Authors

Ben Miller

Staff Writer


Ben Miller is a staff writer for Government Technology and FutureStructure. His reporting experience includes breaking news, business, community features and technical subjects. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in journalism from the Reynolds School of Journalism at the University of Nevada, Reno, and lives in Sacramento, Calif.

March 17, 2017

SeamlessDocs Project Offers Free Web Analytics Dashboard to State, Local Government

The company wants to bring a Web analytics portal created at 18F and the U.S. Digital Service to state and local government — no coding required.
March 13, 2017

State and Local IT Spending Forecast: Education, HHS Top the List

A look at where governments will open their wallets in 2017.
March 10, 2017

Exclusive: OpportunitySpace Engages Y Combinator, Rebrands and Launches New Product

Goodbye, OpportunitySpace; hello, Tolemi. And BuildingBlocks. And Y Combinator.
March 8, 2017

Pre-Seed Startup Begins Collecting Pilot Cities, Hopes to Build Seamless Citizen Services

Simple Connect is just getting its feet on the ground, but its ambitions are large.
March 6, 2017

Governments with an Eye on the Cloud Participate in Cooperative Cloud RFP

Combining data sets to see which of the states that signed onto a cooperative cloud RFP have shown room to grow in buying cloud services.
March 6, 2017

Making It Legal: The Tech Implications of Regulating Recreational Marijuana

Legalizing recreational marijuana has a broad range of policy implications for government. Do jurisdictions have the IT systems in place to deliver on the will of the voters?
February 28, 2017

How One Startup Thinks it Can Enable Cities to Use Drones

AirMap thinks cities can use unmanned aircraft for a lot more than they are.
February 17, 2017

To Test Accident Prediction Software, Startup Aims for Three City Pilots

An Israeli firm that hopes to predict traffic accidents is expanding to the U.S.
February 9, 2017

Procurement Startup Raises $1.8M with Eye Toward Serving Cities

Vendor Registry thinks it can make procurement less painful.
February 8, 2017

STiR Startup Binti Rapidly Signs California Clients with Foster Care Software

The company seeks to streamline the foster application process through automation and better process tracking.
February 6, 2017

Five Questions with New Granicus CEO Mark Hynes

Plus, resolution on what the name of the company will be.
February 3, 2017

GovTech Business Watch: SunGard Acquisition Closes at $850M, NIC Plots 2017 Growth

Plus, end-of-year earnings for Amazon Web Services and a new government support unit at Verizon.
January 27, 2017

GovTech Business Watch: Startup Working on AI for Police Body Camera Video, Itron Seeks App Functionality for Smart Meters

Plus, a digital security and privacy-focused investment from the Omidyar Network.
January 20, 2017

For Civic Tech, Hope and Fear in the Age of Trump

Will government tech advancements progress under President Donald Trump? Few answers, many questions.
January 20, 2017

GovTech Business Watch: Long Beach Signs $12 Million ERP Contract, AngelList Partner Names Gov Tech as Sector to Watch

Plus, a new vice president at mySidewalk.
January 19, 2017

What's New in Civic Tech: GovLab Pushes Data Collaborations, Trump Names Federal Chief Digital Officer

Plus, a sneak peek at the new federal Web design standards and further efforts to encrypt government Web domains.
January 17, 2017

Demystifying Civic Data Through Song, and 10 Other Civic Tech Finalists in the Knight Cities Challenge

One organization's quest to pair data with a banjo.
January 13, 2017

GovTech Business Watch: Knight and Omidyar Fund Ethical AI, Aclara Acquires Smart Grid Firm

Plus, Taser receives approval to launch a new police body camera.
January 12, 2017

What's New in Civic Tech: U.S. CTO Becomes Permanent Position, BigAppsNYC Winner to Gain Access to Wi-Fi Kiosks

Plus, a new data visualization partnership within federal government.
January 9, 2017

New Asset Management Platform Plugs Machine Learning into Transportation

The product, Atom, can “learn” how to transform data on its own, and draw on Google’s proprietary traffic data taken from user’s mobile phones.
January 6, 2017

GovTech Business Watch: $100B Tech Fund Sets Sights on AI and IoT, Taser Sells Thousands of Body Cameras at Year's End

Plus, Socrata signs its first Alabama open data customer and Tyler Technologies wins an ERP bid in Texas.
January 5, 2017

What's New in Civic Tech: AI Compiles Database of Trump's Words, Crowdsourcing App Leads to Policy Change in Chicago

Plus, data storytelling at the Department of Defense and a conversation about civic tech under the president-elect.
December 22, 2016

Can 18F’s Experimental Tech Procurement Make Its Way to State and Local Government?

