Tag: state and local governments

Citizens want to report issues to their local governments in a fast and simple manner and not have to worry about identifying the right government agency or phone number—for instance, if a fire hydrant is broken, or a road sign has fallen over. In this blog post, learn how to set up a solution with AWS deep learning services that creates a fluid experience for reporting and addressing these issues.

Amazon’s Working Backwards process puts the customer at the center of discussions about designing a solution based on their needs. The City of Bellevue, Washington recently benefited from this practice through a workshop facilitated by the Arizona State University (ASU) Smart City Cloud Innovation Center (CIC), powered by AWS. The CIC workshop provided clarity on Bellevue’s local road safety needs and how to best align its projects with national investment priorities.

State and local government organizations are experiencing an increase in cyber incidents that impact and disrupt citizen services. In 2021, US President Joe Biden signed the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA), which created the State and Local Cybersecurity Grant Program (SLCGP) to provide funding to eligible entities to address cybersecurity risks and threats to information systems owned or operated by, or on behalf of, state, local, or tribal governments. This blog post guides you through some resources and approaches to consider as organizations strive to meet the SLCGP funding requirements.

It is essential for election campaigns and committees to have access to the latest security services so they can mitigate risks against security threats at minimal cost. To support this, AWS is collaborating with Defending Digital Campaigns (DDC) to offer more than 20 cybersecurity-related AWS services for low-to-no cost to all active and registered national party committees and federal candidate committees for the US House and US Senate midterm elections that are eligible in accordance with DDC and Federal Election Commission (FEC) criteria.

US state and local government and education customers can get in-person no-cost training, hands-on help, and more at the AWS State and Local Learning Days. AWS will offer one-on-one support and more at two AWS State and Local Learning Days events. Built for a range of government and education customers, from mission owners to cloud technical experts to IT managers, the AWS State and Local Learning Days can help you improve your cloud knowledge and learn new ways to achieve your mission outcomes.

With the development of 5G and an ever-growing number of cloud-connected devices, data is becoming available at an unprecedented rate. Law enforcement agencies can use this hyper-connected environment to bridge previously isolated data siloes and make better-informed decisions to improve emergency response and citizen services. To discuss how law enforcement agencies are using new technology to improve constituent outcomes, AWS recently hosted a webinar featuring a panel of experts. Read on for key takeaways from the webinar and watch on-demand.

The IMAGINE conference from AWS in Seattle, Washington brought together education, state, and local leaders to learn, connect, and get inspired about how the latest innovations in cloud technology are transforming what’s possible for local communities. During the keynote, Kim Majerus, vice president of US state and local government and education at AWS, and customer guest speakers shared with attendees how innovators in education, state, and local leadership use AWS to help deliver for their communities, expand digital equity, accelerate workforce development, and more. Find out some of what you missed at IMAGINE 2022.

Carbyne, an AWS justice and public safety customer and partner, provides 911 call handling systems, offering a cloud-native software as a service (SaaS) platform. Although any public safety answering points (PSAPs) can benefit from Carbyne’s cloud-powered solution, certain regions with hostile, remote terrain can especially benefit from improved caller location and the ability to put eyes on the scene. This is crucial, for example, in situations where people are lost or hurt in the desert, and in desert-heavy counties that form the Rio Grande Council of Governments (RGCOG). Using Carbyne improved RioCOG’s caller location from an accuracy of a few miles to within roughly 10 meters on over 85% of emergency calls.

The IMAGINE 2022 conference presented by AWS is fast approaching, but there’s still time to register your spot. On Wednesday, August 3, 2022 at the Seattle Convention Center in Seattle, Washington, the IMAGINE 2022 conference will bring together education, state, and local leaders for a full day of learning about the latest innovations and best practices in the cloud to help transform communities. Join other mission-driven leaders for a full day of learning at this in-person event that combines thought leadership sessions, fireside chats, and networking opportunities designed to leave you with inspiration, new connections, and tangible ideas to take back to your organization or institution.

State and local government (SLG) organizations need to reflect and refocus on cyber hygiene and continuous improvement of their security posture. Here are some best practices for SLG chief information security officers (CISOs) and IT professionals to consider in their cloud journey.