community: university studies power ng up fileaugust 2010 govtech.com volume 23 » issue 8 powering...

®

VOL23 ISSUE8 S O L U T I O N S F O R S T A T E A N D L O C A L G O V E R N M E N T I N T H E I N F O R M A T I O N A G E AUGUST 2010

Booze Bracelet: Wearable device monitors

alcohol offenders

Connected Community:

University studies impact of broadband

Arizona CIO Chad Kirkpatrick

PLUS:

POWER NGUPStimulus grants spur smart grid activity,

but will it last?

govtech.com A PUBLICATION OF e.REPUBLIC

www.

inside:

14PAGE

BILL SLATON, board member, Sacramento Municipal Utility District

GT08_01.indd 4GT08_01.indd 4 7/14/10 11:52 AM7/14/10 11:52 AM

Designer Creative Dir.

Editorial Prepress

Other OK to go

100 Blue Ravine RoadFolsom, CA 95630

916-932-1300

PAGE

Designer Creative Dir. Designer Creative Dir.

�

��

��

��

Editorial Prepress Editorial Prepress

Other OK to go Other OK to go

AUGUST 2010

govtech.comV O LU M E 2 3 » I S S U E 8

Powering UpStimulus grants for a Sacramento, Calif., utility and others spur smart grid activity, but will it last?BY ANDY OPSAHL

COVER PHOTO BY GMP DIGITAL

COVER STORY

Driving Home ChangeMillions of plug-in vehicles can coexist with the electric grid — with the right standards and some new technology. BY KAHLIAH A. LANEY

The inside pages of this publication are printed on 80 percent de-inked recycled fiber.e

Government Technology (ISSN# 1043-9668) is published monthly by Government Technology, 100 Blue Ravine Road, Folsom, CA 95630. Periodicals Postage Paid at Folsom, Calif., and additional offices. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to: Government Technology, 100 Blue Ravine Road, Folsom, CA 95630. Copyright 2010 by e.Republic, Inc. All Rights Reserved. SUBSCRIPTIONS: Subscription inquiries should be directed to Government Technology, Attn: Circulation Director. 100 Blue Ravine Road, Folsom, CA 95630, 916/932-1300.

contents

2014

14

mmmmmm88

3www.govtech.com

GT08_03.indd 3GT08_03.indd 3 7/12/10 3:27 PM7/12/10 3:27 PM


Editorial Prepress

Other OK to go


916-932-1300

PAGE


�

��

��

��



AUGUST 2010

govtech.comV O LU M E 2 3 » I S S U E 8

mmmmmm88

AN AWARD-WINNING PUBLICATION

IN OURNEXT ISSUE ...

4

AU

GU

ST

10

www.govtech.com

contents

39 Pay It Forward Reno, Nev., offi cials expect to cut power use and save $1 million a year with wind, solar and energy-effi ciency projects.

40 Internal Support Local governments cut health-care costs with free on-site health clinics for city workers.

42 Ditto Downer Public-sector experts say digital copy machines really are a security concern.

columns

6 Point of View Th e Power to Change

12 Four Questions for Chad Kirkpatrick, CIO, Arizona

news 8 govtech.com/extra Updates from Government Technology’s daily online news service.

10 Big Picture World’s largest fl oating crane does the heavy lift ing on California’s San Francisco- Oakland Bay Bridge project.

42

departments

26 Booze Bracelet Ankle bracelet tracks sobriety 24/7, freeing up prison beds and monitoring off enders.

30 Broadband U Case Western Reserve University brings ultrafast Internet to area neighborhoods just to see what happens next.

34 Crime Coolant Simulation model predicts how crime hot spots will react to increased policing — and Los Angeles is preparing to test it in the real world.

38 Driving for Dollars Tax collectors for Shelby County, Tenn., become ‘mobile cashiers’ to reach taxpayers who prefer personal assistance.

39

46 Two Cents Able Planet NC300

47 Products Motion Computing, BlueAnt, Lenovo

48 Spectrum Reports from the IT horizon.

50 Up Close Top iPhone apps for the IT-minded.

Tools that EmpowerNew technologies help state and local social service agencies streamline processes and help benefi ts recipients take a more active role in their own cases. Find out how in the September issue of Government Technology.



Editorial Prepress

Other OK to go


916-932-1300

PAGE


�

��

��

��



The QWEST SOLUTION: Qwest understands the unique budget situation state and

local governments are in these days. That’s why Qwest offers network and data solutions

with built-in security features. It’s security that’s not only reliable; it’s cost-effective as

well. Which will keep information flowing and safer than ever, even in these f inancially

tight times. Solve more problems at qwest.com/gov.

FEELING BOXED IN

Copyright © 2010 Qwest. All Rights Reserved.

Government and Education Solutions

WHAT ’ S t he BUS INESS PROBLEM?

FEELFEELINGING


Editorial Prepress

Other OK to go


916-932-1300

PAGE


�

��

��

��



A s editor of a technology magazine, I spend most of my time writing or

reading about IT deployments. But this one hits close to home.

Our cover story looks at a smart-grid initiative recently launched by the Sacra-mento Municipal Utility District (SMUD), which is the publicly owned utility that pro-vides electric power to Sacramento, Calif., and its surrounding communities. And by 2011, SMUD expects to roll out smart elec-tric meters to its 600,000 ratepayers. Some 75,000 of these meters already are installed as part of an initial test, and one of them is attached to the side of my house.

So far, it hasn’t meant much. I received a letter from SMUD telling me I’d be getting the new device, and shortly aft er, it showed up. I’m told that soon I’ll be able to log on to my online utility account and view yesterday’s power consumption. And eventually, I’ll be able to track energy use by individual appliances and program them to operate for optimum effi ciency.

Th e question is: Will I take advantage of these new capabilities? I canceled my Netfl ix account because it was too much trouble to manage the queue of DVD movies waiting to appear in my mailbox. My LinkedIn page is a train wreck of unreturned connection requests. Will I really take a more active role in managing my electricity use? Will my 600,000 fellow ratepayers?

Well, maybe … if I can shave a few dollars from my monthly utility bill by

BY STEVE TOWNS

EDITOR

RAISE YOUR VOICE: Your opinions matter to us. Send comments about this issue to the editors at [email protected]. Please list your telephone number for confirmation. Publication is solely at the discretion of the editors. Government Technology reserves the right to edit submissions for length.

point of view

The Power to Change

NSSSS

TORRR

paying more attention to my power use. Luckily for me, SMUD has a reputation for being well managed and off ers some of the area’s lowest utility rates. But extra money in my pocket will be a motivator, and SMUD’s betting that many of its customerswill feel the same way. If enough electricity consumers change their behavior, it could eliminate the need to build costly new power generation plants.

Beyond the smart meters, SMUD’s smart-grid initiative — funded by a $128 million federal stimulus grant — will help the utility upgrade its power trans-mission infrastructure to make better use of renewable energy sources like solar and wind. In sunny Sacramento, for instance, it’s hard to drive through a neighborhood without spotting solar panels atop several rooft ops. Th rough smart-grid technology, SMUD would be able to buy excess power from those homeowners, essentially adding them to its power generation capacity.

As I write this, thousands of barrels of oil continue to gush into the Gulf of Mexico from the BP Deepwater Horizon well blowout. It’s a stark reminder of the price we pay for our dependence on fossil fuels.

If eff orts like the one taking place in my hometown are a step toward energy inde-pendence, then perhaps they deserve my support. And if SMUD is handing me tools to cut my power consumption, I think I’d better use them.

6

AU

GU

ST

10

www.govtech.com

GROUP PUBLISHER: DON PEARSON [email protected]

EDITORIAL

Editor: STEVE TOWNS [email protected] Editors: CHAD VANDER VEEN [email protected] MATT WILLIAMS [email protected] Copy Editor: MIRIAM JONES [email protected] Editor: KAREN STEWARTSON [email protected] and Public Safety Editor: JIM MCKAY [email protected] Editors: ELAINE PITTMAN [email protected] SARAH RICH [email protected] Editor: ANDY OPSAHL [email protected] Writers: HILTON COLLINS [email protected] RUSSELL NICHOLS [email protected] KAREN WILKINSON [email protected] Editor: JESSICA MULHOLLAND [email protected] Assistant: COURTNEY HARDY [email protected]

DESIGN

Creative Director: KELLY MARTINELLI [email protected] Designer: CRYSTAL HOPSON [email protected] Designer: MICHELLE HAMM [email protected]: TOM MCKEITH [email protected] Director: STEPHAN WIDMAIER [email protected] Manager: JOEI HEART [email protected]

PUBLISHING

VP Strategic Accounts: JON FYFFE [email protected]

VP Bus. Development: TIM KARNEY [email protected] EAST

Regional Sales Directors: LESLIE HUNTER [email protected] EAST SHELLEY BALLARD [email protected] WEST, CENTRAL

Account Managers: MELISSA CANO [email protected] EAST ERIN GROSS [email protected] WEST, CENTRAL

Business Development Dir.: GLENN SWENSON [email protected]. Dev. Managers: JOHN ENRIGHT [email protected] LISA DOUGHTY [email protected] KEVIN MAY [email protected]. Coordinator to Publisher: JULIE MURPHY [email protected] Sales Admins: SABRINA SHEWMAKE [email protected] CHRISTINE CHILDS [email protected] Sales Admin: JENNIFER VALDEZ [email protected]. of Marketing: ANDREA KLEINBARDT [email protected]. of Custom Events: WHITNEY SWEET [email protected] Dir. of Custom Events: LANA HERRERA [email protected] Events Manager: KARIN MORGAN [email protected] Events Coordinator: TANYA NOUJAIM [email protected]. of Custom Publications: STACEY TOLES [email protected] Publications Editor: EMILY MONTANDON [email protected] Custom Publications Writer: JIM MEYERS [email protected]. of Web Products and Services: VIKKI PALAZZARI [email protected] Services Manager: PETER SIMEK [email protected] Web Products Manager: MICHELLE MROTEK [email protected] Advertising Manager: JULIE DEDEAUX [email protected] Services/Proj. Coordinator: ADAM FOWLER [email protected] Coordinator: EENIE YANG [email protected]

CORPORATE

CEO: DENNIS MCKENNA [email protected] VP: DON PEARSON [email protected] VP: CATHILEA ROBINETT [email protected] Editor: STEVE TOWNS [email protected] Content Officer: PAUL TAYLOR [email protected]: LISA BERNARD [email protected]: PAUL HARNEY [email protected] of Events: ALAN COX [email protected] Director: DREW NOEL [email protected]

PRINTED IN THE USA

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

Government Technology is published by e.Republic Inc. Copyright 2010 by e.Republic Inc. All rights reserved. Government Technology is a registered trademark of e.Republic Inc. Opinions expressed by writers are not necessarilythose of the publisher or editors.

Article submissions should be sent to the attention of the Managing Editor. Reprints of all articles in this issue and past issues are available (500 minimum). Please direct inquiries for reprints and licensing to Wright’s Media: (877) 652-5295,[email protected].

Subscription Information: Requests for subscriptions may be directed to Subscription Coordinator by phone or fax to the numbers below. You can also subscribe online at www.govtech.com.

BY STEVE TOWNS ED ITOR



Editorial Prepress

Other OK to go


916-932-1300

PAGE


�

��

��

��



®

$

Books

Food Service

Energy Miscellaneous

Furniture

Facilities

Construction

Security

AthleticsInsurance/Benefits/

Solutions

Transportation

AssistiveTechnology

Technology

TCPN

PlaygroundEquipment

Office /SchoolSupplies

Save Money

Save TimeMusic

Have you joined the network yet?We believe government sharing services is fiscally sound, especially during tough budget times. Join over 5,500 governmental entities utilizing TCPN’s network of manufacturers, vendors and service providers to help you stay current with products and services.

We’ve already taken care of the procurement end of things with competitively bid, awarded contracts that allow you to get what you need from the vendors you want. And working together cooperatively is simple. You deal directly with our awarded vendors by simply noting “Per TCPN Contract” on your purchase order. You save the soft cost associated with the competitive bid process, reap the benefit of nationally leveraged pricing, and shorten your delivery time.

Wire into The Cooperative Purchasing Network and get the biggest bang for your budget. Go ahead, ask our vendors for the TCPN contract pricing. It’s FREE to use...no dues, no fees, nothing!

Join today at www.TCPN.org


Editorial Prepress

Other OK to go


916-932-1300

PAGE


�

��

��

��



Here are the 10 most popular stories from June 5, 2010 to July 5, 2010.

Americans’ Awareness of Smart Grid Lagging, Survey FindsSeventy percent of Americans haven’t heard the phrase “smart grid” before.www.govtech.com/765687

California Digital License Plates May Hit RoadblockGov. Arnold Schwarzenegger vows veto of ‘distracting’ license plate ads.www.govtech.com/765815

Are Digital Copy Machines Really a Security Concern?Sensitive data can remain in hard drives of discarded or returned equipment.www.govtech.com/765167

Flexible Procurement Terms Help States Boost Competition for IT ContractsMore states limit liability for contractors and explore other purchasing reforms.www.govtech.com/765120

San Diego CIO Shares Secrets Behind County’s IT Outsourcing Success San Diego County off ers lessons learned from more than 10 years of IT outsourcing.www.govtech.com/765246

California Considers Digital License Plates With Pop-Up AdsBill would give the state DMV green light to research benefi ts, address concerns.www.govtech.com/765490

Mobile Work Force Struggles to Find Work-Life BalanceBenefi ts of working from anywhere collide with expectation of 24/7 availability.www.govtech.com/765240

High-Speed Rail Would Save Oil, Create Jobs, Study FindsSustainable cities panelists say intercity rail is key to high-speed rail success.www.govtech.com/765390

Slick Solution for Oil SpillsTexas uses technology to protect beaches, wildlife and marine resources.www.govtech.com/95784

Study: 8 Essential Elements for an Effective Government Social Media PolicyEmployee access and account management are two top factors.www.govtech.com/764427

1

8

AU

GU

ST

10

Aurora, Colo., Launches New Channels for City Information

govtech.com/extraUpdates from Government Technology’s daily online news service.e.

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

While it is attention-getting to

announce ‘free’ services, is it time to

consider using other descriptive language

when it comes to government services?

