Portland, Ore. you’re currently using each feature. If you are using a feature, are you using it to its fullest When the time came to overhaul the city’s functionality? If you’re not using a feature, what’s the feature’s value or beneﬁ t, and what is the decades-old back-end technology, everyone cost to implement it? This forms a full picture of how to focus efforts to minimize spending while maximizing the return. Some questions typically asked during this phase are: How many people and how much effort are required to complete each process? What are the current issues? Where is the process being bogged down? What features are you using or not using today? What is the new release that can help solve your issues? Have you purchased software that is on the shelf and could help you?

Prioritize your options. Rank each feature based on the following factors: timeline to implement, cost to implement, organizational readiness to accept the feature, and expected benefi ts of 2 implementing the feature. By ranking each feature for these factors, you can create a score that ranks the features based on a cost-benefi t analysis. The score should provide an objective assessment of which features would provide the most value to the organization in the near term and the long term. It also can provide a ranking to determine how to effi ciently deploy the resources you have on hand, as the to-do list will be long and require extensive planning to match resources, timeline and objectives.

Look for quick wins. Jennifer Sims, Consider taking on a few quick wins fi rst before completing a big ERP optimization chief fi nancial project. These will help demonstrate the ERP optimization’s potential to the business offi cer, Portland 3 users and help make a case for a big project grouped in with several high-priority tasks. Typically there are fi ve to 10 quick wins that can be implemented within days or weeks that knew it wouldn’t be easy. But no one antici- provide immediate benefi ts, while also providing results that can be the basis for funding pated how diffi cult it would become. larger projects. Portland aimed to completely replace its systems for fi nancials and logistics, capital Don’t forget about change management. projects, HR and payroll. Th e city’s experi- Since the direct results of an optimization effort are changed or new processes, change ence off ers an inside look at the complexities management should be an integral part of an optimization effort. Identify and involve involved in major legacy replacement proj- 4 impacted end-users early in the process. Schedule formal training if needed, and update ects. Portland’s story also provides lessons existing business process documentation. for jurisdictions contemplating ERP deployments, as delays and technology integrator Optimization is a continuous journey. changes cast doubt on whether the project Government processes and applications will continually change over time. So would succeed. Yet the city persevered and should your ERP. ERP optimization assessments should be continually updated — 5 at least annually — to keep your feature inventory up-to-date and aligned with your built itself an IT foundation that will last well organizational goals. into the future.

’70s Tech in a batch format so massive the papers “If there was any decision-making infor- Ken Rust, Portland’s chief administrative had to be wheeled around on carts. In fact, mation that was needed, you could end up offi cer, was all too familiar with the inad- everything was paper-based. Th ere was no with competing numbers because there was equacies of the city’s old systems. online component to speak of. And over the no one source of data,” said Jennifer Sims, “I always like to refer to it as late-’70s years, hundreds of unauthorized “shadow” Portland’s chief fi nancial offi cer and execu- technology the city implemented in 1991 systems sprang up to compensate for the tive director of the ERP project. “We were and ran for 18 years,” said Rust. Portland mainframe’s shortcomings. certainly ripe for some change here.” used mainframe technology to manage its Perhaps the single biggest problem with Th at change had been suggested as far fi nancial system. Human resources was a Portland’s mainframe system was that there back as 1999. Even then, the technology 10 separate process. Reports were delivered was no single source of truth. implemented in 1991 was showing its age. JANUARY

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PORTLAND ERP: to Rust. Instead, Portland hired San Diego- based Ariston Consulting & Technologies BY THE NUMBERS Inc., which was acquired in September 2009 by Black & Veatch, a global engineering, 18 -year-old mainframe technology was replaced by new ERP software. consulting and construction company, to integrate the SAP soft ware the city had 2 project phases: software selection chosen as its ERP platform. and technology deployment. Th e plan called for Portland to go live with SAP fi nancials and logistics in early 7,000 city employees rely on 2008, to be followed later in the year with the system. the human capital management element. But things didn’t go as anticipated. 2008 Financials and logistics “During the implementation and the con- modules went live in November. fi guration period, we really ran into some issues. In late 2007, we determined we weren’t 2009 Human capital management module went live in June. going to make the go-live date of January 2008.” In 2008, the city replaced Ariston as the bargaining process. Reviewing contract the integrator for phase two. “It wasn’t an provisions, determining proper application As the 20th century ended, interest in easy decision and not the way we planned of rules and gaining agreement on those public-sector ERP implementation grew. it. We reached a point where we believed we issues proved to be “very cumbersome,” City offi cials at the time launched a needs needed a diff erent fi rm to help, and decided it Sims said. assessment to examine the city’s existing was in our best interest to make that change. Th e project also revealed just how decen- back-end technology. Working with the We worked out an orderly transition that tralized Portland’s IT operations were. Th e Government Finance Offi cers Association minimized impact on the project. While I’m ERP project was intended to unify 7,000 city (GFOA), city staff members created a report sure it was a disappointment to the fi rst fi rm, employees working in 26 bureaus in 75 loca- that laid out the business case for moving to I think we all worked collectively to make it tions. Th e whole endeavor, it seemed, was an ERP environment. Yet in 1999, Portland, work as well as possible, given it wasn’t the growing more diffi cult and time consuming like most other entities, had a diff erent tech- ideal condition.” than the initial estimates predicted. nology concern on its plate — Y2K. “It revealed a lot of our weaknesses that Y2K readiness took precedence over the Take Two had developed and become institutional- needs assessment report, Rust said, and the Besides needing to fi nd a new project ized over a long period of time,” Rust said. city shelved the report for years. Only in 2003 partner, the city had begun to learn disturb- “Cleaning that up was extremely time con- did Portland’s Offi ce of Management and ing details about the patchwork IT back suming and took a lot more eff ort than we Finance (OMF) take another look at ERP. end it was replacing. Along with hun- ever expected.” “My predecessor understood the inad- dreds of shadow fi nancial systems, the city With Ariston out and problems mount- equacies of the system,” Rust said. “We uncovered procedural and organizational ing, Rust and Sims brought in SAP Public brought GFOA back in, we updated that shortcomings that would greatly complicate Services for the integration, confi guration needs assessment, determined the business the deployment. and implementation. By then, the launch case was stronger, the ERP product had For instance, some union contracts dates had been pushed back nearly a year matured, and all the Y2K issues were behind hadn’t been consistently implemented and and fatigue was starting to set in among us. Th at became the framework to bring some unwelcome practices had crept into project staff . something to our City Council in July 2004. Th ese setbacks gave way to another set Th e Council green-lighted it in 2004 with an of problems — keeping the City Council initial budget.” informed and onboard, and keeping employees Th e plan presented to the Portland City motivated. As the project’s executive sponsor, Council called for a two-phase implemen- it was up to Rust to stay the course. His strategy tation. First would be analyzing business was to ensure that he had access to the city’s requirements and selecting soft ware; second best. One of them was Sims, so Rust took would be the actual technology integration. over her duties so she could commit to the Th e OMF was careful to build in the option project full time. of choosing diff erent vendors for phase one “Th ey always say you need to bring your and phase two, a move that proved particu- best and brightest to these things and that’s larly prescient. absolutely true,” Rust said. “You can’t send Portland chose Accenture to handle phase the B-team. It has to be your A-team. Orga- one, but the company’s bid for phase two was nizationally you have to fi gure out how to 10 more than the city wanted to pay, according bring in the right people while continuing JANUARY

