www.ctg.albany.edu
www.igpa.uiuc.edu/igpa.htm
www.sdsc.edu
For more information
Peter Bloniarz, pbloniarz@ctg.albany.edu
An unpleasant stereotype often comes to mind when one imagines working with the government; long lines; filing cabinets overflowing with important documents; services that cost too much and don't provide real-help for people that need it; a government that is only available 9-5, Monday through Friday.
Technology Helps Government Efficiently Manage Information
Working with CTG, New York's Adirondack Park Agency developed a prototype system to combine document records and geographic data into a unified electronic reference desk, replacing attic storage. (Image courtesy of CTG).
These stereotypes, however, are quickly disappearing as government embraces technology. Government offices use new technologies to deliver more effective services, to streamline their operations, and to connect with their constituents around the clock. At all levels of government, Internet-based services, data archives, and streamlined workflows enabled by electronic document management are transforming information access.
The EOT-PACI government team, comprising efforts at NCSA, SDSC, the University of California at San Diego (UCSD), the Center for Technology in Government (CTG) at SUNY Albany, and the Institute for Government and Public Affairs (IGPA) at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, is working to apply next-generation PACI technologies to the diverse needs of government. To do so, EOT-PACI partners are focusing on a variety of players; policy makers, government executives, program mangers, and technology specialists.
As part of NCSA's efforts to spread the promise of high-performance computing and communication tools to underserved communities, the center has established a Government Partnership Program to foster collaboration with the public sector. In a multitiered approach with federal, state, and local partners, NCSA is working with policy makers and program managers to better understand the challenges facing those who wish to apply new technologies in government. Initial activities include working with state agencies to develop high-speed networking plans for higher education and briefing policy makers at both the federal and state level on the challenges and promise of the digital age.
UCSD, through the San Diego Science and Technology Council,has convened a 1998 Speaker Series focusing on such policy issues as information technology and bioinformatics. The series has brought such speakers as David Lipman, director of the National Center for Biotechnology Information within the National Institutes of Health, and Mike Nelson, former director of Technology Policy for the Federal Communications Commission, to SDSC for interactive discussions on how government and research can best help each other.
CTG is currently working with the New York State Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance (OTDA) to explore how the agency can use information from state, local, and nonprofit agencies to evaluate the effectiveness of services for homeless families and single adults. Because technical solutions can be positively or negatively impacted by the human environment in which they are applied, the project also explores management and organization issues that affect the success of tools introduced at OTDA. These include data-intensive technologies as well as more traditional information management and analysis tools. CTG believes these technologies will mitigate the problems incurred by lack of cohesion in gathering, storing, and maintaining data.
One of IGPA's missions is to provide practical assistance to those in government, drawing upon lessons learned from public policy research. In partnership with the Illinois Municipal League, IGPA has carried out a successful program of face-to-face workshops addressing important issues for those working in municipal government. To support continuing collaboration after the workshop series, IGPA is also exploring the potential of various organizational mechanisms, collaborative tools, and "virtual workshops" to supplement face-to-face workshops.
NCSA, SDSC, and other Alliance and NPACI partners are working with the Department of Defense (DoD) High Performance Computing Modernization Program to transfer expertise in computational science and high performance computing to DoD researchers through the Programming Environments and Training (PET) initiative. As a component of the DoD Major Shared Resource Centers that provide HPC resources to the DoD research community, PET combines direct support to users with tools and technology transfer across all computational disciplines. Tools and technologies involved include those that support parallel programming, information and communications management, scientific visualization, and distance learning.
All of these programs and activities focus on meeting real need. To work effectively in government, technology must be flexible and readily adaptable, as many government settings present situations where the gap between advanced technologies, service complexity, and current capabilities can be large. EOT-PACI government efforts are helping to bridge that gap.