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Features of the Best Audit Management Software for Public Sector The shift
to electronic working papers in the audit community fosters collaboration but
inadvertently generates dark data. Audit management software offers solutions
to access, analyze and maximize audit data's value. READ
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A
Good AI Program Must Start with Good Data Making good on the promise of
generative AI requires a foundation of clean data and clear policies. Chief
data officers and AI experts weigh in on practical ways to build a strong
program. READ
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A private university in New York
is planning a new AI lab for education, research and networking opportunities,
with a focus on the regional tech community. It is also planning two AI-related
master’s degree programs. READ
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AI
Is the Latest Tool in W.Va.'s Fight Against Opioid Use West
Virginia is partnering with health technology firm
GATC to integrate artificial intelligence into the state’s pharmaceutical
research in an effort to accelerate the discovery of safe, effective drugs. READ
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AI Portends New Cybersecurity Risks, Opportunities for
Higher Ed While new artificial intelligence technologies could be used for
nefarious purposes such as creating more convincing phishing attacks, experts
say the technology might also automate and strengthen IT security protocols. READ
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Automating
Permit Applications Agencies and businesses desire quicker permit
approvals. Automation via low-code tools and open source software streamlines
processes effectively. READ
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California
CIO Sees ‘Huge’ Potential for AI In remarks Monday at the California Public
Sector CIO Academy, state CIO Liana Bailey-Crimmins discussed results from a
new statewide emergency alert system, and the importance of harnessing
artificial intelligence and generative AI. READ
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California
Finally Starts Digitization of Water Rights Records The state has begun
scanning 2 million pages. It’s part of a $60 million project to build a
database integrating a century of water rights records, geospatial mapping and
up-to-date water diversion data. READ
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Can
Portland Successfully Place Special Needs Students in Neighborhood Schools? Portland
Public Schools will no longer send students with disabilities to schools
outside of their neighborhoods, except those with the most profound needs, in
an attempt to transform special education and embrace diversity. READ
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Code Ninjas Team Up With Girls Who Code for Game Design In
recognition of Women’s History Month and Expanding Girls’ Horizons in Science
and Engineering Month, Microsoft, Code Ninjas and the nonprofit Girls Who Code
are sponsoring girls who enter a game-design challenge. READ
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DDoS
Cyber Attack Hits Alabama State Sites A state spokesman says all normal
business operations have been restored. Meanwhile, the hacktivist group,
Anonymous Sudan, is claiming credit for the attack through statements on its
Telegram channel. READ
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Deploying
‘Perimeter’ App Helping With Evacuation Setup Perimeter is an app that puts
emergency managers in an advanced state of situational awareness, allowing them
to share critical information like road closures and evacuation routes both
internally and with the public. READ
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Despite
Low Unemployment, States Are Still Short of Funding Benefits States have
devoted billions of dollars to replenishing their unemployment trust funds, but
many are still short. Fewer states are now prepared for a recession than before
the pandemic. READ
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DHS Unveils Artificial Intelligence Road Map, Pilots The
federal Department of Homeland Security on Monday released its first artificial
intelligence road map, which includes three AI pilot projects to test the
technology's impact. Map goals include making DHS’ use of AI more transparent. READ
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Dollars for Driving: The Congestion Pricing Dilemma Faced
with increasing traffic and declining gas tax revenue, policymakers and city
planners are taking another look at dynamic pricing. If you love buying airline
and concert tickets, they have got a deal for you. READ
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Election
Systems Require Upgrading Ahead of Voting To protect voting outcomes, every
step of the election process must be secure. Election machines are particularly
vulnerable to cyberattacks because they’re network-connected and expand the
attack surface of government entities. DOWNLOAD
Even
$23B Might Not Be Enough to Upgrade Midwest’s Power Lines The Midcontinent
Independent System Operator released a draft proposal earlier this month that
aims to shift the region away from fossil fuels amid a rising demand for power.
