She also suggested the ways in which text messaging can connect all government agencies with their citizens. am the General Manager at Mobile Commons, a mobile technology and strategy provider to multiple government agencies, companies, and nonprofits in New York City and around the country. We live in an era when new technology is revolutionizing how governments can communicate with residents. Text messaging is an extremely effective way for governments to communicate with city residents across income, age and ethnicity. Read her full testimony below. MORE >>

By giving parents the information they need, straight to their phones, the NYC Department of Education is using technology to make city services more accessible. Other Examples of Governments Opening Up Their Data. Rachel Sterne, NYC’s Chief Digital Officer, Talks About Open Government. All Posts Blog government Use CasesLast week, as New York City’s public schools came back into session, the Department of Education debuted a new text message service to keep parents informed. To sign up, parents should text NYCSCHOOLS to 877877. MORE >>

Comics may sound like fluff, but consider that last year Google commissioned a comic book to tell the world about why they are making the Chrome web browser and the technologies inside of it. government and their role in a particular issue. Or, many blogging and photo services allow for posting directly from email. That’s great because the blogging service Posterous lets you post podcasts by email ! It’s automatically posted to the blog and has a news feed so it can be subscribed to in iTunes. decided to become a teacher when I was in sixth grade. Presto! MORE >>

Last week, WNYC’s radio show New Tech City focused on how New York is integrating new technologies into our city’s transit systems. Rachel Sterne, NYC’s Chief Digital Officer, Talks About Open Government. All Posts Blog Company News government media Press Use Cases Why Mobile CommonsWe were delighted that they featured the MTA’s Bus Time. Host Manoush Zomorodi asked Transportation Nation’s Alex Goldmark, “What about people like my mom, who don’t have a smart phone?”. Goldmark responds, “Does your mom text?” Hear the full audio below. Then MORE >>

The MTA is in the process of deploying the Bus Time technology to the other boroughs on an aggressive timetable. All Posts Blog Company News Customer News government Success StoriesThe MTA’s revolutionary Bus Time™ initiative – the mobile service that provides customers with real-time information on the nearest bus – has just passed a major milestone. Since the service launched its first borough-wide expansion in January 2012, riders have sent 1 million text messages requesting transit info. Lhota. in Manhattan (serving the X17 and X19 buses). Battery Pl. Hylan Blvd. MORE >>