Anything that appears to be free to the

consumer or end-user is being paid for

by someone.”

Doug on June 29, 2010, in response to our story

on free Internet access in Minneapolis.

www.govtech.com/wirelessminn

Web Comment of the Month

California Considers Digital License Plate Ads

California lawmakers are considering a bill that would let the state Department of Motor Vehicles research the use of advertisement-enabled digital license plates. The digital plates work like a computer screen that displays a reproduction of a license plate; they could display ads when a vehicle is stopped for four seconds or longer. Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger said he’ll veto the measure if it reaches his desk. www.govtech.com/digitalplates

Aurora, Colo., residents now can receive city information via text message, e-mail or RSS feed. Th rough a $23,800 deal with GovDelivery — a private company that provides government-to-citizen communication tools using a soft ware-as-a-service platform — the city hopes to better communicate with citizens through social media technology. WWW.GOVTECH.COM/AURORA

Top-Tweeted StoriesTwitter to Tap Into Government Market With Added ResourcesWWW.GOVTECH.COM/TWITTERTAP

ESRI to Offer Free Location Data AppWWW.GOVTECH.COM/ESRI

App Development Rush Strikes California State GovernmentWWW.GOVTECH.COM/CALIAPPS

53tweets

24tweets

73tweets

Who Says?“This is an experiment using the people of Brockton as guinea pigs.”

www.govtech.com/whoamiaugust

70%The increase in public computer and Wi-Fi use at libraries in 2009.

55%The amount of urban librariesreporting funding cuts in fi scal 2010.www.govtech.com/librarysurvey

dig-ad1

The number of Wi-Fi hot spots offering free Internet access as part of “Wireless Minneapolis.” WWW.GOVTECH.COM/WIRELESSMINN

117



Editorial Prepress

Other OK to go


916-932-1300

PAGE


�

��

��

��



Our insight. Your empowerment.

No one understands the public sector like Tyler.

Our software solutions do more than meet your needs.

They anticipate them. Tyler solutions empower all aspects

of local government, including city and county financials,

courts and justice, property appraisal and tax assessment,

public safety and schools. That’s why Tyler continues to be

the largest software provider dedicated solely to the public

sector. Little wonder that more and more state, county

and local governments look to Tyler for their needs.

To find out how our insight can empower you, visit us

at tylertech.com or email us at [email protected].


Editorial Prepress

Other OK to go


916-932-1300

PAGE


�

��

��

��



PH

OT

OS

CO

UR

TE

SY

OF

CA

LT

RA

NS

big picture

10

AU

GU

ST

10

A rendering of the completed Bay Bridge eastern span replacement.



Editorial Prepress

Other OK to go


916-932-1300

PAGE


�

��

��

��



11www.govtech.com

HEAVY LIFTING

The world’s largest floating crane — the Left Coast Lifter — swings steel beams into place as work on the eastern span replacement of the San Francisco- Oakland Bay Bridge continues. Built in Shanghai, China, and designed specifically for the California Department of Transportation’s massive Bay Area project, the Left Coast Lifter is 30 stories tall and can hoist nearly 2,000 tons. The crane, like everyone on the project, is working a lot of overtime as delays and costs keep piling on. In 1998, the project was expected to cost about $1.5 billion and be completed in 2004. Today the span is set to be open in 2014 at a cost of more than $6 billion.



Editorial Prepress

Other OK to go


916-932-1300

PAGE


�

��

��

��



How are you approaching statewide e-mail consolidation? We have about 135 state agencies, boards and commissions running their own e-mail systems. So you have a lot of redundancies — whether it’s the people managing the systems or the purchasing of physical equipment. There’s a lot of savings opportunity there. We’ve issued an RFI, and in June [came] out with an actual pilot program where we’re going to take one group of users to do the Google public cloud and another to do an internal Microsoft Exchange private cloud. We’re going to separate the hype from the reality and see which one works best.

How long will the pilot run? About six weeks. We’ll spend another month or so doing a lessons-learned document, and then we’ll come up with a strategy and move to the RFP process. The goal is to be on the path to some sort of consolidation by the beginning of next calendar year.

The desktop virtualization is somewhat similar? Yes, each agency manages its own networks, infrastructure and desktops, so we see a huge amount of savings from consolidation. We’re working with two vendors, and the goal is to have about 200 users for each solution by the end of the year. Ultimately we want to reach out to a lot of our smaller agencies. We think we’ll see a lot of cost savings and better quality of service. This will give them an updated system at a small subscription rate — $20 to $40 a month per user depending on what the fi nal price works out to be.

What are your other priorities? A lotof our interaction with citizens is done manually; we’re working on automating that. You can now get licenses from our Department of Game and Fish online. We’ve gone to a couple of vendors and said, “Give us a proposal for automating all the registration and fee pieces for another 40 or so smaller boards and commissions. And by the way, we’re not going to pay you. So tell us how you’d make your money and how we can completely automate this in two years.”

1

2

3

4

questions BY STEVE TOWNS | EDITOR4

PHOTO BY DAVID KIDD

12

AU

GU

ST

10

www.govtech.com

ChadKirkpatrick CIO, Arizona

With Arizona facing a large gap between income and expenses, state CIO is looking for efficiency. One of his prime targets is Arizona’s highly federated IT environment. CHAD KIRKPATRICK, appointed state CIO last year, spoke to Government Technology about several initiatives aimed at cutting state IT costs, including an innovative cloud-based e-mail pilot and a virtual desktop initiative.



Editorial Prepress

Other OK to go


916-932-1300

PAGE


�

��

��

��



www.esri.com/gov20.To learn more about GIS for better government, visit

Engage citizens. l Demonstrate accountability. l Foster collaboration.

ESRI®

GIS provides the platform for Gov 2.0.A Transparent Solution

Copyright © 2010 ESRI. All rights reserved. ESRI, the ESRI globe logo, and www.esri.com are trademarks, registered trademarks, or service marks of ESRI in the United States, the European Community, or certain other jurisdictions.


Editorial Prepress

Other OK to go


916-932-1300

PAGE


�

��

��

��



More than half a million homes and businesses in Sacramento, Calif., will be equipped with smart

utility meters by the end of 2011, promising consumers sophisticated tools to manage energy consumption and helping the local public utility deliver power more effi ciently.

Sacramento is just one example of how billions of dollars in federal stimulus funds are jump-starting smart-grid investments. Th e Sacramento Municipal Utility District (SMUD) was one of 100 utilities to win a piece of the $3.4 billion in smart grid funds contained in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA). Indeed, SMUD was one of the nation’s more successful applicants, pulling down $128 million for smart meters, dynamic pricing, electric vehicle charging stations and home energy management systems.

Th ese funds are speeding up the transformation of electric utilities, where methods of delivering electricity haven’t changed much in the past 50 years. A smart grid usually involves a utility reading customers’ energy usage remotely via digital meters, which also can be used to activate and deactivate services. Th e meters will measure power usage daily, rather than today’s standard of monthly measurement. Smart grids also typically feature more energy-effi cient ways to move electricity around the power infrastructure.

LARGE STIMULUS GRANTS FOR A SACRAMENTO, CALIF., UTILITY AND OTHERS LEAD EXPERTS TO HOPE THE SMART GRID REVOLUTION HAS BEGUN.

POW

ERIN

G

BY ANDY OPSAHL FEATURES EDITOR

14

AU

GU

ST

10

www.govtech.com



Editorial Prepress

Other OK to go


916-932-1300

PAGE


�

��

��

��



15www.govtech.comP PH

OT

O B

Y G

MP

DIG

ITA

L

BILL SLATON,board member, Sacramento

Municipal Utility District



Editorial Prepress

Other OK to go


916-932-1300

PAGE


�

��

��

��



holds that monitor power consumption might fi nd ways to conserve energy and cut their utility bills, which alleviates strain on the grid. SMUD plans to let users track their daily electricity consumption on the utility’s Web portal, and is testing in-home technologies that could provide even more granular data. Th is is another area where stimulus money plays a role. ARRA grants are funding SMUD’s development of user-friendly devices that could show the amount of power consumed by each electronic device in a customer’s home.

Bill Slaton, a member of SMUD’s board of directors, sees a market for tools that would let residents control all electrically powered devices in their homes remotely via the Internet. Th ose capabilities, while possible today, are beyond the reach of average consumers.

“It’s not to the point where you just go down to Home Depot and there are seven choices for how to do it, and you buy one and plug something in, and it works,” Slaton said. “Right now, it’s still at the geeky stage — the techno-geeks. I’m one of them, so my house is automated. I’ve fi gured out how to do all of that stuff , and I can actually control my house from my iPhone. But I’m the exception, not the norm.”

SMUD expects to deploy 600,000 smart meters by December 2011. As more auto-mated meters are installed throughout the United States, opportunities grow for additional IT devices to be connected to

those meters. For example, SMUD envisions innovations that will let citizens remotely control their air conditioners, refrigerators and other electronic devices. In SMUD’s case, the grant money also will pay for new tools designed to help it better use renewable energy sources like solar and wind.

Although SMUD already had planned to convert to smart meters, the utility was on a much slower deployment plan without stimulus money. But while ARRA funds are accelerating activity for SMUD and other grant recipients, there’s lingering uncertainty that stimulus invest-ments will propel this movement beyond the projects that already have been subsidized.

Smart Grid Beyond Smart MetersA smart grid, as most in the industry

defi ne it, utilizes more than smart meters. Many believe a smart grid should take a greater amount of its power from renewable energy, update its mechanisms for passing power around the infrastructure and enable citizens to track their power usage. House-

16

AU

GU

ST

10

www.govtech.com

Slaton said growth in smart grid deploy-ment will spur the market to off er more of these devices.

With renewable energy viewed as essen-tial to any smart grid, utilities also need technology that ties together many disparate power sources, he said. Renewable energy generation oft en happens in small amounts over a large area. For example, one can hardly drive through a California suburb without spotting rooft op solar panels. SMUD likes the idea of buying the excess power generated by those panels, Slaton said, but it would need a way to connect and measure the power taken from them. New technology also plays a role in managing the inconsistency of renewable energy sources — for instance, triggering backup power generators when solar panels lack sun.

End of an Era Moving to a smart grid also spells big

changes for municipal utility workers. SMUD’s transition to automated meters will eliminate the need for workers to drive to meters and manually record data.

“We started telling our meter readers several years ago that this was coming,” Slaton said. “So the hires who we did hire, starting about four years ago, knew these were tem-porary jobs. Th is was not going to be career employment as a meter reader.”

A large portion of younger workers will transition to other jobs within the utility. An alternative role for these employees could be answering customer service calls about bills or service. Managers of the meter-reading employees will switch to managing call-tak-

PH

OT

O B

Y G

MP

DIG

ITA

L

PH

OT

O C

OU

RT

ES

Y S

MU

D.O

RG

OPENED IN 1995, the SMUD Customer Service Center is a showcase of energy effi ciency.

The airy lobby is home to customer service windows, as well as the Energy & Technology Center, which

has an array of displays on saving energy and money.

$

The amount of stimulus money SMUD received to fund smart infrastructure

projects.

128MILLION

This SMUD-owned

solar-powered shade

structure at the

California State

Exposition Fairgrounds

produces 540 kilowatts,

which is fed into

SMUD’s power grid

and used daily by

the community.



Editorial Prepress

Other OK to go


916-932-1300

PAGE


�

��

��

��



HOMELAND SECURITY

Copyright © 2010 University of Maryland University College

A VARIETY OF THREATS. A NUMBER OF OPPORTUNITIES.

Enroll now.

800-888-UMUC umuc.edu/accomplish


Editorial Prepress

Other OK to go


916-932-1300

PAGE


�

��

��

��



managers plan to retire as a result, because they don’t want to sit in offi ces, Lau said. Many of the younger managers, by contrast, welcome the change.

“Th ey say, ‘Instead of being in the fi eld all the time, I can do a combo. I can do the analysis, and I can actually run out there and see which ones need follow-up and fi gure out how I do those investigations,’” Lau said.

Smart meters also will alert SMUD to power outages before citizens report them. Now when outage reports hit SMUD’s phone system, technicians in a map room try to deduce where to send repair crews. Fre-quently SMUD dispatches several trucks to determine exactly which power lines need repair. But with smart meters’ accuracy, Slaton said SMUD can quickly determine which equipment needs fi xing and can send one crew to fi x it.

Developing New SkillsTimes are changing for customer service

call-takers too. SMUD will train employees

ers, according to Paul Lau, SMUD’s assistant general manager of customer, distribution and technology.

Meter-reader managers currently spend much of their time in the fi eld following up on complaints about unusually high bills and suspected electricity theft . Aft er digital meter installation, these managers will view usage analytics and proactively search for potential problems. Th e job routine will involve dividing their time between the offi ce and the fi eld. A large number of older

18

AU

GU

ST

10

www.govtech.com

LEFT: A truck plugs

in rather than idling its

engine to power electri-

cal equipment. SMUD

installed 16 outlets at

a Sacramento truck

stop to introduce truck-

ers to the concept of

turning off their engines

while resting. RIGHT: Premiere Gardens

“solar subdivision”

in Rancho Cordova,

Calif., will have 100

“Zero Energy Homes,”

which combine solar

generation technology

with improved energy

effi ciency capabilities.

on soft ware designed to troubleshoot billing questions. Today when a customer reports an unusually high bill, call-takers normally transfer the complaint to management for investigation. A few days later, the caller receives feedback on what might have caused the high bill. With daily reporting from smart meters, customer service call-takers will do much of the investigative work on the phone with the customer.

“If you have a bill that comes through, you may say to the customer, ‘On this date, your usage was much higher than normal. Did you have a party that day? Were you traveling? Were your kids at home or was it an exceptionally hot day?’” Lau said. “In the past, customer service representatives would ask the questions, but they wouldn’t have any data in front of them. Th e cus-tomer wouldn’t have any data in front of them either.”

When customers call to complain about power outages, call-takers will be able to see whether power is fl owing to the build-ing. Th e soft ware also will show which of the customer’s neighbors have power. From there, the call-taker can suggest that the caller check his or her breakers or potential circuit shortages.

