Local communities utilize new technologies on a daily basis to improve their service to citizens. The TFG Blog's Technology in Local Communities is a bi-monthly review that highlights examples of these innovative partnerships.
Esri Enables Federal Agencies to Open GIS Mapping Data to the Public
Mapping software giant Esri is now allowing users to choose an open data license that will make more public geospatial data to the public for free. If federal, state and local governments agree to release their data, it could mean a huge surge in the amount of ArcGIS data available to researchers and developers. Read More…
Surveillance Regulation Plays Catch-Up To Technology
While there are valid uses of surveillance technology, some say it has advanced faster than government is able to regulate it. As Congress begins discussing the topic, some states are already taking action. Read More…
Winds of Change: Floating Power Turbines Envisioned Off Oregon Coast
A Seattle Energy company received initial approval to build five floating wind turbines 16 miles off the Oregon coast. The massive project, which garnered the attention of the Administration of the Department of Energy, will generate 30-megawatts of electricity. The $200 million project is expected to be operational by 2017. Read More…
U.S. Agency Ordered to Cancel License Plate Database Plan
Just days after the Immigration and Customs Enforcement Agency released a solicitation to access or buy databases for tracking license plates nationwide, its mother agency, the Department of Homeland Security, directed the cancellation of the request after it garnered significant criticism from privacy advocates. The use of license plate data has been used successfully to solve many different kinds of crimes, but privacy advocates argue that law enforcement could easily misuse the information. Read More…
How to Jump-Start Analytics in Your City
The New York City Mayor’s Office of Data Analytics has become a groundbreaking program in the municipal analytics word for its development process and its real-world successes. Program officers describe how they did it, and what other cities can do to follow their success. Read More…
States Brace for Clash between Utilities, Solar Advocates
The growing popularity of solar panels at homes and businesses is becoming a problem for states, which are caught in a battle between solar and utility advocates over rollover credits, or net-metering. Utilities say that solar customers aren’t paying their fair share, and want surcharges for solar consumers to make up for it. Advocates, however, remind regulators that solar only produces about 1 percent of total energy production in the U.S. Read More…
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