The federal agency wants to work quicker and more iteratively.
December 21, 2016

How CIOs and Other New Roles Help Government Address 'Wicked Problems'

If a problem exists across departments or groups of people, collaboration is key to getting things done.
December 20, 2016

Tech Transitions in 2016

Take a look back at the major career changes of the year.
December 16, 2016

GovTech Business Watch: Using Cloud-Based Analytics to Manage Stormwater Runoff, Oracle’s Cloud Business Grows

Plus, Boston is on the hunt for smart city ideas.

December 15, 2016

What's New In Civic Tech: Tech Workers Say No to a Muslim Registry, U.S. Senate Passes OPEN Government Data Act

Plus, San Francisco releases a Startup in Residence playbook and Long Beach, Calif., welcomes a new innovation director.
December 9, 2016

GovTech Business Watch: Tech-Centric Waste Company Chooses First City Partner, Omidyar Invests $4.5M in Three Groups

Plus, new state police orders for TASER and 20 governments begin using new budgeting tool from OpenGov.
December 8, 2016

2016: The Year in Tech / Spotlight on the Gov Tech Scene

In the fourth quarter of 2016, an Accela departure, major merger in the gov tech space and the general election outcome took center stage.
December 8, 2016

What's New in Civic Tech: Federal Agencies Struggle to Meet DATA Act Requirements, Los Angeles Releases Web Analytics Dashboard Guide

Plus, meet the new round of Congressional Innovation Fellows.
December 7, 2016

2016: The Year in Tech / States and Counties Get Smart, Digital

In the third quarter of 2016, winners of the Digital States and Digital Counties surveys were announced, among many other things.
December 6, 2016

2016: The Year in Tech / Tackling Social Media and Increasing Civic Engagement

In the second quarter of 2016, social media, public-private partnerships, broadband and police data took center stage.
December 6, 2016

Six Years and $23 Million Later, mySidewalk CEO Steps Down

Nick Bowden has left the company he started, and Chief Operating Officer Stephen Hardy is taking his place.
December 5, 2016

2016: The Year in Tech / Breaking Down Barriers to Data, Access

In the first quarter of 2016, innovation, open data, Wi-Fi and the GovTech 100 list took center stage.
December 2, 2016

GovTech Business Watch: AWS Cloud Launches Partner Network, California Counties Embrace Digital Signatures

Plus, Q3 earnings for Itron and a customer signing for Accela.
December 1, 2016

What's New in Civic Tech: Securing the Presidential Innovation Fellows, Open Data as a Bridge Between Parties

Plus, San Francisco crowdsources feedback on tech spending.
December 1, 2016

2016: The Year in Tech

According to our analytics, these are the stories readers most wanted to read in 2016 -- it’s a revealing look into the issues foremost on the minds of public-sector technology decision-makers.

November 23, 2016

What's New in Civic Tech: One-Step Representative Lookup, Mapping Hate Crimes, an Open CIO Position and a Civic Tech Guidebook

A look at highlights and happenings in the world of civic tech.
November 23, 2016

Long Beach Innovation Offices Wave Goodbye to Two Leaders as End of Funding Looms

The California city is preparing to move onto the next phase of innovation.
November 21, 2016

GovTech Business Watch: San Diego County Approves Nearly $1B IT Contract, Mergers and Acquisitions Abound

A weekly roundup of news in the government technology market.
November 17, 2016

What's New in Civic Tech: Government Portals on Facebook, Spreading City-Startup Partnerships

A look at highlights and happenings in the world of civic tech.
November 15, 2016

Boundless Launches GIS Products Based on Open-Source, Data-Rich Future

Boundless is looking to create a license-free model for mapping tools.
November 10, 2016

What's New in Civic Tech: Uncertainty in the Age of Trump, Open Source Projects Abound

A look at highlights and happenings in the world of civic tech.
November 9, 2016

2016 Digital Cities: Winners Focus on Transparency, Security, Infrastructure

This year’s top digital cities know data demands are only going to grow, and they want to be prepared.
November 3, 2016