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Editorial Prepress �� PAGE �� Other OK to go With the technology integration behind it, Portland is starting to realize the benefi ts of citywide ERP. But the realization process will be slow. Because Portland split the deployment into two phases, city employees must wade twice through the so-called “Valley of Despair” — a term used by consultants to describe the period aft er a technology switchover when organizations struggle to learn new rules and processes. Generally the larger the project, the longer it takes to escape the valley. Portland employees marching through the fi rst-phase valley can see the end. Unfor- tunately the respite will be short-lived. “We’re coming out, a year later, from the the day-to-day work that goes on. A lot of the to deploy in two stages. Th e fi nancials and phase-one Valley of Despair,” Sims said. “I folks on the A-team were in my operation, logistics piece went live in November 2008 talk to people almost every day who tell me in fi nance and HR. So I just simply had to and the human capital management piece in how happy they are. Th ey are getting com- make it a requirement that they’d be on the June 2009. fortable with it and are getting value from team, and they didn’t have much choice.” Th ere were additional challenges along it. But we’re still in the valley with phase Sims noted that to keep people motivated, the way, but the hurdles the city faced the two, which included payroll. But it takes the city had little to off er as incentives. She second time around didn’t catch it off guard. a long time to get everyone on track with came up with a modest solution, however, “Th is project touches the entire city,” said using the system and then driving effi cien- for employees who had been pulled from Harish Luthra, vice president of professional cies with it.” their regular duties to work full time on services at SAP Public Services. “Th e leader- Still, the project’s fundamentals appear the project. ship has to make sure the key stakeholders sound: Bills are getting paid; employees are “Th e one thing people complained about from each department are engaged. Th e city getting paychecks; and most importantly, to is they didn’t get to use vacation [during the did a really good job of that, and that helps Sims at least, there’s fi nally a single source project],” Sims said. “So we let them carry in change management and adaptation of the of truth for all city fi nancial data. Not to it over when normally it would expire. And system as well. Going through a change in mention the city automated the 25,000 or that was about the only thing we were able to system like this can be equivalent to a corpo- so pages of procurement documents in the give them, which is kind of sad.” rate root canal. If you have the key stakeholders old system, while also eliminating legacy engaged, if you are doing the right things and shadow systems. And like any technol- Over the Hill, Into the Valley from a change management and train- ogy deployment, it’s people who make it Rust and Sims worked to shore up City ing perspective, that root canal essentially work — and make it hard. Council and employee support, then buckled becomes a dental cleaning. It’s still painful, “Whether it’s ERP or anything, we have down to work with their new implementa- but much less so.” a saying around here: ‘Th ere are no prob- tion partner. SAP executives said Portland lems except people problems,’” Rust said. remained a strongly committed to the project, “People are critical to the success of any- despite the diffi culties. COMPREHENSIVE thing you’re trying to do. When you have “It really took unprecedented consensus- PACKAGE: new technology, a huge change eff ort, huge building on their part,” said Rich Beggs, SAP’s Portland's ERP deployment includes the training demands, limited ways to incent director of state/local government and educa- following software modules: people or reward them, it’s a huge challenge. tion. “Th e commission form of government Finance/Procurement Ultimately there were enough good people [in Portland] is fi ve council members who ✓ Finance Controlling and enough of a sense of the common vision essentially act as managers. Th e mayor is not ✓ Funds Management that we got through that.” one who can just dictate; they have to form a ✓ Grants Management Although the city government now can Material Management consensus. So we were quite impressed with ✓ look back with pride at its accomplishments, ✓ Fixed Assets the leadership of the city. Th ey were able to ✓ Project Systems the future may be the real test. make sure we had everybody onboard. We “Check with us in fi ve years and see were also able to make sure they were very Human Resources/Payroll how well we’ve used the system to improve Organization Management ✓ the business of the city of Portland,” Rust business-driven.” ✓ Personnel Administration Th ings fi nally started to click for Portland. ✓ Beneﬁ ts said. “We’ve been successful, but the real Th e new go-live target dates were eventually ✓ Time Administration potential is just beginning to be seen.” met. Th e soft ware modules were planned ✓ Payroll

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Editorial Prepress �� PAGE �� Other OK to go BY ANDY OPSAHL FEATURES EDITOR ILLUSTRATION BY TOM McKEITH Houston’s hybrid approach many government offi cials can improves attest, leading a consolidation GIS accuracy AS eff ort can earn you enemies rather quickly. But Max Samfi eld, deputy and builds director of the Houston Planning and Devel- opment Department, avoided some of those agency problems: He opted for a hybrid approach that requires city agencies to add basic data to a new buy-in. enterprise GIS, but lets them choose whether to publish more specialized data to the system. As is typical before a consolidation, several city agencies collected and maintained their own GIS data, usually with spotty accuracy. Other agencies bought GIS equipment occasionally, but lacked the staff and expertise to bring it to fruition. Samfi eld’s solution was to create a repository of newly accurate GIS data delivered to end-users from a central server farm. Agencies then use that scrubbed enterprise GIS data as a foundation on which to build more layers of data using their own specialized information. Agencies can choose to import the scrubbed base data into their own internal map-creation systems, but publishing those additional layers for other agencies and citizens to view is optional. BUILDING A BETTER 10 JANUARY

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Editorial Prepress �� PAGE �� Other OK to go A Break for the Network Another benefi t that seduced Houston Residents inquiring agencies to voluntarily use the enterprise about the types of crimes that are com- GIS was that it ran faster than individual mitted in their neigh- agency systems. GIS is especially taxing to borhood can use this crime mapping site networks, which slows down processing for created by the Hous- GIS analysts. Houston’s centralized system ton Police Department using the My City uses Citrix technology to deliver function- system. The diamonds ality in a way that travels much more easily in this screenshot indicate that 399 theft through the network. incidents occurred in “Th e way Citrix works is you type at your Houston’s Southeast Police Division in keyboard and all it sends is your keyboard the last 30 days. By commands,” Samfi eld explained. “Th e key- simply mousing over each icon, a user can board commands go and interact with the get more informa- application server, which runs everything, tion about the crime or provide tips to the and what it sends back to your terminal are local police burglary just screenshots. It’s very fast and looks just division. like you’re at the computer.” In most cases, he said, it runs faster than people’s services do on their own desktops. “Let’s say you were looking at some aerial Samfi eld had several goals for the new collecting independently maintained data imagery,” he said. “You might be pulling system. First, he wanted the agencies to from various agencies and comparing it for 100 MB across the network, whereas the fi nd the enterprise GIS so effi cient that inconsistencies. maximum size on the screen shot is typically they’d publish their generated layers in “We spent the fi rst two and a half years less than 1 MB.” the enterprise GIS rather than their inter- cleaning up the base map, examining the Jackie Smith, GIS manager of the Houston nal GIS. Second, he wanted agencies to use street center lines, making sure the address Planning and Development Department, said the enterprise GIS to create range on each block was agencies running their own individual GIS their maps. We spent correct,” Samfi eld explained. “If oft en caused bottlenecks on the network. Now Samfi eld’s plan appears the address block was missing, “We do have quite a bit of users doing the to be working. Due to wide “ the ﬁ rst we’d enter it. If a street was Citrix,” she said, “because they just can’t get participation among agencies, two and a shown as being the wrong direc- the performance otherwise.” dozens of GIS maps are available half years tion, we’d fi x that. If the name to city employees and citizens cleaning was misspelled, we’d fi x it. If the Ease and Speed for Users through a delivery mechanism up the parcel didn’t have an address, Th e enterprise GIS can also cache GIS called My City. base map. we gave it one.” layers, further improving its speed, said Samfi eld said consulting Lee Graham, GIS manager for the Houston MAX SAMFIELD, ” Accuracy Carrot deputy director, fi rm Idea Integration found Planning and Development Department. Houston Planning When Samfi eld fi rst sur- and Development Houston’s enterprise data had Retrieving the various GIS layers in the veyed Houston’s GIS infra- Department roughly 95 to 98 percent accu- city’s old applications required the applica- structure in 2006, he knew racy aft er the overhaul. Th is was tions to “draw” each layer on the map image. the delicate hybrid approach was the most stunning, given that GIS databases in most Th is made creating maps a sluggish process, realistic — simply consolidating everything agencies are typically accurate around 40 according to Graham. But the system also would have been too complicated. percent of the time, Samfi eld claimed. functions as a mechanism for creating new “Th ere was so much investment in the “A lot of cities have systems that look GIS tools, one of which off ers simple icons silos of systems and so much culture orga- fl ashy on the exterior,” he said, “but that of precached GIS layers that quickly appear nized around those silos,” Samfi eld said. tends to be a thin veneer because once you on the maps when clicked. “Some departments employed their own IT start working with the actual underlying “We spent a great deal of time taking staff rather than utilizing the city’s central data, it really relies on the address accuracy.” our diff erent data sets and building base IT. It wouldn’t have been easy to dislodge those things.” Th e meticulous eff ort Samfi eld’s team GETTING IT RIGHT: Five employees from Houston’s Planning and Development put into boosting the accuracy of its GIS Department spent two years collecting independently maintained GIS data from city data helped agencies take the enterprise agencies and combing through it for inconsistencies. As a result, Houston’s enterprise GIS GIS more seriously. Five planning and data boasts an accuracy rate of 95 to 98 percent, compared with about 40 percent before 10 the consolidation. development employees spent two years JANUARY

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Editorial Prepress �� PAGE �� Other OK to go map layers and aerial photograph layers,” LOW-COST Graham said. “Th e result was Web layers COURSES that come up really quickly.” Houston saves thousands of dollars by having a city employee Th ose layers are available on My City, teach GIS classes for new users. Larry Nierth, GIS supervisor which is easy to operate, according to Larry for the Department of Planning and Development, is certiﬁ ed McClure, fi refi ghter with the Houston Fire by GIS vendor ESRI to teach courses on the company’s Arc- Department. He uses a layer within My City GIS Desktop software. The city estimates that using a vendor- highlighting all fi re hydrants in Houston. supplied instructor would cost more than $800 per student. Th is helps McClure tell fi refi ghters exactly where to fi nd the hydrants at incident sites, reducing setup time. Rather than developing his own course Students enter the classes needing only “Our hydrants all have unique feature materials, Nierth got certifi ed by GIS basic computing skills and aft er a few days, identifi cation numbers. We can just type in vendor ESRI to teach classes on the com- exit with the ability to create GIS maps and a number, click on it, and boom, the map is pany’s ArcGIS Desktop soft ware. Th e edit layers. For example, if a parcel’s bound- right there on it, McClure explained. “It has decision saved the city thousands of dollars aries have changed, the student can alter the the cross streets and the waterlines. With per class. shape of it on the map. 58,000-plus hydrants on the ground, it’s “It would cost the city anywhere between “We have a whole group of folks here incredible to have a tool like this.” $17,000 to $19,000 to have an ESRI instruc- who work on streets, addressing and digi- tizing streets as they’re put in,” Nierth said. “Th ey’re adding new lines and connecting them to the lines already there.” Th ese GIS novices also can edit the data tables behind the layers. Th e tables list all of the information previously entered for each location.

