Selected links to items focusing on governmental operations posted on the Internet during the week ending May 17, 2024

 

 3 Signs It’s Time to Find a New IT Service Management Tool Upgrading your ITSM tool can boost efficiencies, save money and result in better service delivery for end users. READ MORE

 

A Wake-Up Call on Digital Experience and Accessibility Research shows agency websites have more barriers than public officials may think. This paper explains how agencies can ensure equity for individuals with disabilities and improve usability for all constituents. DOWNLOAD

 

AI Adding New Fraud, Scam Challenges for Police Joan Lawcewicz, a financial crimes investigator in Chippewa Falls, Wis., said that artificial intelligence has made this type of scam even more problematic and easier to fool the unsuspecting public. READ MORE

 

AI: A Wildland Firefighter’s New Best Friend? Pano AI’s CEO discusses how artificial intelligence is revolutionizing wildfire detection and response by helping agencies optimize resource allocation and protect lives through smarter firefighting tactics. READ MORE

 

AI’s Potential in Government? Ask the Chief Data Officer Colorado Chief Data Officer Amy Bhikha is playing a central role in the state’s approach to artificial intelligence. She and her peers across the country are joining forces to safely unlock the opportunities AI offers. READ MORE

 

Americans Worry AI Deception Will Affect 2024 Elections More than three-fourths of Americans expect that abuses of artificial intelligence will affect the 2024 presidential election, according to a new national survey. READ MORE

 

Arizona Fiber Work Will Connect Vehicles and Residents A public-private partnership involving two state agencies and a broadband technology provider will lay more than 400 miles of fiber-optic conduit on three Arizona interstates. It will link connected vehicles as well as homes and businesses. READ MORE

 

As Property Tax Bills Rise, States Look for Long-Term Solutions Lawmakers in Mountain West seek to provide permanent tax relief without harming local revenue. READ MORE

 

Atlanta Considers Banning Data Centers from Beltline, Transit Stops Proposed legislation would prohibit data center development along the 22-mile Beltline trail loop and from within a half mile of transit centers, including MARTA stations and BRT stops. Existing data centers would be unaffected. READ MORE

 

Bridging Communication Gaps in Civic Infrastructure Projects From roads to bridges to drainage systems, a successful civic infrastructure project requires communication among all stakeholders. But communication challenges can arise throughout the life cycle of any infrastructure asset. READ MORE

 

Build Your Government AI Strategy AI value creation isn’t just about the technology. Learn how to build a successful AI strategy for your organization’s unique challenges with the AI Strategy Roadmap. DOWNLOAD THE GUIDE

 

California Offers $400 to Test Gas Tax Alternatives State officials are offering up to $400 in gift cards to drivers who are willing to try out a new system aimed at replacing the gas tax with funding based on the number of miles a person drives. READ MORE

 

California Taps Vendors to Explore Generative AI Use Cases Following a gubernatorial executive order on generative artificial intelligence and new guidelines in March, the state will work with five technology companies to “test, iterate, and evaluate” GenAI and create proofs of concept. READ MORE

 

California’s Project Roomkey for the Unhoused Was a Success but May Be Too Expensive to Last An independent study found that more than 62,000 people received temporary housing under the program that moved medically vulnerable people from the streets and congregant shelters to empty hotel and motel rooms. READ MORE

 

CARE Resource Connection Fills a Public Safety, Health-Care Gap The nonprofit connects chronic 911 callers to the resources they need so that fire departments aren’t tied up and those patients don’t end up having to get their health care from the emergency room. READ MORE

 

Colorado Bill Requires Law Enforcement to Codify Prone Restraint Policy A new bill would require Colorado law enforcement agencies to publish policy on the controversial "prone restraint", a technique that many critics link to the deaths of those restrained facedown. READ MORE

 

Cybersecurity, Deepfakes and the Human Risk of AI Fraud AI-generated cyber attacks and deepfakes mean new risks and new ways to fight them. "Human risk management" is a term to describe how organizations train their staff to detect these evolving threats. READ MORE