How to Overcome the 'Bad Story' Fear and Open Up Your Data

How does a city make its data more accessible if the people who have the data are afraid to release it?
November 3, 2016

As Socrata Shifts, OpenGov Competes for Smaller Customers

OpenGov's new open data product is launching for its first customer — the city of Denton, Texas.
November 2, 2016

3 Cities Where User Experience Design Helped Make Services Better

There are often easier ways to do the things that government does.
November 2, 2016

USDS Launches Multi-Benefit Application Prototype, Looks for Feedback

What if people could apply for multiple services in one place?
October 27, 2016

3 Reasons Some Local Governments are Eschewing Big Tech Vendors for Startups

What used to be multi-million-dollar work is now getting broken down at the local level.
October 26, 2016

18F Hasn't Cared Enough About Making Money, Report Finds

The federal digital consultancy hasn't been meeting financial expectations, according to a report from the inspector general.
October 25, 2016

Gov Tech Market Event to Dig into an Evolving Industry

Venture capitalists, government-focused tech companies and nonprofits will gather in San Francisco this Thursday to consider the state of the trillion dollar gov tech industry.

October 25, 2016

Granicus Merges with GovDelivery

The deal is happening with financial backing from Vista Equity Partners, which acquired the two companies within a couple months of each other.
October 18, 2016

Sharing Economy, Marijuana Top Local Government Tech Concerns in Accela Survey

The election, as well as overall technology trends, promise plenty of challenges in the new year.
October 14, 2016

Louisville, Ky., Becomes 12th City to Hire Chief Data Officer

The incoming chief data officer will focus on standardizing data and creating a more centralized system.
October 11, 2016

Ekistic Ventures Brings Government Experience to the World of Tech Startups

On the roster for the newly launched venture capital firm: a former Philadelphia mayor, a former chief data officer from Chicago and a New Jersey attorney general.
October 10, 2016

Inside One of the Most Aggressive Intelligent Transportation-IoT Efforts in the U.S.

Florida's Miami-Dade County is getting ready for connected vehicles and ubiquitous intelligence.
October 5, 2016

Santa Monica Plans High-Tech, Super-Green City Services Building

A look inside a project that Santa Monica hopes represents the future.
October 3, 2016

A Possible IPO, and 3 Other Ways Accela Might Grow Post-Maury Blackman

Maury Blackman is leaving Accela. What does it mean for the company's future?
September 26, 2016

How 100 Local Governments Will Work Together to Speed up Sustainability

The U.S. Department of Energy's Better Communities Alliance is aiming to get energy-related programs at the local level off the ground, faster and smarter.
September 22, 2016

Wyoming Governor Names New CIO

Tony Young, the governor's deputy chief of staff, will replace Flint Waters as the head of the Wyoming Department of Enterprise Technology Services.
September 20, 2016

U.S. DOT Lays Out Role for States in Regulating Self-Driving Cars

The administration has offered up a model policy for states to follow when regulating self-driving cars.
September 18, 2016

How Digital is Your State?

Results of the 2016 Digital States Survey indicate that the effort states are putting into innovation, collaboration and aligning their investments with citizens' priorities has never been higher.
September 14, 2016

Welcome to the Age of the Government Business Portal

Los Angeles and Long Beach, Calif. are both launching Web portals aimed at helping businesses navigate complex systems of regulations. They are only the latest in a trend of business portal launches.
September 13, 2016

National Transit Map Seeks to Close the Transit Data Gap

Transit data has been standardized, but not for everyone.
September 8, 2016

Gas Heaters: The Next Front in the Energy Battle?

Transportation and electricity dominate the clean energy discussion today. But that's not the whole picture.
September 7, 2016

Still Waiting for the Transportation Revolution

There's a lot to talk about when it comes to new transportation technology. But how much has actually changed?
September 6, 2016

Electric, Driverless Freight Shuttle Might Solve Trucking-Related Problems in Texas

The freight shuttle system is slated for its first commercial rollout at Houston's seaport.
September 1, 2016

Predicting the Unpredictable: How Data-Based Forecasting Helped One Town Prepare for Climate Change

An update to a free-to-use tool from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency seeks to make it easier for local government to prepare for a changing future.
August 25, 2016