Reaching Beyond the City Use of Houston’s enterprise GIS is spreading beyond city employees: Th e Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts is an avid My City user. This My City map “It gives them a very accurate idea of illustrates all the police divisions in where businesses are located. If certain Houston, as well as businesses are supposed to be paying sales a legend showing how crimes are taxes to the city, but they’re really close categorized. to the city boundaries, then this tells the comptroller’s offi ce whether they’re in or out of the boundaries,” Samfi eld said, adding that prior to My City, the comptroller lacked a viable source for making that McClure even said the system was ideal tor come in from San Antonio, which is their determination. for non-GIS experts. regional headquarters, and teach that par- Fireworks vendors also use My City to “For a noncomputer person, anybody ticular class. It comes out to about $860 per plan where to sell fi reworks — which are can get on that thing,” he said, “and you student, per day,” Nierth said, adding that illegal in the city — to Houston residents. wouldn’t even need a class to use it.” his monthly classes don’t typically exceed “Th ey love the ability to accurately know 13 students. if a parcel they are considering putting a GIS Craze Spreads Nierth’s status as an ESRI instructor is confi reworks stand on is inside the city or not,” Accessible and accurate GIS data deliv- tingent upon his performance. Th e vendor Samfi eld explained. “If somebody buys fi re- ered through My City has spurred a fl urry monitors his competence via the evaluations works, in some cases, if they turn left , they of interest in GIS across the city. Samfi eld his students must submit aft er each class. enter the city and get a ticket because they anticipated this and assigned the Depart- Students submit the evaluations online and have fi reworks. If they turn right, they’re ment of Planning and Development’s GIS ESRI receives them immediately. OK. Now they can even advise people, Supervisor Larry Nierth to teach classes. “Th ey’re making sure I’m responding to ‘OK, don’t go left ; there is a policeman “Th ey knew there was going to be an the students — that I’m representing ESRI waiting behind the billboard. You have to explosion of new users who wouldn’t have correctly and effi ciently, and that I’m knowl- turn right.” any prior formal training,” Nierth said. edgeable,” Nierth explained.

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Editorial Prepress �� PAGE �� Other OK to go e-government STATE LOCAL FEDERAL BY CHAD VANDER VEEN ASSOCIATE EDITOR

Who Rules the Net? The debate over network neutrality is far from over. With recent moves by the FCC, some say the battle’s just beginning.

SYNOPSIS The FCC appears poised to enact net neutrality rules. Industry observers debate SINHA WRAV the potential impact. ILLUSTRATION BY ISTOCK.COM/GA BY ILLUSTRATION In the epic battle between giant corporations and pirates of digital media, the latter faction has struck a severe blow with the help of regulators at concept, however, is counter to network neu- the FCC. Bureaucrats soon will pen regulations that will keep the Internet trality. In a perfect — and perhaps improbable free forever from — well, regulation. Meanwhile, Internet service provid- — world, the Internet would regulate itself. ers (ISPs) like Comcast and AT&T will slink back to their caves to bemoan “Th ere are two entities we want to keep their inability to further mine profit from customers. their hands off the Internet,” said Jennifer Granick, civil liberties director of the Elec- tronic Frontier Foundation, a nonprofi t uch a description of the network neu- neutrality regulation, it would seem the digital rights advocacy. “One is broadband S trality debate is clearly a gross over- grass-roots activists have defeated their cor- providers and the other is the government. simplifi cation of what’s in reality a complex porate adversaries. Although there aren’t any We’re in a situation where no one wants problem. If you listen to net neutrality written rules yet, some worry the federal gov- broadband providers to discriminate and advocates, ISPs are described as aspiring ernment is claiming power it doesn’t possess tell consumers what content they can receive digital gatekeepers out to wring every last to regulate the Internet in a manner that’s and what applications they can run. But no cent from innocent consumers. ISPs, on the far worse than what Time Warner or AT&T one wants the FCC to do that either.” other hand, have had a terrible time craft ing would even consider. Th e net neutrality debate has been going a countermessage — their best attempt has on for years. It reached a high (or low) been claiming that they want only to reinvest Choose Your Master point when in 2006, then-Sen. Ted Stevens profi t into building more broadband. Th e core of net neutrality is the notion that of Alaska clumsily explained the Internet Net neutrality is an important issue, as it no one should be “in charge” of the Internet, was like a “series of tubes.” Despite Stevens’ may well determine the future of the Web. yet its advocates have gravitated toward the primitive grasp on Internet architecture, as 10 And with the FCC’s October 2009 notice idea of endorsing some sort of government a metaphor, his description isn’t entirely of proposed rulemaking regarding network regulation to ensure neutrality. Th at very without merit. ISPs argue that without the JANUARY

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Editorial Prepress �� PAGE �� Other OK to go ability to practice network and application management, the “tubes” will get clogged by “There’s a lingering fear that if the FCC says users who move bandwidth-intensive data, the wrong things in the rules, they could really such as video, on the network. What upsets network neutrality advocates is that this screw things up badly.” network management is likely to take the Christopher Yoo, director, Center for Technology, Innovation and Competition, form of “traffi c shaping” — where content University of Pennsylvania Law School providers that have struck deals with ISPs will be made “more available” to users than rival content providers that haven’t agreed Technology, Innovation and Competition at Looking at the proposed rules, it seems to a pact. the University of Pennsylvania Law School. that net neutrality advocates fi nally achieved Net neutrality advocates say the federal “Th at technology policy was authored by victory. But some now question whether the government needs to regulate what kind Julius Genachowski, who’s now chairman of FCC has the authority to enforce such sweep- of network management is acceptable and the FCC.” ing regulation, and whether the rules are what kind is essentially extortion. Th is Indeed, in October 2009, the FCC voted so ambiguous that they’ll allow the federal would prevent, say, Time Warner’s Inter- to begin discussion on rules that Genach- government to crack down on content it net customers from not being able to access owski had proposed. Th e rules were designed fi nds unacceptable. content that competes with Time Warner. to prevent ISPs from using discriminatory Th e demand for oversight grew to a fever practices in network management. Accord- Follow the Money pitch when, in 2007, Comcast was caught ing to the agency, under the proposed rules, Net neutrality observers like Yoo and red-handed throttling peer-to-peer traffi c, the broadband ISPs: Granick see the issue as a battle between which typically involves large fi le exchanges • would not be allowed to prevent users ISPs and content providers, with like BitTorrent. Comcast never told custom- from sending or receiving the lawful end-users largely on the sidelines. ers it was managing traffi c in such a way, content of the user’s choice over the Content providers like Google prompting outrage when the practice was Internet; benefi t in an environment where all discovered. Aft er the FCC ruled Comcast’s • would not be allowed to prevent users content is treated equally. Content 70% of broadband practices were discriminatory and invasive, from running lawful applications or providers make money by getting bandwidth is using the lawful services of the user’s eyeballs on their Web pages. None of consumed by downloads of choice; their profi t needs to go to investing music, games, • would not be allowed to prevent users in the nation’s broadband infrastruc- video and from connecting to and using on their ture. Th at responsibility is largely at other content. networks those lawful devices that do the feet of ISPs. Th e ISP argument, not harm the networks; then, is that for broadband expan- • would not be allowed to deprive users sion — the cornerstone of Obama’s technol- of their entitlement to competition ogy policy and the stimulus package — to among network, application, service occur, revenue needs to increase to build out and content providers; next-generation infrastructure, like fi ber- • would be required to treat lawful optic lines to individual homes. Jennifer Granick, content, applications and services in a To generate that increased revenue, ISPs civil liberties director, Electronic Frontier Foundation nondiscriminatory manner; and say they should be able to do one of two • would be required to disclose such things: favor traffi c going to content they the agency banned throttling as a form of information concerning network provide by slowing or stopping traffi c to network management. Comcast, meanwhile, management and other practices as competing content providers; or cutting set about creating new, open network man- is reasonably required for users and deals with content providers so end-users agement principles that largely have been content, application and service provid- get a better Web experience by using those well received. Since then, an uneasy truce has ers to enjoy the protections specifi ed in providers’ sites. Tiered end-user service, one existed. But with the election of President this rulemaking. of the rallying cries of early net neutrality Barack Obama and the change in manage- Public comments on the notice of pro- advocates, already exists. Most ISPs off er dif- ment at the FCC, the issue is once again at posed rulemaking were due in January. ferent levels of broadband connection speeds the forefront. Replies to comments are due by March 5. at diff erent prices. “Obama endorsed network neutrality as a senator. He made it a lead point on his technology policy as part of his campaign,” of broadband subscribers consume 80 percent of bandwidth; of those, 0.5 percent of broadband subscribers consume about 40 percent of said Christopher Yoo, law and communica- 10 % total bandwidth. tion professor, and director of the Center for

