Tag Archives: Springfield

Funding Security at the Local Level

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The State and Local Cybersecurity Grant Program (SLCGP) was launched as part of the 2021 infrastructure law to help states and localities bolster their cybersecurity defenses. State and local agencies hold incredibly sensitive data yet historically lack the budget and staff to implement modern security tools and approaches, making them a target for threat actors. The SLCGP was designed to bridge this gap, allowing states to bolster their cyber infrastructure. Funding for this program is set to expire in September 2025, leaving states worried about how they will continue to maintain and enhance their cybersecurity postures.

What is the SLCGP?

The Cyber Grant Program is jointly administered by the DHS's Federal Emergency Management Agency and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency. It requires states to funnel 80% of the funding to local governments, which are often the shortest on IT staff and funding, to ensure the equitable distribution of funding across organizations. Continue reading →

Geospatial Technologies Find Their Place in Planning

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Geospatial data ties information to a location. Geographic Information Systems (GIS) layers this location data over any other data set, creating some important insight for public policy, infrastructure, and citizen service planning in a number of areas.

  • Sustainability - perhaps the most obvious use of geospatial data is in helping understand the current environment. With a view of air quality, tree cover, water levels, and more, communities can not only monitor ongoing changes but model what impact new construction or programs could have on an area. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention created an interactive map to help state and local leaders understand the environmental burdens on their communities' health. Combining 36 health, social and environmental indicators, the application assigns an environmental justice score per census tract. This allows officials to see and then prioritize action for vulnerable areas. If a local government is looking to add a manufacturing plant, they can not only see what current pollution levels are, but can also determine if an area is made up of largely non-English speakers so that they know how best to communicate and involve the community in decisions about the plant.
  • Policing - The Justice Department is looking for proposals that apply geospatial data to track criminal activity affecting businesses and neighborhoods. Understanding where and when incidents occur and who may be involved helps police departments target patrols and implement programs that can help prevent incidents.
  • Public health - The Washington Department of Health's GeoHUB layers various department datasets over location information. Geospatial information helps pinpoint access to services across the state. Staff can analyze the state's transportation network and the location of, say, dialysis facilities to identify where residents do not have easy access. Presenting this information on a map makes it more digestible than having to parse out information from multiple charts and graphs.
  • Elections - State elections divisions use geospatial information and systems to enhance the efficiency and utility of election systems. A huge problem is ensuring addresses are correctly aligned to the right precincts so when people register to vote they are assigned the right polling place. Precinct lines are changed on the local level while registration frequently happens at the state level. Mapping addresses with precincts in real time allows for more accurate assignments.

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Learning to Love Machine Learning in Government

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Machine Learning (ML) and other aspects of Artificial Intelligence (AI) are becoming a critical part of government modernization plans. The fear that "machines will replace people" has largely disappeared. In fact, people see the benefit that ML provides for human workers. ML technology allows machines to do what they are best at - fast computation of large data sets - freeing up humans to do what they do best - analyzing and making sense of the data produced.

The new reality is that while machines will not replace people, those that refuse to adopt and adapt to AI-enabled tools may in fact find themselves replaced by other people that do. The proof is in the pudding. ML tools are helping government teams meet critical challenges of unemployment fraud, natural disasters, racial equity, and healthcare. Continue reading →

Building the Case for Software Factories

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The term "software factories" conjures up images of pristinely clean technology assembly lines with super-efficient singularly focused line workers. In reality, a software factory is not a place, but rather a process for improving the speed of software development and release. A software factory provides a repeatable, well-defined path to create and update software. As the name implies, a software factory applies manufacturing techniques and principles to software development. This means software factories provide templates, playbooks, and reusable code that people across the organization can use to quickly create new applications.

With DevOps and agile software development methods as a basis, a software factory combines tools, teams, and practices to standardize and reuse code, building upon accumulated knowledge. Organizations using software factories not only speed up software delivery but find that software is of higher quality being built on proven code. Continue reading →