But many of the details are uncertain. READ
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Fed’s Direction on ‘Buy America’ Could Help Broadband Builds
The federal government has issued guidance on exemptions from its Build America
Buy America requirements for broadband infrastructure projects. This could help
make it easier to acquire key pieces of high-speed Internet networks. READ
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Federal
Cyber Agency Offlines 2 Systems After Ivanti Hack CISA, which had
previously issued warnings about hackers exploiting zero-day vulnerabilities in
certain Ivanti products, now says that it has had its own systems compromised. READ
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Feds
Seek to Heal Community Scars from Interstate Highways The Reconnecting
Communities program is giving $3.3 billion to help cities address problems
caused by highways. But in most cases, the projects stop short of removing
highways altogether. READ
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Florida
Bill Could Undermine Corruption Investigations The legislation would
require a person to have “personal knowledge or information other than hearsay”
to file a complaint with the state’s Commission on Ethics. It would also bar
local ethics commissions from self-initiating investigations. READ
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Google
Announces $1B Data Center in Kansas City The site is expected to generate
approximately 1,000 construction jobs immediately and 1,400 jobs once the
center is finished. The center will be Google’s first in Missouri.
READ
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How
a Modular Business Solutions Strategy Addresses Workforce Gaps State
and local governments face ongoing workforce challenges, including budget
constraints and difficulty competing with the private sector. Often, antiquated
technology and outdated processes make it even harder to attract and retain new
employees. READ
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How
Chicago Simplified its Building Permit Program Each year, thousands of Chicago's
residents and businesses undertake minor projects that require a permit from
the Department of Buildings, fueling the need for a simplified, streamlined
online process for applying and approving projects. Express Permits account for
one-third of Chicago's building
permits, but until recently the city lacked an efficient way to process them.
That changed in November 2023, when DOB migrated Express Permits onto the
city's existing enterprise plat. DOWNLOAD
How
Does AI Predict Governments Will Use AI? It Depends Where You Live Government
Technology wanted to know what a generative AI model thought was the best AI
use case for governments in each state — and if those uses were ethical or
feasible. Google AI’s Gemini answered in surprising ways. READ
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How
Florida’s Home Insurance Market Became So Dysfunctional So Fast It’s not
only because of increasingly common and costly natural disasters. Can other
states learn from Florida’s
experiences and its lawmakers’ efforts to cope with the problem? READ
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How
Much Downtown Space Does the City of San Diego Actually Need? A real estate
consultant estimated that San Diego
could go from 2,780 downtown employees using 819,000 square feet of space to
3,060 employees in just 580,000 square feet with small adjustments. READ
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How
Process Automation Improves the Government Experience Process automation
technology has long helped companies in the private sector work faster and more
efficiently. For state and local government organizations, process automation
goes hand in hand with systems integrations efforts to help states, cities and
counties create a better, more satisfying government experience (GovX). DOWNLOAD
How
Should Government Guide the Use of Generative AI? As governments grapple
with how to roll out generative AI — or whether they even should — policies in
Seattle, New Jersey and California aim to to be broad, easy to understand and
relevant in the face of change. READ
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How to Think Like a Hacker — and Defend Your Data In this
interview with white hat hacker Mishaal Khan, we learn about open
source intelligence gathering and how to hack humans — or not. READ
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Is
AI the Key to Mitigating Post-disaster Grant Fraud? Discover the top 4 fraud risks in
post-disaster grant programs and AI-driven strategies for effective mitigation.
