What Happened?
Campbell River in British Columbia, Canada, has adopted implemented several new strategies to reduce spending through the use of innovative technologies. The new resources are helping city officials operate more efficiently and streamlining workflow.
The Goal
Campbell River’s information technology department continuously searches for tools and strategies that could make the city operate more efficiency without increasing costs. The IT department has already launched an improved website for the city that helps visitors and municipal users to share information quickly across several channels.
Campbell River recently became the first community in Canada to add a green roof to City Hall with the help of federal funding, which lowered heating and cooling costs. The city has also deployed preauthorized withdrawal of property tax payments that uses automated processes rather than manual input of information. This benefits both city workers and local residents.
Campbell River’s IT department has also reduced costs, redundant activities and required manpower with:
- Remote office access: Public employees can access work information remotely
- GPS tracking: Public vehicles and resources are monitored for proper use
- Mobile hardware: Provides public employees with mapping information, work orders, asset management and other information remotely when working on-the-job
- Utility process control: Remote management capabilities of utility storm and water pumping infrastructure support stations
- Server virtualization: Consolidated server requirements to a single device
Campbell River plans to invest in green energy technology for both public departments and local residents. A senior government funding program will help the city adopt new technologies including solar hot water heating and electric cars to increase overall efficiency and lower energy consumption.
NYC Tech Push
In New York City, investment in the latest technology is also a priority. The city recently kicked off its Internet Week New York Festival with an announcement of a $10 million initiative to nurture the high-tech industry within city limits. The $10 million would be used to train thousands of New Yorkers to man jobs in the technology industry – thus attracting promising startups and established technology companies and boosting economic growth.
The $10 million initiative is one of many tactics New York City is deploying to attract and retain technology leaders in the community. Currently, 291,000 jobs in New York City are in the high-tech industry, and the mayor hopes to continue to boost this figure through the initiative. The push for tech training will be funded mainly by JPMorgan Chase and other financial companies.
The Internet Week New York Festival brought together more than 45,000 business professionals in differing industries to take part in over 250 events across the city. Participants were able to enjoy:
- Keynote speakers
- Interviews of industry leaders
- Watch panels from celebrities
- Discuss trends with high-level business executives
- Network at meetups and parties
- Take tours of the city
- Learn about new ideas at the forefront of technology innovation
The overall goal of the event is to enable experts to share best practices and the latest research with other business professionals, while encouraging feedback and discussion to inspire new ideas.
The Latest in Gov Tech
Gov1 has kept a close eye on technology trends at the local level and the various funding opportunities available to innovators.