 

Decode AI for Government AI is changing the game at every level of Government. Learn how Generative AI and Large Language Models can revolutionize constituent engagement and help solve some of society’s most pressing challenges. Start the Learning Path >

 

Delaware Single Sign-On Adds Payment Portal for Residents
As governments nationwide work toward providing digital services via an Amazon-like experience, CIO Greg Lane outlines launching Delaware’s single sign-on solution with a payment portal. READ MORE

 

Eliminate Silos to Innovate Your Transportation System Bike paths, bus systems, crosswalks and airports — all should work together, transportation leaders said recently. Forging an efficient and seamless network, they agreed, can bring challenges, but opportunities as well. READ MORE

 

Empowering Local Leaders with New Skills in Tennessee Technology leaders in Tennessee found an innovative approach to improve local government IT skills. The state may be the only one in the nation that's using federal ARPA funding to pay for training in cybersecurity and other essential tech disciplines in local governments statewide. DOWNLOAD

 

Exploring Emerging Trends in Government Technology — ICYMI William “Bill” Eggers, executive director of Deloitte’s Center for Government Insights, explores the latest technologies and anticipates trends for government in 2024. READ MORE

 

Federal funding is complex. The KPMG Smart Grants Platform suite is helping governments transform grants management for better outcomes. EXPLORE MORE

 

Fixing California Budget Deficit May Mean Cutting Broadband In the May revision of his proposed 2024-2025 fiscal year state budget, Gov. Gavin Newsom called for $2 billion in cuts to rolling out high-speed Internet. It’s possible, he said, “to actually achieve similar goals at a lower cost.” READ MORE

 

How Can Generative AI Impact Government Services? From simplifying constituent experiences to empowering public servants, Generative AI is here to transform government operations and services. Read the report >

 

How Inclusive Content Can Increase Resident Engagement Local government websites should be resident engagement tools, not digital brochures or org charts. We use intuitive navigation, smart search, and more for optimal self-service. DOWNLOAD NOW

 

How Private Schools Improve Civic Education A recent study suggests that private schools are slightly more effective than public schools when it comes to boosting student achievement in civics and their understanding of it. READ MORE

 

If AI Wrecks Democracy, We May Never Know Propaganda doesn’t need to go viral to sway elections anymore. That makes artificial intelligence’s impact more insidious and harder to detect. READ MORE

In the report Reimagining Public Sector Services with Generative AI, we learned how public servants around the world are using generative AI to reimagine operations and services.

Lack of ITIL and Automation Remain Public-Sector Challenges A study found public-sector IT struggles with automation and ITIL. Learn how to tackle these challenges and gain insights into what other public-sector IT leaders are doing to solve these problems. READ MORE

 

Maryland Dashboards Aim to Be Economic Shock Absorbers The state Department of Commerce and the Eastern Shore Regional GIS Cooperative have launched four dashboards that aggregate multiple streams of demographic and economic data, providing insight for government and residents. READ MORE

 

Massachusetts Offers New Cyber Grants to Local Governments The recently announced Cyber Resilient Massachusetts Grant Program offers state funds to help address cybersecurity gaps identified by vulnerability assessments. Applications are due July 1. READ MORE

 

Michigan Airport Will Probe Its Cybersecurity Strength The Cherry Capital Airport in Traverse City will work with contractor Windemuller Electric to do a vulnerability assessment. Officials will look at the airport’s computer network and do an internal audit of digital systems. READ MORE

 

Minnesota Going Digital for Licensing Hunters, Fishers, Trappers, Boaters and State Trail Users The state’s licensing and permitting system for outdoor recreation will undergo a digital  transformation next year that will help it better manage some 2.3 million license transactions annually. READ MORE

 

Moses Lake Cuts 103 Teachers After $11 Million Accounting Error The Washington state school district mistakenly recorded revenue twice during the accrual and reconciliation process, revealing a $20 million shortfall when the error was corrected. The staff reduction will save about $13 million. READ MORE