SMUD has work groups training cus-tomer service representatives on the soft -ware and developing new job descriptions for the managers.

SMUD STATISTICSThe Sacramento Municipal Utility District, created in 1946, is the nation’s sixth-largest community-owned electric utility in terms of customers served. SERVICE AREA: 900 square milesCUSTOMERS: 592,000EMPLOYEES: 2,161

PH

OT

OS

CO

UR

TE

SY

OF

SM

UD

.OR

G

PH

OT

O B

Y G

MP

DIG

ITA

L



Editorial Prepress

Other OK to go


916-932-1300

PAGE


�

��

��

��



RUN AT PEAKPERFORMANCE

Expand your agency’s capabilities.

HP Z200 Small Form Factor Workstation with Intel® Core™ i3 processor

Starting at $8692

Systems may require upgraded and/or separately purchased hardware and/or a DVD drive to install the Windows 7 software and take full advantage of Windows 7 functionality. See http://www.microsoft.com/windows/windows-7/ for details. 1. Dual/Quad Core is designed to improve performance of certain software products. Not all customers will necessarily benefit from the use of this technology. Intel’s numbering is not a measurement of higher performance. 2. Prices available at HP Direct and participating resellers. Pricing is subject to change without notice. Your price may vary depending on the contract vehicle you use. SKU# FM003UT#ABA starting at $869 through 9/30/10. 3. HD content required to view HD images.

© 2010 Hewlett-Packard Development Company, LP. The information contained herein is subject to change without notice. Intel, the Intel logo, Intel Core, and Core Inside are trademarks of Intel Corporation in the U.S. and other countries. Microsoft and Windows are trademark(s) of the Microsoft group of companies.

Windows®. Life without Walls™. HP recommends Windows 7.

RUN FAST. Get more done in much less time.

The HP Z200 SFF Workstation delivers maximum productivity.

RUN LEAN. Get advanced workstation technology

and power at a price that rivals desktop computing.

RUN SMART. Engineered with innovation to optimize

performance, the HP Z200 SFF Workstation can turn your agency

into a model of efficiency.

Equip your agency

for performance beyond budget

constraints.

The HP Z200 SFF Workstation with Intel® Core™ i3 processor.1

Overcome budget limitations and still achieve excellence, with features that transform the way your agency works.

Maximum productivity Built-in memory controller, DDR3 ECC memory, and Intel Core i3 processor.1

Easy access inside and out Quickly swap and upgrade components using the tool-free chassis.

Breadth of graphics choices Choose HP integrated graphics or 2D/3D solutions from NVIDIA and ATI.

Real-time collaborative software HP SkyRoom combines real-time 3D graphics sharing and high-definition video conferencing.3

HP Performance Advisor Fine-tune your workstation’s performance and maintain your drivers, operating systems, and applications with this integrated, HP-exclusive software tool.

The HP Z200 Small Form Factor Workstation with Intel® Core™ i3 processor1

Visit www.hp.com/go/9hpgov to save on the HP Z200 SFF Workstation and see HP’s broad range of best-in-class solutions for government.


Starting at

$8692

* Monitor, keyboard, and mouse sold separately.

RUN AT PEAKPERFORMANCE

Expand your agency’s capabilities.

HP Z200 Small Form Factor Workstation with Intel® Core™ i3 processor

Starting at $8692

Systems may require upgraded and/or separately purchased hardware and/or a DVD drive to install the Windows 7 software and take full advantage of Windows 7 functionality. See http://www.microsoft.com/windows/windows-7/ for details. 1. Dual/Quad Core is designed to improve performance of certain software products. Not all customers will necessarily benefit from the use of this technology. Intel’s numbering is not a measurement of higher performance. 2. Prices available at HP Direct and participating resellers. Pricing is subject to change without notice. Your price may vary depending on the contract vehicle you use. SKU# FM003UT#ABA starting at $869 through 9/30/10. 3. HD content required to view HD images.

© 2010 Hewlett-Packard Development Company, LP. The information contained herein is subject to change without notice. Intel, the Intel logo, Intel Core, and Core Inside are trademarks of Intel Corporation in the U.S. and other countries. Microsoft and Windows are trademark(s) of the Microsoft group of companies.


SELECTED SMART GRID GRANT WINNERSSACRAMENTO MUNICIPAL UTILITY DISTRICT

Sacramento, Calif. ..............$127,506,261

ELECTRIC POWER BOARD OF CHATTANOOGA

Chattanooga, Tenn. ..........$111,567,606

BURBANK WATER AND POWER

Burbank, Calif......................$20,000,000

FORT COLLINS UTILITIES

Fort Collins, Colo. ...............$18,101,263

LAFAYETTE CONSOLIDATED GOVERNMENT

Lafayette, La. ........................$11,630,000

NAPERVILLE

Naperville, Ill. .......................$10,994,110

CENTRAL LINCOLN PEOPLE’S UTILITY DISTRICT

Newport, Ore. ......................$9,936,950

SOURCE: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

tute, a Santa Monica, Calif.-based economic think tank. Such a move would motivate res-idents to use smart-grid tools, which would motivate utilities to provide these tools, he said. Th e resulting drop in power consump-tion could reduce the need for costly new power-generation plants.

“You have to place a carrot in front of both the power operator and the household, so we need a policy that can entice both,” Wong said.

He also thinks regulations need to encourage businesses and citizens to install renewable energy generators, like solar panels, and sell the excess power to the grid. A fast-growing crop of renewable energy sources among citizens would motivate util-ities to connect to those sources with smart grids and buy the power, Wong said.

Power from these sources could save utilities from build-ing new plants, which would be costlier than converting to smart grids and buying power from citizens. To motivate citi-zens to contribute renewable energy to the grid, however, reg-ulations must stipulate a pricing structure for such transactions, Wong said. Without these regu-

lations, citizens don’t know how much they can earn from selling renewable energy back to utilities.

One more obstacle to renewable energy needs to disappear, added Wong. Many areas have zoning laws that make it tough to build renewable energy plants. Streamlining federal and state regulations would make building the facilities easier and less expensive.

Life After ARRAStimulus funds are fueling the smart grid’s

growth, but some industry observers say that without new incentives, activity will stop when those dollars dry up.

“In the current environment, unfortunately it is still not easy to make a business case for some of these implementations,” said Zarco Sumic, vice president analyst for Gartner. “You really cannot justify the smart metering just on the operational benefi ts in the current regulatory setting. You need to be able to capture customer and environmental benefi t, which the current regulatory framework doesn’t allow utilities to do.”

One approach is mandating price breaks for consumers with good conservation habits, according to Perry Wong, director of regional economics for the Milken Insti-

Growing smart-grid activity has some wondering if the grid will be too smart for the public’s good. In May 2010, The Denver Post reported that smart meters can track how many people live in a household, when they sleep, when they aren’t home, how much TV they watch or how often they use the microwave.

“In terms of consumers, to start with, the concerns are privacy — how their information will be safeguarded and how it will be used for or against them,” said Sarav Periasamy, CEO and president of PERI Software Solutions, a technology consulting company.

A recent report from the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) stressed the importance of keeping personal data confi dential when smart meters are used. The report, Smart Grid Cyber Security Strategy and Requirements, also found that smart-grid technology provides more avenues for disgruntled employees and cyber-criminals to compromise data. NIST’s Cyber Security Coordination Task Group is developing security architecture for the smart grid.

Several states also are confronting the issue. The California Public Utilities Commission released a proposed decision to require Pacifi c Gas and Electric, Southern California Edison and San Diego Gas and Electric — the state’s three major power providers — to follow a common outline in smart-grid deployment. And in 2009, the Colorado Public Utilities Commission requested comments on whether the state’s existing personal privacy protections were enough to deal with smart-grid technology.

Meanwhile, companies are entering the marketplace with smart-grid friendly products. Microsoft Hohm and Google PowerMeter are designed to let consumers analyze their own energy use. In an e-mail response to Government Technology, Microsoft said it would not share personal information collected by Microsoft Hohm without a user’s consent. “Individual data may be stripped of personally identifi able information and used for calculating region averages [or] research by third parties,” the company said. — HILTON COLLINS

STATES PONDER SMART-GRID PRIVACY

Perry Wong

PH

OT

O C

OU

RT

ES

Y O

F S

MU

D.O

RG



Editorial Prepress

Other OK to go


916-932-1300

PAGE


�

��

��

��



20

AU

GU

ST

10

www.govtech.com

B Y K A H L I A H A . L A N E Y | C O N T R I B U T I N G W R I T E R

PH

OT

O C

OU

RT

ES

Y O

F G

EN

ER

AL

MO

TO

RS



Editorial Prepress

Other OK to go


916-932-1300

PAGE


�

��

��

��



21www.govtech.com

MILLIONS OF PLUG-IN VEHICLES CAN COEXIST WITH THE ELECTRIC GRID — WITH THE RIGHT STANDARDS AND SOME NEW TECHNOLOGY.

C“Change we can believe in” was President Barack Obama’s campaign slogan, and whether anyone believes in it, change is exactly what the U.S. is getting. One example is the federal government’s policy on energy. Th e Obama administration craft ed the comprehensive New Energy for America Plan, the centerpiece of which is putting 1 million electric vehicles on U.S. roads by 2015. But that aggressive plan raises a concern: Can the country’s aging electric grid support these new plug-in hybrid electric and plug-in electric vehicles?

DRIVINGHOMECHANGE



Editorial Prepress

Other OK to go


916-932-1300

PAGE


�

��

��

��



Experts would say yes. In fact, with the right technology, electric vehicles could do more to help the grid than harm it. Th rough vehicle-to-grid (V2G) technol-ogy, plug-in vehicles are capable of adding power capacity to the grid during high demand — known as peak shaving — and also storing renewable energy that can be returned to the grid during peak hours. V2G technol-ogy also may benefi t consum-ers who could sell that excess power back to grid operators.

For V2G technology to work, however, plug-in electric vehicles must be grid-integrated. Th is would require car manufacturers to make vehicles with two-way connections that let them take energy from the grid for charg-ing and give back excess power. Th ey’ll also need a control system that grants grid operators access to vehicles’ batteries and a way to track energy exchange between the vehicle and grid. Finally concerns remain about the electric grid’s stability, despite demonstrations of how the grid and plug-in vehicles can have a mutually benefi cial relationship.

22 www.govtech.com

✔ Available in late 2010.

✔ A top speed of 100 mph.

✔ The Volt’s lithium-ion

battery provides a range

of 40 miles.

✔ Extended range mode

allows it to travel hundreds

of additional miles.

✔ The car rides on

specially developed

low rolling-resistance

tires.

Gridlock Demystifi ed Th e nation’s power grid

is designed to support peak energy loads, so when electric-ity demand is low — typically between midnight and 6 a.m. — unused energy is produced by coal- and gas-fi red power plants. Charging plug-in vehicles during off -peak hours could use that excess energy, which is what some researchers call “fi lling the trough.” And if plug-in vehicles

Bowl broadcast will tax the grid more than plug-in vehicles. “On average a vehicle pulls something like 400 watts, which is about the same as a plasma TV,” he said. “Th e thing about the Super Bowl is everybody turns their TVs on at the same time ... more of a problem than cars, which are plugged in at varying times throughout the day and night.”

So the question isn’t just if the grid is up to support-ing plug-in vehicles, it’s also whether these vehicles are up to supporting the grid.

Technical MarvelsCars have come a long

way since Henry Ford’s fi rst Model T produced in 1908. Th e modern array of energy-effi cient vehicles is a showcase of technological advancement.

Plug-in hybrids, like the Chevrolet Volt, have an electric motor and an internal combus-tion engine, similar to conven-tional hybrid vehicles. But they

VEHICLE-TO-GRID IMPLEMENTATION

Some cities already are adopting vehicle-to-grid (V2G) technology and

making their utilities V2G compatible. In 2009, Newark, Del., became the

fi rst U.S. city to implement V2G technology.

“Dr. [Willett] Kempton and associates contacted the city with the

concept of V2G,” said Sam Sneeringer, assistant electric director for

Newark. “He wanted to be able to hook up at his residence and on

campus at the University of Delaware. It was proposed as one car that

could turn into many in the future.”

Preparation was minimal since there was only one car to begin with.

“The electric department had to verify that the facilities were adequate for

the discharge and charging rates proposed at both sites and especially

at the residential site because his service was on a smaller transformer

with several neighbors,” he said.

Sneeringer needed assurance that there’d be no interference in

the quality of power services in areas surrounding both sites. Most

important, however, was that the power inverters used in the vehicle

met Underwriters Laboratories and Institute of Electrical and Electronics

Engineers standards.

“In the future,” Sneeringer said, “if there are many V2G cars on the

system, it will be a more complicated process to ensure the proper

working of the electric distribution system.”

B l b d ill h id

The Chevrolet Volt

✔ An electric motor

powers the Volt at all

times and speeds.

A gasoline engine

generates electricity

when the battery

runs low.

FtF

tFa

st F

acts

charge while demand is low, it wouldn’t be necessary to increase the grid’s delivery capacity.

Additionally grid-integrated vehicles would include a timer to control when charging cycles begin and end. Controlled charg-ing would mitigate too many people charging at any given time, which could overwhelm the grid. “If you have some kind of controlled charging, impacts on the grid will largely be posi-tive,” said Paul Denholm, a senior energy analyst for the National Renewable Energy Laboratory.

Willett Kempton, a University of Delaware professor and father of V2G technology, said a Super

The Cadillac Converj Concept car incorporates the propulsion system from

the Chevy Volt, including the battery pack, the 120-kilowatt electric motor

and the four-cylinder engine-generator.

PHOTO BY KENAVT/WIKIPEDIA



Editorial Prepress

Other OK to go


916-932-1300

PAGE


�

��

��

��



Produced by: In Partnership with:

Just Released! This insightful guidebook will help you plan the evolution of your public safety communications strategy.

To receive your FREE copies, visit: www.govtech.com/LTE

Are You Prepared?Your How-to Guide for LTE in Public Safety

The public safety landscape is in a rapid state of transition, and the potential of an infrastructure that supports bandwidth-intensive critical applications and greater interoperability is closer than ever.

