Open states: Transparency for state governments using open data

Where do you start to standardize legislative information for all 50 United States? Blazing an open data trail for one state government isn’t easy, so shifting 50 must be nearly impossible. Or is it? The Open State Project is making progress towards the impossible—and closing in on the goal. When I first heard about thisRead… Read more »

BART police to test clip-on cameras

San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit (CA) police are testing six small clip-on video cameras designed to create a permanent record of police actions in the field. Officers will activate the cameras to record interactions with the public in an effort to improve the agency’s transparency. “They are the next wave of technology in lawRead… Read more »

Nonprofits test car-sharing market

As companies like Zipcar have popularized car-sharing, some localities are testing nonprofit models that they hope will expand the reach and scope of these programs. Chicago (IL) has I-GO, Boulder (CO) has eGO CarShare, and Syracuse (NY) has CuseCar, which is run by Synapse Sustainability Trust. “We’re not driven by dollars per share per quarter,”Read… Read more »

Countdown signs coming to CTA bus shelters

The Chicago Transit Authority (IL) has started to install electronic countdown signs at its busiest bus shelters. The agency expects to have 150 LED signs in place by March 2012; signs should be available at 400 shelters by the following September. Project costs were shared by the Regional Transportation Authority ($1.8 million), CTA ($1.4 million),Read… Read more »

A Passion Project to Renew Our Enthusiasm – your vote needed

I’m hoping that my fellow GovLoopers can help a Govie out. I need your help to spread the awesome! I could use your vote – especially if you live in DC – for a side project I submitted to the GOOD Maker 30 day Challenge – a DC Passion Project. Voting closes this Thursday andRead… Read more »

TSP Talk – Testing the lows… again

The volatility continued on Wall Street this past week as we saw wild swings in both directions culminating in a steep sell-off on Friday that took most of the major indices into the red for the week. For the TSP funds, the C-fund lost 0.41% last week, the S-fund dropped 1.69%, the I-fund was upRead… Read more »