ddcmag sept09.indd 7cmag sept09.indd 7 99/2/09 11:24:21 am ... · 12 40 42 intro unifying digital...

DCMag_Sept09.indd 7DCMag_Sept09.indd 7 9/2/09 11:24:21 AM9/2/09 11:24:21 AM

12

40

42

INTROUnifying Digital NeighborhoodsB Y B L A K E H A R R I S

VIEWPOINTDigital DimensionsB Y B L A K E H A R R I S

5

48

december 2006

Departments

DIGITAL INCLUSION

Wireless Initiatives Closing the digital divide is back in the limelight, but not all approachesare created equal.

B Y J O S H U A B R E I T B A R T

EMERGING TECHNOLOGIES

Computers Watching Over Us Video analytics software can identify certain homeland security threats, and the technology is getting better all the time.

B Y C H A N D L E R H A R R I S

INTERNATIONAL

Broadband Dreams Spain’s Basque Country leads in European rural broadband access as a result of an innovative government program.

B Y I N D R A J I T B A S U

FeaturesEmpowering CitizensTwo cities turn talk into action to build sustainable communities.B Y S Y L V I A L . L O V E L Y

The Good, the Bad and the UglyGetting and keeping communications operational makes all the difference after disaster strikes.B Y S A S C H A D . M E I N R A T H

26

44

on the cover

Wireless PhiladelphiaDigital inclusion —

a community effort.

I N T E R V I E W B Y J O S H U A B R E I T B A R T

6

4 DIGITAL COMMUNITIES DECEMBER 06

V O L U M E 1 | I S S U E 1

contents40

GE

EEMAAJWCEC

DCAG IPPI

PAV S R S A SDARDCCDCMCPBMPDPWC

CCEECCV

G

Crn

Aod(

SD<

4226

DC12_04.indd 4DC12_04.indd 4 11/29/06 3:40:33 PM11/29/06 3:40:33 PM

_______ Designer _______ Creative Dir.

_______ Editorial _______ Prepress

_________ Production _______ OK to go

Pg100 Blue Ravine RoadFolsom, CA. 95630916-932-1300

®�

5 25 50 75 95 100 5 25 50 75 95 100 5 25 50 75 95 100

Cyan Magenta Yellow Black

5 25 50 75 95 100

The fi rst issue of Digital Commu-nities magazine is an extension

of the Digital Communities portion of the Government Technology Web site. Launched in 2005, the Web version of Digital Communities focuses heavily on wireless and other emerging technologies. We consider these significant developments for governments deploying mobile work forces and those involved in disaster management preparations.

Digital Communities magazine embraces these technologies and extends the focus to encompass the reinvention of government services and communities themselves as a technological evolution. So stepping beyond the Web site’s boundaries, this maga-zine is in some ways the logical successor to much of what we have published over the years concerning the transformation of government and society as a result of technology.

In this Digital Age, communities have to embrace technology at an ever-accel-erating pace to stay competitive and to function with the speed and effi ciency that citizens now expect. The world is increasingly connected anywhere, anytime, and this is a reality govern-ments must adopt where possible.

Balanced against this is the question of how communities can meet the many challenges they face with new tech-nologies, even if this means pushing for new technological developments. Vendors may push their innovations

and they may be valuable, but are these new innovations truly needed to help communities thrive in this new age?

There must be a balance, a dual focus if you like. Digital Communitiesis not just about technology, but also community health and vitality in the Digital Age.

From this perspective, zeroing in only on government would mean missing a big portion of the equation. We recognize more and more that many social and environmental challenges can’t be solved by governments alone. Partnerships with the nonprofi t and private sectors are ever more important

in the planning and execu-tion of many activities, such as economic development and disaster response.

At the same time, we can’t really discuss community

health, competitiveness and vitality without dealing with such issues as the digital divide. Many municipal wireless, and other government and corporate initiatives are attempting to address this socioeconomic concern in different ways, but as of yet no digital inclusion program is really suffi cient.

Digital Communities magazine allows us the chance to look at new technolog-ical developments, best practices and government challenges from various angles in ways we hope will be inter-esting and useful to communities in any evolutionary stage in this digital world.

Unifying Digital Neighborhoods

By Blake HarrisEDITOR

introduction

5DIGITAL COMMUNITIES DECEMBER 06

Group Publisher: DON PEARSON [email protected] Editor: STEVE TOWNS [email protected]

EDITORIALEditor: BLAKE HARRIS [email protected] Managing Editor: MIRIAM JONES [email protected]. Managing Editor: JESSICA JONES [email protected]. Editor: SHANE PETERSON [email protected] Editor: JIM McKAY [email protected] Bureau Chief: ALISON LAKE [email protected] Editor: KAREN STEWARTSON [email protected] Editorial Assistant: CORINE STOFLE [email protected] Writers: INDRAJIT BASU, JOSHUA BREITBART, CHANDLER HARRIS, SYLVIA L. LOVELY, SASCHA D. MEINRATH

DESIGNCreative Director: GERARDO PEREZ [email protected] Director: KELLY MARTINELLI [email protected] Designers: CRYSTAL HOPSON [email protected] MICHELLE DOUGLAS [email protected]: TOM McKEITH [email protected] Director: STEPHAN WIDMAIER [email protected] Manager: JOEI HEART [email protected] Director: JUDE HANSEN [email protected]

PUBLISHINGAssociate Publisher: JON FYFFE [email protected] Bus. Development: TIM KARNEY [email protected] East

Sr. Director of Sales: PAM FYFFE [email protected] West, Central

Regional Sales Directors: TRACY MEISLER [email protected] Midwest

LESLIE HUNTER [email protected] East

SHELLEY BALLARD [email protected] Midwest, Bay Area

Sr. Sales Manager: KRISTA O’SULLIVAN [email protected] Central, West

Account Managers: MELISSA CANO [email protected] ERIN HUX [email protected]. Director of Operations: ANDREA KLEINBARDT [email protected] of National Sales Administration and Organization: TRACEY SIMEK [email protected] Sales Administrator: CAROLYN FOOTE [email protected]. of Custom Events: WHITNEY SWEET [email protected] Events Manager: LANA HERRERA [email protected] Events Coordinator: KARIN PRADO [email protected]. of Custom Publications: STACEY TOLES [email protected] Custom Publications Managing Editor: EMILY MONTANDON [email protected] Publications Project Manager: JENNIFER YOAKUM [email protected] Development Director: GLENN SWENSON [email protected] Manager: LINSEY BROWN [email protected]’s Executive Coordinator: SARAH LIX [email protected] of Web Products and Services: VIKKI PALAZZARI [email protected] Services Manager: PETER SIMEK [email protected] Director: PAUL HARNEY [email protected]

CORPORATECEO: DENNIS McKENNA [email protected] VP: DON PEARSON [email protected] VP: CATHILEA ROBINETT [email protected]: LISA BERNARD [email protected]: PAUL HARNEY [email protected] of Events: ALAN COX [email protected]

Government Technology’s Digital Communities is published by e.Republic Inc. Copyright 2006 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. Reprintsof all articles in this issue and past issues are available (500 minimum). Please direct inquiries to Reprint Management Services (RMS): Attn. Marshall Boomer at (800) 360-5549 ext.123 or <[email protected]>.

Subscription Information: Requests for subscriptions may be directed to Circulation Director by phone or fax to the numbers below. You can also subscribe online at <www.govtech.net>.

100 Blue Ravine Rd. Folsom, CA 95630Phone: (916) 932-1300 Fax: (916) 932-1470www.govtech.net

Printed in the USA






®�

5 25 50 75 95 100 5 25 50 75 95 100 5 25 50 75 95 100


5 25 50 75 95 100


helmsman Greg Goldman.An interview with

PhiladelphiaPhiladelphiaDC12_06.indd 6DC12_06.indd 6 11/29/06 3:47:01 PM11/29/06 3:47:01 PM





®�

5 25 50 75 95 100 5 25 50 75 95 100 5 25 50 75 95 100


5 25 50 75 95 100

7DIGITAL COMMUNITIES DECEMBER 06DIGITAL COMMUNITIES DECEMBER

Interview by Joshua Breitbart

GREG GOLDMAN is the fi rst

permanent CEO of Wireless Philadelphia,

a nonprofi t organization working to

make the whole city wireless.

Goldman has a background in

the not-for-profi t and for-profi t

sectors. He was most recently

vice president of Korman Com-

munities, a Philadelphia-based

residential real-estate company.

Prior to that, he was executive

director of the Metropolitan

AIDS Neighborhood Nutrition

Alliance (MANNA), a local

organization that delivers nourishment

to people with HIV/AIDS. During his

six-year tenure, that organization’s

service capacity and budget more

than doubled, and its reach extended

to include all 11 counties of the

tri-state region. Digital Communities

spoke with him about the challenges

ahead for Wireless Philadelphia.

DC12_06.indd 7DC12_06.indd 7 11/28/06 9:15:57 AM11/28/06 9:15:57 AM





®�

5 25 50 75 95 100 5 25 50 75 95 100 5 25 50 75 95 100


5 25 50 75 95 100

What is the current status of Wireless

Philadelphia?

The initiative is running on paral-lel tracks. The fi rst track is EarthLink and their installation of wireless routers in the proof-of-concept area — that’s a 15-square-mile rectangle of north Philadelphia. That’s the installation and technical, mechanical track. The other track is Wireless Philadelphia as a non-profi t — that’s what I lead. We’re trying to primarily develop programs in con-cert with the EarthLink build-out that can meet the digital inclusion mission and vision that have been set out by the mayor [John Street], Dianah Neff [for-mer CIO] and others in the city, when Philadelphia decided to reach for this.

When is the expected completion date for

the fi rst part of the project?

Right now, we’re looking at Dec. 1 for the installation to be completed. Then there will be a period of testing, pri-marily mechanical testing, according to the quality of the network’s functioning, that needs to meet certain service-level agreements contained in the network

agreement between Wireless Philadel-phia and EarthLink. So December for the build-out, the switch-on, and then the testing period will take a small num-ber of weeks after that. Once the tests are completed and accepted, then we begin the build-out of the network across the entire city.

If the test area goes according to plan, when

will the whole system be completed?

The completion target date is end of October 2007. I think it’s impor-tant people understand that it’s not Star Trek. It’s not something that fi ts into a 50-minute segment, and it’s all done at the end. It’s a complicated thing. I think that it’s going to be a great way to deliver Internet service and make service accessible to every household in Philadelphia. It’s going

to drive prices down across the board for Internet access. It’s going to make the entire city an outdoor hotspot for people who subscribe to the network. There are going to be 10 square miles scattered throughout the city where people will be able to get free access. So there are wonderful opportunities and elements associated with this, but it’s also trucks, poles, lights, electrical hookups, PECO [Pennsylvania’s largest utility and a division of Exelon Energy Delivery], and the streets department and permits.

It’s been challenging because to get the

whole thing off the ground, there had to

be this huge push in momentum and hype.

And now the main question everybody is

asking is —

“Where is it already?”

“It doesn’t take a huge amount of imagination to understand that it’s a complicated arrangement when you’re talking about 4,500 street lamps that need to be identifi ed, accounted for, located, permitted, etc.”Greg Goldman, CEO, Wireless Philadelphia






®�

5 25 50 75 95 100 5 25 50 75 95 100 5 25 50 75 95 100


5 25 50 75 95 100


vices to individuals, that’s only going to improve our city because of the way we’re structuring this in relationship with the school district and with oth-er programs that are pointing people toward economic self-suffi ciency. This is a tool for economic self-suffi ciency. So are we going to pay PECO more or are we going to try to uplift our com-munity? And I fully intend to make that distinction quite clear to everybody — including PECO.

But the upshot is that the rate or how it’s

going to get paid is not resolved.

The honest answer is that it’s not resolved. It’s in place and there are things happening. But I certainly don’t consider the existing situation to be fi nal and resolved, and I know the city adminis-tration doesn’t either. We just really hope to be in a great partnership with PECO and Exelon, to achieve something great for Philadelphia.

Will additional funds need to be raised to

pay for the digital inclusion services, given

that payments are still being made on the

$1.4 million loan from Philadelphia Indus-

trial Development Corp. that the project

used for start-up costs?

There’s a part of this that’s going to look a lot like a traditional nonprofi t. We’re going to be doing special events. We’re talking to the foundations; we’re talking to wealthy individuals; we’re going to have direct or e-mail campaigns to ask people to contribute. That’s what MANNA does, that’s what the Boys and Girls Club does, and that’s what your local neighborhood association does. Some of that is going to look very similar to that.

Philadelphia is not the wealthiest city in

the world. Are you concerned that you

will have to pull from other projects since

there’s a limited pool of money?

No. I just don’t look at it like that. I think this is an extremely unique project. And I think there’s plenty of money in Philadelphia to fund it. I can’t guarantee the dollars — certainly not — but I can certainly guarantee the passion that I’m going to employ to go get them. And I’m not going to let people give me that line about, “I gave at the offi ce or whatever.” Give me a break. We’re not talking major dollars here. We’re talking a couple

“I can’t guarantee the dollars — certainly not — but I can certainly guarantee the passion that I’m going to employ to go get them.”Greg Goldman, CEO, Wireless Philadelphia

di

tr

iSam

I think people need to understand, this is a big city. It’s an old city; there are a lot of small streets; there are a lot of issues; there are old institutions. Just the simple relationship that needed to be negotiated with PECO. PECO delivers the electric-ity. PECO owned light poles, but the street lamps are owned by the city. It doesn’t take a huge amount of imagina-tion to understand that it’s a complicated arrangement when you’re talking about 4,500 street lamps that need to be iden-tifi ed, accounted for, located, permitted, etc. And that’s not bad — it’s just one of those things.

The agreement with EarthLink requires

Wireless Philadelphia to pay a portion of

the company’s electricity bill, but when the

agreement was approved by City Council,

the rate PECO was going to charge had

not been settled. What is the status of

negotiations with PECO?

We’re negotiating. How do we deal with the electricity situation and the whole PECO situation? How do we make PECO a really responsible part-ner from a fi nancial perspective and not a partner that can really hold down the objective of digital inclusion? How much money should we really have to pay PECO when there are people out there who don’t have the access? So for every $100,000 I don’t have to pay to PECO and can provide those direct ser-






®�

5 25 50 75 95 100 5 25 50 75 95 100 5 25 50 75 95 100


5 25 50 75 95 100

million dollars a year — in the grand scheme of things, a very small drop in the bucket. So no, I look at it really quite dif-ferently. I look at it from the perspective of, this is a cool project that people want to participate in, and want to be success-ful, and one of the ways people can help to make it successful is by contributing their fi nancial support to it.

What is the status of Wireless Philadel-

phia’s digital inclusion programs?

I think we’re getting somewhere with that. There’s a challenge there too because there are so many players on the fi eld. But

Philadelphia’s trying to start small and very clear. That’s what the POC [proof of concept] is also. Our fi rst objective is to identify a digital inclusion project or couple of projects within the proof-of-concept area to make it clear what digital inclusion is. Digital inclusion is the effort to enable people who lack access to the Internet to get connected and receive the tools they need to use that connection to improve their lives. So the deliverable is computers, software, local techni-cal support, relevant Internet education, and a high-speed Internet account for the household — pretty straightforward.