Written specifi cally for public safety and emergency response leaders, this must-read resource offers clear guidance and a detailed roadmap for a successful migration to Long Term Evolution (LTE) next-generation wireless technology. It takes a deep dive into several areas including:

• Specifi c ways LTE improves communications in emergencies and day-to-day operations

• Pivotal steps to help public safety agencies prepare to create LTE networks

• Helpful recommendations on how to successfully manage an LTE deployment

EM10 AD Alcatel HowTo_July.indd 1EM10 AD Alcatel HowTo_July.indd 1 6/24/10 9:29 AM6/24/10 9:29 AM


Editorial Prepress

Other OK to go


916-932-1300

PAGE


�

��

��

��



24

AU

GU

ST

10

www.govtech.com

diff er because their high-capacity lithium-ion batteries can be recharged through an external electrical outlet. Th e internal combustion engine kicks in when the batteries are depleted, giving the vehicle more range. Full electric plug-in vehicles, like the new Nissan Leaf, are powered solely by recharge-

able lithium-ion battery packs, which are recharged by an external power source.

In either case, the potential benefi t to the grid lies in their high-capacity battery technology. According to the U.S. Depart-ment of Energy, lithium-ion batteries store three times more energy per pound than the nickel-metal hydride batteries used in the Toyota Prius. But researchers and manufacturers say lithium-ion batteries haven’t been devel-oped to support V2G services, and using the batteries to push power back to the grid could sig-nifi cantly shorten their lifespan.

Th omas Turrentine, director of the Plug-In Hybrid Electric Vehicle Research Center at the University of California, Davis, one of the leading institutes in

The Nissan Leaf✔ Slated to roll out in

late 2010.

✔ The car will sell for

$25,280 after a

$7,500 federal tax credit.

✔ Nissan worked on

the Leaf’s laminated

lithium-ion battery for

nearly 17 years and owns

the intellectual property

of the battery design.

✔ The Leaf can reach

a maximum speed of

90 mph.

plug-in hybrid development, echoed this sentiment. “For the manufacturers of these vehicles, they’re probably not very excited about people using their batter-ies to provide those services,” he said. “Manufacturers fi rst just want to get the vehicles on

the road and working properly before they take the next step toward those types of services.”

Lost in Translation Another stumbling block is a

lack of standards for how plug-in vehicles will link to the grid. Tracy Woodard, director of government aff airs with Nissan North America in Nashville, Tenn., cited this as one reason Nissan didn’t make the Leaf grid-integrated and V2G-compatible. “Th ere’s not a com-munication standard right now between cars and the utilities,” Woodard said, “and we really need to see a common standard before we really proliferate that.”

Kempton said a committee is working on implementing a communications standard for V2G, including 20 participants from the University of Delaware. He said he anticipates stan-dards will be developed soon.

“From the standpoint of Nissan or any OEM [original equipment manufacturer], of course if they’re going to make 50,000 cars a year, which I think Nissan plans to do with the Leaf, they’d like to have a standard already agreed upon, and I can understand that,” Kempton said. “On the other hand ... there are other auto manufacturers that are saying,

‘We want to try this out on 600 vehicles.’” He said these manu-facturers will be prepared when standardization fi nally arrives.

Licensed to Drive?Some say lack of standards

could delay mass production of V2G compatible plug-ins for years. But Kempton said grid-compatible plug-ins could arrive sooner than many observers expect. “I have a fl eet running right now, cars that are doing not only grid inte-gration but they’re actually also doing vehicle-to-grid,” he said. “So that doesn’t seem like it’s fi ve years away to me.”

Th e framework for energy exchange between vehicles and the grid, according to Kempton, is fi rmly established although it hasn’t yet been deployed on a large scale. He’s managing a tracking system that monitors what energy is pulled from and pushed to the grid by vehicles that are part of a larger fl eet.

But power from plug-ins won’t be attractive unless it’s aggregated across multiple vehicles. Grid operators want to attain energy in megawatts (MW), and single vehicles can only deliver power in kilowatts (kW) or tenths of kilowatts. For instance, Kempton estimated that 200 or 250 Nissan Leafs would be needed to generate 1 MW.

Fast

Fac

ts

The Plug-In Hybrid Electric Vehicle Research Center at the University of California, Davis is a leader in plug-in hybrid development.

Recycled materials such as plastic bottles and old homeappliances are used to construct the Nissan Leaf.P

HO

TO

BY

DA

VID

KID

D



Editorial Prepress

Other OK to go


916-932-1300

PAGE


�

��

��

��



25www.govtech.com

For consumers who want to sell power to the grid, energy from their vehicles would have to be packaged with power from other vehicles. Th is fl eet would be managed by an individual who would monitor when and where cars are plugged in, and how much money each vehicle earned. Th is kind of service is ideal for large companies like FedEx or UPS, as well as govern-ment entities with large vehicle fl eets like the U.S. Postal Service. Parked cars can turn a profi t through V2G connections.

“Right now, we’ve got four vehicles that are online and they’re providing a total of 42 kW to the grid operator [and] getting paid for it,” Kempton said. Th e University of Delaware has six vehicles combined with a larger fl eet to produce 1 MW,

which is sold to a grid operator. “Other than the size, which is so small it hardly matters, we are providing a valuable service to the grid; we are getting paid for it, and we have money to redis-

tribute to cars when you get to a size that it’s worth setting up an accounting system,” he said.

But whether grid-integrated, V2G-compatible vehicles are close to taking to U.S. highways in droves, academics and manufac-turers agree that they’re coming. Turrentine said the market will be ripe for plug-in electric vehicles once manufacturers start producing the models and integrating them with the grid so they can provide V2G services. “Th e market for plug-in hybrids

A design concept for a plug-in vehicle charging station.

Plug-in hybrid

electric and

plug-in electric

vehicles’ batteries

are recharged by

connecting them

to home electrical

outlets or at charging

stations, which

currently are few

and far between.

Batteries could

take up to eight

hours to recharge,

according to a

February 2010

Scientifi c American

article. The U.S.

Department of Ener-

gy’s (DOE) Oak Ridge

National Laboratory

developed a quick-

charging system that

could cut charging

times to an estimated

45 minutes.

Charging a

Chevrolet Volt

or Nissan Leaf at

typical 110-volt home

outlets takes an

estimated six and a

half hours, according

to the DOE, which

also reported that

California requires

new home garages

to include 240-volt

outlets to accom-

modate quick-charge

technology.

The Volt

will travel an

estimated 40 miles

per charge, while the

Leaf has an estimated

100-mile range per

charge.

1 2 3 4

wwwww .wwgovtech.com

Charging 101

PHOTO COURTESY OF THE EV PROJECT

in particular ... will be quite solid, especially with the incen-tives, so we will see consumers buying these vehicles,” he said.

Nissan’s Woodard agreed. “I defi nitely see it coming; it’s just a matter of getting it implemented.”

KAHLIAH A. LANEY is a city council assistant for Fresno, Calif. She’s a former staff writer and copy editor for Converge maga-zine and is a regular contributor to California’s Davis Life Magazine.

Thomas Turrentine, director of the Plug-In Hybrid Electric Vehicle

Research Center at the University of California, Davis, at right, says

using lithium-ion batteries to push power back to the electric grid

could signifi cantly shorten battery lifespan.



Editorial Prepress

Other OK to go


916-932-1300

PAGE


�

��

��

��



It’s not oft en that state and local gov-ernments fi nd themselves distributing

jewelry to be worn by celebrities. But when the celebrity is Lindsay Lohan, and the jewelry is an alcohol-monitoring ankle bracelet, it all starts to makes sense.

Remote monitoring for alcohol con-sumption is becoming more popular as jurisdictions struggle to ease the strain on overcrowded prisons and jails. Off enders with repeated alcohol-related arrests also may benefi t from a system that lets them go about their everyday lives, sans booze,

of course. Known as the Secure Continu-ous Remote Alcohol Monitoring (SCRAM) system, the device tests off enders for the presence of alcohol and wirelessly sends the information to Alcohol Monitor-ing Systems Inc., the Colorado-based company that makes it.

“It’s kind of like a Breatha-lyzer for your ankle because the technology inside is a fuel cell that measures for the presence of ethanol. It’s the identical fuel cell that you would fi nd in a breath-

test machine,” said Kathleen Brown, spokes-woman for Alcohol Monitoring Systems. “But instead of blowing into the machine, there’s a little pump that goes on in the

bracelet every 30 minutes that takes a sample of what’s called insensible perspiration, and it’s something we have on our skin all the time.”

As of press time, SCRAM was being used in statewide programs in Michigan, North Dakota, South Dakota and Nebraska. And across the country, it had been imple-

BY ELAINE PITTMAN

STAFF WRITER

STATE LOCAL FEDERAL

public safety

Booze BraceletAnkle bracelet tracks sobriety 24/7, freeing up prison beds and monitoring offenders.

26

AU

GU

ST

10

www.govtech.com

The percentage of SCRAM

wearers who didn’t consume

alcohol while being monitored.

74%

T

o

tct

PH

OT

OS

CO

UR

TE

SY

OF

AL

CO

HO

L M

ON

ITO

RIN

G S

YS

TE

MS

The Secure Continu-ous Remote Alcohol Monitoring (SCRAM) ankle bracelet samples an offender’s perspira-tion every 30 minutes for traces of alcohol.

SYNOPSIS Ankle bracelet tracks offenders’ alcohol consump-tion to ensure compliance with parole restrictions and free up jail space.

AGENCIES Michigan Department of Corrections and Missouri’s 23rd Judicial Circuit Court.

TECHNOLOGY Secure Continuous Remote Alcohol Monitoring system.

CONTACT Michigan Depart-ment of Correc-tions, www.michigan.gov/corrections; Missouri’s 23rd Judicial Circuit Court, www.courts.mo.gov.

LO



Editorial Prepress

Other OK to go


916-932-1300

PAGE


�

��

��

��



Bringing the News to You.

If it’s state and local, we’ve got it covered. Subscribe to our complimentary email newsletters that offer intensifi ed coverage on best practices and innovative solutions on the topics that matter most to you.

4GovTech Today (Daily)

4Emergency Management News (Weekly)

4Digital Communities (Weekly)

4Government Technology Security News (Bi-Weekly)

4Justice & Public Safety Authority (Bi-Weekly)

4Public CIO Executive Update (Bi-Weekly)

Start Your Day with Award-Winning Editorial and News Coverage

Sign-up for free today at: govtech.com/enews

Follow us on www.twitter.com/govtechnews


Editorial Prepress

Other OK to go


916-932-1300

PAGE


�

��

��

��



mented by approximately 1,800 jurisdictions in 48 states.

Off enders are fi tted with an ankle brace-let and receive a base station that plugs into a conventional phone line. Although SCRAM

monitors an off ender’s perspi-ration every 30 minutes, the information is uploaded wire-lessly to the base station at a pre-determined time once per day. “Th e off ender has to be within about 30 feet of that base station and those two things auto-matically look for each other,” Brown said. Th e data then gets

uploaded to a Web application hosted by the company, and a daily report is sent to the par-ticipating agency or jurisdiction.

Any reading of more than 0.02 blood-alcohol content (BAC) is considered a positive test. Th e device can detect alcohol content below that level, but Brown said it isn’t confi rmed until it reaches 0.02 due to fuel cell calibration. If the daily report indi-cates that the off ender’s BAC was above the threshold, the alert is verifi ed by a team of people at the company who track how quickly the alcohol is absorbed and other factors. Brown said it’s possible for SCRAM to generate an alert from hair spray or other

products that contain alcohol, however, those products would evaporate much more rapidly than the body could metabo-lize alcohol.

Th ere’s also technology in place to detect tampering: During its tests, SCRAM checks the person’s temperature and an infrared beam measures the refl ective quality of the surface that bounces back. Th ese checks ensure that nothing has been placed between the off ender and the bracelet.

Judge Stephen Bouchard of Missouri’s 23rd Judicial Circuit Court said SCRAM is a good way to ensure that defendants on trial or awaiting trial for alcohol-related off enses aren’t getting intoxicated and pos-sibly hurting themselves or others. Michi-gan replaced an old sobriety system with

SCRAM and has benefi ted from the 24-hour coverage, according to Greg Roach, manager of Michigan’s Electronic Monitoring System.

Dry Court As of March 24, Missouri’s 23rd Judicial

Circuit Court in Jeff erson County was moni-toring 114 people with SCRAM — a nearly tenfold increase from January 2007, when the system was only tracking 12 defendants. Bouchard requires that off enders wear the device in cases where alcohol has contrib-uted to their wrongdoing including: repeat alcohol off enders who are on trial or have been sentenced to probation; felony cases that involve serious physical injury or death as a result of a car accident caused by an allegedly intoxicated defendant; domestic violence cases where alcohol was identifi ed as a contributing factor; and off enders under the age of 21 who have been charged with repeated alcohol-related off enses.

One of the main benefi ts for off enders wearing the device is to continue their daily routine. “Th e SCRAM technology permits the off enders to remain employed so they can fulfi ll their family obligations, and they can remain in [sobriety] treatment or can be admitted into treatment,” said Probation Offi cer Tammy Berg.

Off enders in Missouri pay $12 per day to cover SCRAM’s operating cost, an amount that was set by the court. Th is is also, not sur-prisingly, the main complaint people have with being required to wear the bracelet. Berg said when off enders are removed from the program, they participate in a survey and SCRAM’s cost is the only negative response the court system has received so far. “However, in the same survey they indicate that they would spend around $10 a day on their 12-pack of beer,” she said. “So they’re really only out $2 a day for the device.”

Statewide ImplementationFollowing the beta testing in 2003, the

Michigan Department of Corrections offi -cially began using SCRAM in 2004. Th e

28

AU

GU

ST

10

www.govtech.com

The average number of days offenders are monitored with the alcohol-consumption tracking bracelets.

85

“It’s kind of like a Breathalyzer for your ankle because the technology inside is a fuel cell that measures for the presence of ethanol.”— Kathleen Brown, spokeswoman, Alcohol Monitoring Systems

How It Works:

The offender is outfi tted with an alcohol-monitoring ankle bracelet.

1 s

t.

