In a move to modernize its police force, the City of Davenport, Iowa has implemented a “more efficient infrastructure for its virtual desktop infrastructure” that has enabled the city to optimize the use of police cars and law enforcement resources, as well as improve the accessibility of police video footage.

Successful smart city initiatives rely on cities collaborating with each other, the Federal government, the private sector, and citizens, according to city mayors and Federal experts who spoke at the Global City Teams Challenge Expo on Aug. 28.

State and Federal representatives testified to the need for a first responder-only network and offered their support of FirstNet’s efforts during a recent Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee hearing.

Connected Nation, an organization committed to bringing affordable Internet to Americans, announced that Gov. Terry Branstad of Iowa won the Connected Nation Broadband Visionary Award.

Girls Who Code and Facebook teamed up to host a Governors’ Summit to discuss the gender gap in the technology sector with state leaders and how encouraging girls to go into STEM fields would increase the amount of technology talent in the U.S.

Connected Nation is working with five communities across Ohio to analyze broadband data and develop a plan to increase high-speed Internet adoption in local areas.

Over the past few years, police departments have moved away from traditional surveying instruments and have adopted 3-D scanners to re-create places where homicides, car accidents, and sexual assaults occurred.

States across the country are using innovative voting technologies to improve access, shorten wait times, and enable easier reporting of results. Alaska, Arizona, Iowa, California, and Minnesota all have new approaches.