Game over

Some evenings on my way home from work, I play a small private game of chicken. Now I have played it for the last time. If there are too many people at the bus stop – and no, I don’t know how many makes too many – that’s a sign that the gap between busesRead… Read more »

The Debt Deal: Hard truths and silver linings for local governments

As local government officials begin to sort through last month’s dramatic spending reduction deal (the Budget Control Act of 2011) and the impacts of New York-based Standard & Poor’s (S&P) Ratings Services’ subsequent lowering of the federal government’s long-term credit rating, it’d be easy to simply give in to the negative media coverage and acceptRead… Read more »

Making Mobile Gov Highlights: Mobile Product Accessibility

There are over 350 participants in the Making Mobile Gov Dialogue and this week we wanted to highlight mobile product accessibility issues agencies grapple with like Section 508 compliance. When we searched the MMG Dialogue, here’s what we found: “No one is really talking about accessibility and Section 508 with Apps. PLEASE remember to developRead… Read more »

Open311 Dashboard: Visualizing the Power of the Platform

The Open311 platform is one of Civic Commons’ core initiatives; it’s an Application Programming Interface (API) and a growing set of software tools that help cities manage service and information requests from citizens. We see it as a core element of an “open” city IT backbone. Open311 is also a rapidly growing, collaborative, open sourceRead… Read more »

Zach’s CfA Summer: “Made With [EPA] Data”

When Code for America selected me as a Google Summer of Code Intern for the Government Gems and Eggs project this summer, I knew the next few months were going to be awesome. For the first time ever, I was able to meet and work with people truly committed to making government data more accessible.Read… Read more »

A look at Los Angeles County’s FY 2012 budget

Deltek Analyst Erin Brady reports. Los Angeles County’s Chief Executive Officer (CEO) William Fujioka presented his recommended budget in April 2011 and made it clear he wanted to balance the budget and address a $220.9 million shortfall while preserving critical services and avoiding furloughs and layoffs. Fujioka was able to do so by using $185.2Read… Read more »

Open311: A Sneak Peek at the Dashboard

The Open311 platform is one of Civic Commons’ core initiatives; it’s an Application Programming Interface (API) and a growing set of software tools that help cities manage service and information requests from citizens. We see it as a core element of an “open” city IT backbone. Open311 is also a rapidly growing, collaborative, open sourceRead… Read more »

More good news: State social services budget and IT projections

Deltek Sr. Analyst Chris Cotner reports. With shaky financials negatively impacting state coffers, the debate on public social services provision is as hot as ever. One of the main drivers behind the discussion is the massive baby-boomer generation entering retirement. Since the recession, an additional qualifier has been the increased number of unemployment and underemploymentRead… Read more »