“It’s an extraordinary initiative. And so, if I’ve got to staff up a couple of committees, bring ’em on.”Greg Goldman, CEO, Wireless Philadelphia

And we’re going to deliver that through existing organizations in the commu-nity that people already know, that they are already related to, that already have related services around a technology education and other forms of economic programs oriented toward helping peo-ple become economically independent.

I’ll give you a perfect example. People for People is an organization in north Philadelphia, a large, successful, mul-tifaceted human services agency. They have everything from a charter school to employment training programs, literacy, you name it. They also are becoming an EARN [Employment Advancement and Retention Network] Center. This is a service that’s related to TANF, which is Temporary Assistance for Needy Fami-lies. It used to be called welfare, now it’s called TANF. So low-income, mostly women with children, can participate in TANF and receive fi nancial sup-port over a short period of time and be helped off welfare through employment training programs, including technol-ogy education. TANF qualifi es people economically. Digital inclusion has an income requirement for 130 percent of poverty. The idea is, through par-ticipation in this particular program, one would automatically qualify for participation in Wireless Philadelphia’s digital inclusions.

When you’re trying to help folks at the lowest economic strata in an urban area like this, it’s very diffi cult. It’s very dif-fi cult to live at the lowest economic strata of society, and one of those things is that to get anything you need, you have to go stand in this line and this line, and you have to prove to every single one of those people that you’re poor. You have to show your crumpled pay stub or income state-ment; you have to show your Social Secu-rity card; you have to drive your kids around or fi nd a babysitter, whatever. It’s not streamlined. And as I’m very fond of saying — probably too fond because it’s a stupid thing to say — but the cool thing about the Internet is, it’s cool. And so what we want to do is deliver these ser-vices to qualifi ed people in a way that’s as cool as the Internet itself. So that people want to participate in it and aren’t going






®�

5 25 50 75 95 100 5 25 50 75 95 100 5 25 50 75 95 100


5 25 50 75 95 100

have to staff a couple of committees for unanimous council approval, bring me some more. I’m not saying I relish it, or,

“Oh boy, I have to go staff another com-mittee,” instead of raising money or doing other things. I’m going to look at that as a positive. I’m going to look to those people to help me — help me raise money, reach out to the community, become ambassa-dors for this program and for this mission of digital inclusion. So a lot of commit-tees. But it also means that there’s a lot of buy-in for the project. And I think that’s where leadership comes in. I think I’m up to the task, but my intent is to lead those committees and those processes. It’s all about adding value.

There are a lot of processes attached to this, and a lot of elements that are not attached to the average initiative. But this is not the average initiative. It’s an extraordinary initiative. And so, if I’ve got to staff up a couple of committees, bring ’em on. I don’t know if I’ll be suc-cessful, but I’m going to at least give it my best shot to try — to try to turn those into tools for digital inclusion.


Mayor John Street’s Vision

When running for offi ce in 1999, John Street

said, “The future of our city is online, not in-line.” And since he was elected mayor of Philadelphia, he has vigorously pursued that vision.

Bridging the city’s digital divide was a top concern of his. “According to a 2004 study by the Philadelphia School District, 93 percent of students from higher-income households had comput-ers at home, compared with only 25 percent of students from lower-income households,” he said. “That’s the digital divide, and it’s not only unacceptable but will create new generations of unprepared, unqualifi ed and economically dependent persons in our community.”

Beyond this, however, Street viewed wireless Internet as vital for economic development. “When I fi rst announced the plan to bring wireless Internet to every neighborhood, I said we would do so because we must prepare our citizens and businesses to face the challenges of the 21st century,” he said earlier this year. “Just as roads and transportation were keys to our past, wireless technol-ogy and digital infrastructure are keys to our future.”

to say, “Uh, you know I’d love to, but I’m not going to go wait in that line or stand for two hours to show my crumpled stuff to somebody, and then have to wait in another line to pay for it.”

The idea is qualifi cation and payment processes that dovetail with existing programs in the community, existing processes that people already have to participate in, A. B, a clear set of deliv-erables to the qualifying individual: hardware, software, tech support, Inter-net education and the Internet account. And C, value added to the organiza-tions already trying to help these peo-ple become economically independent. That’s not an elevator speech. I need to get it down to an elevator speech.

One interesting aspect is these organiza-

tions that have been doing this work, and

Wireless Philadelphia can unify them.

Unify them, and bring added value to what they’re trying to accomplish. If we can package a bundled program about what digital inclusion is and deliver those in clear, affordable packages to existing community-based organizations, people are going to be that much more likely to want to participate in those programs, and then they get this stuff at the end.

And conversely as you said, if you make

it more complicated than getting food,

they’re going to get food fi rst and not get

to the digital inclusion.

It’s not a necessity. We want people to think of it as a necessity. Maybe for you it’s a necessity, for me it’s a necessity, for people in the economic mainstream it’s becoming a necessity. But if you’ve got-ten by without it forever, you have to be turned on to it before it becomes a neces-sity for you to begin with.

One concern from City Council was that

the council had created new committees

and put new people on existing commit-

tees, which would commit you to endless

meetings. Is that happening? Or do you

foresee that happening?

It’s just the reality. At this point, what good end could possibly be served by my complaining about that? It is what it is. It got unanimous council approval. If I






®�

5 25 50 75 95 100 5 25 50 75 95 100 5 25 50 75 95 100


5 25 50 75 95 100


IN THIS GUEST PERSPECTIVE, Sylvia Lovely, president of the NewCities Institute, describes how her organization engaged citizens in Moscow, Idaho and Morehead, Ky., to create new visions for their communities.






®�

5 25 50 75 95 100 5 25 50 75 95 100 5 25 50 75 95 100


5 25 50 75 95 100

Two cities turn talk into action to build sustainable communities.

EmpoweringEmpowering

IT

BY SYLVIA L. LOVELY

was a typical leadership program class, with specialists discussing every aspect of leadership from basic service to

taking charge and making things happen. But as the program was about to close, one young woman shared her anguish: “I’m not leaving here until you tell me how to talk to my mayor!” With that comment, she communicated her frustration with the street-level work she was trying to do and the roadblocks she encountered.

The NewCities Institute was founded to reach citizens just like this young woman, to show them how to build great, sustainable communities in the 21st century — communities are where people come together to agree on a vision and work to make it a reality. Sometimes consensus prevails in the midst of the messiness of democracy. But in all cases, leadership must prevail — leadership that addresses the real needs of people.

13






®�

5 25 50 75 95 100 5 25 50 75 95 100 5 25 50 75 95 100


5 25 50 75 95 100

At a time when communities face an onslaught of economic and social chal-lenges, the very idea of uniting citizens to form a common vision and an action plan to renew a community may be a daunting one. However, with an intelli-gent approach, it is possible.

Small communities often face similar problems nationwide, for instance, the migration of young people from their hometowns with no plans to return.

We also know that citizens connected to their local places will build strong cities and high-quality communal living opportunities. But today those connec-tions are often becoming more tenuous as our fears and disenchantment expand the distance between us, our neighbors and local government leaders.

The daily delivery of news and access to endless resources via the Internet might provide us with more information, but we believe less and less of what we


Thinking Locally to Compete Globally

How do we build communities under these circumstances? How do we devel-op the capacity to think and act big (globally) and small (community) at the same time?

We began to tackle these questions in September 2005, focusing our efforts on Moscow, Idaho, and Morehead, Ky., and bringing leaders and citizens together in Community Listening and Commu-nity Building forums. The results have been encouraging. Hundreds of citizens in both communities attended these sessions to discuss their community values, and express their hopes and fears for their home places.

Unlike other visioning exercises, our work in Moscow and Morehead encour-aged citizens to drill down to the core of their values and defi ne their communi-ty’s unique qualities that could provide a foundation for the future. The goal for

PHO

TO B

Y DA

NIE

L PO

UZZN

ER

Moscow, Idaho, served as the New Cities Institute pilot project in 2005.

Idaho

Moscow

Our work in Moscow and Morehead encouraged citizens to drill down to the core of their values and defi ne their community’s unique qualities that could provide a foundation for the future.

Fast Facts

Moscow is locatedin north central Idaho’s panhandle and has a population of 22,000.

Moscow is home to the University of Idaho, which was founded in 1889 and enrolls 11,739 students.

hear, see or read. And we are becoming more convinced that our civic involve-ment — whether by voting or other action

— really won’t make a difference.Meanwhile, as the distance between us

grows, so does the defi nition of commu-nity. What we do on Main Street will not only have a regional impact, but will also affect how we compete and survive in the interdependent global neighborhood.






®�

5 25 50 75 95 100 5 25 50 75 95 100 5 25 50 75 95 100


5 25 50 75 95 100

both was to create a prosperous commu-nity that offers diverse economic oppor-tunities and a high quality of life.

What we inevitably found in the midst of this hard work were committed and engaged citizens who were passionate about their communities, and eager to share their thoughts and ideas. More importantly citizens in both Moscow and Morehead had high expectations that their local leaders would implement the strategies that the NewCities Institute helped them develop. Again, leadership must prevail, and it must be accountable.

In Moscow, our pilot city, the com-munity values and strategies were fairly straightforward. With a highly educated population anchored by the University of Idaho and Washington State University (just eight miles away), Moscow is a hub of regional opportunity given its location in the super region formed by Seattle; Portland, Ore.; Boise, Idaho; Las Vegas; and Los Angeles.

Citizens have clear expectations of their local government and commu-nity leaders, although there are diverse opinions about how to reach those goals. Moscow’s residents want transparency in government, effi cient planning that addresses environmental issues endemic to the U.S. Northwest and a diversifi ed economic base.

A fi rst-time partnership between the two universities to create the Palouse Knowledge Corridor, highlighting the community’s research and technological capacity, was the most innovative strat-egy to emerge from the Moscow initiative. Both university presidents also agreed to co-chair a commission that fosters eco-nomic growth refl ective of the region’s unique educational strengths.

Our fi rst Kentucky initiative was launched in Morehead in April 2006. There, we helped the community initi-ate a multilayered series of strategies to spur creative partnerships, effi cient gov-ernment, targeted growth, environmen-

tal preservation, entrepreneurship and regional collaboration.

A local initiative committee ensures that the disparate interests of the com-munity are represented as the work moves forward. The committee has scheduled monthly review meetings through December 2007; committee members understand that change will be incremental and are committed to the long-term outcomes advocated by com-munity residents.

As a direct result of the NewCities ini-tiatives, both communities have begun to move forward and implement recom-mendations of the citizens.


In Moscow, local government has implemented new ways of being open to citizen input before decisions are made.

Moscow, Idaho, is part of the super region that includes Seattle, Boise and Los Angeles.

Fast Facts

Morehead State University was founded in 1887. Today the university enrolls more than 9,000 students from 100 Kentucky counties, 42 states and 37 nations. The school is located in the foothills of the Daniel Boone National Forest in Rowan County, halfway between Lexington, Ky., and Huntington, W.Va.

Moscow’s residents want transparency in government, effi cient planning that addresses environmental issues endemic to the U.S. Northwest and a diversifi ed economic base.






®�

5 25 50 75 95 100 5 25 50 75 95 100 5 25 50 75 95 100


5 25 50 75 95 100


of differences between the communi-ty’s vision and the visions of individual leaders. Ideological gridlock can result. But at some point, leaders must do what they were elected to do — make tough decisions and provide leadership. Whether they do and how they are rewarded for their work — is a judgment of the citizens when ballots are cast on Election Day.

Lest we sound like the responsibil-ity is totally upon local leadership, the NewCities Institute believes in shared responsibility when it comes to local governance. In truth, whether a com-munity survives and thrives depends upon the collective will of its people. For too long, our cities and citizens have played the “gotcha” game in which citizens blame leaders and leaders blame citizens.

In the global age of the 21st century, we recognize that we are all in the collec-tive boat together. Citizen engagement is more than attending a few meetings and then passing the buck to someone else. It is also more than having a feel-good moment after donating a few hours to a good cause. Community success involves ongoing dialog among citizens. This phi-

In Moscow, local government has implemented new ways of being open to citizen input before decisions are made. Neighborhood meetings at the precinct level are being conducted to gather ideas and generate discussion. The local planning commission is on track to create a new comprehensive plan within 12 months that takes into account the unique issues that North-west communities are confronting on water aquifers, environmental sensi-tivities and effi cient growth.

In Morehead, the city council and county fi scal court are discussing work toward a long-range resolution to the controversial issues related to zoning and merger without using those divisive terms. A new entrepreneurship degree program is also in its infancy at More-head State University (MSU). Builders and developers have begun to explore creative in-fi ll and planning designs as the community explores the develop-ment of a “brain-gain” community of MSU alumni and retirees.

In partnership with the MSU-based Appalachian Institute for Regional Analysis and Public Policy, the NewCities Institute is creating the NewCity Commu-nity Scorecard to benchmark economic and social indicators for building capac-ity as a means to measure the vitality of cities and communities.

All of these innovations are a direct result of local citizens sharing their ideas with leaders, and the leadership taking steps to address those ideas. All of this activity occurred within the fi rst few months of the local communities engag-ing their citizens.

Whatever particulars emerge in Moscow and Morehead, the most impor-tant result of the NewCities Institute’s work is the formula created to engage and empower citizens. Both communi-ties now have the tools to ensure that leaders and citizens can hold meaning-ful discussions to solve any problem or meet any challenge in the future. Such a “safe harbor” is critical for any pro-ductive dialog.

The communities also share their big-gest challenge — one that will be with

them and all communities nationwide, for many years to come: holding their leaders accountable for moving forward.

Responsibility Instead of Blame

Empowering citizens can create anxiety among civic leaders because

16

Fast Facts

Morehead, Ky., was founded in 1856 and named after attorney James Turner Morehead, who later served as governor from 1834 to 1836. Morehead serves as the Rowan County seat and has a population of 5,914.

The NewCity Morehead initiative to empower local citizens began in April 2006.

In Morehead, the city council and county fi scal court are discussing work toward a long-range resolution to the controversial issues related to zoning and merger without using those divisive terms.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 39

Kentucky

Morehead






®�

5 25 50 75 95 100 5 25 50 75 95 100 5 25 50 75 95 100


5 25 50 75 95 100

ADVERTISEMENT

Digital Communities use powerful solutions that include wireless broadband

connectivity, core computing technologies and interoperable applications

to improve the way government conducts business and interacts with citizens.

The Digital Communities Program showcases solutions from leading technology

companies that are specifi cally designed for communities and local government. In

addition, the program provides a forum for community offi cials to discover emerging

best-practices and innovative community technology deployments.

The following pages spotlight some of the ways in which governments are

creating the communities of the future.

Special Advertising Section

Building 21st-Century Communities

www.govtech.net/digitalcommunities

Digital Communities Program Sponsors:

CS_intro.indd 17CS_intro.indd 17 11/28/06 10:14:47 AM11/28/06 10:14:47 AM





®�

5 25 50 75 95 100 5 25 50 75 95 100 5 25 50 75 95 100


5 25 50 75 95 100

Intel® Solution Services, Intel Corp.’s worldwide professional services organization, and the Intel Digital Communities Initiative bring together technology leaders and pro-gressive cities worldwide to plan and deploy advanced digital services for communities.