2 Once a day the bracelet connects to a base station in the offender’s house.

y the onnects

he

A daily report is sent to the government agency or court system.4

STATE LOCAL FEDERAL

public safety LO

3 The information is sent to team of people who verify the data.

GT08_26_jump.indd 28GT08_26_jump.indd 28 7/12/10 3:22 PM7/12/10 3:22 PM


Editorial Prepress

Other OK to go


916-932-1300

PAGE


�

��

��

��



department’s parole board and the state’s circuit court judges can require parolees and off enders to wear the devices.

“We run our own monitoring center here. It’s a 24/7 operation, and we have staff that will contact off enders to obtain state-ments when we fi nd out that there are alerts reported due to violation behavior,” Roach said.

SCRAM isn’t the fi rst alcohol-tracking technol-ogy Michigan has used. Th e state previously tried the Sobrietor, a remote breath-testing device that uses phone and power lines. Th e device worked in conjunction with radio-frequency curfew monitoring, so offi cials knew when off enders were home and would call and require a sobriety test. But the department switched to SCRAM because of its 24-hour monitoring capability, Roach said.

One big benefi t for Michigan is that SCRAM keeps some off enders out of prison. “It allows the courts a sentencing alternative rather than incarceration,” he said, “so that

savings comes in the form of prison beds and jail beds.”

In Michigan, SCRAM wearers pay $13 per day to cover the system’s cost. In contrast, the state spends approximately $83 per day to incarcerate one inmate, according to a 2007 Senate Fiscal Agency report. Roach said the

state doesn’t require the users to pay SCRAM’s fee up front because the true cost savings come from not having the person incarcerated.

Th e technology has improved over the years, Roach said. “It used to be a very cum-bersome device — it looked like a pair of old stereo headphones from the ’70s,” he said adding that SCRAM is now more comfort-able and less likely to come off the off ender.

Going ForwardCould the technology be used to monitor

for other drugs? Probably not. Alcohol Monitoring Systems’ Brown said the current random drug testing performed by jurisdic-tions is a good system. “It’s very cost-eff ective

and very good at catching drug use because drugs tend to leave residual indicators in your body a lot longer than alcohol,” she said.

Still, the device has evolved. In early 2010, the company released a new version, SCRAMx, that can monitor alcohol con-sumption and the off ender’s location —combining house arrest and booze control in one unit. All SCRAM units will be updated with the new technology this year, and juris-dictions will have the option of using the location monitoring function.

Missouri’s Bouchard would like to see SCRAM move even further into the 21st century by connecting with a smartphone every 30 or 60 minutes. “So you would receive immediate notifi cation if there’s an alcohol event as opposed to waiting until someone downloads,” he said, “but the downloads are daily and that happens pretty darn quick.”

29www.govtech.com

48 The number of states that have jurisdictions using SCRAM.

Navigating today’s complex state and local government can be a challenge. GOVERNING management books provide practical tools and tips for success. Reserve your copy of these vital resources today!

Discounts are available for bulk orders. For more information, or to reserve your copies, visit www.governing.com/books or contact Drian Perez at 888.932.5161 or [email protected].

“We Don’t Make Widgets has the potential to change how you lead your work team or organization and provides concrete steps for doing so.” Michael Lawson, Director, ICMA Center for Performance Measurement

“A fun read but, more importantly, a practical and pithy primer on the reality of media relations in the modern era.” Martin O’Malley, Governor, State of Maryland

“Government can deliver results — and our performance measures help us prove that we’re making a difference in people’s lives. Measuring Up 2.0 presents a very readable account of how leaders can transform agencies to do just that.” Christine Gregoire, Governor, State of Washington



Editorial Prepress

Other OK to go


916-932-1300

PAGE


�

��

��

��



Following NBA star LeBron James’ much-hyped, nationally televised dis-

owning of his hometown in early July, the Cleveland Cavaliers commanded much of the Ohio city’s attention. For months prior, local fans and sportswriters speculated on whether local hero James, who grew up in nearby Akron, would remain with the team or search for greener pastures.

Even before James left the Cavaliers for the Miami Heat, some in Cleveland half-jokingly claimed that James was the only economic driver left in the downtrodden city. Yet less than fi ve miles from the team’s home court at

Quicken Loans Arena sits Cleveland’s premier higher education institution, Case Western Reserve University. Researchers there have begun work on an ambitious project to build out 1 GB per second broadband connectiv-ity to the neighborhoods surrounding the university. It’s part of an experiment to see whether ultrafast Internet connections can help communities become healthier, better educated and more sustainable.

Circle of LightTh ough many prestigious universities

feature classical architecture and well groomed

campuses, it’s not uncommon for nearby neighborhoods to be home to lower-income communities. Th e resplendent campus of the University of Southern California in Los Angeles, for example, is surrounded by hard-scrabble hoods. For Case Western Reserve, the surrounding area is similar. It also proved to be the perfect environment to deter-mine whether or not access to broadband could help families and individuals become upwardly mobile.

Seven years ago, Case Western Reserve and the city of Cleveland undertook a joint eff ort to build out a fi ber-optic network to

BY CHAD VANDER VEEN

ASSOCIATE EDITOR

STATE LOCAL FEDERAL

broadband

Broadband UCase Western Reserve University brings ultrafast Internet to area neighborhoods just to see what happens next.

L F

PH

OT

O C

OU

RT

ES

Y O

F W

IKIP

ED

IA/D

AD

ER

OT

Adelbert Hall at Case Western Reserve University was built by architect Joseph Ireland in 1882.

30

AU

GU

ST

10

www.govtech.com

SYNOPSIS University studies the impact of broad-band on low-income communities.

AGENCY: Case Western Reserve University.

CONTACT Lora A. Veselsky, information technol-ogy services, Case Western Reserve University, 216-368-5899, [email protected].



Editorial Prepress

Other OK to go


916-932-1300

PAGE


�

��

��

��



Innovation and Opportunity:

Transforming Government Through IT

MIAMI, FLORIDASeptember 26-29, 2010

Join state, federal and local CIOs for the2010 NASCIO Annual Conference. NASCIOconference attendees include the highest-profile government and corporatetechnology experts in the nation. Inaddition to state, federal and local CIOs,and our corporate partners, past NASCIOconference attendees have includedgovernors, state and federal legislators, andother elected and appointed officials.

NASCIO is the premier network andresource for state chief informationofficers and an effective advocate forinformation technology policies at alllevels of government.

REGISTER O

NLINEAT W

WW.NASCIO

.ORG


Editorial Prepress

Other OK to go


916-932-1300

PAGE


�

��

��

��



community institutions, such as schools, hospitals, museums and libraries. Th e project, called OneCommunity, is bringing 1 GB per second Internet access to more than 1,500 facilities.

In early 2009, university offi cials decided to take the OneCommunity project a step further and build ultrafast fi ber networks for people’s homes. Th at decision stemmed from the fact that federal stimulus funds were beginning to be awarded for broadband proj-ects. Some of that money was being delivered

via grants from the National Telecommu-nications and Information Administration (NTIA). According to Case Western Reserve CIO Lev Gonick, the thinking was that if the university devised an experiment to test whether access to an ultrafast broadband network could improve families’ socioeco-nomic standing, the expense could be at least partly recouped with NTIA grant money.

So in 2009, the university set to work on the Alpha House, a model for other homes surrounding the campus that would link to the university via optical fi ber. At the same time, an application for the NTIA grant was submitted — and subsequently declined. With seven years of OneCommunity behind them and the Alpha House project already under way, school offi cials opted to continue the initiative without stimulus funds.

“We were well committed to doing this before there was an NTIA, and so we simply decided with our technology partners to build out a beta block,” Gonick said. Th at beta section, consisting of 104 homes, went live on May 22. “We literally have lit up, in the heart of Cleveland, three city blocks — Hessler Street and Hessler Court — which are just regular old neighborhood homes.”

With the infrastructure in place, the uni-versity is studying whether 1 GB broadband access will have an impact in four areas: neighborhood and community safety; health care and wellness; energy management and sustainability; and improving the competency of high school-age students in STEM subjects (science, technology, engineering and math).

Th e project, dubbed the Case Connec-tion Zone, was made possible with the help of Corning (for fi ber optics), Cisco (for routers and switches) and a host of other industry partners.

In November, as the Case Connection Zone infrastructure was being built, Gonick wrote a paper for the Intelligent Commu-nity Forum, a New York-based think tank that studies the economic and social impact of broadband Internet access. Citing univer-sity data, Gonick noted that 72 percent of the households neighboring Case Western Reserve lacked Internet access; 60 percent of the residents were on food stamps, and 80 percent of young children were enrolled in Medicaid. “Most of these people who live in the homes are not the owners of these

homes. Th ey’re multidwelling units that are very typical, inner-city America kinds of set-tings,” Gonick said. Th e setting was perfect to, as Gonick wrote, determine if broadband “is relevant to the needs of neighbors like those around our university.”

Case Connection Zone is scheduled to run for a year, during which university researchers will gather data to study the project’s results. A formal methodology has been established and researchers hope to answer fundamental questions about the digital divide.

Next StepsNow that the neighborhood has been lit

with fi ber, Gonick and other researchers are eager to learn what impact the tech-nology will have on those living in the test area. It’s particularly interesting to note that not all the homes in the Case Connection Zone even have computers. Regardless, one area of interest, Gonick said, is the study of

chronic disease management. Certain resi-dents will be able to use networked medical devices like scales, glucometers and blood pressure cuff s to see if they improve home health care.

All the homes in the Case Connection Zone have also been made “smart.” Out-fi tted with smart metering technology, researchers hope the test sheds light on the planned smart grids that utilities are devel-oping nationwide.

Th ough the NTIA rejected Case Con-nection Zone for grant funding, the FCC is paying close attention. In March the FCC presented to Congress its National Broad-band Plan. In the plan, the commission cited Case Connection Zone as a model for how a national broadband network might be constructed.

“We actually had the executive direc-tor of the broadband plan come out here, saying this is a microcosm of the grand vision that they have,” Gonick said. “And that’s why this project is written right into the National Broadband Plan and explicitly called out.”

One question that remains unanswered is what happens aft er Case Connection Zone runs its course. Aft er the year is up, do residents get to keep their high-speed access? Gonick said it all depends on what data is gleaned from what is, at its core, still less an act of altruism and more an aca-demic research project.

If, for example, the Case Connection Zone helps prove smart grids are viable, it’s conceivable local utilities will help keep the neighborhoods connected. Or if there’s health-care value, perhaps the area’s medical community will be interested in continuing support for the project.

“We’re not trying to look 14 or 15 months [ahead] right now,” Gonick said. “We’re just trying to get the research program together and hopefully it will be compelling, it will be transformative. If it is, then answering the question of what happens aft erward will be easy.”

broadband

“We actually had the executive director of the broadband plan come out here, saying this is a microcosm of the grand vision.”— Lev Gonick, CIO, Case Western Reserve University

STATE LOCAL FEDERALL F

32

AU

GU

ST

10

www.govtech.com

of homes lacked Internet access 72%of residents receive food stamps 60%of children were enrolled in Medicaid80%

A GLIMPSE OF THE NEIGHBORHOOD



Editorial Prepress

Other OK to go


916-932-1300

PAGE


�

��

��

��



Join the discussion at govtech.com/blogs

Who’s Talking?Calling all readers to join the discussion as experts dispatch witty observations and tackle the tough issues. Converse with like-minded views, or agree to disagree. We look forward to the debate!

Lohrman on Infrastructure:Dan LohrmannChief Technology Offi cerMichigan

blogs on the virtual tsunami of IT challenges and options government faces today.

Notes from a City CIO:Bill SchrierChief Technology Offi cerCity of Seattle

blogs on making technology work for city government.

Disaster Zone:Eric HoldemanFmr. Director Offi ce of Emergency ManagementKing County, Washington

on the ongoing palette of new laws, plans, procedures and all aspects of emergency management and homeland security.


Editorial Prepress

Other OK to go


916-932-1300

PAGE


�

��

��

��



Hot-spot policing, in which offi cers increase patrols in areas identifi ed as

having a disproportionate amount of crime, is used by law enforcement agencies to pro-actively protect communities. But use of the technique has triggered questions about whether it eliminates crime or simply pushes criminals into other areas.

Now researchers from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) have devel-oped a computer simulation model that answers those questions — and it could help police departments target their crime-fi ght-ing resources more eff ectively.

“It’s been known for decades, probably at least since the 1930s, that crime shows very strong spatial and temporal pattern-ing, meaning it forms hot spots,” said Jeff rey Brantingham, an associate professor of anthropology at UCLA. “Beginning in about the 1970s, criminologists and law enforce-ment offi cials started to say, ‘Well, since crime patterns in this way, wouldn’t it be reasonable to put extra policing and crime-prevention strategies and direct them right at those hot spots?’”

Many assumed hot spot policing would just cause the criminals to relocate. However,

Brantingham said there actually are only a few instances where crime displacement has been observed.

About four years ago, UCLA researchers created a mathematical computer simula-tion model of crime pattern formation. Th e model led them to identify two types of crime hot spots that react diff erently to increased policing — one that relocates and another that dissolves.

“Once we noticed these large-scale pat-terns forming in the simulation model, we started working on a theory to explain them,” said Andrea Bertozzi, a professor of

BY ELAINE PITTMAN

STAFF WRITER

public safety

Cooling Crime Hot SpotsSimulation model predicts how criminals will react to increased policing — and Los Angelesis preparing to test it in the real world.

iST

OC

KP

HO

TO

.CO

M

34

AU

GU

ST

10

www.govtech.com

SYNOPSIS Researchers developed a math-based simulation model that analyzes how different crime hot spots respond to increased policing.

AGENCY Los Angeles Police Department and the University of California, Los Angeles.

CONTACT Lt. Sean Malinow-ski, Regional Crime Center, Los Angeles Police Department, 213/978-6500.

STATE LOCAL FEDERAL

GT08_34_new2.indd 34GT08_34_new2.indd 34 7/12/10 4:30 PM7/12/10 4:30 PM


Editorial Prepress

Other OK to go


916-932-1300

PAGE


�

��

��

��



mathematics and director of applied math-ematics at UCLA. Th e researchers published their analysis in February.