Facing Lack of Driver Interest, Lyft Hits Pause on Carpooling Experiment

Carpooling will become part of the company's services eventually, but for now, its pilot project has petered out.
August 24, 2016

California to Test Road Vibrations as an Energy Source

Piezoelectric energy harvesters are unproven at scale, so the California Energy Commission wants to see just how much power they could produce.
August 22, 2016

Massachusetts Sets First-of-Its-Kind Tax on Uber, Lyft

The Bay State will redirect ride sharing money toward infrastructure and taxis.
August 16, 2016

In Kansas City and D.C., Two of the Newest Streetcar Lines Outdo Ridership Expectations

Two major urban streetcar lines are doing more than planners expected.
August 11, 2016

Better Mapping Helps Federal, State, Local Governments Fight Zika

Geographic information systems are becoming a tool for multiple stages in governments' fight against disease.
August 4, 2016

4 Ways Self-Driving Trucks Could Improve Transportation

Self-driving truck company Otto showed off its automated semi-truck in Concord, Calif., on Aug. 4 while announcing the beginning of a testing program at GoMentum Station.
August 3, 2016

Three Ways Local Governments Can Use Solar Power for Themselves, Part 3: Phoenix

Solar sounds good, but what does it actually look like when a local government decides to set up some panels?
August 2, 2016

Three Ways Local Governments Can Use Solar Power for Themselves, Part 2: Washington, D.C.

Solar sounds good, but what does it actually look like when a local government decides to set up some panels?
August 1, 2016

Three Ways Local Governments Can Use Solar Power for Themselves, Part 1: Yolo County

Solar sounds good, but what does it actually look like when a local government decides to set up some panels?
July 19, 2016

Data, Public Perception and the Tesla Crash: Exploring Options for the Self-Driving Car Industry

In order to put self-driving cars on the streets, auto makers must first prove themselves, speakers at an automated driving convention have argued.
July 18, 2016

California Considers Connecting Electric Vehicles, Home Batteries Up to the Grid

The state's system operator has received federal approval to begin aggregating small-scale, disparate technology into coordinated groups.
July 8, 2016

Stronger Together: Could Data Standards Help Build Better Transportation Systems?

The future will have a lot of data, and a number of transportation experts in both private industry and the public sector are pushing for a vast group of stakeholders to collaborate on setting up standards that make that data as useful as possible.
June 16, 2016

Talking Self-Driving Shuttle Debuts in Maryland

The Olli is ready to roll, and it may be used in the U.S. Transportation Department’s Smart City Challenge.
June 16, 2016

3 Ways Cities in the Same Metro Area Can Benefit from Working Together

At the 2016 Intelligent Community Forum Summit, members explored what it means for cities that are essentially competitors in economic development to work together.
June 14, 2016

3 Ways Ohio Cities Overcame the Telecoms to Set Up Broadband Networks

When government gets into the Internet business, things can get dicey. But Ohio has found a few ways to sidestep the ire of industry.
June 14, 2016

How to Defeat the Endless Cycle of Deferred Maintenance, as Told by Two Southern California Cities

A look at two bold, sweeping approaches to solving local government's infrastructure problems.
June 10, 2016

Going Green Can Help the Poor — and So Much More

Meet the people working to apply the principles of sustainability to poverty.
June 2, 2016

Driverless Car Testing May Spark a Tech Transformation for One California Town

The Concord Naval Weapons Station is today a testing site for automated driving. In the future, its city and county want it to be much, much more.
May 31, 2016

Effort to Build a Smarter Transportation Network Takes a Giant Step Forward

A $50 million prize awaits one of seven cities testing the best ways to deploy intelligent transportation.
May 27, 2016

3 Technologies that Could Transform Water Management

Water use can be more efficient, speakers at a symposium in California said May 23 — not just in terms of conservation, but in terms of doing more work for society.
May 27, 2016

What Role do States Play in the Push to Get Smarter?

IoT projects in cities grab most of the headlines, but there's a place for states.
May 25, 2016

Report: Changing Transportation Means Changing Government's Way of Thinking

In order for transportation to decarbonize, become more efficient and serve more people, an environment advocacy group has said that government must become a manager of systems.
May 20, 2016

Can Batteries Make Solar Work for Local Government?