These services transform communities via a solutions framework that connects government with businesses and citizens. Digital Communities services are based on a digital infrastructure that includes wireless broadband connectivity, core computing technologies and interoperable applications. Service delivery takes advantage of metropolitanwide broadband wireless networks, such as Wi-Fi and WiMAX, as well as powerful yet affordable mobile comput-ing and communications platforms based on Intel® architectures.

The result is effi cient delivery of gov-ernment services, improved safety and security, increased economic opportunity for businesses and easier access to informa-

tion for everyone. Intel is working with other industry leaders and governments around the world to help create digital communi-ties. Citizens in Taipei, Taiwan; Cleveland, Ohio; Westminster, UK; Corpus Christi, Texas; Philadelphia, Pa.; and many others now enjoy Digital Communities services that transform the way they live, work and play.

Digital Communities Solutions

Digital Communities solutions are avail-able in preconfi gured starter kits. The starter kits deliver turnkey solutions that enable municipalities to launch wired and wireless applications simply and easily. These solu-tions are developed in partnership with some of the most trusted names in technology and are optimized for Intel® Centrino® mobile technology-based notebooks and tablet PCs.

Mobile InspectionsThe Digital Communities Mobile Inspections

Solution automates inspections, permitting,

licensing and asset management. The solu-tion extends access to information, depart-mental applications and status reports to the fi eld over a broadband network. Field staff no longer must return to the offi ce to handle paperwork. Instead, they easily input data, verify activities, check permit status and obtain comprehensive information wherever they are working. Solution partners: Accela, Panasonic,

Intermec Technologies, Intel, Cisco Systems

Video MobilityThe Digital Communities Video Mobility

Solution gives security personnel and fi rst responders in the fi eld interactive access to live and archived information. Video and data can be viewed from any fi eld or fi xed loca-tion. Source devices can be controlled, in real time, from any wireless PDA, tablet PC or notebook with communications between all wireless and wired networked parties.Solution partners: Intel, Cisco Systems,

AirVisual, Intermec and Panasonic

Disaster ManagementThe recently launched Digital Communities

Disaster Communications and Operations Management Solution (DCOMS) delivers wireless communications and collaboration throughout all phases of disaster management. DCOMS equips communities to immediately restore communications and quickly link emergency management staff, volunteers, nonprofi ts, emergency responders, anddisplaced citizens and their loved ones.

DCOMS starter kits — confi gured for small, medium or large communities — deliver redundant wireless voice and data com-munications networks, mobile computing devices, and Web-based collaboration and communication applications. Cost-effective implementation models let communities deploy DCOMS to core users and quickly scale the solution when a disaster strikes. Solution partners: Simdesk, iPass,

PacStar, HP, Cisco Systems, Intel

Creating Digital CommunitiesBuilding 21st-century communities ... transforming the way communities live, work and play.

ADVERTISEMENT

Digital Communities ArchitectureDigital Communities solutions are built on a four-tier architecture:

Mobilized Solutions and Services

Digital Communities bring together government agencies, businesses and citizens through applications for asset management, land management, video surveillance, emergency response and other key requirements.

Hardware Infrastructure

Mobile devices — laptops, notebooks, tablets and handhelds — deliver services and solutions to constituents and government.

Computing Infrastructure

Built on a service-oriented architecture, Digital Communities solutions use standards-based technologies that ensure security; enable geospatial and location-based services; and support intelligent documents, Web services management and document routing.

Network Infrastructure

Digital Communities solutions rely on a wired and wireless broadband foundation, which delivers standards-based interoperability and supports multiple network types and their associated communication protocols.


Intel_CS.indd 18Intel_CS.indd 18 11/29/06 3:53:44 PM11/29/06 3:53:44 PM





®�

5 25 50 75 95 100 5 25 50 75 95 100 5 25 50 75 95 100


5 25 50 75 95 100

19

IntelTo share our vision, visit www.intel.com/go/digitalcommunities

To learn more about how Intel Solution Services can help make your wireless initiative a reality, call 866/268-9812 or visit www.intel.com/go/intelsolutionservices


Multiple messaging services, alerts, maps and contact lists

People fi nder service and electronic forms in temporary shelters

Situational awareness for elected offi cials and managers, as well as information for citizens

iPass provides multiple Internet connection options including dial-up, Wi-Fi, 3G or Ethernet.

Cisco mesh network provides a self-healing wireless network across a predetermined area.

PacStar instantly re-establishes communications via a mobile satellite WAN.

iPass provides multiple Internet connection options including dial-up, Wi-Fi, 3G or Ethernet.

Cisco mesh network provides a self-healing wireless network

across a predetermined area.

HP mobile devices powered by Intel® Centrino® Duo mobile technology provide access to information and tools.



On Site

Simdesk Web-based, hosted collaboration and messaging platform supports communication between impacted individuals and those beyond the affected area. It also enables victim-location applications and links victims to federal disaster relief resources.

Near Site

Far Site

• damage assessment• team alerts• maps• content/database access

• benefi ts enrollment• registering evacuees and tracking their location• inventory tracking

• status reports by ZIP code• victim location information• broadcast messages and alerts

Digital Communities Disaster Communications and Operations Management Solution DCOMS delivers:• A secure Internet-based

communications and collaboration

platform accessible from any

Web-enabled device.

• Wireless LAN connectivity to

support everyday operations, as

well as emergency response and

disaster recovery.

• The capability to re-establish

on-site wireless data, voice and

video communications immediately

after a disaster strikes.

• The ability for users to connect

securely to any available Internet

service — dial-up, Wi-Fi, 3G or

Ethernet — from any location.

• Wireless notebooks, tablets

and handheld PCs for core users,

and necessary support and

integration services.

Overview

DIGITAL COMMUNITIES DECEMBER 06

Intel_CS.indd 19Intel_CS.indd 19 11/15/06 2:06:32 PM11/15/06 2:06:32 PM





®�

5 25 50 75 95 100 5 25 50 75 95 100 5 25 50 75 95 100


5 25 50 75 95 100

It’s Patrick Higgins’ job to help keep Florida’s drinking water safe. As a project manager for the Florida Department of

Environmental Protection Division of Waste Management, Higgins and his employees are in charge of monitoring and inspecting all the petroleum storage systems in the state.

Higgins has around 100 contracted employees, who inspect all the state’s retail gas stations and any other regulated petro-leum storage tank. The job is challenging enough with only 100 or so inspectors, but doing the inspections on paper was even tougher. Thanks to the Panasonic Toughbook 18, however, those duplicative, tedious days of paper-based inspections are over.

With the Toughbooks, inspectors have necessary information at their fi ngertips and no longer waste numerous man-hours on data entry at the offi ce.

Previously inspectors wrote everything on paper, and when they returned to the offi ce, they fi led a copy of the report, sent a copy to the appropriate district for contractor payment and then entered the information into a database, requiring 2,200 man-hours per month.

“It was killing us,” Higgins recalled. “We weren’t able to respond as quickly to the regulation aspect. A lot of times, people don’t understand that as regulators, we not only have a responsibility to the public, but we have a responsibility to the regulated com-munity as well. We’re there to help them get into compliance and stay in compliance.”

On the job site, employees look at fuel storage equipment to fi rst see if it is the correct kind of equipment. Next, employees check to see if the equipment is installed and maintained properly. It is not diffi cult to imagine the trouble an improperly installed or poorly maintained fuel storage tank might cause. Inspectors are also looking for leak detection devices as well as following up on whether owners are maintaining their dis-

charge liability insurance. These compliance inspections were vital, yet cumbersome.

Now, Higgins said, his inspectors can perform their duties on site and with dra-

matically increased effi ciency. If a storage tank owner is in violation of Florida code, inspectors can print out a noncompli-ance letter in seconds. Thanks to built-in wireless capabilities, inspectors can cross-check against a list of approved storage equipment to ensure the facility has the right equipment in place, and they can copy and paste data from a library database into their reports. Inspectors can also complete reports at the facility and eliminate a trip back to the offi ce. Storage tank owners can get a complete, printed report while the inspector is on site.

Higgins said his department looked at many solutions to replace the paper-based

system they were eager to be rid of. Higgins wanted an “offi ce in a box” that gave inspec-tors everything they needed from the offi ce in the fi eld. One feature that was a must was the ability for inspectors to cross-check a library of codes and rules on site instead of having to travel back to the offi ce. Wire-less communication coupled with reliability all in a ruggedized package, that was the goal. After examining a number of hand-helds and laptops, Higgins found that only Panasonic’s line of Toughbooks delivered the tools he needed.

“We looked at the Toughbook 18, which is the tablet-laptop combination,” said Higgins.

“And that really met all of our needs right there. That’s really the one we wanted. Because

Fueling SuccessFlorida Department of Environmental Protection implements award-winning fi eld inspection system.

ADVERTISEMENT

Intel and Panasonic deploy a Digital Communities solution for Florida Department of Environmental Protection

The Digital Communities initiative brings together technology leaders like Intel, Panasonic and others to deliver end-to-end solutions that help governments operate more effi ciently and improve quality of life for citizens.

The Florida Department of Environmental Protection uses Panasonic Toughbook tablet PCs powered by Intel® Centrino® mobile technology to help fi eld inspectors stay more productive. Panasonic Toughbooks are rugged and reliable computing devices that allow fi eld inspectors to take advantage of wireless infrastructure and software tools that make them more effi cient and effective.

“Our inspectors are carrying these things out in the fi eld. They’re laying them down on concrete. They do occasionally drop them. They’re exposed to the elements, so we went with the ruggedized Toughbooks. And it’s really worked out well.”

— PATRICK HIGGINS, PROJECT MANAGER, DIVISION OF WASTE MANAGEMENT, FLORIDA DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION


Panasonic_CS.indd 20Panasonic_CS.indd 20 11/21/06 9:01:54 AM11/21/06 9:01:54 AM





®�

5 25 50 75 95 100 5 25 50 75 95 100 5 25 50 75 95 100


5 25 50 75 95 100

21

there was a keyboard and then it could be fl ipped around to be used as a tablet, you could utilize the Windows OS, the handwrit-ing recognition and some of the other things. It’d be handy to have out in the fi eld. It gave us a lot more fl exibility. Plus we could add all these other things that we needed to have in the computer to give us that ‘offi ce in the box’ we needed.

“There are a lot of computers that could have done this, but those are nonruggedized. Our inspectors are carrying these things out in the fi eld. They’re laying them down on concrete. They do occasionally drop them. They’re exposed to the elements, so we went with the ruggedized Toughbooks. And it’s really worked out well. It has met all of our needs.”

Completed reports are also imme-diately uploaded into the department database, making review of employee work a snap for supervisors. It also sig-nificantly simplified end-of-the-month reporting. Instead of poring over pages of handwritten reports, Higgins and his staff can quickly analyze automatically gener-ated reports in minutes.

“It has been just a giant leap forward in productivity and consistency,” said Higgins.

“Florida’s a big state, and we want our con-tractors to be consistent. The program’s designed so everyone is asking the same questions. So you could take the computer and you could be working in Key West, and you could take that same computer and give it to somebody, and they could do the same

inspection in Pensacola in a different facility and everything would be exactly the same.”

Higgins said the Toughbooks have helped cut costs and improve effi ciency. The printing of thousands and thousands of forms every year is gone, he said. The cost of shipping those forms from the counties to the districts is gone. The cost of archiving the huge number of boxes every year is gone. And the software is designed to deliver the completed inspection automatically, so other than printing out an inspection in the fi eld to give the operator, he added, it truly is paperless.

The results have garnered Higgins and his staff recognition and even awards from the state. Twice Higgins’ team won the Davis Productivity Award. The award, pre-sented by Florida Tax Watch, is given to government agencies that excel at saving taxpayer money.

For Higgins, however, the best reward is being able to do his job better.

“Our responsibility is to help people. We’re not there to catch them doing something wrong; we’re there to help them get in com-pliance. And this has been a tremendous aid for us to be able to do that.”

Panasonic50 Meadowlands Parkway Secaucus, NJ 07094 Phone: 1.800.662.3537, option 4 Email: [email protected] Web: panasonic.com/toughbook/government



“Our responsibility is to help people. We’re not there to catch them doing something wrong; we’re there to help them get in compliance.

— PATRICK HIGGINS, PROJECT MANAGER, DIVISION OF WASTE MANAGEMENT, FLORIDA DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION

Panasonic_CS.indd 21Panasonic_CS.indd 21 11/29/06 3:17:04 PM11/29/06 3:17:04 PM





®�

5 25 50 75 95 100 5 25 50 75 95 100 5 25 50 75 95 100


5 25 50 75 95 100

When disaster strikes, it can disrupt electrical power, fuel lines, water mains and major transportation

pathways — as well as telephone lines and cell towers. Just when emergency responders desperately need to communicate to deploy resources, restore services and save lives, all existing communications systems fall silent. That may even include emergency radio towers that depend on the power grid.

The challenge of responding to disaster situations is that standard communications methods often are wiped out. Such was the case during Hurricane Katrina. Emergency responders in the Gulf Coast region simply had no way of knowing what was happening outside their immediate location as the storm took out all communications. As those respond-ers learned, establishing new communications infrastructures isn’t easy, and piecemeal emer-gency communications systems don’t always interoperate. The resulting “communications silos” can keep emergency responders in the dark about what is happening in other areas and with other organizations.

The lessons learned during the disasters of the early 21st century boil down to one basic truth: Effective emergency response requires effective communication. Around the nation, government agencies are scrambling to upgrade their emergency and backup commu-nications systems. Many response agencies are discovering the PacStar™ Interoperable Emergency Communications System, which can restore normal communications channels

— including voice, data and video, as well as emergency land-mobile radio — in any loca-tion, in less than an hour.

Portable Communications Infrastructure

A crisis is no time to experiment with an unfamiliar emergency communications system.

The PacStar Interoperable Emergency Communications System is a fully mobile com-munications network that can quickly re-create

an organization’s standard voice, data and video communications network. Housed in a rugged, portable case, the PacStar system can be set up by as few as two people in a temporary command post or communications van using AC power, vehicle battery power or a small generator. A portable, easily set-up VSAT satellite unit includes outdoor transceiver and interface to the PacStar network.

The PacStar system’s integrated software can be preconfi gured to re-create a stan-dard offi ce network, including automatically forwarding phone calls to emergency lines, supporting conference calling and voicemail, and providing full access to standard e-mail accounts. In less than an hour, and with minimal training for nontechnical personnel, an emergency response team can commu-nicate as if they were in their regular offi ces, with full access to proprietary networks, the Internet and land or cellular phone networks through the satellite. Responders have the communication tools they need, such as Internet access and television news feeds, for vital situational awareness.

“Every government agency today needs to feel confi dent in its COOP plan,” said Laura Kubisiak, PacStar vice president of marketing and business development. “Communication is critical, whether they’re planning for full disaster recovery or requiring a dependable, mobile backup system for police, fi refi ghters,

Star PerformerIn an emergency, PacStar™ communications systems answer the call.