Different Outcomes, Same Intervention

Using the mathematical analysis, the researchers can predict how a crime hot spot will respond to increased policing. “It pro-vides that mechanistic model that says these are exactly the conditions under which you should get hot spots forming,” Brantingham said. “So it provides boundaries on what sorts of conditions produce hot spots.”

Th at’s how the researchers arrived at a “surprising conclusion,” he said. Th e model suggested that there were at least two diff er-ent types of hot spots — known as super-critical and subcritical — that form under diff erent circumstances. Small spikes in crime form super-critical hot spots. “Little crime events that individually

don’t seem to be all that signifi cant or all that big, nucleate into a hot spot,” Brant-ingham said. Th e second type, subcritical, forms during a large, signifi cant spike in crime. Th e two may appear similar to the public’s eye, but they respond diff erently to intensifi ed policing.

Using 10 years of data from the Los Angeles and Long Beach police departments, the researchers tested the model with infor-mation from burglaries. “We did the math-ematical equivalent of experiments to test what would happen if you went in and tried to suppress these diff erent types of hot spots,” he said. “And lo and behold, you get the two characteristic behaviors that we observed in real experiments of hot spot policing.”

Th e model revealed that when given additional policing, super-critical hot spots displace and form in adjacent regions because they’re developed from small crime spikes.

“You can’t just go and suppress all those small spikes in crime; you’re going to suppress the big hot spot,” Brantingham said. “Th e small spikes in crime that are out there in the envi-ronment are ready to nucleate into a new one.” However, the larger, subcritical hot spots do not re-emerge aft er increased policing.

Although researchers used burglary data to test the simulation, Bertozzi said the model can apply to other crimes like gang violence or improvised explosive devices in the Middle East.

“Ideally from the technological and crime-prevention strategy perspective, we’re pointingin the direction of saying, ‘OK, we need to be aware of the diff erent types of hot spots out

there, and we need to develop procedures for predicting what type of hot spot we’re looking at, then tailor policing strategies in appropriate ways,’” Brantingham said.

“I would say we’re cautiously optimistic, but there’s a long way to go before that’s a reality.”

And that’s where the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) enters the picture.

Real-World ImpactsPolicing through the use of crime statistics

and mapping is nothing new to the LAPD. Th e department has used the CompStat crime control model — fi rst implemented in the mid-’90s in New York City to analyze crime statistics and plot them electronically to determine patterns — for many years as a way to reduce crime by focusing on problem areas. Th rough the years, Los Angeles, the nation’s second most populous city, has seen a measurable decrease in crime. “Last year we had 314 homicides in the city, and I think

“We did the mathematical equivalent of experiments to test what would happen if you went in and tried to suppress these different types of hot spots. And lo and behold, you get the two characteristic behaviors that we observed in real experiments of hot-spot policing.”— Jeff rey Brantingham, Associate professor of anthropology, University of California, Los Angeles

PH

OT

O C

OU

RT

ES

Y O

F T

HE

UN

IVE

RS

ITY

OF

CA

LIF

OR

NIA

, L

OS

AN

GE

LE

SJeffrey Brantingham

35www.govtech.com

$200,000the amount of the Los Angeles Police

Department’s planning grant.

Predictive PolicingPredictive policing is a multidisciplinary strategy that brings together advanced technologies, criminological theory, predictive analysis and tactical operations that ulti-mately lead to results and outcomes — crime reduction, management effi ciency and safer communities.

Source: Justice & Security Strategies Inc.

GT08_34_new2.indd 35GT08_34_new2.indd 35 7/13/10 7:28 AM7/13/10 7:28 AM


Editorial Prepress

Other OK to go


916-932-1300

PAGE


�

��

��

��



our top year was 1,092 in 1992,” said Lt. Sean Malinowski, assistant commanding offi cer of the LAPD’s Regional Crime Center and the offi cer in charge of CompStat.

Now the city wants to use predictive policing to bring those numbers down even more. “We need much more fi ne-tuned instruments to do that,” Malinowski said. “You can’t just look at a historical crime map and be that accurate.”

Using CompStat, the police department compares the most recent 28 days of data against the 28 days prior, and then compares those two periods to the same times during the previ-ous year to decide where to deploy offi cers. “Th e commanders are doing kind of a pre-

dictive model in their heads, but the stuff I am excited about at UCLA will do a much better and more specifi c forecast — that’s our hope anyway,” Malinowski said.

Th e LAPD is working with UCLA and Craig Uchida, president of the consulting fi rm Justice

& Security Strategies Inc., to test the predictive crime simulation model in the fi eld. Th ey’re developing an experimental design that’s composed of a test site and a control site, which could consist of two similar areas in L.A., Malinowski said. Predictions will be made for both areas and policing

would be increased in one area to evaluate the accuracy of the predictions.

Th e LAPD received a $200,000 planning grant from the National Institute of Justice to

work with Uchida and UCLA on the project, and it’s applying for a larger grant in August to start the experiment. Th e department expects the grants to be awarded in early 2011. Malinowski said scientifi c experiments are rare in policing because departments tend to be eager to start using new concepts.

“Th is is the tradeoff ; usually in policing we don’t have time to wait until January. So frankly, what’s happening is people are doing grass-roots eff orts to try to test things, and we’ll probably buy some off -the-shelf soft ware and test it,” he said. “But I want to commit to doing this scientifi c experiment because the federal government and a lot of agencies are looking to invest in this concept of predictive policing.”

justice

Gang MappingThe crime simulation model developed

by UCLA researchers predicted how different burglary hot spots would respond to increased policing. But the model also works with other types of crimes. “Gang activity has some features that things like burglary activity do not, most importantly that there are rivalry networks that are very important in some of the events that happen,” said Andrea Bertozzi, a professor of mathematics and director of applied math-ematics at UCLA.

Lt. Sean Malinowski of the Los Angeles Police Department is working with UCLA researchers on the model. He said the department always has mapped gang territories and activity, but the simulation model will overlay where gang members are victims and where they are crime suspects. This will allow police to gain a better sense of how gang terri-tory is related to crime.

“If we’re right on those layers that we put together, you would expect to see the 18th Street gang members just being victims within their own territory and occasionally outside if someone strays, and then you would expect to see them being suspects on the perimeter of their area,” he said.

When crimes involve rival gangs, some-times the police don’t have complete informa-tion about the situation. For instance, they may only know the affi liation of one gang involved. “An important problem for the police is trying to estimate more of the unknown information,” Bertozzi said. “So having information about geography, social networks and recent events in the area would be very helpful in trying to come up with a probabilistic description of the missing information.”

“The commanders are doing kind of a predictive model in their heads, but the stuff I am excited about at UCLA will do a much better and more specifi c forecast — that’s our hope anyway.”— Lt. Sean Malinowski, Los Angeles Police Department

36

AU

GU

ST

10

www.govtech.com

STATE LOCAL FEDERAL

The number of homicides in the

city of Los Angeles in 2009.

314

iST

OC

KP

HO

TO

.CO

M

Downtown Los Angeles

GT08_34_new2.indd 36GT08_34_new2.indd 36 7/13/10 7:41 AM7/13/10 7:41 AM


Editorial Prepress

Other OK to go


916-932-1300

PAGE


�

��

��

��



Produced by: In Partnership with:

Steps have been taken to become more transparent and agencies are openly collaborating with each other and their citizens, but beyond dashboards and datasets, where to next?

Our new How-To Guide helps chart a practical path to open government, told in terms of best practice examples from your peers. We break down the essentials to show how the technologies and principles when applied the right way, can be game-changing for your agency.

• What are the latest approaches and innovative practices being used?

• Which agencies have tapped into the open government movement, and how?

• What technology strategies are providing the most success?

Request your FREE copies and share with colleagues at: www.govtech.com/opengov

become more transparent and agennd their citizens, but be

Your Game Plan to Y our Game Plan to

Open Government! Open Government!

Straightforward tips and best

practices offer you a tactical

advantage into your quest for

open government.


Editorial Prepress

Other OK to go


916-932-1300

PAGE


�

��

��

��



A few years back, tax collectors started fanning out across Shelby

County, Tenn., to serve citations and seize payments directly from delin-quent taxpayers.

But in February 2010, the Shelby County Trustee’s Offi ce expanded that operation by deploying so-called “mobile cashiers” to various pockets of the county during its busiest tax collection time of the year. Armed with a mini-laptop and a device that accepts credit cards and prints receipts, four agents turned various community buildings into property tax collection posts.

“We really thought we’d get two or three people a day,” said Regina Morrison Newman,

the Shelby County trustee, “but the fi rst day at the library, there was a line when we opened.”

Seizing the chance to interact with a tax agent in person and avoid the parking night-mare in downtown Memphis, county resi-dents — mostly senior citizens — came to the remote collection posts in droves. In one week, the Shelby County Trustee’s Offi ce processed $1.1 million in tax payments from more than 900 transactions on the laptops, county offi cials said.

“It was just a wondrous thing for people who aren’t used to websites yet,” Newman said. “You can always pay on our website, but this was for the folks who still like to deal with a human being.”

County offi cials credit new technology for making this portable program possible. Th e credit card device can be attached to a belt clip and uses Bluetooth technology to link to laptops, said Debra Gates, the county’s chief administrative offi cer.

“Th e whole thing was designed to be very portable and lightweight,” Gates said, adding that the county spent about $1,000 per unit and about $18,000 for design and develop-ment of the in-house program. Over the next fi ve years, the county expects to spend about $3,600 per year and expand the program to reach even more people.

“We had such a positive response because government is not always known for its ease and convenience,” she said. “We believe that we need to try to make it as convenient for the taxpayers as possible.”

In February, the county building in downtown Memphis typically overfl ows with citizens trying to pay property taxes at the last minute. But this year, with the mobile cashiers out and about, Newman saw only a handful of residents in the county building during that last week.

For its mobile cashiering program, the Trustee’s Offi ce recently won an Achieve-ment Award from the National Association of Counties, which recognizes innovative county government programs.

Th e irony of Shelby County’s cashier program is that modern technology and mobile devices oft en have been criticized for minimizing human interaction. But this program succeeds because many local seniors prefer to pay in person, Gates said. In many cases, she said, they would print out the tax bill from a computer and still go to the mobile cashier to make the payment.

“Th ey still want that personal touch,” she said. “Th ey want to walk away with a receipt.”

BY RUSSELL NICHOLS

STAFF WRITER

38

AU

GU

ST

10

www.govtech.com

Driving for DollarsTax collectors for Shelby County, Tenn., become ‘mobile cashiers’ to reach taxpayers who prefer personal assistance.

SYNOPSIS Mobile technology helps tax collectors serve citizens who don’t want to pay online.

JURISDICTION Shelby County, Tenn.

CONTACT Regina Morrison Newman, trustee, Shelby County, 901/521-1829.

e-governmentSTATE LOCAL FEDERAL

PH

OT

O C

OU

RT

ES

Y O

F T

HE

SH

EL

BY

CO

UN

TY

TR

US

TE

E’S

OF

FIC

E

Shelby County, Tenn., mobile cashiers collect property taxes in various community locations.



Editorial Prepress

Other OK to go


916-932-1300

PAGE


�

��

��

��



F rom the roof of Reno, Nev.’s City Hall, you can see the picturesque peaks of

the Sierra Nevada. But local offi cials didn’t gather atop the 17-story building in early June to admire the view. Th ey came to see the future: two 1.5-kilowatt wind turbines designed with special hoops to reduce noise.

Reno became one of the fi rst cities in the nation to install windmills on a city hall roof. Two years in the making, the project marks the latest stage in Reno’s ongoing eff ort to plant small-scale turbines throughout the city to produce energy and save money, said Jason Geddes, the city’s environmental ser-vices administrator.

Reno already has installed a turbine at the sewage plant and one at a park. In total, nine urban turbines are slated to go up, so city offi cials can test how they perform in various environments.

City offi cials are betting big money that renewable energy projects will pay off . Th e city, Geddes said, is investing $1 million for wind programs and $19 million for

new energy technology. Local offi -cials expect to reduce energy use by 25 percent and save $1 million a year with wind, solar and energy-effi ciency projects, added Geddes.

None of the investment money is coming out of the city’s general fund. About $4.1 million is from grants and utility rebates and the rest from stimulus bonds that the city plans to repaywith the money it saves on energy costs, Geddes said.

“It’s a great thing to do to lower energy bills as much as you can,” he said, “and hedge against future increases in fossil fuel energy.”

Reno offi cials are using Reno.gov, the city’s website, to keep the public informed on how wind power works and why it’s a smart investment. Th e website gives real-time data on wind speed, turbine locations and electri-cal output. By plugging addresses into a 3-D regional map, citizens can gauge typical wind conditions and see how much energy a partic-ular turbine on their property could produce.

“People will be able to look at where they will put a turbine in that region and get an estimate,” Geddes said. “Th ere’s so much new technology in the market. A lot of these systems can work in the urban environment.”

Th e plan to put wind turbines on the roof of Reno City Hall

dates back to a yearlong energy audit in 2008. At that time, Geddes said, local offi cials ana-lyzed ways to incorporate renewable wind and solar projects into the system.

“As we were developing that, the stimu-lus bill passed,” he said. “Th at gave us the funding we needed to support this project.”

With turbines scattered around the city, offi cials and manufacturers hope citizens catch wind of the power-produc-ing potential of urban turbines. In July, Windspire, a Reno-based, small-scale wind company, installed one of its propeller-free, vertical turbines on a city-owned parking garage.

BY RUSSELL NICHOLS STAFF WRITER

STATE LOCAL FEDERAL

green

Into the WindReno, Nev., offi cials expect to cut poweruse and save $1 million a year with wind, solar and energy-effi ciency projects.

SYNOPSIS Reno, Nev., puts a windmill atop City Hall as part of a larger initiative to reduce energy usage and save money.

CONTACT Jason Geddes, environmental services adminis-trator, Reno, [email protected], 775/334-3311.

One of two windmills

installed atop Reno’s

City Hall.

LLL F

The total investment

Reno is making in renewable

energy projects.

20MILLION

$

39www.govtech.com

PHOTO COURTESY OF THE CITY OF RENO



Editorial Prepress

Other OK to go


916-932-1300

PAGE


�

��

��

��



For years, offi cials in Lakeland, Fla., had no eff ective remedy

for the pain caused to city workers by rising health-care costs. Th ey tried raising premiums, increasing deduct-ibles and many other cost-shift ing methods to ease the fi nancial pres-sure. Nothing worked.

