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18 October

18 October . Computers in Government. Sign up for Impacts Meeting. Work with your partner to find a time to meet with me (45 minutes) Send me email with 3 or 4 times that work for you Before the meeting Outline of report Resources. First Use of Computers in Government. 1890 Census

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18 October

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  1. 18 October Computers in Government

  2. Sign up for Impacts Meeting • Work with your partner to find a time to meet with me (45 minutes) • Send me email with 3 or 4 times that work for you • Before the meeting • Outline of report • Resources

  3. First Use of Computers in Government • 1890 Census • 1880 census took 7 years • Predicted 10 years for 1890 • Use of punched cards already existed • Jacquard loom for controlling weaving patterns (Joseph-Marie Jacquard, 1820) • Used for storing instructions (Charles Babbage) • Used for storing data (Herman Hollerith, 1889) • Single hole for numbers • Multiple holes for letters

  4. Jacquard Loom The Loom How It Worked The Cards

  5. Hollerith’s Tabulating Machine Each hole electrically connected to a counter If hole exists, pin pressed through the hole and made electrical contact with a metal plate (completed circuit) and advanced counter

  6. Results • 1890 Census completed in 6 weeks • Punched cards were the primary input device to computers for 80 years • Hollerith went on to found Tabulating Machine Company (1896), which became IBM in 1924

  7. Punch Card Machine Punch cards stacked here Punched here

  8. How do We Interact with Government? • Same as everything else • In person • Phone • Mail • Web

  9. What is e-government? • Online access to government services • Information • Transactions • Opportunity to increase citizen participation • How government works • Question: Does e-government disenfranchise people?

  10. Is there a digital divide? • Facts: • Nearly 70% of Americans have access to the Internet • 70% of those people access it daily • Less than 10% access is less than once a week • Question: • Is this good news or bad?

  11. Demographic Differences • 87% College degree vs. 48% high school degree • 86% professionals vs. 58% blue collar • 78% 18 – 34 years old vs. 43% over 65 • 70% Caucasian vs. 59% black • No gender difference

  12. Information sought • What would you like? • What people get • Recreation (50%) • Road closings (25%) • Health information (25%) • Voting records (25%) • Self reported • Believable? • Could we do better? • Why should we care?

  13. Information vs. Transactions • Requirements differences • Information needs to be correct • Processing, not just displaying • Transactions • Need to complete processing properly • Exactly once processing • Require checking correctness of information entered • Require security • Require that user provide information • In between: availability of forms

  14. Transactions Wanted • Address Change ONCE • Respond to jury summons • Renew driver’s license • Copies of life event certificates (birth, death, marriage, divorce) • Confirm program eligibility and apply • Student financial aid, unemployment, Medicare, Medicaid, … • Passport or visa; marriage license • Employment opportunities and application • File taxes • What’s not on this list? VOTING!

  15. How To Execute a Transaction • Save the state so you can return to it • Update each part conditionally • E.g., debit and credit • If all parts succeed, commit • Otherwise roll back

  16. ATM Example • Verify your account • Subtract amount from your account • Give you cash • Give you receipt • What happens when machine stops and possibly restarts? • Analyze each possible case

  17. Transaction vs. Printing Forms • Fundamental principle: A system is only as good as its weakest link • Printing forms • Posting form • Printing form • Filling in form • Delivering form • Entering information • Processing information • What is the weakest link? • Examples: electronic transfers

  18. Taxes • Which is better for the government: electronic or paper filing? Why? • Which is better for citizens? Why? • Are they doing what it takes to encourage people? Why or why not?

  19. Next: Elections and Voting • Assignments • Read posted article • Find a story about a voting problem in 2004 or 2005 and write a precis • What was the problem? • How many votes and/or races did it affect? • Was it an electronic problem or not? • Was it recoverable?

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