 

Moving Courts to the Cloud Court and justice leaders are learning that deploying their own cloud solutions often generates new infrastructure challenges. Software-as-a-service avoids these issues and helps courts upgrade systems, launch new services and scale services to meet growing demand. DOWNLOAD

 

New Mexico Official Works to Raise Awareness of Deepfakes With election season poised to start, New Mexico’s secretary of state wants to make the public more aware of the ways deepfakes and artificial intelligence can be used to manipulate information. READ MORE

 

Nine Website Design Techniques to Help Residents Find Information in Two Clicks Local government websites should be easy to navigate. Learn more about CivicPlus's 2-click concept to and build trust within your community by ensuring they can find the information they need in the most efficient way possible. DOWNLOAD NOW

Now, in a new e-Book from Microsoft, we're learning how to apply responsible AI practices with six strategies for AI implementation. This guide isn't just an insightful read - it's a blueprint for future-proofing AI governance! 

NSBA 2024: How Should School Boards Approach AI in the Classroom? At the National School Boards Association conference in April, school board members from across the U.S. said they intended to find partners and leaders who could help their districts make decisions about AI. READ MORE

 

NSBA 2024: Students Must Learn AI to Compete on Global Stage In Bakersfield, Calif., Chris Cruz-Boone and other school leaders gathered input from parents, teachers and industry leaders on what every graduating student should have. An ability to innovate was one priority. READ MORE

 

Pennsylvania Hopes to Recruit Workers Ahead of Retirement Wave Gov. Josh Shapiro signed an executive order on Monday that pioneers several initiatives to attract public service workers. Approximately 18,000 state employees will become eligible to retire in the next five years. READ MORE

 

Peregrine Raises $30M as Public Safety Tech Market Grows The company, which sells data integration software for state and local agencies, plans a hiring spree. The company is eyeing steady growth as more governments demand better ways to assemble and use data. READ MORE

 

Plummeting Balance in Federal Crime Victims Fund Alarms States A 6-year plunge in federal funding that aids victims of sexual assault, domestic violence and child abuse is causing alarm among state and local organizations that rely on those dollars to provide services. READ MORE

 

Port San Antonio Wants to Build $1B Air Force Cyber Campus Though no one in the Pentagon asked, Port San Antonio wants to help the 16th Air Force find a new home to carry out its military cyber mission on the organization's Southwest Side industrial campus. READ MORE

 

Prince George’s County AI Executive Order Targets Equity, Access Among its directives, the order from the Maryland county’s executive creates an AI task force that will be responsible for drafting strategies, use cases and priorities. “Digital access equity” is central to that work. READ MORE

 

Reimagining the Future of Public-Sector IT With a crowd of more than 900 people, the NASCIO Midyear Conference buzzed with energy about generative artificial intelligence, along with concern that humans remain in charge. READ MORE

 

Restorative Urbanism in Over-the-Rhine A look back to look forward in Cincinnati's best-known urban neighborhood. READ MORE

 

RSA 2024: AI’s Growing Influence Amplifies Global Cyber Impact As another RSA Conference in San Francisco ended on May 10, 2024, the global impact that cybersecurity and artificial intelligence bring to every area of life has become much more apparent. READ MORE

 

RSA: Can Interventions Turn Teens from Cyber Crime to Cybersecurity? Teen hackers are becoming powerful cyber criminals, and their misbehavior is often hidden from parents until it becomes a felony. Now, authorities are aiming to divert teen hackers from cyber crime into cybersecurity. READ MORE

 

RSA: U.S. Releases International Cyberspace and Digital Strategy Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the plan aims to build domestic emerging tech strengths and collaborations with like-minded partners on international supply chains and global norms of safe and rights-respecting technology use. READ MORE

 

RSA: White House Updates National Cybersecurity Strategy Critical infrastructure is a big focus of this new federal refresh, with top goals around cybersecurity protections for health care, education, energy and water. READ MORE

 