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Editorial Prepress �� PAGE �� Other OK to go e-government STATE LOCAL FEDERAL

Government Technology requested comment from Comcast on the FCC’s proposed rules. However, the company would only provide prewritten state- ments from its executive vice president, PAY TO PLAY? David L. Cohen. Network neutrality advocates fear that without “We welcome the dialog suggested federal regulations, the future of the Internet by [Chairman Genachowski] in his may involve a tiered, “pay-to-play” access structure like this: comments, and we completely agree that any consideration of new ‘rules of Basic Internet the road’ begin with notice and an open, Service...... $29.00/ public rulemaking proceeding — this is month both fair and appropriate,” Cohen wrote in September. “But before we rush into a new regulatory environment for the Internet, let’s remember there can be no doubt that the Internet has enjoyed immense growth even as these debates have gone on.” Dan Martin, a member of Google’s Julius Genachowski, chairman, FCC Search Engines...... $5.00 Global Communications and Public Aff airs team, countered such arguments against federal regulation. said. “But I don’t think people antici- “Th e FCC is basically trying to outline pated the changes to be as radical as they rules of the road that will ensure broad- might become. band providers aren’t allowed to begin dis- “How far does nondiscrimination go in criminating against certain types of traffi c the fi nal document? What things that we’re for commercial purposes,” he said. “From doing now to serve customer and maintain a our perspective, we’ve always said that network won’t be doable? As far as network folks should be able to practice reasonable management, will we be able to manage the

Social Networking...+$10.00 network management. Obviously there’s a network in a way that isn’t scary for consum- certain amount of bandwidth and ISPs need ers? And wireless — how will that engineer- to be able to manage traffi c. With that said, ing deal with radical nondiscrimination?” they shouldn’t be able to use that in a way to Yoo said regulation seems inevitable, and discriminate against certain types of traffi c he agreed that the FCC would be wise to for commercial purposes.” tread lightly. While the war of words con- “Th ere’s a lingering fear that if tinues between ISPs and content the FCC says the wrong things in providers, federal regulation of 80% the rules, they could really screw of broadband the Internet seems inevitable. Th e subscribers things up badly,” he said. “Th ere concern now is that if the FCC use less than are new technologies emerging; 10 percent ...... doesn’t get the rules exactly right, there’ll be new uses that we can’t News +$5.95 of bandwidth. they may inadvertently quash even conceive of today. innovation down the road. “Th e catch is, they’re going Many who follow the net neutrality to set rules and they’re not going to do so debate — including the Electronic Frontier with any particular application or technol- Foundation — are concerned the FCC might ogy in mind. And then a new technology or be overreaching. An ISP industry source, who application will come up, and how these old spoke on the condition of anonymity, told rules will apply to new developments will Government Technology there is a fear the be essentially arbitrary. No one’s thought it FCC may deliver regulation so shortsighted through. We’re just going to read a bunch of that business development will be disrupted. rules that were written for a diff erent context “Th e current administration, in the and apply them.” Shopping...... +$5.00 campaign, said it was in favor of net neutrality regulations, and it’s doing what folks Absence of Control 10 would expect by following through on its Instead of relying on the FCC or corpora-

Total...... $54.95 campaign promise,” the industry source tions to dictate the rules, Granick argues for JANUARY 24

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Editorial Prepress �� PAGE �� Other OK to go Kids think the place is haunted. You suspect it’s not up to code. Getting building inspectors to places all around town takes serious choreography. Good thing there’s Nextel Direct Connect.® It uses GPS to help you track and manage your team. Letting you instantly locate and connect, whether they’re inspecting new construction or a creepy old manor. Nextel Direct Connect.® Only on the Now Network.™ 1-800-NEXTEL-9 sprint.com/nextel

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Editorial Prepress �� PAGE �� Other OK to go e-government STATE LOCAL FEDERAL

letting the Internet guide itself through its If the choice is between corporations and evolution. New and nascent means of broad- “ band delivery may develop — such as broad- government, they’re both bad choices. band-over-power-lines or improved wireless ” broadband — that may prove feasible, but Jennifer Granick, civil liberties director, Electronic Frontier Foundation may be hindered by poorly conceived federal regulations. ties established years ago with phone and management, and those sorts of things,” “If the choice is between corporations and cable providers. Granick said. government, they’re both bad choices. But that It stands to reason that some time will “One of the things the FCC is supposedly may not really be the choice we’re faced with,” elapse before anything concrete comes from charged with doing is to encourage broad- she said. “So we need to resist the temptation the FCC’s proposed rules. For the time being, band deployment. In some ways, I do think to react so strongly against the potential prob- fi nding ways to improve competition and we have the luxury of fi guring this out — lems with ISPs and say the only solution is broadband availability may solve the net despite the FCC’s eagerness to move forward government regulation. Th ere are other things neutrality problem before the FCC puts itself — because the few instances where there that would greatly alleviate the problem and, in charge. Plus, the public has proven to be has been content or application discrimina- as the Internet evolves, it may turn out that adept at loudly decrying any attempts by ISPs tion have been pretty quickly fi xed because these things that really worry us now are not to manage traffi c in a discriminatory fashion. of people’s attention to the problem,” she worries at all later.” “[Competition] will go much further added. “It’s a serious problem, but I think we Th ose “other things” Granick mentions toward resolving this neutrality problem have some time to see whether we get more are innovation and competition. End- without having the corollary danger that, broadband providers or broadband-over- users oft en have few choices when it comes once the FCC gets its hands on the Internet, power-lines. Competition alone won’t fi x to broadband. Th is is due largely to the we’re also going to see indecency regulation everything, but it will go a long, long way to 10 regional monopolies that cities and coun- to ‘protect the children,’ or digital rights fi xing the problem.” JANUARY

26 www.govtech.com Put Your Sales WITH THE CENTER FOR in High Gear DIGITAL GOVERNMENT How fast are you moving in the state and local government IT market? Are you “The Center for Digital accelerating your sales cycle by working with channel partners already making state Government has been a and local tracks? tremendous ally and resource Do you have access to the information you need? The Center for Digital Government providing us a vast array can help you get up to speed with custom state and local government market strategy of research services and and sales consulting. networking opportunities.” Tactical Sales Channel Partner Digital Government RICK WEBB, CTO, ACCENTURE and Market Support Programs Navigator

GET OUT AND TWIST THE THROTTLE OF THE STATE AND LOCAL IT MARKET! CONTACT THE CENTER FOR DIGITAL GOVERNMENT TODAY! CALL 800.598.1379 OR VISIT WWW.CENTERDIGITALGOV.COM/PRODUCTS

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Editorial Prepress �� PAGE �� Other OK to go WATCH SPECTRUM at www.govtech.com/spectrum Reports from the IT horizon

SMART CITIES: Six U.S. communities made the Intelligent Community MARYLAND Forum’s (ICF) 2010 Smart21 list. The ICF, a think tank that studies the economic and social development of 21st-century communities, recognizes 21 cities annually for their THINKS GREEN Maryland’s Green use of broadband to compete in the global economy. The list includes three winners Registry commends public- and private-sector organiza- from Virginia: Bristol, Arlington County and Danville; as well as Dakota County, Minn.; tions that have implemented at least ﬁ ve practices Dublin, Ohio; and Riverside, Calif. SOURCE: ICF toward a greener working environment. The registry boasts more than 80 participants, including the city of Bowie and the Maryland Department of the Environment, and provides tips and resources for incorporating green practices. More than 75 percent of Mobile Care users think it’s easy to use and 90 percent said the wellness tips h been helpful. ave More than 5,000 messages Vetting Help have been sent through the system so far. U.S. veterans who communication between require constant medical patients, doctors and SOURCE: ALLONE MOBILE follow-ups due to trau- approved third parties. matic brain injuries or The application lets other serious health condi- users store health-care tions can be medically information on their monitored via their cell phone and provides phones. a secure channel for Mobile Care is a sending and receiving downloadable application messages, according that facilitates two-way to the company. Feeling Insecure? A 2009 survey of 300 federal IT professionals conducted by computer vendor CDW-G found that their top three daily cyber-security issues are malware (33 percent), inappropriate employee activity/network use (25 percent) and managing access to remote users (25 percent). Send spectrum Keeping the Lights On ideas Most IT departments spend less than 25 percent to managing editor of their time on strategic initiatives, according to a survey of more than 400 Government Technology % Karen Stewartson 78 of employees say kstewartson@ subscribers. The same survey found that most they are less productive govtech.com departments spend 26 to 50 percent of their time at work when they are maintaining and supporting existing IT systems. too hot or too cold, according to a 2009 Harris Interactive Survey.

