WebNews                                           December 7, 2016 |  Vol 19, Issue 4
Connect With Us
      
Upcoming & Recent Events
Dear Friends,
 
We hope this message finds you well and enjoying the holiday season.
 
This time of year is always a good opportunity to reflect on how fortunate we are to have such wonderful partners. We'd like to thank you all for the partnerships and collaborations, the great ideas and the idea sharing, and the enthusiasm for working together to create new public value.
 
Though 2016 is winding down, 2017 is already ramping up with several initiatives you can read about below, including continued research developing a food traceability infrastructure that links small farms with institutional buyers, sharing our work in talks, panels, in the classroom, having our work featured in GovTech and Public CIO, and more; all while providing experiential learning opportunities for students at all levels.
 
Wishing you a wonderful holiday season and much continued success!
 
Warm regards,

Investigating the Critical Factors of Food Traceability for Small Farms
Governments, businesses, organizations and citizens around the world are increasingly seeking information about where exactly their food comes from. While we can assume that much of it originates at a farm, it is notoriously difficult to ascertain the exact journey food takes before it ends up on our plate. Whether it's to ensure our food is free of food-borne illness, or for economic development purposes, it's becoming more and more important for stakeholders across the board that our food be traceable.
 
With funding from the National Science Foundation Early-Concept Grant for Exploratory Research, a CTG team is working to explore and better understand this issue, in particular the unique characteristics of small farmers as food producers.  Read more...
CTG project insights sought at Governor's Conferences on Sustainable Development
CTG's project with four local cities to combat urban blight through regional information sharing is catching the attention of officials statewide as the Governor hosts a series of conferences aimed at preparing communities to work in a coordinated effort around issues such as economic development, housing, transportation, and environmental preservation.

Program Director Meghan Cook and Program Associate Megan Sutherland are invited panel speakers at two of Governor Cuomo's Conferences on Sustainable Development & Collaborative Governance. Read more...
Mind the Gap: 3 Internet of Things Challenges for Local Government
By Derek Werthmuller, CTG Director of Technology Innovation & Services

As technology continues to evolve faster than organizations, there's a gap between Internet of Things products and services and the government practices designed to effectively manage them. Read the full article as published in GovTech.
CTG Director is 1st Woman Selected to Lead Jury in Middle East
Banding Together: 6 Challenges Shared by City CIOs
Lisa Bobo, CIO of Rochester.Photo by Luke Copping

By Meghan Cook, CTG Program Director

CIOs from six cities in New York convene annually to have open conversations in a closed, trusted space to share ideas, discuss common challenges and brainstorm potential solutions. This is a snapshot , published in GovTech and PublicCIO, of selected conversations from the group's annual meetings.