Short-Staffed? How AI Helps New Jersey Residents Reach City Hall The Borough of Prospect Park has deployed a tool from gov tech startup Polimorphic to respond to incoming telephone calls. The artificial intelligence is helping a small staff connect with residents despite a reduced work week. READ MORE

 

SLCGP Money Goes to Training, Assessments, Policy Development As the deadline for year two funding approaches, Washington CISO Ralph Johnson talks about the state’s spending priorities with historic federal support for cybersecurity as the NASCIO Midyear conference gets underway in National Harbor, Md. READ MORE

 

Small Georgia Agency’s Big Part in Climate, Infrastructure Spending The state’s Environmental Finance Authority acts as a bank, a development authority and an aid agency all at once. The agency’s mission is about to get even larger as it will manage $1 billion of federal aid. READ MORE

 

Smart Cities and Cybersecurity: Protecting Citizens from Malicious Attacks Smart cities and cybersecurity are inseparable. When you start integrating the Internet of Things with infrastructure, a city cyber attack is, unfortunately, inevitable. But that doesn't mean it has to be successful. READ MORE

 

So Revolutionary, It Deserves Two Mic Drops The Microflex® Wireless neXt system is a 2 channel, all-in-one wireless audio solution for conferencing and presentation in hybrid classrooms, training rooms, and lecture halls. LEARN MORE

 

Taking a Broad Approach to Digital Identity This thought leadership paper explains why states need to go beyond adopting mobile driver’s licenses (mDLs) to fully address digital identity and fraud. The paper explores the advantages and disadvantages of mDLs, the spectrum of digital ID options, and best practices. DOWNLOAD

 

The Answer to Ransomware? ‘Doubling Down on the Fundamentals’
Alaska CIO Bill Smith said that while ransomware is a huge threat and priority for him and the other state CIOs at the NASCIO Midyear conference, the most important way to turn the tide is getting back to basic cyber hygiene. READ MORE

 

The Best Way to Do Infrastructure Projects Some interest groups don’t like project labor agreements, but new research shows that they benefit taxpayers and the construction industry while strengthening our skilled trade workforce. READ MORE

 

The Fiscal Fix Our Unemployment Insurance Systems Need State agencies are trying to address technical shortcomings that led to as much as $135 billion in fraud during the pandemic. But declining and volatile federal funding for administration is impeding those efforts. READ MORE

 

The Power of Simple for Government Read this brief to find out how applying cloud operating principles and practices to on-premises network infrastructure can help agencies manage complex IT environments. DOWNLOAD

 

Using AI, Indiana Outlines Career Paths for Job Seekers The state of Indiana has implemented a tool called Pivot, which leverages artificial intelligence to support job seekers by unveiling potential career paths personalized to their career goals. Later this year, it will begin to take on other tasks. READ MORE

 

What the U.S. Still Needs to Do to Combat Ransomware Experts recently discussed new early-warning tools, strategies for disrupting cyber criminals long term, and awareness and preparation campaigns that reach everyone. READ MORE

 

What’s Next for AI in States? An AI Sandbox With policies and guardrails in development around the country on responsible use of generative AI, Massachusetts and Georgia are creating environments where agencies can safely find real-world uses for the emerging tech. READ MORE

 

White House Will Require Cyber Standards for Hospitals The Biden administration plans to require hospitals to meet minimum cybersecurity standards, and will provide free training to small, rural hospitals. The moves follow the February Change Healthcare hack that may impact 1 in 3 Americans. READ MORE

 

Why Some Cities Want to Combine Transit Agencies Chicago and San Francisco are looking to consolidate the transit agencies in their respective cities, proposals backed by state lawmakers. Advocates say such reforms could improve service for riders and make it easier for politicians to address funding issues. READ MORE

 

Wi-Fi Access Provider Nomadix Enters the SLED Market The U.S.-based company, the target of a acquisition earlier this year, provides web infrastructure tools to hotels and other businesses with public areas. The move is a response to local agencies’ need to boost community engagement. READ MORE