10million Americans are victims of identity theft annually, according to the Federal Trade Commission.

www.govtech.com 27

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Editorial Prepress �� PAGE �� Other OK to go public safety STATE LOCAL FEDERAL

BY HILTON COLLINS STAFF WRITER Unwelcome Gifts Mysterious laptops show up in several governors’ offices, prompting some to wonder if they’re part of a hacker’s plot.

omething smelled fi shy in Vermont, S Washington, Wyoming and West Virginia in August 2009 when the states’ governors received mysterious laptops they never ordered. Each offi ce reported receiving three to fi ve laptops in two deliveries of either Hewlett- Packard or Compaq units, according to several news sources. A National ILLUSTRATION BY TOM McKEITH SYNOPSIS Governors Association bulletin State governments disclosed that HP intercepted another got some unwelcome surprises shipment to at least one other state. when they received Th e federal government is report- mystery equipment edly investigating deliveries in at least in the mail. 10 states. JURISDICTIONS If the laptops were intended as bait, Wyoming, West no one bit. Virginia, Vermont, Washington. “Th ere was a realization that we did not order these computers,” said West Virginia State Police Sgt. Mike T. Baylous. Once the state police realized the delivery could pose a problem, the department sought federal action. “We reached out to the FBI. We have a great working relationship with them here,” he said. Cindy Smith, an administrative manager in West Virginia Gov. Joe Manchin’s offi ce, told Th e Charleston Gazette that no one in the state government knew what was on the “Th ey were drop shipped from Shanghai to plan that has to do with technology that was laptops because they weren’t turned on for Indianapolis through Hewlett-Packard,” said part of those laptops?’” Manlove said. security reasons. Wyoming state trooper Lt. Klief Guenther. Guenther has confi dence in the federal Leigh Anne Manlove, acting press secre- “Th ey were ordered with a fi ctitious credit government’s ability to dissect the laptops tary for Wyoming Gov. Dave Freudenthal’s card, not related to any Wyoming govern- for anything that’s malicious. Although offi ce, told a similar story. “I don’t think it ment credit card or credit card processing. So Wyoming offi cials didn’t fi nd any evidence was that big of a deal for our offi ce because I don’t know where the credit card informa- of physical danger from explosive, biological we knew we didn’t order them,” she said. tion came from.” or chemical agents, he senses something “We didn’t keep them.” Now the case is in the federal govern- fi shy regardless. Manlove added that her offi ce turned the ment’s hands. “I don’t think it’s a coincidence that all laptops over to Wyoming state troopers, “Once the state troopers did all that they these laptops ended up in governors’ offi ces,” who said they were originally shipped from could do with those computers, they turned it he said. Shanghai, China. Th e state troopers also over to the FBI because the FBI has the capa- In West Virginia, Baylous wouldn’t divulge X-rayed the packages and found that they bility to sic some tech-savvy brilliant person details about where the investigation is now 10 didn’t contain explosives, and the investiga- on it and fi nd out more beyond just, ‘Is there and, the FBI is unable to comment on details tion was turned over to the FBI. a bomb inside?’ or ‘Is there some nefarious about ongoing investigations. JANUARY

28 www.govtech.com

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Editorial Prepress �� PAGE �� Other OK to go Your Guide to Capture ARRA Funding

Government Technology gets to the bottom of the economic stimulus with our best tips and tools for securing your funds!

States and localities will beneﬁ t from the largest stimulus distribution to- Produced by: date — $108 billion in ﬁ scal year 2010.1 Since the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act inception, agencies have received huge sums of money to expand or improve services. The timing is perfect to request your share. A lot has been written on the economic stimulus — both fact and hype. Government Technology’s How-to Guide sets the record straight to where the In cooperation with: funds are, how they can be used and how to get them. Take advantage of simple checklists, planning advice and resources to give you a clear path to all opportunities for funding your technology projects.

1 U.S. Government Accountability Ofﬁ ce, July 2009

Get your complimentary copies and share with colleagues! Visit govtech.com/ARRA

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Editorial Prepress �� PAGE �� Other OK to go health STATE LOCAL FEDERAL

BY HILTON COLLINS STAFF WRITER

SYNOPSIS The Salt Lake Valley Health Department uses social media to market community health campaign. CONTACT Kate Lilja, public information specialist, Salt Lake Valley Health Department, [email protected].

Small Changes, Big Ideas A tough economy drives one county to think outside the box when prompting citizens to practice good health.

s humans, we make choices daily that Terri Sory, the department’s chronic disease Small Change section of the department’s A aff ect our lives in ways we take for program manager, said these changes can Web site, www.slvhealth.org. Th e recom- granted. Little things — like that 11 p.m. guide people toward better health. “Th e more mendations include small and personal bowl of ice cream eaten four nights a week or they make the small change, the more there changes, such as eating healthier or getting the half-hour walk taken every other day at is an impact on them individually — their a vaccination; larger, group-oriented eff orts, noon — play roles in our long-term health, families, obviously the community, and then like starting a wellness-at-work program; for better or worse. our county as a whole,” she said. “And then as and eco-friendly endeavors — for example, Habits can be hard to break, even when they continue to make these one small changes using recycled paper products. we know they’re bad for us. Th at’s something and see how easy it is to do, they’ll continue to “We wanted to encourage Salt Lake staff members of the Salt Lake Valley Health progress in health.” County residents to make a healthy lifestyle Department in Salt Lake County, Utah, It’s a community-minded promotion, change this year, and that could be a behav- probably had in mind when they devised the which users discover while perusing the One ior change that would positively impact our One Small Change — For the Health of It campaign, which encourages people to make Healthy Choices tiny lifestyle changes where they can. The Salt Lake Valley Health Department’s One Small Change initiative encourages “A lot of times with health messages, people individuals to make little changes that together can yield big results. Some of the are asked to change so much of what they do, suggested changes include: and that can be very intimidating,” said Kate Taking public Quitting Choosing Installing Lilja, the department’s public information spe- transit or riding a smoking, which healthier compact cialist. “So the One Small Change campaign 1234

10 bike whenever pos- can lower a person’s food options, ﬂ uorescent light was a new spin on that by encouraging people sible to help reduce chances of developing such as breakfast bulbs over standard to begin with manageable things.” one’s carbon footprint. heart disease by cereals with more bulbs and taking the JANUARY 70 percent. ﬁ ber per serving. stairs instead of the 30 www.govtech.com elevator.

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Editorial Prepress �� PAGE �� Other OK to go MANAGING TECHNOLOGY REGISTRATION NOW OPEN

RESULTS-DRIVEN COLLABORATION IN MARCH 17 & 18 A HIGHLY COMPLEX, STRATEGIC AND SACRAMENTO, CA POLITICAL ENVIRONMENT GOVERNING’s 12th annual Managing Technology Conference is an executive event focused on practical, realistic solutions, best practices and cutting edge developments in effective management of technology across the full spectrum of state and local functions.

