State & Local Government

Website Reviews: Ohio Public Employees Retirement System

The Ohio Public Employees Retirement System (OPERS) serves those who, according to their website, are “paid in whole or in part by the State of Ohio.” OPERS has three distinct target groups within its body of users. These include members, employers, and retirees. On the main page, these three groups can easily find prominently placed links that suit their needs.

Website Review: Employees' Retirement System of the State of Hawaii

The Employees’ Retirement System of the State of Hawaii is a well-organized and visually appealing website that houses all the pertinent information for state employees. The site breaks down into five major sections: “members,” “retirees,” “employers,” “investments,” and “resources.”

Mobile Website & App Reviews: Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority

With the ever-increasing amount of passengers, SEPTA initiated the process in designing a mobile website and iPhone application for its nonstop travelers. On each of the mobile platforms, users can view schedules and maps, retrieve alerts and advisories, know the next train arrival and view its location, learn the fare options and pricing, and connect to SEPTA using the Twitter and Facebook feeds.

Website reviews: 511.org

511.org is a site that aggregates multi-modal transit options across the San Francisco Bay Area (ferries, trains, light rail, buses, etc). It is a robust website, and their mobile version of the website is still in beta mode as of spring 2014. It offers a trip planner and real-time departure across modes of travel as well as several automobile driving/parking information feeds.

Website Reviews: MTA.Maryland.gov

The Maryland Transit Authority's website is designed to make it simpler and more efficient for individuals and entities to access public information concerning Maryland’s transit system, and enables users interact with Maryland’s Metropolitan Transportation Authority.

Website Reviews: SF72.org

SF72.org is a website created by the San Francisco Department of Emergency Management (SFDEM) in an attempt to make the most of social media for effective emergency preparation and response. SF72’s main objective is to get San Franciscans to think about how their existing social networks could help them during and immediately following an emergency.

State Mobile Apps

Learn about NASCIO's State Mobile Apps Catalog

Mobile App Reviews: Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma

The mobile app developed by the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma seems to cater primarily to outsiders who evince an academic sort of curiosity regarding the history, customs, and language of the tribe and the structure of their government. While the mobile app contains interesting information in an attractive format and shows promise, it should be expanded to offer more of the features available on the official website.

E-Government Tool Reviews: OpenBaltimore

OpenBaltimore is an online e-government initiative of the City of Baltimore, Maryland. It contemplates a wide variety of users and potential users, both residents and non-residents, both those interested in Baltimore specifically and people interested in urban planning and development, or e-government generally. It has an ambitious agenda – to serve as an example of how to post government data online in a customizable fashion.

E-Government Tool Reviews: My Ohio Vote

The office of the Ohio Secretary of State provides several interactive tools on its website that are designed to assist Ohio residents in all aspects of the voting process.

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