“It became apparent that this wasn’t the way to address the root cause,” said Karen Lukhaub, the city’s director of risk management and purchasing.

Four years ago, aft er much debate, Lakeland set out to open an in-house

health clinic for city workers and found Healthstat Inc. For space, they didn’t need to look farther than the centrally located risk management-civil service building, where facility maintenance crews gutted a civil service conference room to install medical examining tables and electrocardiogram machines.

In 2007, Lakeland opened the employee on-site wellness clinic, where city workers can get basic medical services for free. In its fi rst year, Lukhaub said, the program saved the city $1 million.

“We save in overall reduction of medical costs and insurance claims,” she said. “In order to participate, you have to be covered under the city health plan, but it costs zero dollars out of pocket and no vacation time.”

Given the current economic conditions, it’s no surprise that this in-house health clinic concept has become contagious among local governments. From New Hanover County, N.C., to Manatee County, Fla., more local agencies have discovered on-site wellness facilities as a solution for skyrocketing health-care costs.

“Th ree years ago, we had maybe three municipal clients,” said Susan Kinzler, executive vice president of sales and marketing for Healthstat, which has about 100 clients. “Now 15 percent of our clients are gov-ernment-based entities.”

With the latest advances in technology, local offi cials can provide medical services in ways that would have been too costly decades ago. And with access to electronic medical records, physicians can identify gaps in care and address health risks before they become serious problems.

A Healthy SolutionHow does the on-site heath clinic work?

A government agency pays a medical company to run a clinic, which is typically situated in a government building, and the contracted company pays the salary of the local medical staff (physicians, nurse practi-tioners or physician assistants). City workers can go to the clinic for episodic and wellness

care without paying a deductible or co-pay.

“When we fi rst opened the clinic, we determined that 50 percent of our employees had no doctor, couldn’t aff ord the deductible and couldn’t take time off of work,” Lukhaub said. “Th e focus is really to provide them with an avenue that is easily accessible and doesn’t cost them anything.”

But it starts with a test. To participate in the Healthstat Program, city workers must fi rst complete a Health Risk Assessment and comply with the Wellness Outreach Program recommendations for visits to the clinic. Assessment information goes into a computer to establish a baseline and identify

BY RUSSELL NICHOLS STAFF WRITERhealth and human services

40

AU

GU

ST

10

www.govtech.com

50%The cost reduc-

tions in customer service and claims adjudication since Manatee County, Fla., opened its wellness center.

Internal SupportSYNOPSIS One Florida city cut health costs by $1 million its first year with on-site wellness clinics.

JURISDICTIONS Lakeland, Fla., and Manatee County, Fla.

CONTACT Karen Lukhaub, director of risk management and purchasing, Lakeland, Fla., [email protected].

Local governments cut health-care costs with free on-site health clinics for city workers.

STATE LOCAL FEDERAL

iST

OC

KP

HO

TO

.CO

M



Editorial Prepress

Other OK to go


916-932-1300

PAGE


�

��

��

��



the individual’s top risk factors, Lukhaub said. With supervisor approval, employees also can receive episodic care during work hours for minor strains, colds, earaches and so forth. Th e clinic also handles annual fi re-fi ghter and pre-employment physicals, and workers’ compensation injuries.

“Clinicians do not count themselves as replacing primary care doctors or special-ists,” Lukhaub said. “We see the clinic as a facilitator between our employees and medical facilities.”

Assessing SecurityAs the operator of 300 clinics country-

wide, Healthstat has seen similar stories as local governments moved to the central health clinic model. Not only does the on-site health clinic help cities save money by reduc-ing insurance claims, Kinzler said, but it also helps employees stay healthy, which keeps them more effi cient in the workplace.

“We get the costs down by improving the employee’s health,” Kinzler said, adding that by following the formula, results have shown reductions in blood pressure and diabetics’ blood-sugar levels.

Predictive modeling soft ware identifi es patients who are at risk for certain condi-tions, according to Ron Schroll, CIO of Healthstat. “Using the data, we can use soft -ware to predict what an employee’s costs may be in the future,” he said. “Th is year, they may not be at risk, but next year they may be a candidate for becoming diabetic or asthmatic. We reach out to those people and get them seeking the treatment they may potentially need.”

With servers hosted at Healthstat’s cor-porate offi ce in Charlotte, N.C., all records

are kept confi dential in a virtual private network, Lukhaub said. No medical records are kept on laptops at the on-site clinic, and regular audits by outside fi rms ensure that clinics adhere to proper security protocols.

Regardless, employees should make sure they understand their relationship with an

on-site clinic and a vendor, said Barbara Ryland of Crowell & Moring, which handles Health Insurance Portability and Account-ability Act (HIPAA) matters.

“If it’s run by an outside entity, depending on the contract, it may be misleading to the employee if the employer is the one main-taining the records,” she said.

To avoid ambiguity, Ryland recom-mends that employees ask questions such as whether the clinic is HIPAA covered and if medical records will be kept confi dential from an employer.

“You should know that before you go in and get services,” she said. “Th ere needs to be a certain amount of clarity so there’s no confusion.”

Overall WellnessAft er realizing that traditional case man-

agement and telephonic disease manage-ment no longer worked, Manatee County, Fla., offi cials created the Center for Health and Lifestyle Management, an integrated, in-house approach to health management.

“We can aff ord this cost because we’ve reduced the cost of customer service and claims adjudication by about 50 percent,” said Bob Goodman, the county’s health benefi ts manager. “We manage the center internally with selected vendors provid-ing their professional staff full time under my supervision.”

Th e county, Goodman said, is imple-menting personal health records, which will be attached to claims, plans and pre-scriptions. Advocates and coaches can soon view information on Web-based charts. He added that new technology uses logarithms to identify appropriate care for specifi ed conditions.

But Goodman doesn’t call the center a clinic. He believes the center invests heavily into an individual’s behavior and lifestyle as a form of preventive care, whereas a clinic only handles people who get sick.

“A clinic is just a temporary fi x,” he said. “We integrate behavior, advocacy and coach-ing for people to improve outcomes. Th e center addresses the total health-care issues of an individual to reduce sick care.”

41www.govtech.com

“Three years ago, we had maybe three munici-pal clients. Now, 15 percent of our clients are government-based entities.”— Susan Kinzler, executive vice president of sales and marketing, Healthstat

PHOTO COURTESY OF THE RISK MANAGEMENT AND PURCHASING DEPARTMENT, LAKELAND

A nurse practitioner examines a patient at Lake-land, Fla.’s on-site wellness clinic where city workers receive complimentary basic medical services.

iST

OC

KP

HO

TO

.CO

M

1,000,000The amount of money Lakeland, Fla., saved by setting up an in-house health clinic for city workers.

$



Editorial Prepress

Other OK to go


916-932-1300

PAGE


�

��

��

��



National media outlets recently trumpeted the potential cyber-

security dangers of digital copymachines. But is it all hype or really something government agencies should worry about?

It’s probably the latter — some-thing to keep an eye on, say experts in

the state and local government market. It’s an issue that if not already, should be on the public sector’s radar, said Alan Shark, CEO and executive director of the Public Tech-nology Institute.

“It’s important that all CIOs consider digital copying devices, as they would any other kind of storage device,” he said. “We don’t have a good feel [for] whether they are doing that or not.”

Digital copy machines are like any other computer, laptop and digital gadget used by a government: Th eir hard drives may contain identifi able, private information, so they should be held to the same security standards.

“Most offi ces today have a single device with multiple functions,” said Doug Rob-inson, executive director of the National Association of State Chief Information Offi -cers (NASCIO). “Just the fact that they’re on the network makes them a potential security risk. Th ey’re a liability because they can be hacked, they do have an IP address and a network interface card.”

As recently revealed in a CBS News report, improper disposal of such technolo-gies can backfi re on agencies, and leave secu-rity holes for hackers and identity thieves to exploit. Th e report said that not only do most copy machines built since 2002 contain hard drives that store an image of documents copied, scanned or e-mailed by the machine, but many used copiers’ hard drives also contained Social Security numbers, internal police records and medical records.

It was a wake-up call for lawmakers. Rep. Ed Markey, D-Mass, sent a letter to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), urging

the commission to investigate the issue. Concerned that the hard drives represent a “treasure trove” for identity thieves, Markey called on the FTC to pursue ways to give consumers more information about privacy risks digital copiers pose.

“As you know, photocopiers frequently are leased for a fi xed period, and the CBS segment included footage of warehouses of used copiers — their hard drives intact and presumably packed with personal informa-tion — being sold and shipped to customers around the world,” Markey said in his letter.

In response, FTC Chairman Jon Leibowitz wrote in a letter that the commission is aware of the security risks and is examining whether the photocopier industry is doing enough to warn consumers.

Firmware Is KeyBut for John Juntunen, founder and chief

operating offi cer of Digital Copier Security, who was featured in the news report, there isn’t enough scrutiny or understanding in this area.

“People think, ‘Just clear the hard drive and don’t take any chances,’” he said. “But you can’t just clear the information; it’s not that simple.” Juntunen’s California-based company developed and sells Infosweep soft ware that scrubs copiers’ hard drives so they can be reused without any residual data. And since CBS’ mid-April report, he’s been fl ooded with questions concerning security and best practices.

“Our phone just rings off the hook,” he said. “People are calling and saying, ‘What can you tell me about this?’”

Not all digital copiers pose the same risks. Th ey don’t all contain hard drives, and some contain more than one. As Juntunen pointed out, the buck doesn’t stop with wiping the hard drive. Th e fi rmware, the copier’s oper-ating system, must be replaced aft erward for the machine to function, he said.

BY KAREN WILKINSON

STAFF WRITER

42

AU

GU

ST

10

www.govtech.com

Ditto DownerPublic-sector experts say digital copy machines really are a security concern.

ILL

US

TR

AT

ION

BY

TO

M M

cK

EIT

H

SYNOPSIS Copy machines that contain hard drives can be a tar-get for cyber-theft. Governments need a security policy for them.

securitySTATE LOCAL FEDERAL



Editorial Prepress

Other OK to go


916-932-1300

PAGE


�

��

��

��



EMC2, EMC, and where information lives are registered trademarks or trademarks of EMC Corporation in the United States and other countries. © Copyright 2010 EMC Corporation. All rights reserved. 2015

THE JOURNEY TO THE PRIVATE CLOUD STARTS NOW

Learn more at www.EMC.com/privatecloud.


Editorial Prepress

Other OK to go


916-932-1300

PAGE


�

��

��

��



“You can’t just scrub the hard drives, you have to put the fi rmware back on the machine — that’s the critical part,” Juntunen said. To illustrate the fi nancial risk this critical step represents, he recalled a recent conversation with a leasing company in which he learned that a university was billed $20,000 aft er returning some machines. Th e reason? Th e hard drives had been cleaned, but the fi rmware was gone.

“Without the fi rmware, the machines won’t work,” he said. “It’s a missing part of many [media] stories. When you clear the hard drives’ information, you’ve also cleared off the fi rmware or the machine’s operating system.”

Information isn’t just stored on a copier’s hard drive. Network settings, e-mail, server passwords and other data are oft en stored elsewhere in the machine’s memory, Jun-tunen said, and must be manually deleted.

Who’s Responsible for Security?While there haven’t been any major pub-

licly disclosed identity theft cases linked to data from digital copiers, the potential certainly exists. Some breaches have been reported. Aft er the CBS News report showed the hard drive of a copy machine owned by Affi nity Health Plan contained 300 pages of health records, the New York-based insur-ance company notifi ed more than 400,000 people that their personal or medical data may have been compromised.

Although the information obtained was part of a journalistic investigation (the hard drives were later returned to the company), Affi nity was required by medical privacy

laws to fi le a breach notifi cation to state and federal regulators, and notify all clients and everyone who may have had information on Affi nity copy machines.

All it takes is one incident, Shark said, to sound that wake-up call. “We always stress looking for the weakest point of failure in a system,” he said, noting that audits of an agency’s network and peripherals should be performed quarterly. Th e fi rst step in pro-tecting one’s agency from breached informa-tion via digital copiers is to see if the devices even contain a hard drive, Shark said. If so, does the agency have a policy that describes the security procedures when discarding the equipment?

Robinson said no state CIOs have contacted his offi ce about this issue, but that doesn’t mean it’s not a topic to keep an eye on. NASCIO hasn’t performed a survey on how states dispose of digital copiers, Robinson said, but most have policies or standards in place that dictate the disposal of surplus electronic equip-ment, which would include digital copiers.

Th at said, it can be unclear whether the responsibility to oversee the devices’ disposal falls under the umbrella of CIOs’ offi ces or those who handle equipment procurement, Robinson noted. “Th e question here is one of authority and policy,” he said. “Although many CIO and IT offi ces have done this from a security standpoint from the risk of personally identifi able information, sensi-tive information and confi dential corporate information and the risk of it being exposed through surplus property — it really gets down to procurement offi cials.”

security

44

AU

GU

ST

10

www.govtech.com

Jurisdictions/Agencies:

Arizona ..............................................................12

Case Western Reserve University .................30

Cleveland ..........................................................30

Lakeland. Fla. ...................................................40

Los Angeles ......................................................34

Manatee County, Fla. ......................................40

Michigan ...........................................................26

Missouri ............................................................26

Reno, Nev. .........................................................39

Sacramento Municipal Utility District ..........14

Shelby County, Tenn. .......................................38

University of California, Los Angeles ............34

Vendors:

Able Planet .......................................................46

Alcohol Monitoring Systems .........................26

Apple .................................................................50

BlueAnt .............................................................47

Cisco ..................................................................30

Corning .............................................................30

Digital Copier Security ....................................42

General Motors ................................................20

Google ...............................................................48

Healthstat Inc...................................................40

Justice & Security Strategies Inc. .................34

Lenovo ...............................................................47

Microsoft ...........................................................48

Motion Computing ..........................................47

Nissan ...............................................................20

Windspire .........................................................39

Advertisers Index

ESRI ...................................................................13

Intuit ..................................................................52

Logitech ............................................................51

Phybridge............................................................2

Qwest ..................................................................5

TCPN ...................................................................7

Tyler Technologies .............................................9

University of Maryland University College ...17

index

How to Scrub a Copy MachineThere are ways to scrub copiers thoroughly and abide by federal security standards, according to NASCIO Executive Director Doug Robinson.