Learn about challenges and successes from colleagues in other communities, and walk away with new ideas and strategies to REGISTER BY address your most critical issues: ß Streamlined Government: Making IT Consolidation Real FEBRUARY 1 ß Protecting Security, Providing Access ß The Fiscal Impact of IT Choices: Save Money or Create Jobs? AND SAVE! ß Cross-Border Collaboration: Sharing Systems and Services ß Modernizing Critical Systems: UI and MMIS ß Taking It Back: Undoing Outsourcing ß New Workforce, New Workplace — Government 2010

WWW.GOVERNING.COM/CONFERENCES/TECHNOLOGY

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Editorial Prepress �� PAGE �� Other OK to go health STATE LOCAL FEDERAL

environment, like taking public transporta- tion when available or switching to energy- effi cient light bulbs,” Lilja said. But the campaign isn’t just tips on a Web page: Its key component is the department- made video featured prominently on the department’s site and YouTube channel. Th e department uses social media tools, like Twitter and YouTube, to let citizens know it’s out there. “We decided that our YouTube video would really be the key part of our campaign, so a lot of our eff orts would just lead back to this video, which would introduce people to the campaign,” Lilja said. A video on a Web page is likelier to grab someone’s attention than plain old text, Salt Lake County Mayor Peter Corroon (center) appears on local news to promote healthy cooking. no matter how wonderfully it’s written or designed. and it was actually a very incredible morale empower people, to motivate them, to begin “Directing people to a video is easier than booster,” Sory said. “People were excited on a healthier path,” she said. directing them to a Web site where they read about it, and they were buzzing about it.” Although Web feedback has been posi- through a couple of pages of just informa- To keep things from getting stale — a tive, it’s not enough to gauge the campaign’s tion, ideas and instructions,” Lilja said. problem that plagues educational produc- eff ectiveness. Th e department’s YouTube tions — Lilja, the director and camerawoman, channel has garnered a handful of encourag- Lights, Camera, Action! fi lmed short scenes that lasted no more than ing comments from the public, but they are Th e video is a quick, informative aff air several seconds. hardly representative of the entire county. that runs about four minutes and features She also switched up the styles of the scenes At press time, the department had county employees and friends speaking to — the video opens with people speaking to plans to conduct a survey to discern the the audience, and sometimes to each other, the camera in diff erent places in the commu- campaign’s success in motivating people about changes people can make to improve nity, similar to how they might answer a TV to make healthier lifestyle their health or the environment. reporter or documentary fi lmmaker asking choices, but Sory said the exact “We used employees throughout the questions. Aft er that, people either dissemi- nature of the survey or how health department who became our resource, nate healthy tips to viewers public-service- it would be conducted hadn’t 59% announcement style, or discuss been determined. The decrease them with each other. in the chance of death in an Peppered throughout are shots Behind the Scenes auto accident of folks affi xing One Small Change Each year, according to among children stickers on various objects — boxes, Sory, Community Health Ser- in booster seats, according to trash cans, signs, bags and other vices decides on a goal with the city’s health things — to remind people that one public wellness in mind, and department. small change can make a diff erence. Division Director Dan Kin- Since April, the department has nersley works with the program directors promoted the video and campaign he oversees to determine that goal. In early via Facebook, Twitter and Flickr, 2009, they decided to motivate 67 percent of and Lilja said staff members have the population to make a positive behavior received positive feedback from change in one year. the public on the YouTube page, Th en worked on how to make it happen. other social media avenues and “We all got together, did a brainstorming in person. session,” Sory said. “Out of that session, One Many YouTube comments, Lilja Small Change — For the Health of It was said, are from people mentioning born and how we wanted to move it forward their positive life changes and feel- and what we wanted to do.” ings of empowerment. Lilja became involved because, as the One small change for these Salt Lake County residents is riding their bicycles to improve their health and reduce “Th at’s what we were going for, county communication specialist in charge their carbon footprint. especially with the video, was to of new media, Internet interactivity falls

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Editorial Prepress �� PAGE �� Other OK to go under her purview. So once Community Health Services decided Web 2.0 was the way to go, she was the woman to call. “Our fi rst account was Twitter, and then we started to grow and expand to other social media tools as we became comfortable with the ones that we were using,” Lilja said. “Twitter kind of has a steep learning curve, so as we became comfortable with Twitter, and we were able to appreciate the benefi ts Incorporating small changes is sometimes hard to achieve, but residents can motivate each of being involved in the social media com- other by pairing up. munity, we expanded our program.” We used employees throughout“ the health $300 to pay local graphic designer Matt “Sporadically I will post an idea of what Shay to design the campaign logo, which somebody could do for their one small change, department who adorns the stickers showcase repeatedly like something as simple as switching from became our resource, in the video. white rice to brown rice because it’s more Salt Lake County continues to use social nutritious,” Lilja said. “I’ll also solicit responses and it was actually media to distribute tips and posts linked by asking people, ‘What’s your one small a very incredible to One Small Change and related health change? What change have you made?’ Th at’s programs. just through Twitter and Facebook.” morale booster.” www.govtech.com 33 — Terri Sory, chronic disease program manager, Salt Lake Valley Health Department, Utah

As for fi lming the One Small Change video, there were no big production dollars needed because Lilja’s offi ce WSCA/NASPO already owned a camera. And she edited Contract #B27161 % the footage using Apple’s iMovie soft ware on her personal computer. “I actually did not have a lot of experience editing video, but through online tutorials and an hour-long in-store training session, was able to get the hang of it, get comfortable with it and create that video,” she said. EMC products on WSCA/NASPO Th en the county put the video on the site and notifi ed the local media, which covered it. Some also pushed it on their social media Build and protect your information infrastructure accounts. with EMC storage solutions. “Th ey also have Twitter accounts, and they would promote it on their Twitter Storage—Manage more data, more efficiently and keep your information available feed. Th at would start spreading virally with and secure so that you are ready for growth. Backup and Recovery—Combine EMC’s people retweeting the messages, so we got recovery management offerings, backup technology, and management strategies to some great exposure that way,” Lilja said. fortify your information and assure compliance. SAN Infrastructure—Connect your Th e county also cross-promoted that with its organization’s vital information—quickly, easily, and reliably. social media accounts. Explore EMC’s WSCA/NASPO product selection at www.EMC.com/emcwsca to begin Both Lilja and Sory said the county building the information infrastructure that’s right for you. E-mail: [email protected] lacked budget money for the campaign — another reason why social media, which EMC2, EMC, and where information lives are trademarks or registered trademarks of EMC Corporation. All other trademarks used herein are the is largely free, was such a boon. The property of their respective owners. © Copyright 2010 EMC Corporation. All rights reserved. only money they recalled spending was

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Editorial Prepress �� PAGE �� Other OK to go wireless STATE LOCAL FEDERAL

Speed Bump Is the federal government’s deﬁ ned speed for broadband too slow?

BY ANDY OPSAHL FEATURES EDITOR

uring the 2008 presidential cam- acceptable speeds to qualify for broadband Some critics say Dpaign, Barack Obama endorsed a stimulus grants. the federal govern- federally mandated National Broadband But critics say those speeds hardly equate ment’s standard, as written, Plan to promote Internet connectivity. Th e to true broadband. would cement America’s low American Recovery and Reinvest- “It’s almost impossible to participate in a ranking among national average SYNOPSIS ment Act (ARRA) directed the FCC real-time video conference [at that speed]. broadband speeds. Turner contends that this Municipal broadband advocates to establish a National Broadband It’s almost impossible to share video fi les, would stunt the nation’s economy, which debate whether Plan. Th e federal government is now music fi les, pictures — any large quantity increasingly depends on fast Internet con- the FCC’s current poised to follow through on that of data with a time-sensitive nature to it. nections. Th e U.S. ranked 19th in average speed minimum is sufficient. idea, but it may prove to be a hollow It’s almost impossible to do that because advertised broadband speeds compared to victory for those who’ve long advo- it’s barely four times the speed of dial-up,” other countries in a 2008 study conducted by CONTACT Alan Shark, cated for higher minimum broad- said S. Derek Turner, research director of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation executive director, band speeds. Free Press, a consumer group advocat- and Development (OECD), a group head- Public Technology Broadband advocates and some ing for higher speeds within the National quartered in France that helps governments Institute, [email protected], vendors consider standards tied to Broadband Plan, which the FCC plans to tackle economic, social and governance chal- 202/626.2445 the $7.2 billion for broadband proj- release February. lenges of a global economy. ects in ARRA indicators of what “Certainly on the downstream side, you Not all experts view the OECD study as will come from an overall broadband might be able to stream YouTube videos, but cause for alarm. Gartner Research Vice Presi- strategy. And some don’t like what they you’re going to have a lot of stuttering and dent Alex Winogradoff said U.S. population see. Th e federal government set 768 kilo- buff ering,” Turner added. “On the upstream centers have broadband speeds comparable bits per second (Kbps) for downloading side, it’s barely enough to engage in a two- to other nations. Th e large rural population and 200 Kbps for uploading as minimum way voice over Internet phone call.” in the United States, however, makes the country seem further behind the broadband curve than it really is. THE NEED FOR SPEED And major broadband providers, like A 2009 report from the Information Technology & Innovation Foundation identiﬁ ed bandwidth Comcast and AT&T, say many areas of the requirements for common broadband applications. Here are a few examples: country lack suffi cient demand to make higher speeds fi nancially sustainable. In July 2009, AT&T argued in a letter to the FCC that 1.2 4 1.2 - 4 10 the agency should create one lower-speed Mbps Mbps Mbps Mbps standard for residential users and a higher Streaming Standard Basic HD Video Home one for businesses. Video HD Digital Video Security Existing providers and some analysts 10 Television Conferencing Service contend that users don’t need access to the newest broadband applications to be JANUARY SOURCE: THE NEED FOR SPEED: THE IMPORTANCE OF NEXT-GENERATION BROADBAND NETWORKS, MARCH 2009 34 www.govtech.com