The town that delivers more solar power per customer than any other in the country used batteries to get the job done. Could the same model work for other small towns and counties?
May 12, 2016

Driverless Car Makers Need to Win Humans' Approval

Researchers argue that if society is going to switch to automated driving, people must first trust the technology.
May 9, 2016

California Pushes for Non-Gas Vehicles in State Fleets

With an ever-expanding market of available alternative-fuel vehicles, one state agency in California is seeing new opportunities to go green.
May 5, 2016

Martin O'Malley Joins MetroLab Network as National Advisor

The government-research collaboration network has tapped the former Maryland governor to help build out its reach across the U.S.
April 29, 2016

City IoT Networks to Launch Across the Country

The first machine-to-machine networks from Ingenu have launched in Texas and California, but the company isn't stopping there.
April 28, 2016

FTA to Fund State, Local Mobility-on-Demand Projects for Transit

Far from acting as competition for public transit, on-demand mobility has the potential to help connect more people with vehicles such as buses and trains. The Federal Transit Administration is looking to fund demonstrations of that concept.
April 22, 2016

Leader in Driverless Vehicles Doubts Cars Will Ever Be Fully Autonomous

Will vehicles ever be able to handle the complex and unpredictable challenges of driving without ever needing humans? One leader in the field is skeptical.
April 21, 2016

California Cities: Plan for Futuristic Transportation One Step at a Time

Even as the world of transportation technology rushes forward, two of the Golden State's largest cities are preaching evolution rather than revolution.
April 20, 2016

U.S. DOT Calls on State, Local Agencies to Help Build National Transit Map

The map will add public transit to the list of transportation-related data available at the national level.
April 19, 2016

Long Beach, Calif., Innovation Team Strikes Up Data-Gathering Internship Program

The city's i-team program will use interns to help speed up its economic development efforts.
April 7, 2016

Startup Aims to Make Auto Cybersecurity Ironclad

Karamba Security has raised $2.5 million from private equity firms to develop software it says can prevent hackers from ever infiltrating a car's computers.
March 30, 2016

Smart Transportation Can't Repeat Yesterday's Mistakes, Says U.S. Transportation Secretary

Emerging technology could mean many things for mobility. The U.S. Secretary of Transportation wants to make sure that technology serves to bring people together rather than push them apart.
March 29, 2016

Kansas City, Mo., Installs First Smart City Kiosks Downtown

The city has put in the first two of its planned network of 25 kiosks meant to help connect people to what's going on around them.
March 23, 2016

Charlie Catlett

Director, Urban Center for Computation and Data at Argonne National Laboratory and the University of Chicago
March 22, 2016

The Gas Tax is in Trouble, and the DOT Wants to Help States Find an Alternative

The Federal Highway Administration is planning to fund state efforts to find an alternative revenue source for transportation projects.
March 17, 2016

Alphabet-Backed Company to Provide Wi-Fi, New Analytics Platform to Smart City Challenge Winner

Alphabet's Sidewalk Labs will use the Smart City Challenge as a means to test out new products like a transportation analytics platform and Wi-Fi hotspots.
March 15, 2016

Cybersecurity, Privacy and Safety Among Self-Driving Car Concerns Raised During Senate Hearing

A U.S. Senate Committee heard testimony from private industry and academia on March 15 about potential issues with autonomous vehicles.
March 14, 2016

'Array of Things' Expands to Cities with Research Partnerships

Seattle will likely be the first city in the U.S. outside of Chicago to participate in the project, which involves deploying a network of sensors around urban environments.
March 8, 2016

Boston Uses Big Data to Make Electric Grid Predictable, May Apply Model in Other Cities

By predicting how much power each building in Boston will need during any given hour, the city hopes to transform its electrical grid.
March 2, 2016

5 Startups for Local CIOs to Watch

Security robots, blockchain and other new services are looking for ways to serve government needs.
March 2, 2016

Do Universities, Research Institutions Hold the Key to Open Data’s Next Chapter?

