IfG.CC -
Institute for eGovernment

Congressional Web sites typically are not customized to meet the needs of citizens who could use them, nor do the site’s managers confer on best practices, according to a new study.

“Strikingly, we find that there are relatively few efforts by offices to evaluate what constituents want or like on their Web sites,” state the researchers in their paper, “Members of Congress Websites: Diffusion at the Tip of the Iceberg”.

Vignette Corp. (Nasdaq: VIGN - News) today announced that the state of Georgia is using Vignette® content management solutions for its recently launched statewide portal. This ambitious portal initiative was spearheaded by Georgia Technology Authority (GTA), an organization created by the Georgia Legislature. One of GTA's goals is to enable constituents to do business with government easily and efficiently.

The Virginia Information Technologies Agency (VITA) announced this week the addition of 14 broadband service providers, which will be offered at "competitively priced" rates to state, county, city, town, school, library and other public agencies. The new options will include wireless, satellite, cable-modem and fiber services, the Virginia Governor's Office said. The state's main provider currently is Verizon.

This MAY come as a surprise to those in the Fredericksburg area still plodding around the Internet on dial-up, waiting in exasperation for the build-out of broadband access.

But we're living on the fast lane of America's information highway. Virginia has left California and New York behind in the cyber dust.

The new web-based query application, called the Human Services Interface (HSI), was built by Menlo Park, California-based Mitem in an attempt to reduce case processing time, associated worker costs and paper files for users.

The bill, which was passed unanimously by both the Virginian House and Senate defines telemedicine as the “use of interactive audio, video or other electronic media for the purpose of diagnosis, consultation or treatment.”

“Across Virginia, we are using information technology to develop innovative and cost effective tools that improve customer service and support our management and business processes,” Governor Kaine said. “These awards demonstrate our commitment to improving citizen service and smarter management of state government.”

This could mean that many citizens are missing out on important information their state and local leaders want them to see online -- information that could impact their lives and relationship with the government.

The county offers many e-government services such as e-book access, public-access television programming and online tax collection. For the county’s younger residents, there’s Arlington Teen Portal, which provides social networking, news, employment and intern opportunities and career counseling.

While describing available technologies, George Condyles, president of Atlantic Technology Consultants, told the Board of Supervisors that high speed broadband wireless services will be the least expensive way to provide access in the future.

Jerry Rigney, the city’s inspections director, said anyone can create an account by logging on to www.danville-va.gov and clicking on e-services, then ePermits. Once that is set up, people can access information on permits and inspections, check the status of existing plans, check on code enforcement activities and other building issues.

“You can file for simple over-the-counter permits, like for installing a new water heater,” Rigney said. “Our intent is to provide more information to our customers.”

If you live in Roanoke County, you may take for granted that you can go online and pay taxes, apply for a burn permit, reserve a picnic shelter in a park, or read all the background information for the board of supervisors' agenda.

Those and myriad other Internet-based services are luxuries that residents of many other counties in Virginia and elsewhere don't have, although such services are slowly spreading even to more rural areas, according to Gage Harter, director of communications for the Virginia Association of Counties.

The region is the second of three potential VLER Health Communities, areas with a heavy mix of active duty military and veterans that will serve as test bed locales for the Virtual Lifetime Electronic Record project.