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Editorial Prepress �� PAGE �� Other OK to go legitimately connected. AT&T claimed in its access to the Internet’s resources and to reli- Free Press contends that changing telecom- letter to the FCC that, for rural residential able e-mail communications and other basic munications regulations is more viable than users, the ability to send e-mails and instant tools that most of the country has come to raising the minimum speed. Turner blames messages and do basic Web browsing should expect as a given,” AT&T’s letter said. slow connection speeds on a lack of competi- drive national broadband goals. tion among ISPs. He wants the FCC to enforce Low Expectations language in the Telecommunications Act of Unavoidable Limitations Right now, it isn’t clear how much federal 1996 that compels incumbent ISPs to share If the national plan holds to the minimum assistance beyond the stimulus will go toward their infrastructure with competitors. speeds required by the stimulus, old-style the national plan. But another concern is that “Incumbent carriers and cable companies copper lines will likely be used to provide a minimum speed requirement that’s too aren’t going to like a lot of this, but they have DSL connections in regions that are now clas- low could exclude communities from federal to recognize that we live in a duopoly mar- sifi ed as unserved, said Alan Shark, executive assistance that already have broadband ketplace, and that’s just not good enough,” director of the Public Technology Institute. that’s only slightly faster than the minimum. Turner said. “Th ere is going to have to be He wants subsidies to fund more advanced According to Shark, eligibility requirements some type of policy aimed at encouraging technology. “We’re preserving the current for ARRA funds for broadband projects more competition.” infrastructure,” Shark said. “What new is already have that exclusion. Turner said the current setup creates a dis- going to be built, other than taking copper “Th ey set the bar so low it was impossible incentive for providers to build new infrastruc- lines and putting in a few little switches?” for [many governments] to say they had an ture. “Th ey’re essentially just taking the profi t Gartner’s Winogradoff agrees that the ‘unserved’ area because, under the conditions, they have on the deployment they did a decade stimulus’s defi nition for minimum speed is everything was pretty much served,” Shark said. ago and aren’t deploying the capital you would dubious, but said it is likely to be the most “It’s just a step above dial-up in certain ways.” see in a competitive industry,” he said. realistic option for rural areas. He believes Th at snag left some observers wondering Aggressive regulations aimed at enforcing that convincing a vendor to partner on fi ber if the federal government should raise the competition were the rule in much of Eastern deployments in rural areas would be fi nan- speed standard to ensure that communi- Europe and Japan, Turner said. “It has been cially impossible. “Th ere is no way you could ties with average broadband are included in remarkably successful policy that’s really push fi ber that deep anywhere,” he said. the national plan. But others are unsure the helped grow the broadband market and led to Winogradoff explained that a fi ber federal government could aff ord to subsidize lower prices and much faster pace of diff erent network must reach back to an area’s that many projects. higher-quality services.” broader Internet infrastructure. Wherever fi ber is extended from the broader Internet infrastructure, enough consumers must buy Japan services over it to maintain that fi ber exten- South Korea France sion. Many rural areas don’t have enough Finland consumers to support such an extension. Netherlands Shark acknowledged that commercial Germany providers can’t make a business case for Australia some of the upgrades. But he contends gov- Denmark Portugal ernment should take the lead in bringing true Iceland high-speed connectivity to rural America. New Zealand Global Speed Comparison Norway “Th e government has more of a respon- The Organisation for Economic Co-operation Sweden sibility to take the leadership role because and Development released its Internet speed Italy Verizon and AT&T can’t, and they shouldn’t comparison research in 2008, which spurred UK debate in the United States about the nation’s be expected to. Neither should Comcast, Czech Republic low ranking. Advocates of higher broadband [which] can’t,” Shark said. “But the federal Austria speeds often use this research to buttress Luxembourg government is the one taking your money their arguments. and my money — $7 billion [in stimu- United States lus money] to build infrastructure. I don’t Spain Switzerland understand why we should be satisfi ed with Belgium accepting status quo.” Greece Comments from AT&T to the FCC Slovak Republic suggest the current speed requirement Canada would improve the status quo in communi- Irish Republic Hungary ties accustomed to even slower speeds. “For Poland Americans who today have no terrestrial Turkey broadband service at all, the pressing concern Mexico

is not the ability to engage in real-time, 0 20406080100 (Mbps) two-way gaming, but obtaining meaningful

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Editorial Prepress �� PAGE �� Other OK to go green STATE LOCAL FEDERAL

BY ELAINE PITTMAN STAFF WRITER High-Tech Trash Solar-powered, self-compacting trash bins cut the cost of garbage collection in Pasadena, Calif.

s local governments seek any and every A way to save money during this economic recession, Pasadena, Calif., found that spending extra money on new technologies can sometimes reap cost savings. Along with local nonprofi t Leadership Pas- adena, the city participated in a pilot to deploy 12 solar-powered, self-compacting trash bins to city streets. “We discovered that they were very effi cient and required very little main- PHOTO COURTESY OF BIGBELLY SOLAR tenance,” said Gabriel Silva, environmental programs manager for the city’s SYNOPSIS Department of Public Works. By installing solar- Th e specialized trash containers powered, self- This self-powered trash compactor obtains all its energy from the sun. Though compacting trash — called BigBelly Solar Compactors they are the same size as standard receptacles, they hold five times more trash bins, Pasadena, — can hold up to fi ve times more trash due to their self-compacting nature. Calif., has redirected labor and saved money. than regular containers, according to the manufacturer, BigBelly Solar. TECHNOLOGIES Instead of connecting to the power Solar powered, self-compacting grid, the devices run off solar power. trash cans from city expects combined labor and fuel savings high-use trash containers with these more BigBelly Solar. Solar-Powered Expansion to reach $61,400 annually once all containers eff ective trash compactors,” Silva said. CONTACT Because less than 10 percent of the are deployed — about a three-year return on Gabriel Silva, material collected during the pilot was investment, Silva said. Trash Trends environmental programs manager, recyclable — most of the trash was To determine where to deploy the BigBellys, Pasadena isn’t the only city to enlist the Department of soiled papers from fast-food wrap- Pasadena conducted a survey of all trash cans high-tech trash bins. Deployments also Public Works, pers and drink containers throughout the city. “We have been made by Boston; the Portland, Pasadena, Calif., recycle@cityof — Silva said the city is using identifi ed all the containers Ore., Zoo; the Bergen County, N.J., Parks pasadena.net. the containers solely for trash Fast Fact: that required daily emptying, Department; and Arizona State University. disposal. Pizza boxes and and we’re replacing those In April 2009, Philadelphia replaced 700 of Based on the pilot’s success, the soiled paper and its wire basket trash bins on city streets with Foil, grease, paint, plastic City Council recently approved the cups cannot be 500 self-compacting containers, according recycled. Why? or oil on food boxes or purchase of 40 additional containers paper show up farther to a report released in June 2009. And as part at a cost of nearly $147,000 — about down the paper-making of its Philly Th rows Green initiative, Phila- $3,700 each. By comparison, Silva process, causing a defect delphia also distributed 210 single-stream said standard steel garbage cans cost that’s an “oily” spot on recycling bins — which allow all types of several hundred dollars apiece. newly formed paper. recyclables, like paper, plastic and glass, to Despite the added upfront costs, These spots don’t print be collected in one container. Before adding Pasadena found the solar compac- or glue properly, and the new receptacles, city workers made 17 tors cost-eff ective because they can cause stains on the trips per week to empty the 700 wire trash be emptied weekly instead of daily, allowing paper. When these non-paper materials bins, which cost about $2.3 million annually. the city to redirect its labor force to other become part of the new paper, the new According to the report, the new receptacles paper is rejected and ultimately ends up in tasks. Since employees don’t need to visit the require emptying fi ve times a week at a cost 10 the garbage. containers as oft en for trash pickup, the city of about $720,000 annually. — ANOKA COUNTY, MINN., INTEGRATED WASTE MAN- also has reduced the amount of fuel used. Th e AGEMENT DEPARTMENT JANUARY