Where government has raw data, professors and researchers have expertise and analytics programs.
March 1, 2016

4 Ways Government Can Support the Transition to Alternative Fuel Vehicles

Electric and hydrogen fuel cell fuel vehicles are coming. How can the government help speed them along?
February 29, 2016

More Reliable Data Means More Accurate Governance

Systems connected: Data-gathering infrastructure, regulation, transportation, freight, state budgeting
February 29, 2016

Decentralized Transit Pickups Improve System Efficiency

Systems connected: Public transit, economic growth, ride-sharing
February 26, 2016

How Cities Can Get Smart: 6 Tips from Local CIOs

Local CIOs gathered in Sunnyvale, Calif., on Thursday to discuss what it means to be a smart city and how to position today's government for the future.
February 23, 2016

10 Places to Watch for Autonomous Vehicle Developments (Interactive Map)

States, counties, cities and universities are all working to put self-driving cars on the road.
February 16, 2016

Defining the Autonomous Vehicle: Black and White or Shades of Gray?

As private industry plows ahead to develop, test and deploy autonomous vehicles, there are differing views on where — and how — to draw the line between those cars and conventional ones.
February 10, 2016

Feds to Google: Software Could be Considered a 'Driver' for Regulatory Purposes

While a letter from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to Google suggests that fully self-driving cars could pass safety inspections, it acknowledges that regulatory hurdles still remain.
February 9, 2016

Las Vegas to Launch 'Innovation District' Geared Toward High-Tech Transportation Testing

In the fight to lure transportation companies testing emerging technologies to Las Vegas, the City Council has voted to open its downtown core to testing.
February 3, 2016

San Francisco Looks to Spread Water Reuse Systems Across State, Country

The San Francisco Public Utilities Commission is working to help other cities smooth out regulations to make it easier for developers and vendors to build systems that reuse water for non-potable purposes.
January 29, 2016

Los Angeles Turns to Mapping to Break Data Silos, Improve Efficiency

Mayor Eric Garcetti met with the press Friday to announce the launch of GeoHub, which he described as one of the most complete municipal open mapping platforms in the country.
January 29, 2016

Solving a Problem with Data: Researchers Build System to Protect Roads in the Spring

Using near-real-time data collection, researchers are demonstrating a way to improve states' ability to protect brittle roads from heavy vehicles at the end of winter.
January 28, 2016

Leading the Charge on Regulating Self-Driving Cars, Will California Take the Fast or Slow Route?

At a public workshop in Sacramento, Calif., the auto industry pushed for the state to allow fully autonomous vehicles as opposed to the proposal that only lets cars drive themselves if a licensed driver is behind the wheel and ready to take over.
January 25, 2016

7 Ways Local Governments Are Getting Creative with Data Mapping

Government entities appear to be using maps more and more as a tool for creating useful applications. Here are seven ways they're doing it.
January 21, 2016

Will Jet Aircraft of the Future be Powered by Electricity?

NASA and a group of corporate and academic partners are exploring a wide range of technologies that could make aircraft of the future far more fuel-efficient, including all-electric jet engines.
January 15, 2016

Colorado, California Agencies Deploy Data Analytics to Determine Traffic Project Impact

Three agencies in the two states have turned to private company INRIX to learn more about how traffic flows on public roads.
January 14, 2016

Colorado Pushes for Early-Stage Vehicle-to-Vehicle, Vehicle-to-Infrastructure Test on Mountain Highways

Working with a private company, the Colorado Department of Transportation's RoadX program will test out a pilot project that will deliver early alerts to drivers on Interstate 70.
January 12, 2016

Self-Driving Cars in California Handed Control to Human Drivers Thousands of Times, Reports Show

Mandatory reports released Jan. 12 by the California Department of Motor Vehicles from seven companies testing self-driving cars on public roads in the state come amid a debate about whether cars should be able to drive themselves without a human present.
January 8, 2016

Open-Source Toolkit Aims to Make Stormwater Management Easy

A group of government, nonprofit and engineering stakeholders in the Midwest has published a toolkit of "green infrastructure" templates meant to help prevent flooding.
January 7, 2016

California Governor's Budget Puts Rising Cap-and-Trade Money Toward Affordable Housing, Transit

Gov. Jerry Brown's budget proposes $3.1 billion in cap-and-trade spending, more than ever before.
January 5, 2016

New Mapping Tool Asks: How Can Government Build More Sustainably?

California state government is the first to try out a tool from the U.S. General Services Administration and Environmental Protection Agency meant to give insight into which potential locations for new office space are more energy-efficient than others.
January 5, 2016

RentRocket Aims to Solve Chicken-and-Egg Problem of Rental Energy Efficiency

Bloomington, Ind.’s Web app provides renters with information that they otherwise might not consider, potentially leading to demands for better housing.
January 4, 2016

Online App Moves Institutional Knowledge into the Digital Age in Manassas, Va.