Triple-Pass Standard: Most states have adopted the U.S. Department of

Defense’s triple-pass standard in which the software is written over three times, making it virtu-ally unhackable. “It’s software that basically places binary zeros and ones across the drive three times, rendering it impos-sible to get that information,” he said. “The key there is the information was still on the hard drive, it’s just been written over three times.”

Physically Destroy It:

Agencies with highly sensitive material can

physically destroy the hard drives. Many states have adopted degaussing require-ments, which means using magnets to render the data undiscoverable.

Reformatting:

This is the least successful method,

Robinson said. A signifi cant amount of data can be recov-ered from a reformatted drive.

1 2 3

STATE LOCAL FEDERAL

T

T

U

ng require-which m is to vera

a can be recov-ered from a reformatted drive.

ch means using render the data

able.



Editorial Prepress

Other OK to go


916-932-1300

PAGE


�

��

��

��



Sponsored by:

One thing is clear, public safety will never be what it was. Networks operating at intense speeds to support seamless communication, access to data-intensive applications and improve life or death decision making are revolutionizing the way senior command and fi rst responders control crime and protect the public.

Stay on top of the latest research and best practices around mobile computing and deploying 4G networks with our robust online arsenal of case studies, research and resources.

at Blazing-Fast Speeds

r

s

Visit our resource center today at: emergencymgmt.com

MOBILE PUBLIC SAFETY

COMMUNICATIONS


Editorial Prepress

Other OK to go


916-932-1300

PAGE


�

��

��

��



product news

THE ABLE PLANET NC300 active noise-canceling headphones are the

best I’ve ever used. Th eir noise-canceling feature can be activated on the side of headset and produces white noise to reduce undesirable sounds. Th ey also have in-line volume control, which comes in handy. Th e sound quality is exceptional, thanks to Linx Audio technology, which provides clear speech and full, rich sound for listen-ing to music.

Th ough the NC300 headphones are great, they aren’t perfect. Because they’re designed to fi t snugly, they can become somewhat uncomfortable when worn for an extended period. Adjusting them will help, though. Although the ear cups mostly fi t comfortably, when I wore certain shaped earrings, they felt awkward, but despite the discomfort, the sound and noise-canceling feature weren’t aff ected.

Despite those two minor complaints, the headphones performed fantastically. Music or voice came through very clearly, and I could drown out distracting voices or sounds that would otherwise hinder my productivity.

If you need to focus on a project at the airport or in the offi ce, these headphones are a good solution. Th ey can be used with iPhones, iPods and MP3 players, and according to the maker, are ideal for hearing aids, and audio and communica-tion devices. Th e headphones come in a black carrying case.

Th ey say good things come in small packages, and this certainly is true for the NC300.

BY KAREN STEWARTSON MANAGING EDITOR

46

AU

GU

ST

10

www.govtech.com

{TWO CENTS: Our take on the latest technology}

Willing and AbleMediocrity isn’t an option when it comes to exceptional sound quality.

The headphone’s active noise-canceling feature

can be turned on and off, and is powered by one AAA battery, which lasted about four months.

Included in the carrying case are a 3.5 mm plug

and a 1/4-inch home stereo adapter. The headphones are fi rmly secured by a strap, and the hard carrying case protects them from damage.

The in-line control lets users conveniently adjust

the headphone’s volume instead of doing it on their computer. The NC300 has a frequency response of 20 Hz-20 kHz and sensitivity at 1 kHz: 115 dB (off) and 121 dB (on).

1 2 3

Rating

Price $64.99 - $149.99

PH

OT

OS

CO

UR

TE

SY

OF

WW

W.T

HE

GA

DG

ET

EE

R.C

OM



Editorial Prepress

Other OK to go


916-932-1300

PAGE


�

��

��

��



FOR MORE PRODUCT NEWS ... Log on today to explore Government Technology’s Product Source www.govtech.com/productsource

SEND PRODUCT REVIEW IDEASto chief copy editor Miriam Jones [email protected]

47www.govtech.com

1

IDEA HUB Lenovo’s ThinkCentre M90z all-in-one packs a traditional desktop into a 23-inch display. It’s equipped with an Intel Core i5 or i3 processor, DDR3 memory, selection of hard drives or a solid-state drive, a DVD player and optional Wi-Fi/Bluetooth. For effi cient video conferencing, the M90z has 2-watt speakers, digital array micro-phones for better voice clarity with a physical mute button, and a 2-megapixel HD Web camera with a physical on/off switch. www.lenovo.com

HANDS OFF BlueAnt claims that the S4 is the fi rst hands-free speakerphone that lets users communicate completely through voice com-mands. By saying “BlueAnt speak to me,” users can make and receive calls, and hear messages and e-mails from BlackBerry smartphones and Android 2.0+ devices. The S4 provides up to 20 hours of talk time, with 700 hours of standby time. The S4 also provides access via Microsoft Bing to stock quotes, movie times, weather, sports, news and traffi c updates by voice command. www.blueantwireless.com

2weather, sports, news and traffi c updates by voice command. www.blueantwireless.com

3DUAL INPUTThe Motion Computing J3500 tablet PC with capacitive dual touch is optimized for digitizer and touch input, and users can easily switch between input modes. It has a 12.1-inch screen made of Corning Gorilla glass, which offers up to four times the durability as standard glass, according to the company. The tablet comes with up to 4 GB of RAM and either a 160 GB hard disk drive, or a 64 GB or 128 GB solid-state drive. There’s also a 3.0-megapixel documentation camera and integrated Gobi2000 mobile broadband with GPS. www.motioncomputing.com



Editorial Prepress

Other OK to go


916-932-1300

PAGE


�

��

��

��



48

AU

GU

ST

10

GOBBLING UP TIMEOn May 21, Google paid homage to Pac-Man’s 30th birthday by replacing its logo with a prominent interactive game on its home page. While the game was fun, it occupied 4.8 million hours of what could have been productive time, according to RescueTime, a company that makes time management software.

Mind-Blowing Social Media StatsSocial media sites like Facebook and Twitter are considered more powerful than ordinary advertising like TV ads and radio announcements — perhaps because their audiences are continuously increasing and more engaged, as shown by these statistics from econsultancy.com:• was expected to announce in

late July that it has offi cially reached 500 million active users, including around 250 million people who use the site daily. More than 100 million active users access the site through mobile technology, and more than 25 billion pieces of content are shared each month.

• has 190 million users; 75 percent of its traffi c is generated from outside of twitter.com. Twitter’s search engine gets more than 600 million queries each day. Monthly, this is more than Bing and Yahoo.

• has more than 70 million users, and a new member joins approximately every second.

• has more than 15 million

articles on the site, with roughly one-fi fth of them written in English.

to managing editor Karen Stewartson kstewartson@ govtech.com

Send spectrum

ideas

Reports from the IT horizon

E-MAIL SCAMMING: More than 420,000 scam e-mails are sent every hour in the United Kingdom, according

to a report by life assistance company CPP, which estimated that Brits were targeted by 3.7 billion phishing e-mails during the

last 12 months.

OFFICE UPGRADE: Microsoft Offi ce 2010 software was

launched in June and the results from beta

testers are favorable. In a survey conducted

by the company, 90 percent of users said

Offi ce 2010 is better than Offi ce 2007, and

75 percent said they planned to buy the

software in the next six months.

Digital CensusBrazil will hold its fi rst all-digital census this month. Census

takers will use GPS-equipped handheld devices, digital maps,

satellite images and Internet data transmission to increase the

speed and effi ciency of gathering and disclosing information

from Brazil’s 58 million households. The project’s budget is more

than US$790 million, and the government will employ more than

225,000 survey agents and census takers.

Project highlights:

• The digital mapping system uses a combination

of satellite and Google Earth images.

• The main results from the digital census will be available in

December 2011 — less than half the time it took to compile the

2000 census results.

• Handheld devices used by survey agents will use Wi-Fi data

transmission and GPS tracking capabilities.

Calling Dr. GoogleMany people with medical questions turn to Google for answers, but there soon might be an app for that — an artifi cial intelligence physician app for smartphones that would provide a diagnosis based on pictures and other information submitted by users. Development of such an app reportedly is one of several initiatives being planned by the X Prize Foundation, an educational nonprofi t aimed at fi nding innovative solutions that benefi t humanity. Observers say such an app would be a boon to citizens in rural areas and an educational tool for aspiring doctors.

WATCH SPECTRUM at www.govtech.com/spectrum



Editorial Prepress

Other OK to go


916-932-1300

PAGE


�

��

��

��



www.satconexpo.comQualifi ed Government Technology readers* attend this conference at no charge!

Use source code CWE13 when registering at www.satconexpo.com

* Qualifi ed end-users are defi ned as those with purchasing authority or purchasing infl uence who are currently employed by a broadcast/media/entertainment fi rm, military and government, telco, or a private sector company that uses information and communications technology (ICT) or media equipment and services, but does not sell these products, services, integration or consulting. Expo only passes are free of charge for all industry professionals who pre-register, excluding non-exhibiting vendors/manufacturers. See www.satconexpo.com/register.asp for complete qualifi cation information.

For nine years, SATCON has been on the leading edge of satellite video, voice, data and IP communications solutions for Government, Military & NGOs, Media & Entertainment, Telcos & ISPs, Enterprise fi rms, Universities

and more. For complete event information, visit www.satconexpo.com.

Satellite and Content Delivery Conference & Expo

October 13-14, 2010Jacob Javits Convention Center

New York, NY

SILVER SPONSORS

F E AT U R E D AT :

WORLD

MEDIA SPONSORSSPONSORS

For a complete list of Media Sponsors, visit www.satconexpo.com


Editorial Prepress

Other OK to go


916-932-1300

PAGE


�

��

��

��



closeup

50

AU

GU

ST

10

www.govtech.com

iPhone apps seem to have found a permanent spot in the hearts and lives of many Americans. While many apps are for sheer entertainment, there are practical ones too. The Apple iTunes store offers nearly 200,000 apps, some of which could benefit those who work in the public sector.

Practical Apps

1

52

3 6

74

1. American DreamsSpeeches and Documents in

U.S. History: $2.99. Here you’ll fi nd more than 480 documents, including 90 Supreme Court decisions (starting with Chisholm v. Georgia in 1793 and ending with Citizens v. Federal Electoral Committee in 2010), all the U.S. presidential inaugural addresses and more. Access the Constitution, dozens of key laws, speeches and 18 audio recordings.

2. Free Wi-Fi FinderPerfect for the mobile work force, this app helps users fi nd Wi-Fi hot spots wherever they are in the world. The app uses the iPhone’s GPS and network triangulation capabilities to fi nd free Wi-Fi Internet access. Users can fi lter the results by loca-tion type, such as café or library.

3. Citrix ReceiverThis free app provides users real-time access to their Windows applications and documents via an iPhone. It is equipped with safety measures, such as data encryption, so data remains on the company network, not your mobile device.

4. myLanguageTranslatorWith 53 languages and more to be added, this free app can save time and alleviate frustration by helping you fi nd a specifi c location while traveling abroad. The app has a language/country dialect pairing, and its creators are very open to feedback in hopes of improving its accuracy — users can rate the translation and give a correction or suggestion.

5. Dragon SearchA handy, yet hands-free voice search app. Just speak your search request and receive multiple, simultaneous results from top websites and content sources, including Google, Yahoo, Bing, YouTube, Twitter, iTunes and Wikipedia. The app is free and features a horizontal tool bar, enabling quick access to other search sites, and you can easily change or correct search queries by using a list of alternative suggestions.

6. Toodledo$2.99. This task manager app organizes to-do lists and helps boost productivity. The app includes many features to alert users of their day-to-day activities. Toodledo will: track the priority, start date, due date, length or status of a task; assign a task to a folder, context or goal; fl ag a task with a star or with keywords; provide an audible pop-up alarm for tasks that are due soon; load repetitive tasks on a schedule; and apply fi lters to hide unimportant tasks.

7. Geek Reply$1.99. With Geek Reply, you can create replies to any person or for any situation. It lets you access shared replies from other users and comes with 50 built-in replies, 15 shared categories, and male and female voices. Use and save shared replies to your mobile device for playback when asked common questions, which can be helpful while giving a lecture or hosting a Q&A session.

BY KAREN WILKINSON | STAFF WRITER



Editorial Prepress

Other OK to go


916-932-1300

PAGE


�

��

��

��



m i c e | k e y b o a r d s | w e b c a m s | h e a d s e t s | l a p t o p s t a n d s | s p e a k e r s | o t h e r l a p t o p e s s e n t i a l s

© 2010 Logitech. All rights reserved. Logitech, the Logitech logo, and other Logitech marks are owned by Logitech and may be registered. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

Get down to business with colleagues around the globe—anytime,

anywhere—in unmatched detail with Logitech® HD Webcams. Sharp,

crystal-clear video with smooth and fluid motion and rich, true-to-life

colors make it seem as if you were there in person. And lifelike stereo

audio means they’ll always hear the real you. Use it with Logitech® Vid™

HD for a complete high definition video call that’s free, fast and easy.

Share, collaborate, participate or just get some real-time face-time.

Team up with a high-quality Logitech HD Webcam now!

govtech.firstlightera.com

Get down to business withLogitech® HD Webcams.

Real-time face-time. High-quality, high definition. Anytime. Anywhere.


Editorial Prepress

Other OK to go


916-932-1300

PAGE


�

��

��

��



Create Custom Web Apps Quickly

Protect Sensitive Data

Reduce Infrastructure Costs

The best way for the public sector to improve data visibility and team productivity.

For more information and a free 30-day trial go to: http://quickbase.intuit.com/govtech

Intuit_Ad.indd 1Intuit_Ad.indd 1 7/9/10 1:08 PM7/9/10 1:08 PM


Editorial Prepress

Other OK to go


916-932-1300

PAGE


�

��

��

��

