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Posts for Information Technology

Expanding Public Participation in Planning Using Digital Tools

May 15, 2025  by  Alicia Bones
Category:  Information Technology ,  Tools for Planners ,  Public Participation

Digital tools like 3D modeling, evaluation software, and interactive maps can help community members better understand proposed plans and can help planners gather more comprehensive community feedback reflecting a wider range of needs and perspectives.

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Can AI Support Good Government? Some Pilot Programs Suggest Yes

January 15, 2025  by  Leah LaCivita
Category:  Information Technology

State and local governments in Washington State and elsewhere are using AI to manage traffic control, improve emergency response, analyze law enforcement training, model foot traffic, prevent homelessness, and detect wildfires, among other things. 

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Web designers developing on accessible app

New Mandatory ADA Standards for Local Government Websites and Apps

September 3, 2024  by  Flannary Collins
Category:  Americans with Disabilities Act ,  Information Technology ,  New Legislation and Regulations

Beginning in spring 2026, certain larger local governments will have to comply with new guidelines requiring that local agency websites and apps be accessible to people with disabilities, with smaller local governments given until spring 2027 to comply. 

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Close up of a hand interacting with an AI prompt on a computer screen

Use of Generative AI by Local Governments

July 10, 2023  by  Jessica Nadelman
Category:  Guest Author ,  Information Technology

Local government employees are among some of the 100 million individuals beginning to embrace generative artificial intelligence (AI) at work, but agencies should carefully consider both the legal and ethical ramifications related to use of this new technology

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New Technology, Same Old Open Government Challenges

January 9, 2023  by  Sarah Doar
Category:  Information Technology ,  Open Public Meetings Act ,  Public Records Act

Software such as Microsoft Teams can help to facilitate communication in a workplace, but the use of such tools is tricky for governing bodies whose meetings must be open to the public and whose communications should be easily searchable if a public records request arises.

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Technology and Open Government: Maximizing Participation and Transparency

February 28, 2022  by  Oskar Rey
Category:  Information Technology ,  Open Public Meetings Act ,  Public Participation

Obtaining a broad spectrum of public participation in local government meetings can be challenging. This blog looks at a few examples of the innovative tools and approaches Washington agencies are using. 

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Emerging Issues Roundup: Post-Pandemic Prognostications

April 1, 2021  by  Byron Katsuyama
Category:  Cybersecurity ,  Information Technology ,  Termination and Retirement

This blog focuses on three issues that may become more prominent for local governments as we approach the end of the COVID-19 pandemic: cybersecurity concerns, maintaining digital services, and retiring boomers. 

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Washington Local Governments Launch Mobile Apps

March 15, 2017  by  Byron Katsuyama
Category:  Information Technology

This post looks at Washington local governments apps that deliver news and services to constituents in a mobile-friendly format.

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5 Takeaways from the Regional Smart Cities Workshop

March 22, 2016  by  Josh Mahar
Category:  Information Technology

The decreasing costs of smart city technology and the importance of trust are just a few of the insights from the regional smart cities workshop in Redmond earlier this year.

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Seattle Addresses Privacy and Public Disclosure in New Strategy for Managing Big Data

March 26, 2015  by  Josh Mahar
Category:  Information Technology

As jurisdictions adopt new technologies to better serve their constituents, questions of privacy and public disclosure are often left unanswered. Developing a strategy and process to address these issues, like Seattle is attempting, may help agencies avoid problems down the road.

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