ADVERTISEMENT

Digital Communities Disaster Management Solution

The Digital Communities Disaster Com-munications and Operations Management Solution (DCOMS) delivers wireless commu-nications and collaboration throughout all phases of disaster management. DCOMS equips communities to immediately restore communications and quickly link together emergency management staff, volunteers, nonprofi ts, emergency responders, and dis-placed citizens and their loved ones.

PacStar Mobile Satellite Networks

PacStar mobile network technology is a vital part of DCOMS, enabling communities to immediately re-establish voice, data and streaming video communications at the site of a disaster.22 DIGITAL COMMUNITIES DECEMBER 06

PacStar_CS.indd 22PacStar_CS.indd 22 11/15/06 12:38:16 PM11/15/06 12:38:16 PM





®�

5 25 50 75 95 100 5 25 50 75 95 100 5 25 50 75 95 100


5 25 50 75 95 100

23

hospitals or utilities. Agencies developing COOP plans are thrilled with the PacStar system’s modularity. They can buy units that give remote individuals full phone and Internet access from anywhere in the world, all the way up to full-scale PBX replacement systems. We can scale to meet their budgets and grow with them.”

Complete, Flexible System

At the core of the PacStar Interoperable Emergency Communications System is the PacStar™ 5500 mobile network commu-nications system. The 5500 was originally developed to establish data communications in remote regions of Afghanistan and Iraq. In a situation such as the Gulf Coast experienced, the 5500’s built-in fl exibility and scalability could have made a tremendous difference. The unit could serve as a command center, a backup for a 911 emergency center, or a hub for any facility receiving and making critical calls. The 5500 supports many options for bridging to centralized systems, including sat-ellite, T1 line, microwave and fi ber, and the system interoperates with any land mobile radio (LMR) gateway through a standard Eth-ernet connection. The unit also conveniently establishes its own Wi-Fi hotspot, which allows multiple wireless devices to access data and voice calls. A single 5500 supports nearly 100 users on location with voice and data. Multiple systems can be networked to support large-scale and ongoing operations.

The PacStar Interoperable Emergency Communications System also supports remote

responders for large-scale disasters or training exercises. If towers are destroyed or nonex-istent, one or more PacStar 5500s can be deployed as network hubs, while the PacStarTM

3120 Satellite Mobile Offi ce lets emergency responders do their jobs over many miles of terrain. The 3120 includes satellite modem, laptop computer, phone and VPN fi rewall to provide full satellite data and phone con-nectivity for one to three remote users. Housed in a carry-on-sized case, the 3120 can run off a vehicle cigarette lighter for use almost anywhere.

Easy to Use, Reliable and Portable

PacStar systems were originally designed for military use, but they have evolved to incor-porate the best of military and civilian features. The systems are housed in rugged, portable cases to withstand shock, vibration and the dirty environments they may encounter follow-ing a fi re, earthquake or other disaster. Both the 5500 and 3120 have been proven on the battlefi elds of Afghanistan, as well as in National Guard Training Centers and by a variety of civilian and government agencies.

Once the units are in place, deployment is as simple as following a few labeled step-

by-step instructions. Integrated management software activates all necessary components and enables remote monitoring by a trained network administrator. No matter the power source, the units are protected from incon-sistent electrical current thanks to a built-in power-conditioning universal power supply (UPS). The UPS will even keep the units oper-ational for up to 30 minutes without external power to enable a safe shutdown if power is interrupted. Once the network is deployed, there is no additional training required for response teams. They plug in standard telephones and laptop computers, and use everyday communications technologies to communicate with anyone in the world.

Ideal Crisis Communications

The PacStar system’s fl exibility makes it ideal for large or small government agencies. Components can be easily transported and added to support any number of purposes, from backup systems to training exercises to emergency response. Leveraging extensive experience in military and security operations around the world, the PacStar Interoperable Emergency Communications System can be acquired at a fraction of the cost of permanent or large-scale backup facilities.

From the Department of Homeland Security and the National Guard to fi refi ghters and local government agencies, emergency managers are taking notice of this innova-tive and revolutionary system that ensures a basic human need in a crisis: the ability to communicate.

PacStarTM

For more information, please call 888-872-1512 or visit www.pacstar.com



PacStar_CS.indd 23PacStar_CS.indd 23 11/21/06 9:04:55 AM11/21/06 9:04:55 AM





®�

5 25 50 75 95 100 5 25 50 75 95 100 5 25 50 75 95 100


5 25 50 75 95 100

The emergence of the digital community is proving that any number of tasks undertaken by government can be

radically improved upon. The doors opened by widespread, high-speed connectivity are too numerous to count and are impacting the daily lives of workers and citizens alike.

Such is the case in Washington County, Md., where explosive population growth signaled to county offi cials that their tradi-tional methods of permitting and inspecting were rapidly becoming inadequate. The county faced a challenge shared by many local governments. Building inspectors were forced to do their jobs by wading through duplicative, paper-intensive processes that translated into errors and ineffi ciency.

The county needed a highly mobile, intel-ligent solution not only to improve inspectors’ ability to work but to improve service to resi-dents. By adopting Accela Wireless™, a mobile solution from Accela, the county is transform-ing the business of government and advancing the case for the digital community.

Inspector’s Gadget

Angela Smith, deputy director of the Washington County Offi ce of Permits and Inspections, said population growth left a well intentioned group of workers struggling to keep up.

“Washington County was growing very rapidly, and we were seeing a huge increase

— about 36 percent — in the permitting process,” she said. “We saw a lot of people moving down here from Baltimore and D.C. We were faced with a challenge of rapid growth, and it was getting diffi cult to keep on top of inspections.”

Inspectors, who were already spread thin, wasted time on duplicative efforts that resulted from the paper-based process. Inspectors manually documented inspec-tions in the fi eld and then documented the same inspection in the offi ce the following

day. Employees hired to do inspections were spending nearly half their time doing clerical work while opening themselves up to errors associated with the repetitive documenta-tion process. With the amount of growth the county was experiencing, Washington County simply did not have enough employ-ees to maintain the traditional system of permitting and inspections.

“Because we did not have enough people to meet the growing demands of the community, we began to look for a solution,” Smith recalled. “What can we do to address situations as they arise at the site? What can we do to, at the same time, increase the customer service we offer our customers in Washington County? The solution that we came up with was Accela’s mobile inspection management software, Accela Wireless.”

Inspectors using Panasonic notebooks equipped with Accela Wireless now have their entire offi ce at their fi ngertips in the fi eld, where it is most needed. County workers have digital guide sheets and checklists on their notebooks that they can use to explain to customers exactly what they can expect from the inspection process. Inspectors can immediately download new building codes and explain them to builders on site, saving trips back to the offi ce.

Inspectors often arrive at a building site and fi nd it is not ready for inspection. In

Keeping PaceWashington County, Md., uses mobile inspection management software from Accela® to manage growth.

ADVERTISEMENT

Mobile Inspections Solution

The Digital Communities Mobile Inspections Solution delivers a turnkey process for streamlin-ing inspections, reporting, permitting and tracking by giving employees access to information and applications in the fi eld.

Intel, Panasonic and Accela

Intel, Panasonic and Accela came together to deliver a seamless end-to-end Mobile Inspections solution for Washington County, Md., to equip fi eld inspectors with the tools they need to quickly and effi ciently perform inspections without returning to the offi ce. Inspectors use Panasonic Toughbooks powered by Intel® Centrino® mobile tech-nology and Accela Wireless software.


Accela_CS.indd 24Accela_CS.indd 24 11/29/06 3:55:03 PM11/29/06 3:55:03 PM





®�

5 25 50 75 95 100 5 25 50 75 95 100 5 25 50 75 95 100


5 25 50 75 95 100

25

the past, this meant hours wasted traveling between the offi ce and the site merely to reschedule. With Accela Wireless, inspectors can reschedule inspections on site. In fact, every aspect of their job can be done on site. Photos can be taken and immediately trans-mitted to county code offi cials, and building permits can be initialized by inspectors in the fi eld instead of back at the offi ce. A process that once took two to three days can now be handled in minutes. After an inspection site is documented, the data is easily transmit-ted from the job site to the county database, virtually eliminating errors and time spent re-entering the data.

Accela Wireless also provides a virtual library of every code and law inpectors might need to access, all wirelessly. The wealth of knowledge and innovative tools available on site has fundamentally altered how county inspectors work. Even the simple addi-tion of on-site e-mail has eliminated costly cell phone bills and enabled more reliable communication.

With Accela Wireless, Smith said the county has seen at least a 30 percent increase in the number of inspections being carried out, saving each inspector an hour and a half per day of wasted time.

“Our inspectors were able, using Accela Wireless, to drastically change the way in which they function,” Smith said. “It has increased our effi ciency, minimized inspec-tion time and enabled them to do more inspections. That speaks volumes to the

community. It shows we are fl exible and here to meet their needs.”

Community Service

The point of all of this — indeed the point of the digital community — is to improve how government serves citizens.

As an example of how Accela Wireless impacts citizens’ lives, Smith recalled an incident where a vehicle crashed into a house at 2:30 a.m. The county’s response process used to take weeks but can now be done in a day.

“We got called to the site because they did not feel the structure was safe because the vehicle hit right on the corner of the house,” she said. “Our inspector went out to the site, and he took his notebook, did a

service request and took pictures at the site. There were corrections and some adjust-ments that had to be made within the next 24 hours for the people to continue living in that house.”

Because the property owner lived in another state, the inspector e-mailed him pictures and other information necessary to move forward with repairs.

“When the property owner awoke that morning, he not only had been informed that there were corrections that needed to be made but he had pictures showing him everything that had to be repaired. He was able to call his insurance company and contractor to make the necessary corrections. Within 24 hours, everything was moving ahead.”

AccelaFor more information on Accela, visit www.accela.com or call (888) 7-ACCELA.



Accela_CS.indd 25Accela_CS.indd 25 11/21/06 9:09:27 AM11/21/06 9:09:27 AM





®�

5 25 50 75 95 100 5 25 50 75 95 100 5 25 50 75 95 100


5 25 50 75 95 100

26






®�

5 25 50 75 95 100 5 25 50 75 95 100 5 25 50 75 95 100


5 25 50 75 95 100

27

Contrary to popular perception, the problem of disaster recovery is often not the lack of resources, but lack of coordination.

One key component to successful emergency response is a dynamic, direct and robust communications network — a structure the United States had been missing. Key decision-makers turned a deaf ear to the problem until Hurricane Katrina made such an ostrich-stance untenable, and the United States had to learn the lesson the hard way. Yet a year later, improvements have been incredibly modest. During the next major disaster, experts say we should expect more of the same — a lack of coherent, rapidly deployable, interoperable communications networks for fi rst responders and the com-munities they serve.

In many ways, the state of U.S. disaster response is not too different from what we see in far less developed areas of the globe. Following the magni-tude 7.6 earthquake that struck Pakistan, India and Afghanistan on Oct. 8, 2005, many problems faced by fi rst responders were eerily similar to those experienced in Katrina’s wake. According to one Indian IT expert familiar with the situation, “The machinery of government had diffi culty getting and sending even a handful of satellite phones for use in the devastated areas. I don’t know if any of them have fully ready-to-move transportable (airliftable) satellite video uplinks, which would certainly be very useful. Similarly equip-ment for receiving remote-sensing imagery in real time and GPS/location equipment [was lacking].”

BY SASCHA D. MEINRATH

PHOTO COURTESY OF MARK WOLFE/FEMA

Good,Bad,

Ugly

thethe

andGetting and keeping

communications operational makes all

the difference after disaster strikes.

The






®�

5 25 50 75 95 100 5 25 50 75 95 100 5 25 50 75 95 100


5 25 50 75 95 100

Jeff Allen, a consulting engineer cur-rently working in Liberia with Médecins Sans Frontières, was a key member of Radio Response and the Community Wireless Emergency Response Initia-tive following Hurricane Katrina. Both groups developed and deployed critical telecommunications and network infra-structure in the hurricane’s aftermath.

In terms of U.S. scenarios for emer-gency communications and disaster response, Katrina provided a sobering example of what works, what doesn’t work, and the lessons we could learn from the ensuing massive communica-tions meltdown. Allen’s on-the-ground experiences helping to coordinate tele-communications disaster recovery were presented to the FCC on March 6, 2006. The online version of this report is avail-able at <www.nella.org/jra/dr/katrina/katrina-fi nal-report.html>.

What Worked, What Didn’t

Generally speaking, hands-on invest-ment in disaster preparedness is both sorely needed and relatively lacking. Designing networks to be deployed in advance is one of the most valuable les-sons disaster recovery workers learned. Caching equipment and training recov-ery teams are also critical to these efforts. Yet more than a year after the largest natural disaster the U.S. has ever faced, little has been done to improve commu-nities’ preparedness.

During disaster recovery, one of the most important elements is the organiza-tion of human beings. Thus, current ini-tiatives to create separate infrastructures for “offi cial” responders and the rest of the community are met with skepticism by those who have worked on the ground.

“I have heard some vendors talking about municipal networks with VLANs [virtual local area networks] for public access and VLANs for public safety people,” Allen said. “They tend to treat the public access as an add-on, or as a luxury that can be turned off when bandwidth gets tight. That’s lunacy. Giving people the tools to work together and solve their own prob-lems is way more powerful than giving 20 police cars full motion video over a

wireless Ethernet system. Humans need low bandwidth and existing collabora-tion systems hosted out in the network to organize to help themselves.”

Instead of improving communications, new emergency response systems often expand the gulf between responders and the communities they are supposed to help by creating additional technological barriers to shared use.

And while the technology stories that emerged from Katrina often focused on the glamour of certain services, such as video streaming and voice over Internet protocol (VoIP), tried and true applica-tions like instant messaging (IM), pri-vate chat rooms and Web access actually worked best. “VoIP is OK for networks that are fully controlled, and whose topology and capacity are well planned,” Allen said, “but it’s unusable on the kind of agile, fl uid and low-bandwidth net-work you fi nd in a disaster area.”

Unfortunately more municipal net-works are being built using both hierar-chical and centralized infrastructures


— all but guaranteeing they will be more prone to failure during a disaster.

“A closed system that depends on a pro-prietary confi guration server would be dead in the water when the confi gura-tion server lost power (a common occur-rence in a disaster area),” according to a Radio Response report.

Likewise, newer communications technologies, some of which were fi rst deployed during the post-Katrina disaster recovery, often turned out to be nonfunctional. Though many press releases from major corporations her-alded the successes of WiMAX and mesh, fi rst experiences were different.

“In Mississippi I did not see any indi-cation that mesh technology works,” Allen said. “I don’t know why not. The arguments for it are compelling and the technology has had enough time to be stable, it seems. It might just be that deploying enough working nodes and keeping them working is the problem.”