To improve the customer experience, the city’s curbside pickup information goes from Stone Age tech to cutting edge.
December 17, 2015

California PUC Allows State's Largest Utility to Charge Customers More for Joining CCAs

The Public Utilities Commission voted 4-1 on Dec. 17 to allow Pacific Gas & Electric to charge its customers more when they leave to form renewable energy-focused electricity procurement plans.
December 16, 2015

California DMV Regulations for Self-Driving Cars Earn Mixed Reviews

The draft regulations require a licensed driver to be present in cars while in autonomous mode. Experts said on Wednesday that that move could put AVs on the road more quickly, but prevent their full benefit from being realized.
December 16, 2015

California DMV Regulations Allow Self-Driving Cars with Licensed Drivers Present

Though the regulations would allow autonomous vehicles on the road, they would delay some of the technology's possible uses.
December 15, 2015

Capturing El Niño, Part II: The System that Works Best

Technology can only do so much if the people using it don't operate an efficient system.
December 14, 2015

Capturing El Niño, Part I: The Tech that Harnesses Storms

El Niño will bring much-needed moisture to the Golden State. But how much of that moisture will the state be able to use?
December 8, 2015

Cities Should Help Bring About the Smart Car, Transportation Tech Leaders Say

Smart, connected, possibly self-driving vehicles are coming — and leaders trying to make them happen say cities can and should serve as accelerators for their development.
December 3, 2015

New York's Community-Aggregating Power Pilot Passes Milestone

Westchester County, N.Y., is working to show the rest of the state that community-supported renewable energy makes sense.
December 3, 2015

Year in Review 2015: Hefty IT Investments; Fighting (and Succumbing to) Cyber Threats

From smart city investments and use of Bitcoin technology in government to the Ashley Madison and U.S. Office of Personnel Management hacks, news during the third quarter of 2015 didn't disappoint.
November 25, 2015

SF Hackathon Explores Ideas for Citywide Internet of Things Network

Three winners that used sensors and GPS trackers to gather various types of data were named following the 48-hour hackathon.
November 25, 2015

Analytics Poised to Take Guesswork Out of Transportation Planning

Using data from sensors placed throughout Los Angeles, a team of researchers at the University of Southern California have completed an impact study they say breaks new ground in traffic analytics.
November 24, 2015

Researchers: The World Could Go Green by 2050

The technological capability exists for the entire world to be powered with renewable energy, researchers have found. It's the political willpower that's in question.
November 19, 2015

UC Merced: The Sun Can Clean Water, Cool the Air and Pasteurize Milk

Researchers at the university have developed a system to use the sun's heat in a cheap, efficient way and are working on demonstrating its uses.
November 18, 2015

Energy Atlas Offers New Insights into LA's Power Consumption

The atlas lets users compare energy usage statistics across time, location, demographic and other factors.
November 16, 2015

Smart Home Concept Makes Its Way to Renters

A Portland, Ore.-based company called IOTAS hopes to roll out smart apartment technology across the nation in the coming year.
November 13, 2015

Google Autonomous Vehicle Pulled Over for Driving Too Slowly

The incident may be the first time a police officer has pulled over a self-driving car.
November 13, 2015

When It Comes to Climate Change, Texas Is an Impediment — and a Leader

The Lone Star State is pushing against federal efforts to cut carbon emissions, while simultaneously building itself up as an example of a leader in clean power and other greenhouse gas-reducing systems.
November 3, 2015

Emerging Air Quality Mapping Tech Shows Promise for Industrial Cities

A local company won a hackathon in Richmond, Calif., by demonstrating the ability of mobile air quality sensors to give greater insight into local pollution.
October 30, 2015

First Driverless Car Crash Study: Autonomous Vehicles Crash More, but Injuries Are Less Serious

The sample size is still small, but researchers from the University of Michigan have taken on the first public attempt to determine whether self-driving cars are safer than conventional vehicles.
October 28, 2015

'ThingSpace' Aims to Break Down Barriers for Developers Entering IoT Market

Verizon's new platform is looking to jump-start the development and deployment of technology that will connect everyday objects.
October 28, 2015

