Brian Heaton

Recent Articles

• Michigan and Illinois Get Two Medicaid Systems for the Price of One
• Sep 17, 2013
• The partnership is a first of its kind in the country and will save the states millions in start-up and maintenance costs.
• 2 Comments

• No Service? Need 911? Mesh Networking May Help
• Aug 20, 2013
• Cellular-free mobile phone service and Wi-Fi boosters are part of the next generation of technologies that could make communication during disasters easier.

• Technology Helps Los Angeles Track Energy Use
• Jul 23, 2013
• Even big cities like L.A. don't have the capacity to collect energy data in a timely fashion. But a federal program helps the city’s building owners measure consumption.

• Will the U.S. Embrace Earthquake Warning Systems?
• Jul 8, 2013
• California's considering a bill to create a statewide system to alert people when earthquakes are coming. Scientists say the East Coast has just as much to gain from it as the Golden State.
• 1 Comments

• New Portal Compares States' Energy Profiles
• May 21, 2013
• Government officials now have access to vast amounts of data to help develop state energy policy and assess energy sustainability.

• The Benefits of Fingerprinting the Homeless
• Apr 16, 2013
• New Jersey is expanding a local program that helps agencies track homeless services more accurately and in less time, increasing their chances of getting the federal funding they need.

• New Clean Energy Program Won't Cost Cities a Dime
• Mar 19, 2013
• A new public-private partnership is similar to existing clean energy programs, but this one doesn't require any financial investment from cities.
• 2 Comments

• Battered by Sandy, New Jersey Tries Email Voting with Mixed Results
• Feb 19, 2013
• Casting a vote by email may seem easy, but the process was no walk in the park when New Jersey allowed it in the wake of Superstorm Sandy.
• 3 Comments

• Virtual Interns Help Solve an Agency’s Workforce Needs
• Jan 22, 2013
• Instead of losing college students when they return to school, one agency has turned to technology to keep those interns year-round.

• IT Directors Go Retro in Virginia
• Dec 18, 2012
• Technology workers in two Virginia agencies are using an old-school organizational method to improve workflow and efficiency.

• Collecting and Assessing Storm Damage Goes High Tech
• Dec 5, 2012
• A new Web-based application made incident reporting more efficient and cut down the time it took to compile an assessment report in the wake of Hurricane Sandy.

• Local Governments Pursue Independent Broadband Despite Challenges
• Nov 21, 2012
• Experts explain how municipalities can create a publicly owned community broadband network.
• 3 Comments

• Transforming Procurement: Will iPads Replace Binders?
• Nov 6, 2012
• Some states have started to offer vendors the option of submitting their responses to RFPs on tablet devices.
• 7 Comments