The issues of concern to practitioners can also be classified according to specific technologies. Following is a brief discussion of government IT issues related to specific emerging IT tools.

The policy, management and technology issues associated with electronic commerce are many and complex and will have a substantial effect on government agencies, businesses, and citizens. Like the other technologies listed here, electronic commerce offers substantial opportunity for governments and businesses to change the way they do business with one another and with their customers. Electronic commerce, in particular the topic of electronic signatures, was on the 1997 agenda for the National Conference of State Legislators. Electronic commerce, barriers, and lessons learned was an agenda item at the 1997 conference of the National Association of State Information Resource Executives.

The Internet and the WWW offer perhaps the most significant utility in terms of changing the way that government organizations collect, use, and share information with citizens and other private and government organizations. Not surprisingly, however, the effective use of these technologies requires that a substantial number of new policy and management issues be addressed. Following is a preliminary list of issues associated with the Internet and World Wide Web:

• Developing effective Web sites
• Developing effective Web sites
• Security
• Privacy, confidentiality, and access to personal information

Security of government Web sites is clearly an important issue. There are already a number of government Web sites that have been hacked and had their contents and links changed rather radically. For example, the CIA, the Justice Department, and the Air Force web sites were recently broken into.

A report issued by OMB Watch, a non-profit organization concerned with the federal government’s responsiveness to the public needs and those of charities, entitled A Delicate Balance: The Privacy and Access Practices of Federal Government World Wide Web Sites, discussed the Social Security Administration’s Personal Earnings Benefit Estimate Statement (PEBES). This system which allowed users to both request and view their statements using the World Wide Web, was widely criticized in the press for failing to protect privacy and the services were subsequently suspended until an independent panel of computer and privacy experts can determine if additional safeguards are needed to protect the confidentiality of Social Security records.

The same report by OMB Watch presented the results of a survey of 70 federal agency Web sites. One of the conclusions based upon the survey data was that the development of a government-wide policy on balancing public access and personal privacy through services was critical.

The development and use of expert systems is also a topic of interest for government practitioners. Expert systems can be used to support decision making and operations across many government programs. CTG received a proposal and completed a project that developed, implemented and evaluated expert judgment technology to support psychiatric assessments in emergency rooms. A similar system being used to minimize information flows between a hospital’s psychiatric emergency room and the managed care organization responsible for the oversight of behavioral health services for many of the ER’s clients was discussed at the 1997 Institute on Mental Health Management Information.

Imaging and document management systems have also been identified as important emerging technologies. A project proposal submitted to CTG by the Port Authorities of New York and New Jersey sought to develop and evaluate an electronic document management system for lease management and revenue accounting functions. Another project conducted by CTG with the New York State Department of Motor Vehicles evaluated the use of imaging technology to support the Department’s vehicle title process. A project conducted by CTG with the New York State Adirondack Park Agency focused on the integration of GIS and document management in a current project with the same agency is developing a tool to support the identification and implementation of mechanisms to electronic records management issues associated with GIS, document management, and workflow technologies in a networked environment.

It has been estimated that approximately 80 percent of all government information has a spatial component. Geographic information systems allow for the integration of various layers of spatial data as well as a number of analytical and presentation capabilities. As with most technologies, the implementation of geographic information systems, in particular the development and sharing of digital spatial data raises substantial issues with respect to information management and policy. Digital spatial data development and maintenance can be very costly and further offers substantial utility to public and private sector organizations. As a result, many governments are grappling with information access issues associated with GIS and digital spatial data. Some states have passed legislation that exempts digital spatial data from Freedom of Information laws and some are allowing for the sale of this data to private sector organizations. At the federal level, efforts toward the development of a National Spatial Data Infrastructure are underway and activities such as the development and testing of meta data standards for digital spatial data are also being undertaken.

To date, CTG has completed two projects associated with GIS and digital spatial data and another is currently underway. The first of these focused on integrating GIS and document management capabilities to support the land-use permitting process in the New York State Adirondack Park. The second focuses on the development of a New York State GIS Cooperative to support the sharing of digital spatial data, and the development of statewide policies to support the development and dissemination of this data. CTG’s current project is focusing on records management issues associated with the management of electronic records comprised of documents and information in a diversity of formats, including digital spatial data formats. An additional proposal from the New York State Department of Health sought to develop a GIS to provide health care planners and policy makers with data on populations, health care needs, and the locations of service providers, as well as the analytical capabilities to assess levels of access to care.

Data warehouses have also been identified as an important emerging technology for use in government. The National Association of Auditors, Comptrollers, and Treasurers had the topic Beyond the Data Warehouse, and other development in IT on their 1997 conference agenda while the National Council of Human Service Administrators and National Council of Local Public Welfare Administrators discussed using data warehouses for tracking outcomes and performance at their 1997 conference. CTG has recently begun start-up activities for a series of Data Management Testbeds that will focus on data warehousing, data mining, decision support and other mechanisms for increasing access to and utility of government information.