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Editorial Prepress �� PAGE �� Other OK to go FOR MORE PRODUCT NEWS... product news Log on today to explore Government Technology’s Product Source www.productsource.govtech.com 1 PANORAMIC PATROL Panasonic’s Toughbook Arbitrator 360° captures video evidence surrounding an entire police vehicle. The Arbitrator 360° in-car digital video system can support up to six cameras and ﬁ ve simultaneous recordings. Agencies can activate up to 16 triggers to start recording, such as radar, siren, lightbar, shotgun rack, impact and speed. Live video streaming capabilities let dispatchers monitor what’s happening in each patrol car from headquarters. Each camera features a 68.4-degree wide-angle lens with 22x optical zoom (220x with digital). The recorder offers (320 x 240) QVGA or (720 x 480) D1 resolution. WWW.PANASONIC.COM

E-BOOKS FOR THE EXECUTIVE SET Plastic Logic unveiled QUE, the ﬁ rst e-book reader designed for business professionals, connecting them to business and professional newspapers, books and periodicals. The device also supports document 2 formats that business users commonly need (including PDF, Microsoft Word, PowerPoint and Excel documents), and features tools for interacting with and managing the content. QUE measures 8.5 x 11 inches, is less than 1/3 of an inch thick, and weighs less than many periodicals. It features a shatterproof touchscreen and connects via Wi-Fi and AT&T’s 3G network. WWW.QUEREADER.COM

CONCURRENT KEYBOARDS The Pantech Reveal phone features an open-faced numeric keypad on its front, which glides up to uncover a full QWERTY keyboard underneath. Both sets of keys stay active simultaneously, giving users fast access to numbers and letters at the same time. The phone also has an integrated 1.3 megapixel CMOS camera, up to 1280x1024 resolution, voice memo recording (MMS and general modes) and AT&T Navigator GPS. The address book holds 1,000 contacts. Talk time lasts up to three hours, and standby time up to 10 days. WWW.PANTECHUSA.COM

SEND PRODUCT IDEAS to product editor Miriam Jones [email protected] www.govtech.com 37

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Editorial Prepress �� PAGE �� Other OK to go signal:noise BY PAUL W. TAYLOR CHIEF STRATEGY OFFICER | CENTER FOR DIGITAL GOVERNMENT BY STEVE TOWNS EDITOR index JURISDICTIONS/AGENCIES: Arlington County, Va...... 27 Bozeman, Mont...... 7 Resolutions for Bristol, Va...... 27 California...... 7 Zombie Governments Danville, Va...... 27 Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency ...... 7 FCC ...... 22, 34 hysicians and clergy are fond of saying Enter Bill Eggers and John O’Leary as Federal Trade Commission ...... 27 P that if there’s a pulse, there’s hope. As modern day ghostbusters. As co-authors of If Houston ...... 18 the new year begins, many public agencies We Can Put a Man on the Moon ... Getting Big Maryland ...... 27 are rightfully worried about their vital signs Th ings Done in Government, the public- sector Nebraska ...... 10 aft er what’s been a punishing and traumatic clinicians off er a diagnosis of what’s killing Pasadena, Calif...... 36 season of fi scal and social disruption. government’s best laid plans and a prescrip- Portland, Ore...... 12 Some have relied on federal stimulus for tion for exorcising public-sector zombies. Salt Lake Valley Health Department ...... 30 life support and the promise of resuscitation In a recent conversation, Eggers said gov- San Francisco ...... 7 until a recovery takes hold. Others see the ernment intentions can go awry by falling Vermont...... 28 problem in bleaker terms, suggesting that into seven common traps on the journey from Washington ...... 28 nothing short of resurrection is needed. inception to implementation. Avoiding three West Virginia ...... 28 Author, columnist and progressive political in particular seem like a good place to start: Wyoming ...... 28 operative David Sirota concluded that many 1. Avoid design-free design, a political ren- of our institutions don’t need life support, but dering meant for legislative passage by VENDORS: a decent burial. Th at’s not going to happen. In obfuscating the level of diffi culty, making Accenture ...... 12 popular culture, post collapse economics and it of little use for implementation. AllOne Mobile ...... 27 politics the undead are too big to die. 2. Avoid overconfi dence, which obscures BigBelly Solar ...... 36 Sirota noted how easily the phrase “zombie and discounts risk. CDW-G ...... 27 banks” entered the cultural lexicon to explain 3. Avoid complacency, which fails to recog- Cisco ...... 7 the unfathomable, “From a balance-sheet nize that a program needs change. Citrix...... 18 perspective, many of these fi rms were dead. Th e good news is that many public agen- ESRI ...... 18 But they were quickly reanimated as zombie cies have avoided the traps, Eggers said. Google ...... 7, 22 banks with trillions of taxpayer dollars.” “Governments that do this the best have Panasonic ...... 37 And it spread from there, “On Wall Street, institutions in place — sunset commissions Pantech ...... 37 we have zombie executives.” At the White or performance review processes or some- Planning Systems Inc...... 8 Plastic Logic ...... 37 House, zombie advisers “now sit in high gov- thing else — that force that re-evaluation to ernment offi ce letting out moans in support occur [and] force you to look at wholly new SAP Public Services ...... 12 of the zombie banks.” At the other end of ways of doing ... things.” Pennsylvania Avenue, Sirota continued, Eggers also said he hopes the fi scal crisis ADVERTISERS INDEX “Decrepit zombie politicians with the funk will bring about change. “Th at’s probably AT&T ...... 2 of 40,000 years stalk Congress with the very one good thing about the budget crunch: EMC ...... 33 zombie lobbyists that the election was said [It’s] a forcing mechanism to force states LR Kimball ...... 5 to disempower.” and localities to re-evaluate. I just hope New World Systems ...... 11 From a balance-sheet perspective, at least they do this hard work now as opposed to University Maryland University College ...... 15 two of the largest states — and a distressingly cutting heads and across-the-board budget Verizon Wireless ...... 40 large number of cities and counties — are cuts, because we are entering an age where I exhibiting zombielike characteristics. Th ere’s think a lot of our structures and systems are plenty of aging funk in state legislatures, city ... arcane and obsolete.” councils and county commissions. In a time Th e lesson is: Zombies are analog, mind- of fi nancial scarcity and cuts, the great mys- lessly undead. Digital demands a clearer, teries may revolve around zombie programs cleaner choice — on/off , alive/dead. And that lurch forward in light of higher priorities that’s going to take a lot more thinking. 10 elsewhere. JANUARY

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Editorial Prepress �� PAGE �� Other OK to go MIS TRAINING INSTITUTE’S INFOSEC WORLD 2010 April 17-23 s Orlando s Disney’s Coronado Springs Resort CONFERENCE & EXPO

Earn up to 51 CPEs!

Over 70 Practitioner-Led Sessions Covering All Areas of Information Security s !UDITING6-WARE s I0HONE&UZZINGAND0AYLOADS s !TTACKINGAND$EFENDING33,60.S s !DVANCED0EN4ESTING s 0REVENTING$ATA,EAKAGEINTHE7EB%NVIRONMENT s &ORENSIC#OMPUTER)NVESTIGATIONFOR.ON ,AW%NFORCEMENT s !DVANCED0OWER4OOLSFOR&REE s ,OCKING$OWN7INDOWS#LIENTS80 6ISTAAND7INDOWS s 7ORST7EB "ASED!PPLICATION6ULNERABILITIESOF s #LOUD#OMPUTING s 4ESTING9OUR&IREWALLSAND/THER0ERIMETER$EFENSES s 3PEAR0HISHING s 0ERFORMINGAN)4'OVERNANCE!UDIT s -EANINGFUL-ETRICSAND'2# s 2ESPONDINGTOA7IRELESS!TTACKON9OUR.ETWORK s 5SING&REE4OOLSTO!SSESSAND!UDIT9OUR7I &I.ETWORK s 0RIVACY5PDATE CISO SUMMIT CHAIR KEYNOTE SPEAKERS Bruce Schneier Michael Assante Israel Martinez Jeff Jonas Prof. Howard A. Schmidt Chief Technology Vice President and Co-Chair, Chief Scientist, President and CEO, Officer, BT Chief Security Officer, The National Cyber IBM Entity Analytic Information Security North American Security Council Solutions Group; Forum, UK Electric Reliability IBM Distinguished Corporation (NERC) Engineer www.misti.com/infosecworld CO-LOCATED SUMMITS: CISO EXECUTIVE SUMMIT s IT AUDIT MANAGEMENT SUMMIT s THE SUMMIT ON SECURE VIRTUALIZATION AND CLOUD COMPUTING

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