Thursday, August 07, 2003

Matrix Raises a Stir The Washington Post carried an article on the Matrix (Multistate Anti-Terrorism Information Exchange) project yesterday.  Utah is one of the original participants in the project.  According to the article, Justice has pledged $4 million and the Dept. of Homeland Security will throw in $8 million to expand the program nationwide. Matrix contacts Democracy Now! puts its spin on Matrix also in: MSNBC, Boston Globe, Local6, Washington Dispatch, ABC News, San Francisco Chronicle, Austin American-Statesman, Contra Costa Times, Hartford Courant, On SlashDot, there is a lively discussion among people who think that MATRIX is the second coming of TIA - it's not. There are questions about a key figure involved with MATRIX.  More on Asher's company.  Inadequate background checks Steve Lilienthal calls the project "ominous" Meanwhile, NASCIO has released a report advising how states should share Justice Data 5:04:29 PM    comment []

An Insider View of the Recall in California Lt. Governor, Cruz Bustamante, of California has announced that he is breaking ranks with Gray Davis and will run for Governor in the recall election.  Grant Henninger works for Bustamante and is blogging it as it happens.  Should provide an interesting perspective. 3:23:41 PM    comment []

Is eGov just about transforming government? Article in Federal Computer Week: Utah Unveils Business Portal and a shocker: Mark Forman is leaving OMB My philosophy has long been that eGovernment is about much more than government, it is about helping to drive a transformation of society that goes well beyond government and well beyond e-government.  It is about driving technological advances that will help society and individuals within that society transform themselves into something greater, it is about creating a collaborative environment that will stimulate thought and creativity, it is about creating a global community.  Some of this comes out in these remarks by John Eger of the California Institute for Smart Communities (I wonder what happens to groups like this - they put up a site on the web and then ignore it) to the Arab Urban Development Institute: Thus the business of government and e-government has taken on a dramatic new role beyond providing people with more convenient access to government information services, and specifically improving the quality of service delivery. Instead, it has provided the portal or bridge to provide greater opportunities for citizens to participate in their democratic institutions and processes, thus empowering and energizing their communities to renew and reinvent themselves for the new economy. A paper by the Center of Excellence in Government calls eGovernment the next American revolution.  It is not an American revolution, it is global and we must understand it in that context. 6:57:52 AM    comment []

© Copyright 2003 David Fletcher.