Rochester, Minnesota and Las Vegas, Nevada are teaming up with IBM on using predicitive analytics for law enforcement. The efforts are part of IBM’s broader Smarter Cities initiative which uses analytics and other tools to provide big data to officials about how their cities and states look and operate. CivSource spoke with Mark Cleverley, Director, [...]
Congress may be moving forward on the public safety broadband network, but some Governors say that there isn’t enough involvement from state officials – the primary users of the proposed network. Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley (D) and Wyoming Gov. Matthew Mead (R), co-chairmen of the homeland security committee of the National Governors Association (NGA), have [...]
Government agencies at all levels are examining how to use cloud services as a means of upgrading their systems while maximizing value. Moving to cloud can allow agencies to condense sprawling IT systems, offer more mobility options and manage legacy systems. However, along with all of this convenience comes a significant security headache. Many agencies [...]
Rhode Island is hoping to get students interested in cybersecurity with a new contest. Congressman James Langevin of Rhode Island is launching the second round of the Rhode Island Cyber Foundation Competition which lets students compete to show off their computer networking and cybersecurity skills.
Verizon Wireless and Durham North Carolina have partnered to start a pilot that will allow residents to send a text message to 911. The pilot will last for six months and will allow 911 dispatch to handle text based calls in addition to voice. Durham is the first city in North Carolina to utilize the [...]
I believe many readers would agree that cyber threats are one of the more significant issues facing our nation’s businesses and governments today. Earlier this month, I attended the East/West Institute’s (EWI) Worldwide Cybersecurity Summit in London. EWI is a global think tank that has organized a series of meetings to help address the pressing [...]
Illinois will invest $37.8 million in capital funding to construct a new state police forensic laboratory. The new laboratory will provide enhanced crime-solving abilities and create nearly 260 jobs. It will be located on land purchased in 2007 from Lindenwood University.
North Carolina has launched a statewide aerial photography project designed to give first responders a clear picture of the landscape of the state. The project will be funded through a $12.3 million grant and will provide images to 100 counties statewide. Those images will be captured in such a way to present an accurate street [...]
Although the headline was lost among budget cuts, state capital protests and public sector layoffs, efforts to gin up interest in cyber security during the National Governors Association Winter Meeting last weekend were heard loud and clear. Calls from the National Association of State Chief Information Officers (NASCIO) and a briefing by General Keith Alexander, [...]
Over the last few days, Florida Gov. Rick Scott has been a subject for conversation among some of his fellow governors. Following news of Florida’s rejection of $2 billion in federal grants for high-speed rail, governors from Connecticut, New York, Rhode Island and Maryland sent letters asking US Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood for those funds. [...]