Disaster recovery nationwide is often facilitated through incident com-

“Giving people the tools to work together and solve their own problems is way more powerful than giving 20 police cars full motion video over a wireless Ethernet system.”Jeff Allen, consulting engineer, Médecins Sans Frontières

PHO

TO C

OUR

TESY

OF

GEO

RGE

ARM

STRO

NG

/FEM

A






®�

5 25 50 75 95 100 5 25 50 75 95 100 5 25 50 75 95 100


5 25 50 75 95 100

mand systems (ICSs) that respond to everything from a single house fi re to a Katrina-sized event. Though ICS train-ing is accessible online and through the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), few communities have made this training available to emer-gency responders and interested resi-dents. One important element of the ICS is the emergency support facilities (ESF), which consist of numerous divisions that each deal with a different facet of disas-ter recovery. Though the goal of these divisions is to coordinate responses, often in-fi ghting and personal politics led to perception of them as a barrier to effective on-the-ground recovery. For the Community Wireless Emergency Response Initiative, this meant interfac-ing with ESF-2 (Communications), ESF-15 (Volunteer Coordination) and ESF-5 (Facilities), and getting approval from each for different elements of their work.

During emergency response, one should expect a lack of advanced tech-nological know-how from most emer-gency responders. As documented for the FCC in the Radio Response report,

“it seems that most people who handle radios for emergency operations do not understand electronics, physics or RF [radio frequency] propagation … they consider any nongovernment use of RF equipment a threat to their turf. People coming from this point of view are rarely swayed by facts or by regu-lations.” Time and again, offi cials dis-miss innovative solutions to emergency communications because they don’t understand the technologies.

Allen laid out four simple recom-mendations to the FCC to help facilitate successful telecommunications setup during disaster recovery, proposals that a municipality of almost any size could easily establish:

Preplan the network architecture, including “what if” scenarios for how to modify the architecture in response to a situation.Maintain a cache of preconfi gured and known-good hardware.Take part in real-life drills using the real cache hardware.

•

•

•

Have at least one experienced staff member on call to provide leadership and continuity during an actual disas-ter response.The Radio Response team recom-

mends easily deployable hardware. “The devices have to act like simple applianc-es. Confi guration should be via Web-user interfaces. If we are to have a dynamic routing system, it must work in the home networking context.” In other words, plug-and-play, off-the-shelf hardware is often preferable to far more specialized (and often more expensive) solutions. Unfortunately numerous Community Wireless Emergency Response team members found themselves spending too much time troubleshooting donated

equipment, and worrying about rela-tively unimportant logistical details and potential legal issues.

Network engineers sporadically found that the available hardware equipment was unstable, broken or in need of soft-ware upgrades. In addition, maintaining an up-to-date, “known-good” equip-ment cache is critical because much of the equipment on the market is problem-atic out-of-the-box. “The quality of the engineering of the software — and to a lesser extent, hardware — is very low in these types of devices,” Allen said.

“Software bugs are very common, and unless you are using a particular ‘blessed’ version of the fi rmware, behavior is far from predictable.”

Furthermore, during the Katrina disaster recovery, obtaining legal Win-dows licenses for refurbished comput-ers installed in refugee centers proved impossible, and responders often resort-ed to using illegal copies of the software. As a result, one of the recommendations made to the FCC was to utilize non-proprietary systems whenever possible.

• In the case of computer operating sys-tems, responders recommended Linux LiveCDs, which let a computer boot directly from the CD itself, and allow users to quickly burn more operat-ing system disks as needed. “Fetching, burning and running a LiveCD is prac-tical in a disaster context,” wrote Allen.

“Debugging is not. We wasted a signifi -cant amount of time with confi guration errors. It is easy to make them in the context we were working in, and it was exceptionally diffi cult to fi nd them and fi x them.”

In disaster recovery, the “offi cial playbook” doesn’t always conform to on-the-ground realities. “Both FEMA and Red Cross depended to a huge

extent on telephone service working,” Allen said in his report. “Their behavior in this regard was strange, as it seemed to disregard the reality that close to 100 percent of the victims from Han-cock County [Mississippi] were without reliable personal telephone service.” Once emergency responders restored Internet connectivity, often well ahead of phone service, storm survivors found even more disturbing practices from the major players. For example, FEMA’s Web site required a relatively recent version of Internet Explorer (IE) to complete forms to receive federal aid. Users who ran Linux, Macintosh or other IE-incompatible operating sys-tems couldn’t apply for FEMA assis-tance online.

Better Today Than Tomorrow

After Katrina, Community Wireless Emergency Response Initiative team members like Mac Dearman, Will Hawkins, Joel Johnson and Paul Smith focused on coordinating and setting up telecommunications infrastructure


“When you are operating day by day on what could charitably be termed a ‘good plan,’ you must schedule time later for rework, to incorporate the unknowns the ‘good plan’ glossed over.”Jeff Allen, consulting engineer, Médecins Sans Frontières






®�

5 25 50 75 95 100 5 25 50 75 95 100 5 25 50 75 95 100


5 25 50 75 95 100


as quickly as possible in incredibly chaotic environments.

Enthusiasm, adaptability and a Mac-Gyver-esque ethos were often the most important elements to the successful completion of the day’s tasks. This often means telecommunications recovery efforts need to revisit previous work sites to make network upgrades. Allen put it this way, “You have to learn that when you are operating day by day on what could charitably be termed a ‘good plan,’ you must schedule time later for rework, to incorporate the unknowns the ‘good plan’ glossed over. This is true in all net-work design, I think, but it is a bigger deal when the cycle time is so short; a network built last week might be ready for signifi -cant rework this week. This is a common problem in the emergency management context.” During disaster recovery, one often doesn’t have the luxury to wait for orders or directions from higher-ups. In addition, the authorities don’t always know how to get things done better than the local community does. “If you expect to get direction — or even accurate intel-ligence — from the authorities, you’ll be disappointed,” said Allen.

Internet infrastructure is surprisingly low on the priority list during disaster recovery. As the Radio Response report stated, “The priorities are transport (with-out which you can’t move resources to solve any of the other problems), then commu-nications, then survival commodities like water and (later) food. Communications is a very high priority, but the needs are met with a small set of linked VHF repeaters and stand-alone satellite connections, not with an Internet distribution network.” Though reprioritization of this critical resource will eventually happen as gov-ernment agencies realize the importance of Internet connectivity, for now, most communities end up cut off from all Inter-net-reliant services for long periods of time whenever disaster strikes.

Public access isn’t the only reason to restore Internet connectivity as fast as possible. If post-Katrina network activity statistics are any indicator, the networks set up by the Community Wireless Emergency Response Initia-

Joel Johnson, a technology writer who left New York to work on post-Katrina disaster recovery, developed a plan to help groups successfully respond to disasters:1. Defi ne your intention: Your intention is to put people in communication with the outside world. “To help” is noble thinking, but narrow it down. How will you help, and once defi ned, how will you continu-ally accomplish that goal?2. Form a group: Networking is inherently social, but many tech folks seem to distrust bureaucracy and struc-ture. However, in a situation as disor-ganized as a disaster, having a group of people to rely on — even if it’s just to bounce around an idea or to request assistance — is invaluable. 3. Internal communication and

documentation: Once you’ve started a support network, maintain internal communication. Simple, daily updates about your status will help others main-tain situational awareness. Publishing your contact information, and recording the phone numbers and e-mail addresses of every person with whom you interact into your computer and phone will pay dividends at unexpected times. 4. Learn about offi cial response: One strength I saw in smaller groups was their ability to fi ll gaps left by offi cial response groups like FEMA and the Red Cross (and at times, to act as a full replacement for those services when they fail). It is important, however, to communicate with offi cial groups so that your response isn’t misapplied or seen as a threat to a long-term response from the government or its contractors. Most offi cials, in a disaster scenario, are willing to work to integrate your efforts. While ad hoc groups are some-times forced to act due to a lack of offi cial response, trying to work within the system will make your intentions public and known, and help you avoid redundant responses.5. New equipment: While equipment donations can be useful in the long term, press for new equipment when possible. I have witnessed truckloads of old desktop PCs delivered at great cost

to disaster areas, only to fi nd that the majority didn’t work. When every hour matters, it’s preferable to have reliable, known-good hardware. 6. Licenses: After Katrina, we discovered that FEMA’s Web forms only worked with Internet Explorer. While a good network administrator wouldn’t allow anything on a network that might compromise its uptime later, sometimes you have to go back to rule one: What do you have to do to accomplish your goal? Do your network and its customers a favor and document where machines are deployed that violate licensing so they may be replaced with open source or properly licensed units when the immediate crisis wanes. 7. Put aside ideology: A good engineer uses the tool that works, even if it isn’t ideologically optimal. You’ll fi nd yourself working beside many people from greatly divergent backgrounds. If someone is helping the people who need it, then it’s probably best to put aside personal prejudices and get the job done. I’ve found that a smile and a handshake go a lot farther than a philosophical debate while knee-deep in disaster. 8. Be fl exible to needs: You’ve got your goal and your plan. Now why does some guy want you to help him tarp his roof? It’s good to stay on target, but use your judgment. It’s easy to think of helping large groups of people instead of individu-als, and you will fi nd yourself questioning the usefulness of your actions from time to time. That’s probably a good sign that you should talk to the people you are trying to help and see what you can do to help them right then. 9. Take breaks: You’ll see and experience things that will take weeks or months to digest. You will experience human suffer-ing in a more immediate way than you might have ever conceived. It will wear you down. That’s normal, human, and to be expected. You will need to take breaks. In New Orleans, we had a curfew for the fi rst few weeks, which forced us to stop running around at night.

Disaster Response: A Nine-Point Plan






®�

5 25 50 75 95 100 5 25 50 75 95 100 5 25 50 75 95 100


5 25 50 75 95 100

For example, relying on street maps is useless when signs are blown down, and referring to landmarks is some-times the best option. Contact information for team mem-bers, current and prospective key cus-tomers/survivors, government and aid organization liaisons, and contractors is often overlooked or diffi cult to access. Best contact mediums also shift often during disaster response.Network information — IP allocation plans, currently assigned network numbers, network diagrams, pass-words, administrator contacts — is also rarely accessible or systematically tracked. Ensuring that important communications network information is current and available will help save time — and avoid headaches. Redun-dant and robust networks such as satellite uplinks, wireless, landline connections require more information than many traditional single-medium system architectures. Equipment information — notes on confi gurations, hardware and cabling, vendor manuals and inventory — is vital. One of my favorite stories is about “Brent” who brought boxes of one-gallon heavy-duty Ziploc bags to save storage space and reduce the time spent searching for the correct wall plug or cable by letting responders package equipment — e.g., router, Eth-ernet cable, power brick and manuals

— into transparent, waterproof, easily opened units.

•

•

•

Documentation — timelines, photos, press, video, notes — is often down-played during disaster recovery. Yet learning from previous initiatives is vital to continued improvement of recovery efforts. Most disaster recovery responders

said priority is often placed on “outside experts” and “professional services,” but the successful mobilization of local com-munity assets is also critical to disaster recovery. For example, many community teams are perfectly situated to help build and interconnect telecommunications networks, and often have the social capi-tal necessary to bring diverse constitu-encies to the table.

Practice, preparation and preplanning were hailed as fundamental to facilitat-ing smoother operations during the chaos of disaster response. “Help communities take care of themselves,” Allen said. “It’s respectful of people’s need to be involved in their own recovery. It gives you huge leverage with small investments, and it lets the best aspects of American culture

— like teamwork, ingenuity and giving — overcome the worst situations.”

Sascha Meinrath coordinated the Community Wireless Emergency Response Initiative and is also the founder and executive director of CUWiN.net. He serves on the board of directors for CTCnet, a U.S.-based network of more than 1,000 organizations committed to improve the educational, economic, cultural and political life of their communities through technology. In 2006, he founded EthosWireless.com, a wire-less consultancy focused on social justice.

•

PHO

TO C

OUR

TESY

OF

MAR

K W

OLF

E/FE

MA

tive saw an equal amount of usage from disaster relief workers themselves. Responders often used the network to communicate with their home bases, since cell phone coverage was often spotty and landline communication completely nonexistent. Workers also used the network to depict the disas-ter’s impact on daily life. “Individuals used the Internet connection to explain what they were experiencing to friends back home,” Allen said. “They sent e-mail to worried parents and posted to blogs. Sharing their experiences like this helped attract more volunteers and resources to get the job done.”

The most common use of computers connected to these networks was Web-based e-mail (Hotmail, Yahoo, Gmail, etc.). However, users also downloaded IM clients to communicate in real time with friends and family. Additional examples of network usage included:

coordinating with supporters back home to bring more supplies and volunteers;remotely accessing workplace computers;paying bills; searching for new jobs;complaining about current conditions;posting news and commentary; andchecking prices on eBay for selling salvaged collectibles to raise cash for house repairs.

Solutions and Lessons Learned

Many in the emergency management community recommend public invest-ment in open standards and nonpropri-etary, interoperable technologies. While VoIP and other services are exciting new tools, the most critical applications are the latently strong ones like e-mail, Web access and IM. “Volunteer commu-nity teams” are also as fundamental to disaster recovery.

Data collection and management are also important, and critical infor-mation should be easily accessible to responders:

All geographical information — maps, GPS readings, driving directions — is needed by responders. Often, funda-mental assumptions need to be shifted.

•

••••••

•







®�

5 25 50 75 95 100 5 25 50 75 95 100 5 25 50 75 95 100


5 25 50 75 95 100


State and local government agencies today rely on robust IT infrastructures

to improve their efficiency while maintain-ing fiscal responsibility. With so much at stake, it’s no wonder that more and more IT decision-makers are making it their policy to choose CDW•G (CDW Govern-ment, Inc.), a wholly owned subsidiary of CDW Corporation. CDW•G offers the latest technology products and solutions coupled with unwavering support and customer service to help state and local governments serve the people.

Grasping Government

Successfully meeting the needs of each department within state and local government requires substantial exper-tise. At CDW•G, we focus solely on advis-ing government customers with their IT needs, and we hold multiple state and local contracts and offer the experience needed to help make procuring technol-ogy easy. From finishing projects on time and under budget, to doing more with less, or meeting statewide accountability standards, we take the time to understand your objectives and fit the right technology solution with your department’s needs.

Trusted Agency Colleague

The CDW•G experience starts with a dedicated account manager — someone to consider part of your team. Your agency works directly with this trusted advisor

to fi nd technology solutions tailored spe-cifi cally to your IT needs. For additional backup, the account manager is sup-ported by highly certifi ed specialists and engineers who provide specifi c expertise in areas such as storage, security, wireless and network design. And our customized professional services are a way to augment your staff with onsite assistance.

What You Want When You Want It

But we do more than just understand the unique needs of state and local governments — we offer more than 100,000 products from over 1,000 top brand-name manufacturers. From note-books to networking and software to data storage, we have the products your agency needs.

CDW•GDedication to State, County and City Government

CDW GOVERNMENT, INC.230 N. Milwaukee Ave.Vernon Hills, IL 60061Phone: 800.767.4239CDWG.com

ADVERTISEMENTcorporate profi le

CDWG.com

With 24 x 7 access to our Web site, we are always here to serve you and your agency’s needs. From CDWG.com, you can place and track your orders, review the many products we feature or fi nd real-world advice about a wide range of tech-nology solutions.

The Right Technology, Right Away

As an ISO 9000 certified company, CDW•G makes a firm commitment to its state and local government customers that quality is our first priority. With technol-ogy, support, customer service and an understanding of the special needs of gov-ernment agencies, CDW•G promises to deliver the right technology, right away.

DC12_CorpProfiles.indd 32DC12_CorpProfiles.indd 32 11/29/06 3:26:10 PM11/29/06 3:26:10 PM





®�

5 25 50 75 95 100 5 25 50 75 95 100 5 25 50 75 95 100


5 25 50 75 95 100

The Mobile Solutions You Need When You Need Them.For an agency always looking to get more done, mobile technology could be the answer. It empowers your people to work wherever, whenever they’re needed. CDW•G can craft a solution that allows them to fill out reports, print documents and do presentations, even in the field. Our account team understands your unique needs and has the expertise to get you the technology that’s right for your agency. So call CDW•G today and get the mobile solutions you need to continue serving your citizens.

1Eligible processors include Intel Pentium II, III or Intel Celeron Processor; AMD processors do not qualify; trade-in values are estimates only; actual trade-in values may vary from $100 to $500; all products must be in good working condition and have a fair market value; call your CDW•G account manager for details; offer ends 3/31/07. 2HPSmart Buy instant savings reflected in price shown; HP Smart Buy savings based on a comparison of the HP Smart Buy price versus the standard list price of an identically configured product if purchased separately; savings may vary based on channel and/or direct standard pricing. Centrino, Centrino Logo, Core Inside, Intel, Intel Logo, Intel Core, Intel Inside and Intel Inside Logo are trademarks or registered trademarks of Intel Corporation or its subsidiaries in the United States and other countries. Offer subject to CDW•G’s standard terms and conditions of sale, available at CDWG.com. ©2006 CDW Government, Inc.

CDWG 1048187

$1199

$1399TRADE-IN1-200NOTEBOOK

CDWG 1048219

$1049


CDWG 1021164

$579


You’re not just making your people mobile.(You’re making your entire office mobile.)

HP Compaq Business Notebook nc6400

• Intel® Centrino® Duo Mobile Technology - Intel® Core™2 Duo Processor T5600 (1.83GHz) - Intel® PRO/Wireless 3945 Network Connection (802.11a/b/g)• Memory: 1GB• DVD±RW drive• 14" WXGA active-matrix display

HP Compaq Business Notebook nx6310

• Intel® Centrino® Duo Mobile Technology - Intel® Core™ Duo Processor T2300 (1.66GHz) - Intel® PRO/Wireless 3945 Network Connection (802.11a/b/g)• Memory: 512MB• CD-RW/DVD-ROM combo drive• 15" XGA active-matrix display

HP Compaq Business Notebook nc6320

• Intel® Centrino® Duo Mobile Technology - Intel® Core™ 2 Duo Processor T5600 (1.83GHz) - Intel® PRO/Wireless 3945 Network Connection (802.11a/b/g)• Memory: 512MB• DVD±RW drive• 15" XGA active-matrix display• Includes three-year warranty

SMART BUY- $150 INSTANT SAVINGS2



1381_cdwg_DCM_p_12-1FIX2.indd 1 11/16/06 3:59:06 PM

DigCommMag_Dec06_temp.indd 4DigCommMag_Dec06_temp.indd 4 11/16/06 1:18:11 PM11/16/06 1:18:11 PM





®�

5 25 50 75 95 100 5 25 50 75 95 100 5 25 50 75 95 100


5 25 50 75 95 100


Transforming the Public

Sector into a Wireless Zone

Innovative wireless technologies are trans-forming the way the world lives, works

and plays. TESSCO Technologies Incorpo-rated is positioned as this industry’s vital link between customers and the wireless products, services and solutions they need

— when and where they need them most. Helping government agencies and their

value-added resellers integrate leading-edge wireless technologies efficiently is a key facet of TESSCO’s mission. Sixty percent of the wireless products we sell

— about 18,000 items — are available via our three GSA schedules: Test & Measure-ment, Hardware Superstore and Informa-tion Technology. TESSCO also participates in the GSAdvantage program.

State and local agencies, including police, fire and emergency services, can also purchase a wide range of products at the federally negotiated GSA prices. These include security cameras, wireless broadband products, antennas, coaxial cable, connectors, amplifiers and tower/site support components, to name a few.

We offer a 30-day no-risk return policy on every product. It meets expectations or we take it back, period. And when the unexpected strikes, the TESSCO emergency response team will assess the need and rush the appropriate products to the point of impact. In any event, uncompromising

customer support is part of the TESSCO advantage. Talk to TESSCO’s dedicated Gov-ernment Solutions experts at 1-866-352-9655. Or go to <www.tessco.com/go/gov>.

About TESSCO Technologies

As a leading provider of products and solutions for wireless communications for more than 20 years, TESSCO supplies the entire wireless industry — voice, data, messaging, location tracking and Internet systems — with over 34,000 products from 350 manufacturers.

TESSCO is a total source of network infrastructure equipment, mobile devices and accessories, and installation, test and maintenance equipment and supplies. We

TESSCO Technologies11126 McCormick RoadHunt Valley, MD 21031800-472-7373www.tessco.com

serve a diverse, growing customer base that seeks to improve the way they do business. Our customers range from public network operators, private network opera-tors, integrators, resellers, and contractors to large industrial and commercial users and government agencies.

At TESSCO, we use cutting-edge infor-mation technology to track every product that is on order, on its way to us, within our distribution centers or in transit to our customer — and react instantly to chang-ing co nditions. We can claim to be Your Total Source® supplier because we aim for total efficiency at every step of every transaction.


TESSCO TechnologiesGovernment Solutions






®�

5 25 50 75 95 100 5 25 50 75 95 100 5 25 50 75 95 100


5 25 50 75 95 100

Call Today!800-472-7373

www.tessco.com/go/metrowifi

TESSCO is your supplier for configured mesh solutionsLooking for Metro Wi-Fi?

Wireless Mesh BackboneMulti-Service PlatformsVoice, Video and DataPublic Safety and MobilityHot Zones

MG_June06temp.indd 3 8/10/06 2:08:25 PMDigCommMag_Dec06_temp.indd 6DigCommMag_Dec06_temp.indd 6 11/15/06 11:57:15 AM11/15/06 11:57:15 AM





®�

5 25 50 75 95 100 5 25 50 75 95 100 5 25 50 75 95 100


5 25 50 75 95 100


When the stakes are high ... the security of our nation, the protection of your com-

munity, or the safety of citizens ... you need to get mission critical information into the right hands at the right time. Homeland security concerns have underscored the importance that communications can play in an effec-tive response. Public safety agencies need dedicated, reliable and redundant communi-cations systems available and ready to work everyday, especially during critical natural and man-made emergencies. Motorola is a leading provider of Mission Critical Seamless Mobil-ity solutions that can be tailored to meet the needs of your organization.

Interoperable Voice &

Data Communications

The ability to share information via voice, video, and data is critical to achieving a high level of homeland security. Our Mission Critical Data Solutions enable agencies to implement advanced data applications such as offender database lookups, fi eld reports and automatic vehicle location. Integrated voice and data networks allow for seam-less interoperable communications within and across departmental and jurisdictional boundaries. These networks can enhance communications with nearby towns and with city, county, state, and federal agencies when events require a coordinated response.

Working Together

For over 70 years, Motorola has provided our nation’s fi rst responders with dedicated communication and information solutions to help them to effi ciently and effectively do their jobs. Our experience, skills, partner-ships and alliances enable us to integrate innovative solutions for your organization so you can focus on protecting and serving the public.

In November 2005, Motorola received the National Medal of Technology, the United States highest honor for techno-

MotorolaOptimized for Wireless, Optimized for Mobility

Motorola1301 E. Algonquin RoadSchaumburg, IL 60196 U.S.A.1-800-367-2346

logical achievement and leadership in the development of innovative electronic solu-tions. This honor demonstrates our commit-ment to helping you stay connected simply and seamlessly.

Whatever the size of your community, we’re the right choice to help you maxi-mize the sharing of information everyday and also during times of critical emergency response.

To learn more about Motorola’s solutions

give us a call at 1-800-367-2346 or visit our

web site at www.motorola.com/datasolutions







®�

5 25 50 75 95 100 5 25 50 75 95 100 5 25 50 75 95 100


5 25 50 75 95 100

GT_JuneTemp.indd 22 5/4/06 1:28:45 PMDigCommMag_Dec06_temp.indd 3DigCommMag_Dec06_temp.indd 3 11/15/06 11:55:32 AM11/15/06 11:55:32 AM





®�

5 25 50 75 95 100 5 25 50 75 95 100 5 25 50 75 95 100


5 25 50 75 95 100


Most government work isn’t done in an offi ce — it’s done in the fi eld. That’s

why government services, departments and agencies are turning to BlackBerry® to deliver on their mandates.

With the BlackBerry solution, govern-ment fi eld personnel can:

Improve responsiveness by receiving proactive wireless notifi cations of emerging issues, verifying the issues with colleagues and taking action before they become problems.Increase operational effi ciencies with rapid access to dispatch information, trouble tickets, databases and other information critical to performing their roles.Enhance collaboration by communi-cating with head offi ce staff and other colleagues in the fi eld.Safeguard information with advanced security features including AES/3DES encryption and FIPS-140.2 compliance.

Here’s how it works: The easy-to-use BlackBerry 8700c™ Wireless Handheld™ delivers timely access to data and voice com-munications wirelessly. Back at the offi ce, BlackBerry Enterprise Server™ securely extends fi eld service applications, organi-zational data and email to the BlackBerry 8700c™ from behind a department’s fi re-wall. The Cingular EDGE network enables high-speed mobile data and Internet

•

•

•

•

access between the BlackBerry 8700c™ and the BlackBerry Enterprise Server.

Currently, BlackBerry can be found in the following government areas:

Public Safety / Law Enforcement — Users have immediate access to crimi-nal records and emergency operating procedures, which enables increased apprehensions and/or better coordina-tion in the event of an amber alert.Field Service / Inspections — Field personnel can complete their reports on site, resulting in increased produc-tivity and more closed trouble tickets.Continuity Of Operations Planning — Organizations can deliver crucial conti-nuity of operations information directly to fi eld personnel — helping them make the decisions that save lives.Network And Systems Management — IT professionals can perform server maintenance remotely, which allows them to resolve issues faster and reduce downtime.

Since many government organizations already have the BlackBerry Enterprise Server, they can leverage it for an easy increase in fi eld effi ciency. Organizations that don’t can now take advantage of the BlackBerry solution to mobilize the systems they already have — and serve their con-stituents better.

•

•

•

•

BlackBerryMeet the New Civil Servant

www.blackberry.com/go/cingular


More than a secure e-mail device — Edge Enabled

BlackBerry 8700c™ from Cingular






®�

5 25 50 75 95 100 5 25 50 75 95 100 5 25 50 75 95 100


5 25 50 75 95 100

losophy is what distinguishes our work from others.

Although the formal process in Moscow and Morehead ended in September 2006, the NewCities Institute remains commit-ted to assisting, advising and tracking the results in both communities. As a direct result of these initiatives, an even deeper truth has emerged: Young people must understand that civic involvement is more than an expectation created by edict.

Civic involvement should be as much a part of who we are and what we do as is going to work or taking the kids to school. It is even more than volunteering some time to a worthwhile charity. It is a lifelong commitment of part of our time to making connections with our commu-nity, talking with neighbors about issues and expressing opinions to local leaders. Civic engagement is a meaningful, long-term involvement.

With that understanding, the New-Cities Institute has joined forces with two other entities: the Kentucky League of Cities, a municipal association of nearly 400 communities, and the Kentucky Community and Technical College Sys-tem (KCTCS), a statewide network of higher-education institutions with 65

campuses serving more than 87,000 stu-dents. Working with these groups, we have launched the NewCitizen Kentucky initiative that will focus on raising civic capacity statewide to enhance economic development and create a high quality of life for all citizens.

Initial components of the NewCitizen Kentucky initiative include:

a college curriculum based on the NewCities 12 Principles of Community Building;a college-based leadership program;research with KCTCS, the University of Louisville and other institutions;programming for city and county offi cials using KCTCS sites; andsafe harbors for city and county offi cials to collaborate, exchange ideas and resolve issues.From issue-specifi c gatherings to

full-scale community engagement, the goal is to make a difference in com-munities worldwide. The effort comes

•

••

•

•

in the face of evidence that a new age is dawning — one that marries techno-logical development with the need for human connection and interaction. As technology has liberated many lives, it has not provided the heart and soul of community life. Signs point to a change in that reality.

Communities must satisfy their need to be connected to one another and also take advantage of their connection to the world through technology. As we have seen in Moscow and Morehead, citizens yearn for local place. By and large, they are proud of their commu-nities but believe they could be better. They also have shown that they will engage each other on issues of impor-tance. But beyond that, it is how well the leadership-citizenship relationship evolves in this new age that really will determine the prosperity or decline of our communities.


The effort comes in the face of evidence that a new age is dawning — one that marries technological development with the need for human connection and interaction.

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 16






®�

5 25 50 75 95 100 5 25 50 75 95 100 5 25 50 75 95 100


5 25 50 75 95 100

40DIGITAL COMMUNITIES WINTER 06

Transforming the Public Sector into a Wireless Zone

Innovative wireless technologies are trans-forming the way the world lives, works

and plays. TESSCO Technologies Incorpo-rated is positioned as this industry’s vital link between customers and the wireless products, services and solutions they need

— when and where they need them most. Helping government agencies and their

value-added resellers integrate leading-edge wireless technologies efficiently is a key facet of TESSCO’s mission. Sixty percent of the wireless products we sell

— about 18,000 items — are available via our three GSA schedules: Test & Measure-ment, Hardware Superstore and Informa-tion Technology. TESSCO also participates in the GSAdvantage program.

State and local agencies, including police, fire and emergency services, can also purchase a wide range of products at the federally negotiated GSA prices. These include security cameras, wireless broadband products, antennas, coaxial cable, connectors, amplifiers and tower/site support components, to name a few.

We offer a 30-day no-risk return policy on every product. It meets expectations or we take it back, period. And when the unexpected strikes, the TESSCO emergency response team will assess the need and rush the appropriate products to the point of impact. In any event, uncompromising

customer support is part of the TESSCO advantage. Talk to TESSCO’s dedicated Gov-ernment Solutions experts at 1-866-352-9655. Or go to <www.tessco.com/go/gov>.

About TESSCO Technologies

As a leading provider of products and solutions for wireless communications for more than 20 years, TESSCO supplies the entire wireless industry — voice, data, messaging, location tracking and Internet systems — with over 34,000 products from 350 manufacturers.

TESSCO is a total source of network infrastructure equipment, mobile devices and accessories, and installation, test and maintenance equipment and supplies. We

TESSCO Technologies11126 McCormick RoadHunt Valley, MD 21031800-472-7373www.tessco.com

serve a diverse, growing customer base that seeks to improve the way they do business. Our customers range from public network operators, private network opera-tors, integrators, resellers, and contractors to large industrial and commercial users and government agencies.

At TESSCO, we use cutting-edge infor-mation technology to track every product that is on order, on its way to us, within our distribution centers or in transit to our customer — and react instantly to chang-ing co nditions. We can claim to be Your Total Source® supplier because we aim for total efficiency at every step of every transaction.


TESSCO TechnologiesGovernment Solutions






®�

5 25 50 75 95 100 5 25 50 75 95 100 5 25 50 75 95 100


5 25 50 75 95 100


accounts as part of the benefi ts package they help people obtain.

In Minneapolis, community tech-nology organizations will receive direct funding rather than added value through partnerships or fees from con-tracts with a central nonprofi t like Wire-less Philadelphia.

US Internet Wireless (USIW), the Internet and hosting provider Minne-apolis chose to build its network, will donate $500,000 to the community for digital inclusion — $200,000 at the contract’s signing and $300,000 when the network launches. In addition, the company agreed to give back 5 per-cent of its pretax revenue from Minne-apolis subscribers and 2 percent from future subscribers in surrounding municipalities.

In Philadelphia, the potential social benefi ts were part of the plan for a wireless network from the beginning. City offi cials wanted to be involved in awarding those benefi ts, so they estab-lished Wireless Philadelphia as a man-aging entity. In contrast, Minneapolis city offi cials originally intended their network to be used only for public safety. They eventually warmed to the idea of digital inclusion, but even after helping community technology activists secure a community benefi ts agreement, City Hall did not want to be directly involved in the implementation.

This money, which could total $10 million over eight years, according to Settanni, will go to a fund controlled by a community advisory board. They will allocate grants to community technol-ogy centers, computer refurbishers and other organizations, likely focusing on those that came together to organize and advocate for digital inclusion fund-ing. The fund will be housed by a local foundation, most likely the Minneapolis Foundation, which donated $30,000 to support efforts to obtain the community benefi ts agreement.

In Philadelphia, very little of the network revenue will directly support digital inclusion. Wireless Philadelphia will receive $2 million from EarthLink

over the fi rst 18 months of the project and expects to earn as much as $1 million a year as a percentage of EarthLink’s rev-enue. Much of that will go to overhead, such as EarthLink’s electricity bill, and repaying the $1.4 million loan from the Philadelphia Industrial Development Corp. used for startup costs.

The overhead is a signifi cant expense. Wireless Philadelphia is still using shared offi ce space and has a staff of only fi ve people — including Goldman — but the CEO position was advertised with a sal-ary of $150,000 to $175,000, and the other positions have been fi lled with similarly qualifi ed people.

Wireless Philadelphia’s agreement to pay half of EarthLink’s bill from Penn-sylvania utility, PECO, is a complicated part of the contract that will impact the nonprofi t’s revenue. The payments are capped at half of Wireless Philadelphia’s revenue from EarthLink, so the project is assured some revenue, but EarthLink will cover the whole bill in the fi rst two years, and Wireless Philadelphia will have three to 10 years to repay it. The goal of this arrangement was to have PECO negotiate with a social service nonprofi t rather than with a for-profi t corporation like EarthLink, so any stub-bornness could be portrayed as keeping money from the digitally excluded resi-dents of Philadelphia. Those negotiations are ongoing.

Goldman expects to hold benefit events, apply to foundations, solicit wealthy

individuals, and use mail or e-mail cam-paigns to raise funds for computers, train-ing and relevant content. He would also like to see an option for network subscrib-ers to donate additional dollars at the click of a mouse or check of a box.

With considerable experience in the Philadelphia nonprofi t sector, Goldman said he is confi dent that additional fund-ing will come from the millions of people and businesses in the region that will benefi t from the project.

Settanni is doubtful. “A lot of the Philly plan seems to rely on corporate donations. I’ve been in this business for a number of years,” she said, “and those corporate donations don’t add up to much. I didn’t want to link our success to that.”

Settanni and Goldman said they hope to leverage the wireless revenue for addi-tional funding.

Expanded funding to bridge the dig-ital divide seemed unlikely just a few years ago when the Bush administration cut federal support for such projects. In 2004, the Commerce Department eliminated the Technology Opportuni-ties Program, which supported projects from a range of institutions, includ-ing community organizations, police departments, and local, state and tribal governments. Funding for Community Technology Centers from the Depart-ment of Education went from $65 mil-lion in 2001 to $10 million in 2004 to zero in 2006.

While tax dollars have not started to fl ow again, the issue is back on the minds of politicians, according to Settanni.

“I’ve been involved in DI [digital inclu-sion] initiatives since the early ’90s, and nothing has made it visible like Wi-Fi,” she said. “It dropped off the charts when Clinton left offi ce. Wi-Fi has it stirred up again. All of a sudden, people who had never wanted to listen to us, people at City Hall, want to talk about digital inclusion again. There’s excitement again for the old-timers like myself.”

How to Measure the Divide

The term digital divide is often thrown about rather loosely. Usually statistics quoted have to do with Internet access. However, according to Karine Barzilai-Nahon, an assistant professor at the University of Washington Information School, a more sophisticated approach is needed to get an honest assessment of who’s being left behind.

“Ten years ago, when someone had a connection, it was enough,” Barzilai-Nahon said. “Today, in some places it’s nothing. The idea is what do you do with the content? Do you know how to use it?”






®�

5 25 50 75 95 100 5 25 50 75 95 100 5 25 50 75 95 100


5 25 50 75 95 100

WITH CAMERAS installed at every turn monitoring a person’s activity, Big Broth-

er was a frightening concept in George Orwell’s 1984, in which citizens of a fi ctitious totalitarian government were watched and punished for slight indis-cretions. Many people today may not realize that Orwell’s vision has become more than just fi ction, and they are indeed being monitored as they work, shop, bank and drive. But rather thana tool to utterly control their lives, these cameras are helping to keep them safer.

Some estimates put more than 30 mil-lion surveillance cameras in the Unit-ed States, shooting 4 billion hours of footage weekly. Video surveillance has grown into a $160 billion global indus-try, especially after the U.S. government began investing in the technology to

boost homeland security efforts in the wake of 9/11.

Numerous cities have installed cameras in various locations — many increasingly connected with wireless technologies, with traffi c lights only the beginning. New York City, with help from a Department of Homeland Secu-rity (DHS) grant, created a network of thousands of cameras citywide, includ-ing subway stations, traffi c signals and private businesses. The city’s police department operates its own network of 3,000 cameras. Chicago also received DHS funds and built a “Homeland Secu-rity Grid” of 2,250 cameras, with plans to add more in the future. Baltimore and New Orleans have also deployed thou-sands of surveillance cameras.

Municipalities with Wi-Fi networks can often utilize the infrastructure to greatly reduce the cost of deploying video

cameras across a city. Emerging mobile video capabilities will play a pertinent role for police and emergency responders, and there is little doubt that the number of video cameras will increase dramati-cally in the next decade.

Staffi ng the feeds from thousands of cameras would be a budgetary and logis-tical nightmare, but with video analytics software that tracks potential problems and monitors areas for preset situations, the problem may be solved.

Video analytics is a software system at the forefront of security technology that helps minimize the need for human view-ers to distinguish important events from video feeds. Video analytics software tracks video monitor feeds and pinpoints images that fi t specifi ed criteria. When the software identifi es predetermined criteria, such as a loiterer, a bag left at the airport or a car in a restricted area, it alerts appropriate security personnel.

“Traditional video services are very reactive, and you have to pay attention to cameras and try to make sense of what’s going on,” said Dilip Sarangan, research analyst for Frost and Sullivan. “With video analytics, the software uses math-ematical algorithms that actually sift through all the videos and trigger alerts if something goes wrong.” The software groups video pixels into objects, uploads them into a computer database and compares them against predetermined behavioral and motion parameters. If a preset object or motion parameter is detected, an alarm is triggered.

Security systems benefi t the most from the emerging technology. Federal and state governments are currently the largest users of video analytics, tak-ing up more than half of the market share, according to Video Analytics: The Ground Reality, a report by Frost and

Computers Watching Over Us

emerging technologies


BY CHANDLER HARRIS | CONTRIBUTING WRITER | ILLUSTRATION BY TOM McKEITH

Video analytics software can identify certain homeland security threats, and the technology is getting better all the time.






®�

5 25 50 75 95 100 5 25 50 75 95 100 5 25 50 75 95 100


5 25 50 75 95 100


Sullivan. The DHS uses the technology and has offered grants to state and local authorities to purchase and deploy video surveillance systems for homeland secu-rity applications. Under homeland secu-rity, video analytics software is mainly used to monitor security at airports, shipping ports and borders.

Major video analytics users also include border protection offi cers, who use the software to detect breaches or spot people in border areas, according to March Networks, a video analytics software provider. Critical facilities such as nuclear power plants, military installations and telecommunications hubs have a higher level of protection through video surveillance.

Video analytics also assist in all aspects of transportation safety, includ-ing security at airports, highways, and bus and train services. The software can identify and send alerts for suspicious bags and packages, people accessing restricted areas, the size of a crowd and abandoned vehicles. The technology can count people and vehicles in an area at a given time, and identify safety hazards.

According to Frost and Sullivan, the retail, banking and gaming industries constitute the second-largest market for video analytics software. Banks use video analytics for security at ATMs and inside lobbies, while casinos use the software for security and gaming trends analysis.

Retail companies use video analytics to alert security staff to suspicious trans-actions such as check authorizations with no manager present. Also, secu-rity can be alerted to suspicious loiter-ing and unauthorized access to storage areas. Another feature retail businesses take advantage of is the ability to detect and program shoplifting patterns, with video analytics serving as a type of search engine to fi lter through tape data to fi nd shoplifting evidence. Store man-agers can monitor cash register lines and store traffi c, while marketing specialists can obtain statistics.

Corporate campuses and factories also benefi t from additional video intel-ligence, by being alerted to unusual

after-hours activity, trespassing and vehicles in prohibited areas.

While video analytics is a relatively new and promising technology, it is expected to be further developed in the coming years. Government organiza-tions have been particularly interested in the software’s ability to recognize license plates and faces, Sarangan said, adding that though video analytics software performs well in a controlled environ-ment — when a picture is clear — it can be unreliable in a natural setting.

“The idea is a car drives by a school and a camera catches the license plate, which is sent to a DMV [department of motor vehicles] database and we know exactly where they are,” Sarangan said.

“In a very controlled environment it works, but in high speeds, it depends on the angle and how the picture is taken.”

Video analytics software can also fal-ter when tracking video images in con-stant motion. Another impediment to the widespread use of video analytics technology is the cost of digital camera system upgrades, since only high-qual-ity cameras and lenses will provide ade-quate video stream for accurate video analytics results. And with the addition-

al costs of software and computers, many organizations have yet to invest in the new technology.

Many security and video monitor-ing companies feel these problems will be resolved soon. General Electric (GE) invested heavily in the global security industry and has researchers creat-ing video surveillance systems that can detect explosives by the electromagnetic waves they emit. GE is also developing programs to identify distress in a crowd by honing in on erratic body movements.

The fi rst entirely geospatial video surveillance system— GView — was recently released by Guardian Solutions. The GView technology plugs digital video recording surveillance into Google Earth to create a three-dimensional situ-ation awareness system to rapidly detect threats. As the camera records events, GView isolates and tracks threats, which can be an individual, vehicle or vessel, and uses Google Earth to display all movements three-dimensionally.

IBM is developing the “IBM smart surveillance system,” which promises not only to automatically monitor a scene, but also to manage the surveillance data, perform event-based retrieval, receive real-time alerts through standard Web infrastructure and extract long-term statistical activity patterns.

Technology often outpaces society, and video analytics promises to be a big part of security as society catches up. As the num-ber of video security systems grows, the need for computer video analysis also will expand. By 2012 it’s expected that retail, banking, gaming, corporate facilities and transportation industries will take over the majority of the video analytics technology market. If that time comes, a collective Big Brother made up of many Little Brothers will indeed monitor our every activity. But if it helps to keep us safer, it seems people for the most part won’t mind.

Know the Limitations

Video analytics are still in their infancy, and expectations for their use must be based on an understanding of current limitations. License platerecognition is still not 100 percent accurate, for instance, and face recognition is notoriously diffi cult to perform reliably. However, some reliable uses that do fall within today’s capabilities include:

abandoned object detection;congestion detection;motion detection;a person or vehicle moving in an unauthorized direction; andtheft detection of fi xed objects.

••••

•

“With video analytics, the software uses mathematical algorithms that actually sift through all the videos and triggers alerts if something goes wrong.”Dilip Sarangan, research analyst, Frost and Sullivan






®�

5 25 50 75 95 100 5 25 50 75 95 100 5 25 50 75 95 100


5 25 50 75 95 100

T HE 400-ODD RESIDENTSof Arrieta, a pretty mountain-ous area near Bilbao in Spain’s

Basque Country, enjoy a benefi t perhaps few European communities as minuscule as theirs do. They all have access to com-mercial broadband connectivity that not only streamlines mundane activities like daily government administration, but also lets residents indulge in a few more interesting pursuits like online shopping and learning English.

Although Arrieta may be the small-est European community with top-class broadband connectivity, it can’t claim to be the only one in the Basque Coun-try. Thanks to the Basque government’s policy to expose its people to the digital era, almost all its more than 2.1 mil-lion residents will have access to basic broadband connectivity by the end of 2006. By then, the second and fi nal phase of the two-year project, called Konekta

Zaitez@Banda Zabala — or KZ@Banda Zabala — will have extended broadband infrastructure throughout the Basque region, covering more than 4,500 miles.

When completed, KZ@Banda Zabala will be the fi rst broadband project in rural Europe to offer broadband con-nectivity to match services now general-ly available only in larger cities. “There are several similar projects brewing throughout Europe, but most of them are pilot deployments, due to the absence of a network for providing commercial availability the same way as they do in the cities,” said Naiara Goia, deputy manager of Itelazpi, S.A., the govern-ment-owned telecom company tasked with implementing the project.

Indeed KZ@Banda Zabala, started in 2004, is easily one of Europe’s most inter-esting digital inclusion projects. It is a part of the Basque Country in the Infor-mation Society Plan — PESI in Spanish

— an initiative started in 1999 with the objective of fostering cultural change in Basque society through the use of infor-mation and communications technol-ogy. The plan’s goal is to fundamentally improve the quality of life and use infor-mation technology to further economic development. As part of this, the project will guarantee that all rural areas get access to broadband services, especially those that might be excluded due to the lack of commercial interest.

According to Goia, the main driver for this project was the Basque govern-ment’s desire to develop its rural areas and bridge the region’s widening digi-tal divide. A study conducted by the Basque government in early 2004 to analyze current and planned coverage of private broadband networks in rural areas, revealed a lack of commercial interest to offer broadband services to the Basque Country.

The study found that 102 munici-palities in the country would likely be excluded from a private-sector broad-band rollout. These municipalities make up about half of Basque Country’s terri-tory but are home to only about 3 percent of the Spanish population.

To take matters in its own hands, the Basque government designed KZ@Banda Zabala based on the open net-work and neutral technology guidelines for public intervention formulated by the European Commission. It has two strate-gic objectives: to extend the broadband network to all villages and economic areas of Euskadi — the Basque Country

— and guarantee that broadband services are provided to the users of these areas with quality levels and prices similar to urban areas. And since such objectives would be diffi cult to realize through private enterprise, the Basque Cabinet

Broadband Dreams

international


BY INDRAJIT BASU | CONTRIBUTING WRITER

Spain’s Basque Country leads in European rural broadband access as a result of an innovative government program.