READ
THE NEW INSIGHT BRIEF
IT
Innovation: Real-Life Success Stories and Strategies This report from
ServiceNow details how public sector agencies – including the U.S. Department
of Veterans Affairs, Tennessee Department of Human Services, California
Department of General Services and U.S. Department of State – leveraged IT
innovation to deliver the best possible service to their customers and
colleagues. DOWNLOAD
Kansas
Wants Volunteers for Pay-By-Mile Program The state will launch an
alternative system where drivers are charged for each mile they drive. That
might replace the gas tax, which hasn’t been updated since 2003. As of 2022,
just 0.13 percent of the state’s vehicles were hybrid or electric. READ
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LAUSD Builds
Proprietary AI Assistant for Students, Parents “Ed,” an interactive co-pilot that
allows students to access learning materials, and parents to
monitor their child, will be available to all families in the Los
Angeles Unified School District in the coming weeks. READ
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N.C.,
Washington, D.C., Earn ‘A's’ in National GIS Assessment The new 2023
Geospatial Maturity Assessment report from the National States Geographic
Information Council evaluated 46 states and Washington, D.C. It highlights
successes and disparities in GIS integration, and emphasizes collaboration. READ
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New
Haven Harbor Debuts Its Heavy-Duty, All-Electric Cargo Mover The $7.5
million electric crane will help the city forgo around 350,000 gallons of
diesel fuel in its lifespan. The machine is the largest of its kind to run
entirely on electric power. READ
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New
Research: How Outdated Business IT Is Holding States Back You can’t serve
the public effectively with manual processes and obsolete technologies. This is
especially true in government, where business applications for functions like
budgeting, procurement, payments, permitting and grants management are long
overdue for replacement. READ
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New Student Adviser Is Entirely AI The artificial intelligence adviser will
tell students and parents about grades, test results and attendance, while also
giving out assignments, suggesting readings and helping students cope with
non-academic matters. READ
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New URBAN-X Cohort Looks to Cycling and Electrified
Transportation In choosing its 14th cohort of seven companies, the New
York-based urban tech accelerator is focused on advancing the use of
electrified mobility, and two-wheeled transportation. READ
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New
York State Boosts Procurement Transparency Via Dashboard The move, made
during "Sunshine Week," could help suppliers learn more about contracting
trends, and citizens to keep track of procurement trends. The launch comes amid
a large procurement acquisition move. READ
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NYC Landmarks
Commission Debuts Digital Permitting Portico, the Landmarks Preservation Commission’s new portal,
features an online assistant to help expedite modernization for
historically significant buildings and sites. It replaces a system
that had only recently begun moving off paper. READ MORE
NOLA
Mayor Fumbled $141M for Green Infrastructure, Watchdog Says An audit by a
federal watchdog found several instances of poor planning, misallocation of
funds and a lack of workers which undercut millions of dollars of federal aid
meant to keep stormwater at bay. READ
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Opinion:
Cyber Siege on U.S. Industries Threatens Higher Ed From the SolarWinds hack to the more
recent, serious disruptions of Microsoft and Change Healthcare, cyber attacks
on industries that do business with universities create vulnerable points of
entry for cyber criminals. READ
MORE
Pennsylvania
Transit Agency Ends AI Gun Detection Pilot The Southeastern Pennsylvania
Transportation Authority has halted work after a year of testing. Artificial
intelligence gun detection video analytics that were being explored proved
incompatible with the agency’s analog security camera system. READ
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Pittsburgh
Tech Sector Grows, Spurred by Autonomous Vehicles The city’s tech companies
raised more than $3 billion in funding and attracted 57 new investors last
year, marking the region’s second highest annual total in 12 years. READ
MORE
Plagued
by Drug Overdoses, Milwaukee County Tries a New Approach Milwaukee
County has one of the nation’s highest death
rates from synthetic opioids. It’s deploying millions of opioid settlement
dollars to fund programs across a variety of agencies. READ
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Police
in North Dakota Warn of AI-Assisted Phone Scams The Bowman Police
Department is cautioning residents to be alert to phone calls seeking money,
which may be using voice cloning. Police Chief Charles Headley highlighted the
potential use of artificial intelligence in these calls. READ
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Ransomware Strikes District Attorney Offices in New Mexico
The New Mexico Administrative Office of the District Attorneys was still trying
to get its main computer servers working Thursday after ransomware locked
prosecutors across the state out of files. READ
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Report:
Biometric Injection Attacks on the Rise This type of attack involves using
face-swapped videos to try to trick online verification systems, but as they
rise in prevalence, so too do methods for combating them. READ
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Report Predicts Top Cybersecurity
Threats for 2024 Cyber criminals are likely to
