Government Technology

Increasing transparency both internally and externally is another goal. The public benefits from seeing how their government works and how money is being spent, but so do government employees and officials. "I would like to make everything we do as efficient as humanly possible."

"Everyone always acknowledges that one of the biggest challenges is trying to hire and retain IT professionals. That’s a huge challenge in state government."

The dynamic modeling techniques used highlight the ways different constraints can impact the system as a whole and affect value creation.

"There should be more collaboration between government and the people it serves. A lot of it comes down to leadership and finding people in positions of power willing to collaborate and try something new. The barrier isn’t so much about metropolis versus rural or small versus big. It’s being able to identify the people in positions of power within the government who are willing to engage."

"Montana taxpayers want to make sure we’re spending their money wisely and I’ll insist that the state never spends more than it takes in," Bullock said in announcing http://www.transparency.mt.gov.

Hacking shows what useful tools people can build when the government (a) opens up its data and (b) gets the hell out of the way.

"…look at your own government data. That is a treasure trove if you let private entrepreneurs at it. They can create apps for you. That is an economic opportunity we need to take." Berliner said it will require a change in culture in terms of how the county does business internally."

"How governments spend the public purse is something people should have easy access to," said Phineas Baxandall, a PIRG senior analyst who co-authored the report. "Transparency is really important for good fiscal management and checking against corruption so citizens can feel confident in how their governments spend tax dollars."

Being proactive in making government services and data available can lead to both savings and improved customer service.

His career includes 30 years as a leader and manager responsible for developing and implementing information technology solutions in both the public and private sectors.