®�

5 25 50 75 95 100 5 25 50 75 95 100 5 25 50 75 95 100


5 25 50 75 95 100

New! Access our detailed overview of survey findings and trends. www.govtech.net/digitalstatesawards

for in-depth coverage of national trends, lessons learned and IT best practices from the 2006 Digital States Survey. Hear straight from the winners and industry analysts on how your peers achieved this coveted level of excellence in their states, and what steps you can take to be next.

Get the answers you’ve been waiting for:

• What made the winners stand-out?

• What challenges do you share?

• How are your peers addressing similar business problems?

• How can you use Digital State rankings to promote IT investment in your state?

Your single destination

Showcase 2006 Digital States

Survey Sponsor:





®�

5 25 50 75 95 100 5 25 50 75 95 100 5 25 50 75 95 100


5 25 50 75 95 100

of Ministers chose Itelazpi to carry out the task.

Innovative Business Model

“Low population was the primary reason why broadband services by pri-vate operators were eluding the Basque region,” said Goia. “Typically projects like these require high investments, but low population and lack of density that provide limited business development, make such areas unattractive for deploy-ment of broadband infrastructure by private operators.”

Still KZ@Banda Zabala is not simply a government venture. “The most interesting feature of the project,” said Goia, is its “public-private part-nership approach.” Although Itelazpi is responsible for funding the project (with the help of the Basque govern-ment) and providing the necessary infrastructure — the communications network, land space and the customer premise equipment — the operational maintenance of the project was hand-ed over to a private telecom company, Euskaltel, the leading cable TV service provider in the Basque region.

Itelazpi provided the investment needed to create the infrastructure while Euskaltel runs base stations at customer premises, data management and trans-fer service between base stations and the network, and covers all expenses associated with the base stations. For its services, the company charges the end-users/customers and pays Itelazpi a fee for using this infrastructure. The public ownership of the broadband network — through Itelazpi — thus guarantees that the rural areas don’t depend on com-mercial interests for actual deployments. At the same time, Euskaltel can charge the end-users/customers for broadband services delivered on the public infra-structure to make a profi t.

The actual deployment consists of a wireless network that uses a radio-based backhaul and a point-to-point pre-WiMAX access network capable

of also providing voice services. Base stations and repeater stations are man-aged by Itelazpi and serve as access points for end-users. To connect, users

generally require an exterior antenna and a wireless modem that connects to their computer or network.

Life-Changing Impact

KZ@Banda Zabala was designed in two phases with a total project outlay of 6.5 million euros. According to Goia, although much of this outlay is funded jointly by Itelazpi and the Basque gov-ernment, there is also co-fi nancing by the European Union, through its struc-tural funds, DOCUP País Vasco. The fi rst phase was completed at the end of 2005, and saw deployment in 102 munici-palities. Currently 97 percent of phase two has been implemented, according to Itelazpi, and by the end of 2006, the net-work will reach 177 population centers.

The project has changed the life of Basque residents. “It is very impor-tant to have quality Internet access for schools located in rural areas,” said Goia.

“Thanks to this project, many schools have access to broadband. It is also aid-ing small and medium-sized companies to extend their businesses, and compete and deal better with companies and cus-tomers.” Moreover, small town city halls have started participating in Basque Public Administration e-administra-tion programs. The project also encour-aged economic development and enabled several companies to start businesses in the region. But perhaps even more important for the region’s prosperity, the Basque Country is now starting to draw more tourists. “There are more rural hotels now, which through their broad-band connections, are attracting tourists from larger cities,” Goia said.

As far as Goia is concerned, KZ@Banda Zabala has proved that geography and private-sector profi tability need not be barriers to Internet broadband access. The proof is in the pudding, as they say, and the residents of Arrieta fi nd little need to go into the city these days.

international


IT Takes Hold in Arrieta

Until recently, Arrieta hardly appeared on the radar screen of Spanish telecom companies. Now however, according to telecom provider Itelazpi, since all the investment to create the new network was taken up by the government, Arrieta has suddenly become a great oppor-tunity for private telecom companies to deploy their networks. For instance, Telefonica — the largest Spanish carrier — had no interest in Arrieta because of its sparse population. However, following the successful implementation of KZ@Banda Zabala, it is reportedly building new asymmetric DSL sites and install-ing stronger modulation equipment to improve coverage in the region.

Telefonica has brought in competition between carriers in these areas by providing more competitive products and better service, according to Itelazpi sources, and a competitive broadband market that is consequently evolving is helping the broadband market grow as well. Today more than 12 percent of Arrieta’s homes are broadband-enabled, and as much as 33 percent of residences are equipped with personal computers. Arrieta has even managed to climb higher than the average 5 percent penetration rate of IT in the rural Basque Country, according to Itelazpi.






®�

5 25 50 75 95 100 5 25 50 75 95 100 5 25 50 75 95 100


5 25 50 75 95 100

Subscribe to Digital Communities eNewsletter today! www.govtech.net/digitalcommunities

B U I L D I N G 2 1 S T C E N T U R Y C O M M U N I T I E S

Digital Communities eNewsletter

Pushed to You!In-Depth Coverage

Monthly insight on how

technology adoption and

innovative solutions are

building communities

of the future.

4US and International News

4Emerging Technologies

4Hot Features

4Special Topic Focus

4Community of the Month

4Upcoming Events

4And More!

DC06 AD DigComm eNews.indd 2DC06 AD DigComm eNews.indd 2 11/20/06 3:42:54 pm11/20/06 3:42:54 pm





®�

5 25 50 75 95 100 5 25 50 75 95 100 5 25 50 75 95 100


5 25 50 75 95 100

J UST WHAT is a digital community? That is a question we have been

discussing for more than a year. There are of course glib, easy

answers — ones we’ve used to explain what the Digital Communities program is all about. We have said that, in a digi-tal community, people are connected 24/7 — anytime, anywhere — which brings wireless Internet technologies to the fore. This, we have noted, would dramatically change how people live, work and play.

We have also repeated a common assertion that ubiquitous wireless Internet connectivity, along with a convergence of media, would bring forth a host of new applications that are not yet on the radar screen.

And although these are both certainly true enough, neither actually defi nes the digital community in terms that give communities an inkling of the road map ahead — at least not one that extends much beyond basic wireless connectiv-ity with a few mobile worker and public safety applications.

Yet having at least a partial road map seems rather prudent for initia-tives that involve building out commu-nity-oriented wireless infrastructure or investing public money in applications and services designed to improve the effi ciency of the government work force, as well as encourage digital inclusion and economic development.

A good defi nition of a digital com-munity should provide a vision for the reinvention of our communities for the 21st century. And it should certainly

embrace much more than anywhere, anytime connectivity or improved effi -ciencies for mobile workers.

If digital communities are the com-munities of the future, if technology is being harnessed to deliver its full potential in a community context, then the obvious goal must be the improved health, vitality, prosperity and sustain-ability of our communities.

At its core, the vision of digital com-munities should be about reinvigorating communities that falter; healing com-

viewpoint


Digital DimensionsMusings on the yearlong search for a full defi nition of digital communities.

munities that are troubled or in turmoil; fostering involvement rather than alien-ation or cynicism; making communities safer; and extending the ability and right of all citizens to participate in eco-nomic, political and social activities that are increasingly tied to the Internet.

Much of this boils down to access to 21st-century communication tools, yet it is more than that. As many have observed, digital inclusion programs aren’t just about Internet access, but also what one can do with it.

BY BLAKE HARRIS | EDITOR

A good defi nition of a digital community should provide a vision for the reinvention of our communities for the 21st century.






®�

5 25 50 75 95 100 5 25 50 75 95 100 5 25 50 75 95 100


5 25 50 75 95 100

In recent years we have begun to talk about digital literacy. This goes beyond the traditional ability to read and write, and now includes a set of new core com-petencies, including the ability to fi nd needed information and critically eval-uate what is found in cyber-space.

Digital literacy is just one of many factors that constitute a true digital community. In many ways, the question of what a digital community embod-ies is, as much as anything, about what emerging technologies can do for a com-munity. Certainly there are economic, educational and social elements to this, as well as great effi ciencies to be gained by anywhere, anytime connectivity. But if we step back and take a broader view, drilling down to the very fundamental notions of community and sustainabil-ity, we also get a slightly different take on all this.

The Essence of Community

Once we thought of communities largely as location based. Today we talk about virtual communities and communities of interest that span the globe. But no matter its raison d’être, the underlying essence of community is found in all of these. Members have something in common as part of a shared environment. This leads in some way to a sense of community as well as what social scientists have been calling

“social capital.”According to Robert Putnam, author

of Bowling Alone: The Collapse and Revival of American Community, and a leading exponent of the concept, social capital refers to the collective value of

all “social networks” within a com-munity, and also to the motivation that arises from these networks for members to do things for each other.

Putnam and his fellow sociologists argue that social capital is a key com-ponent to building and maintaining

democracy. And Putnam believes social capital has been declining in the Unit-ed States and that this is seen in lower levels of trust in government, as well as lower levels of civic participation. Based on his research, he identifi ed television and urban sprawl as two factors that have had a signifi cant role in making Americans far less connected.

Lately we have started to realize that place does matter. As more commercial and social activities move online, we instinctively feel that this needs to be balanced by physical interaction.

Sociologist Ray Oldenburg states in The Great Good Place that people need three places: the home, the work-place and the community hangout or gathering place.

Many people have started to recog-nize the importance of public spaces, both physically and on the Internet. On one hand, we have movements that seek to remake our cities so that public spaces are more prominent and inviting.

The nonprofi t group Project for Public Spaces (PPS) has become fairly prominent in advocating “placemak-ing,” which Wikipedia defi nes as “the process of creating great places that attract people because they are pleasur-able, interesting and offer the chance to see other people.” Just because a space is deemed public doesn’t mean it will be well utilized or an asset to help foster community. According to PPS, place-making is characterized by a focus on

activities, management, community and sociability, as opposed to architectural or landscape design.

In this Digital Age, however, many people argue that the idea of public spaces on the Internet is also important. On his E-Commons Web site, freelance

Canadian librarian Kevin Stranack notes, “The struggle for public space in cyber-space closely resembles the fi ght for public space versus commercial space in the physical world. And just as physical public space is a crucial forum for learning, arguing, discussing and cooperating between social groups in search of social justice and equality, so too is the public space on the Internet. But public space in cyber-space is under threat from the expansion of commer-cialism on the Internet.”

Interestingly in the last few years, we’ve seen that some of the more suc-cessful commercialization efforts in cyber-space actually have recognized the tremendous value in providing pub-lic spaces with much more than free access. The success of MySpace is one prime example.

Public space and commercial space are not necessarily a dichotomy, but often most effective when they are intertwined.

Dynamics of Community

While sociologists and other research-ers have worked to elaborately defi ne and study the different facets of com-munity in the modern age, many of their conclusions are not far from traditional defi nitions.

If we imagine all the dynamics of a small rural farming community 100 years ago — the way people interact-ed, tolerated and supported each other

— we have an inkling of much of what academic journals describe today.

However, in terms of the directions in which technology is pushed, an impor-tant aspect might easily be overlooked in defi ning its role. This adds up to what is described in high-tech military jargon as situational awareness.

Through many informal and ad hoc information lines, communities of old knew what was going on within and even beyond the community. There were

Situational awareness really is about knowledge of the environment — what is happening that is important.

Digital literacy is just one of many factors that constitute a true digital community.







®�

5 25 50 75 95 100 5 25 50 75 95 100 5 25 50 75 95 100


5 25 50 75 95 100

the town gossips. There were the feuds everyone knew about. Everyone seemed to know a lot about everyone else’s busi-ness and yet they tolerated a great deal as well. People associating and talk-ing to each other was the glue of social networks back then.

But as the world has become more complex, fewer people know much about the things that directly impact their lives. People often scarcely know their next door neighbors. It’s obvious that a sense of community deteriorates the less aware people are of what goes on in that community.

The idea of situational awareness ties into this, but it also has everything to do with how a community plans and responds to external events as well.

According to the Naval Aviation Schools Command, situational aware-ness “refers to the degree of accuracy by which one’s perception of his current environment mirrors reality.”

Situational awareness really is about knowledge of the environment

— what is happening that is important. In the physical world, it’s often created through simple perception of the differ-ent elements or occurrences around one and fi guring out what those elements or events mean for present and future well-being.

One undisputed trend is that peo-ple are increasingly getting more of their information via the Internet, which shapes their perceptions of the

world. Hence, in fully defi ning the true digital community, we must con-sider how situational awareness is improved for leaders and commu-nity members through new emerging digital technologies.

This is not an easy question. We see, for instance, that the press — which for much of the last century has been a key instrument for shaping community situational awareness by deciding what is and isn’t news — is now re-evaluating

its role to remain viable. We hear talk about the rise of citizen journalism and see this taking form through blogs and podcasting.

For a community in a complex society and a global economy, one that is awash with information at the click of a button, one important issue is whether in fact a community as a whole is actually receiv-ing the information it needs. This is cru-cial for the survival of any democracy, for it is only when citizens are adequately informed that democracy works.

A healthy digital community is one that harnesses digital technology to provide adequate situational awareness so community leaders and citizens can make the right decisions, thereby ensur-ing the safety, prosperity, vitality and sustainability of that community.

In other words, within a digital com-munity, digital communications can have an almost infi nite range of pur-poses. It is important that they assist in developing social capital. However, when those communications add up to create both community and situational awareness, then a true digital commu-nity begins to emerge.

Learning From the Military Context

Diane H. Sonnenwald and Linda G. Pierce noted in Information Behavior in Dynamic Group Work Contexts, a paper published in Information Processing and Management, that many dynamic work situations require that people seek, collect,

integrate, analyze and disseminate infor-mation from multiple sources. However, they suggest that one of the most dynam-ic work contexts is found in the military within command and control (C2) at the battalion level. A battalion typically consists of 300 to 1,000 soldiers. And command and control for the battalion is generally performed by a team consisting of small groups of experts.

“The team must dynamically seek information from multiple sources and


explore and integrate the information and their specialized knowledge to create and execute plans,” they noted.

“Their plans and subsequent actions should accomplish the intent of the battle mission, be achievable within the constraints of the situation and be synchronized with other organizational units, including joint and coalition forc-es, who are typically geographically dis-tributed, and new collaborators.

“Furthermore, while supervising and performing tasks before and during the battle, they must continually evalu-ate their units’ performance and the situation to determine what additional specialized information and activities are required. These activities must be achieved on demand under increasingly strict time deadlines imposed by the battle tempo and continually for peri-ods lasting days to months to years.

“To create and maintain an interwo-ven situational awareness,” Sonnenwald and Pierce added, “information fl ow

viewpoint

Within a digital community, digital communications can have an almost infi nite range of purposes.






®�

5 25 50 75 95 100 5 25 50 75 95 100 5 25 50 75 95 100


5 25 50 75 95 100

ddcmag sept09.indd 7cmag sept09.indd 7 99/2/09 11:24:21 am ... · 12 40 42 intro unifying digital...

Documents