California lawmaker wants to blur Internet imagery

California lawmaker Assemblyman Joel Anderson has introduced AB 255, a bill targeting Internet mapping sites, fearing their detailed images of public buildings provide a blueprint for terrorists. The bill would restrict the images sites could post online. Clear, detailed images of schools, hospitals, churches and all government buildings — what he calls soft terrorism targets — would not be allowed. Assemblyman Anderson decided to introduce his bill after reading that terrorists who plotted attacks in Israel and India used popular sites such as Google Earth and Microsoft's Virtual Earth. READ MORE

Geospatial Databases Funded by Taxpayers Are A Valuable Resource

Government agencies across the country are sitting on gigabytes of valuable digital data that could be mashed, mixed and re-organized in crafty ways by Web 2.0 entrepreneurs and public interest groups engaged in everything from government oversight, to providing practical information to Americans.

Yet, despite federal and state public records laws designed to make the data accessible, many agencies are fighting more ferociously than ever to control data created with public funds. In their battles to withhold information, bureaucrats are citing everything from copyright and trade secret privileges to privacy and national security concerns. And when they do provide data, some agencies charge exorbitant prices for it, ensuring it's only available to those with deep pockets. READ MORE

The article above refers back to a law suit that was brought in Santa Clara County California (Silicon Valley). Since this is our "backyard", HAZUS.org has followed this since Day-1. To read more about the Santa Clara County litigation, click here...

"Untapped Potential: Evaluating State Emergency Management Web Sites 2008"

A recent study study by the University of Kansas analyzed 51 state emergency management agency Web sites, as well as the results of an online survey of state EMA public information officers. The 13 findings of the research and made six recommendations to the nation's emergency managers. Hopefully this report will spark serious discussions nationwide about the role of Internet communication before, during and following crisis situations.

The report concluded that Web designers, not emergency managers, typically have the most input as far as site content ... "designers are more into the whistles and bells, and not necessarily the content". READ MORE

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