Virtual Alabama Sees the Spotlight

Wednesday, November 28. 2007

Virtual Alabama Sees the Spotlight

Alabama Governor Riley will be touting the success of the state's Virtual Alabama today alongside Michael Jones from Google and Jim Walker, Alabama Homeland Security director, who spoke at our Rocket City Geospatial conference. This public private model sure seems to be working:

According to Google Earth's Web site, the program needed to be "relatively inexpensive" so it could be offered free of charge to county governments. In turn, each of the county governments would be motivated to share and upload local information to the program.

Since it was launched, Virtual Alabama has grown to about 400 users from 75 departments across the state.

- Hunstville Times

Posted by Adena Schutzberg in Google at 08:58 | Comments (3) | Trackbacks (0)

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It "works" because there's no actual sharing...the data are locked into a proprietary format and access is only available to authorized users. There's no real "sharing" of data...but there's plenty of visualizing, and that's good.

It also helps that the State's Homeland Security director controls apportionment of homeland security grant money. You better bet those counties play nice with the man who shakes their money tree.

#1 Archie Belaney on 2007-11-28 21:35 (Reply)

as far as i know Virtual Alabama went live in August 2006. By November 2007, there were over 1800 online users contributing the best available data from each of Alabama's 67 counties. Powered by Google Earth Enterprise, the system was developed for a fraction of what such a powerful tool might otherwise cost. The State has employed the tool to provide enhanced coordination and awareness to the State's first responders. The ability to seamlessly aggregate data in an intergovernmental environment offers promise for performing collaborative analysis, expanding the reach and impact of service delivery, managing stakeholder expectations, and tackling other challenges that increasingly reach across the traditional boundaries of government.

JWP
----------
www.indicfamili.blogspot.com
www.urpc-uremployer.blogspot.com

#2 John Parr on 2008-06-17 06:11 (Reply)

John Parr,

Might want to quote your text above; it's from: http://www.collaborationproject.org/display/content/Meeting+2+-+Virtual+Alabama

#2.1 John Prine on 2008-06-17 13:55 (Reply)

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