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Virginia cities cited as technology leaders
by
Heather B. Hayes
Virginia Business
March 2005
The
Old Dominion’s self-image as a technology savvy
state was bolstered recently when eight Virginia cities
made the list of the annual Digital Cities Survey. The
survey looks at how well city governments use information
technology to streamline operations and serve their
citizens.
The
results are broken down into four population categories,
with cities ranked 1 to 10 within each one. Virginia
Beach finished No. 1 among the largest cities, Hampton
came in second in the 125,000 to 249,999 population
category, and Blacksburg was second in the 30,000 to
74,999 category. Norfolk, Chesapeake, Roanoke, Lynchburg
and Charlottesville also were recognized in their respective
categories. California followed Virginia in overall
performance, with five cities on the list.
David Sullivan, chief information officer of Virginia
Beach, says his city reached the top by doing many things
well. That approach includes a comprehensive Web site
that averages more than 500,000 user visits a month
and an interactive mapping system that provides information
on everything from school zones to aircraft noise for
properties throughout the city. “A lot of cities
only focus on one or two things,” he said. “But
we’ve had a comprehensive strategic plan and worked
on a lot of different areas over the years.” Apparently,
the hard work is paying off, because Virginia Beach
leapfrogged from third place to first in just one year.
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