soon target file transfer services, try to compromise the software
supply chain and launch novel phishing strategies, according to a
new report from Recorded Future. READ
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Resident
First: Essential Elements of a Modern Contact Center Optimizing government
contact centers should be part of a broader strategy to create connected
agencies -- ones that make information available across all channels,
streamline user experience, improve employee performance and job satisfaction,
and deliver better services to all constituents. This paper shows how to move
in the right direction. DOWNLOAD
San Jose Welcomes Participation in AI Coalition San Jose,
Calif., has announced several steps to shape AI governance, including an open
letter to stakeholders, a resource toolkit and an invitation to participate in
its growing GovAI Coalition. A meeting is set for next Wednesday. READ
MORE
South
Florida Proposes Lowering Insurance Costs 25% Two political leaders are
backing a congressional bill that would lower the cost of homeowner property
insurance by about a quarter. In 2023, Florida
homes cost three times the national average to insure. READ
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Tampa
Bay Area Records Gas Emissions for the First Time Hillsborough, Pinellas, Pasco
and Hernando counties produced 31.7 million metric tons of carbon dioxide-equivalent
in 2021. The energy industry produced 45 percent of the region’s emissions,
with transportation close behind. READ
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Technology
‘A Means to Help,’ California IT Leader Says Longtime executive Miriam
Barcellona Ingenito, undersecretary at the Government Operations Agency,
discussed the state’s IT landscape Tuesday at the California Public Sector CIO
Academy. Mission-driven solutions, she said, are key. READ
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Texas
Air Quality Measurements Fail Hispanic Communities Public data from a
network of state air monitors around the Houston Ship Channel is hard to
interpret and is often inadequate, leaving Latino-majority neighborhoods
unaware whether the air they breathe is safe. READ
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Texas
Faces Greater Competition on Incentives from Other States As other states
ramp up their own development incentives, Texas
is experiencing more competition for opportunity zone projects. Of 94 economic
incentives projects across the nation this year, just two were in Texas.
READ
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Texas’
Largest Wildfire Contained After 1 Million Acres Burned The Smokehouse
Creek Fire began on Feb. 26 and grew to become the largest wildfire in state
history. The wildfire burned across several counties in the Texas Panhandle,
killed at least two people and destroyed hundreds of homes. READ
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The
Art of Resident Relationship Management This whitepaper from CivicPlus
details how public sector agencies can leverage a 311 CRM system to drive
personalized and meaningful resident interactions. DOWNLOAD
The
Racial Dynamics Involved in Flood Risk Aren't What You'd Expect New
research finds that Native Americans are more exposed to flood risk than other
groups, but Black and Asian communities are less exposed than predominantly
white ones. Overall, the risk to property is much greater than depicted in
official FEMA maps. READ
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The
Surprising Link Between Budgeting and Good Health Health outcomes and life
expectancy improve in counties where residents have greater opportunity to
engage in civic life. READ
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UC Irvine Develops Custom GenAI
Platform ‘ZotGPT Chat’University officials say the new
platform will allow students and faculty to make use of AI for
coursework and accelerating research, without the usual data
privacy concerns that come with open-source tools. READ
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Uvalde
Survivors Will ‘Never Recover’ From Robb Shooting The fact that police were
unprepared and waited some 77 minutes to enter the school, and that Uvalde is a
small community where law enforcement are always at the fore, adds another
layer of grief to the situation. READ
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Veteran
Tampa, Fla., Exec Eric Hayden Is Interim CIO Hayden has been at the city since
1986, most recently as infrastructure services manager, a role he has had for
nearly 17 years. He's leading the Technology and Innovation Department, which
has a staff of around 128. READ MORE
Where
to Start with AI? Cities and States Offer Use Cases Building
an AI program is a daunting proposition, but government has to start somewhere.
From strengthening cybersecurity to improving 311, a handful of early adopters
are finding safe and practical uses. READ
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Why
Can’t Governments Modernize Business Systems? Here’s What’s Standing in the Way
Governments may be hesitant to invest in major upgrades, especially in
today’s uncertain budgetary climate. Massive technology overhauls of the past —
enterprisewide projects that took years to build and tens of millions of
dollars to implement — often failed to meet expectations. READ
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Why
Every Community Needs an Emergency Mass Notification System When every
second counts, disparate systems mean duplicitous work, inefficient reach, and
lost opportunities to contact residents and travelers as soon as possible. READ
FULL STORY
Working-Class
Individuals Are Rarities as Legislators Only 116 of the nation’s nearly
7,400 state lawmakers qualify as “working class,” according to a new survey. READ
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