California Cities Turn to Internet of Things to Solve Parking, Traffic Problems

Palo Alto, Redwood City and Los Gatos will use advanced sensor technology to improve downtown parking and pedestrian safety along school routes.
October 27, 2015

California Seeks to Base Future Growth on Climate Change Adaptation

The Safeguarding California report calls on state agencies to take action to help the state adapt to a hotter climate.
October 21, 2015

California, Texas, Illinois Cited as Most-Improved on Energy Policy Scorecard

The American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy named some of the most populous states in the country as having made some of the biggest strides toward energy efficiency in a new report released Wednesday.
October 20, 2015

Global Partnership Uses Data to Fight Ebola, Halt Flooding

Facing big challenges from the United Nations, more than 70 groups have joined together to solve worldwide problems.
October 16, 2015

Smarter Road Weather Sensor Networks Offer Better Safety, Forecasting

Pennsylvania is installing high-quality roadside sensors that can help guide road safety efforts.
October 12, 2015

California DMV Creates First Public Data Set on Driverless Car Crashes

The state Department of Motor Vehicles has released the details of nine crashes that have happened on public roads since September 2014, and will continue to release reports in the future.
October 8, 2015

Energy Storage Occurs Less in the Places It Would Be Most Useful

According to a new report, installing battery packs in homes and businesses could help prevent blackouts and would save money during peak demand hours — and the feasibility of installing such systems may be increasing.
October 7, 2015

California Governor Signs Climate Bill as U.S. Pushes for Greenhouse Gas Reductions

Senate Bill 350, which Gov. Jerry Brown signed in Los Angeles on Wednesday, calls for half the state's electricity to come from renewable sources by 2050.
October 7, 2015

5 Tech Tools Governments Can Use to Alleviate Traffic Troubles

Traffic problems are poised to worsen as the population grows and more people gravitate toward cities. But a lot of people in both the public and private sectors are working to find solutions.
October 5, 2015

Google Smog-Mapping Project Offers Alternative Approach to Internet of Things

The small project establishes a conceptual framework for deploying less-precise mobile sensors en masse, with the ultimate goal of allowing scientists to analyze the measurements, detect hot spots and understand trends over time.
October 2, 2015

White House Nudges States Toward Offshore Wind Power

Though researchers have projected huge energy generation capacity potential from offshore wind farms, the U.S. has yet to set up a single turbine.
October 1, 2015

Plans to Reduce Greenhouse Gas Emissions Not Enough, Analysts Say

World leaders will head into the Conference of Parties summit in Paris in December with plans to reduce greenhouse gas emissions through 2030, but reports published this week suggest that those plans still don't do enough to limit global warming below a critical benchmark.
September 29, 2015

Will California More Closely Scrutinize Driverless Car Crashes?

As the number of companies testing self-driving cars on public roads rises, nonprofit Consumer Watchdog says the public should have more information about the crashes those vehicles are getting into.
September 25, 2015

World Leaders Pledge Drastic Cuts in Carbon Emissions

Leaders representing cities, states, state-equivalents and one country signed onto the “Under 2 MOU” in New York City on Thursday, along with the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals.
September 23, 2015

Silicon Valley Builds Data-Sharing Network to Mitigate Threats During Super Bowl 50

Several businesses and public entities have banded together to share camera feeds and sensor data in an effort to identify security threats early.
September 22, 2015

USGBC: Green Projects Gaining Ground in the Construction Industry

Environmentally friendly construction has grown consistently in recent years, even through the recession. Green construction advocates expect that trend to continue.
September 21, 2015

California Becomes First State to Open Whole-Building Energy Usage Data

Proponents say Assembly Bill 802, the quieter companion to a controversial climate change bill, will force building owners to compete for tenants on energy efficiency.
September 16, 2015

Obama Places $160 Million Bet on Smart Cities, Internet of Things

Public-sector participants see the White House's initiative as a means of accelerating investment and interest in building smart cities and the Internet of Things.
June 29, 2015

In Isolated Alaska, Microgrids Aren't for Emergencies — They're for Every Day

Microgrids are often pitched as a solution to power outages in very specific places. But in rural Alaska, they have an entirely different purpose. And the federal government is now funding research into improving those microgrids.
September 18, 0216

KC Kiosks Avoid LinkNYC's Porn Troubles, Rollout Going Smoothly

As New York City's Internet-connected kiosk program stumbles, Kansas City's is rolling along smoothly.