Government Keys Into the Mobile-Computing Fray

Anyone who's watched a minute of "24" knows that the planet would be doomed if Jack Bauer and his colleagues did not carry top-quality mobile-computing devices. After all, on-the-go tech toys allow the show's Counter Terrorist Unit to access traffic grids, run ID data on suspects and implement a "seal-the-perimeter" plan when the going gets rough.

But these days, government-agency customers don't need to be fully involved in the rigors of homeland security to take advantage of the latest in mobile-computing solutions that run on handheld devices and tablet or notebook PCs. Nor do they have to be police officers, firefighters, FEMA workers, EMS technicians or any one of a number of classic first-responders to crime scenes and disasters. It's clear that any agency that sends its employees out in the field--whether they're census-takers, crop-inventory managers, park rangers, welfare workers, auditors, road engineers or truck inspectors--now demands greater mobility to provide better service to citizens.

Just ask John Hill, president of Allegiance Technology, a Horsham, Pa.-based solution provider specializing in mobile-tablet PC solutions. Last year, his company secured a major contract with Montgomery County, Pa., to provide health-department inspectors with devices that allow them to access PCs, e-forms and portable printers while checking restaurants for compliance with safety standards. Allegiance is now discussing with state officials the possibility of expanding this solution to the entire state of Pennsylvania.

"The prevalence of these kinds of e-government initiatives comes right from the taxpayers--it's a bottom-line cost-savings effort," Hill says. "The cost of a health inspector is around $50,000 per year in salary and benefits. If you can equip the existing staff with mobile devices that allow them to complete an additional inspection each day, the savings add up to real dollars. Inspecting more restaurants in a shorter period of time with more accurate information also better protects the health of citizens."

By now, the image of federal, state and local government workers as 9-to-5ers who remain tethered to a desk is a thing of the past. Government agencies, no matter whom they serve, are constantly on the move. As a result, IT equipment needs to be mobile too--sturdy enough to withstand bumps and bruises on the road, and innovative enough to tap into the home-office system on the fly and feed data to the network in real-time.

"Instead of being on a desktop, the applications are right there on the mobile device," says Bill Hartwell, vice president of government business at Schaumburg, Ill.-based mobile-technology vendor Motorola. "Early on, mobile-computer applications didn't have any wireless capability to simultaneously pass off data. You'd have to collect data in the field all day long, then take it back to the agency's home office and feed it into the network. That's no longer the case, and it's greatly improving the way these agencies work."

While there are no statistics specifically showing that mobile-computing solutions are on the rise among government agencies, solution providers and vendors say rising demand in the private sector is evident: In 2006, more than 24.6 million mobile PCs were sold in the United States; that's double the number sold only three years prior, according to Gartner, a Stamford, Conn.-based industry research firm.

The government customer--a buyer who's getting more tech-savvy with every generation--is a strong contributor to that demand. Face it: Mobile devices rank high on the "cool" meter, and government customers are concluding that they can combine functionality and substance with a bit of flare. As long as these solutions can prove to be a cost-saver for taxpayers in the long haul, the market remains strong, solution providers and vendors say.

"We're seeing the need for these devices in many forms of government," Hill says. "Our entry into the health-department job came from the local director of the county's Aging and Adult Services agency. She was piloting tablets to use at people's homes in getting answers to more than 800 questions to determine when older residents [would] qualify for services."

NEXT: Tales of tablets and Toughbooks

Indeed, the tablet PC is often favored these days because it puts a 21st-century spin on the old-school notion of putting pen to paper. In the case of social services, the human interface of the tablet PC improves the connection between caseworkers and families, says Jillian Mansolf, vice president of marketing for Motion Computing, an Austin, Texas-based computer vendor. "It makes communication very natural because the device is similar to a notepad in look and feel," she says. "That would not be the case with a laptop and a screen that divides the caseworker from the family."

Devices also tout durability, with no hinges to break, and usability, with attachable keyboards and "view-anywhere" screens that help block direct sunlight.

Panasonic Computer Solutions, a Secaucus, N.J.-based vendor, has seen 34 percent growth in its Toughbook sales in the past year within the government sector. Unlike standard notebooks, the product portfolio accommodates mobile workers with such features as wireless connectivity, integrated GPS, and exceptional portability and durability. For example, park rangers and wildlife inspectors use the devices to report animal-population numbers to the central office; federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration officials use them to conduct random roadside inspections; and Department of Agriculture employees take them in the field to inspect fruits and vegetables. The Toughbook appeals to those customers because it commands a 2 percent failure rate, which is significantly lower than the failure rate of standard models.

"In today's workplace, physical, regional and time boundaries are disappearing, and employees are demanding access to the tools and technologies to work anywhere at any time," says Jan O'Hara, senior director of Panasonic Computer Solutions' federal division.

And as in Montgomery County, Pa., more and more agencies are concluding that mobile devices are revenue-generators. Itronix, a Spokane, Wash.-based mobile-products vendor, is enjoying double-digit growth, thanks to increased orders from all levels of state and local government. Most cities and towns, for example, rely on parking citations for a certain amount of revenue every year, and those jurisdictions are now purchasing Itronix mobile products to capitalize on those citations. In the field, access to data isn't just a means of efficiency; it can legitimately increase revenue.

"For instance, if a car's meter has expired, a meter attendant can pull the license-plate number up on a wireless handheld device," says Bob Morrow, regional sales manager of city, state and local government business at Itronix. "The attendant will discover that the owner of the vehicle has a number of other parking tickets that are overdue, [which] the owner would need to pay off to retrieve his or her car. As a result, the city is able to more efficiently identify who has outstanding citations and collect on those citations accordingly."

And of course, governments realize enormous cost savings when they improve efficiencies in standard processes. Sybase subsidiary iAnywhere Solutions, which focuses on managing and mobilizing information, will enable the U.S. Census Bureau's employees to remain wired while conducting rounds for the much-scrutinized 2010 Census tabulation.

Like other vendors, Sybase has long developed IT products for the first-responder community and defense customers. In 1999, it helped the U.S. Navy develop a mobile-inspection solution to replace the Military Sealift Command's traditional paper-based system, increasing work efficiency by 50 percent. With this kind of track record, it made sense to market the products to other segments of government. The Census project is the most ambitious one yet, involving more than 500,000 mobile handsets running on Windows Mobile 5.0 from Microsoft Mobility. The handsets feature pocket versions of Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Windows Media and other applications typically used by desktop-bound employees.

"We're a 'here and now' society," says Shirley MacBeth, senior director of marketing for Sybase iAnywhere. "Government is like any other business. People want immediate answers and information."

Government workers at all agency levels want devices that are not only mobile but feature-rich as well. They want to use on the road every application they enjoy in their offices, says Randy Siegel, enterprise-mobility specialist at the mobile and embedded device group of Microsoft Federal. It's not just a matter of convenience either. In many ways, those tools ensure more accurate reporting in the field.

"As the workforce becomes more decentralized and mobile, geographically dispersed workers need to be able to stay in touch and have access to the same collaborative tools and technologies as those with full-featured desktops," Siegel says. "There's been a big move from pen-and-paper-based data collection to digital collection of information."

The fact that these devices are well-proven in disaster-response situations adds to the comfort level among civilian-agency customers. "These are the same devices being used on the front lines in Iraq and Afghanistan," Siegel says. "Now, it's not just defense but civilian agencies that are adopting them."

NEXT: 4 ways government agencies are putting mobile technologies to work.

Government agencies are capitalizing on a number of mobile technologies to get their jobs done:

Software Application: Mi-Forms system from Mi-Co, which converts original paper forms into e-forms, allowing data to be sent to back-end systems.
Hardware: Tablet PCs, such as the Gateway M285 and M155.
Who's Taking Advantage: Washington State child- welfare workers and housing inspectors, as well as USDA employees that monitor livestock for diseases

Software Application: Active Ink Software, which allows for paperless, digital data management on mobile platforms.
Hardware: Tablet Tablet PCs, such as the Motion LE1600.
Who's Taking Advantage: Health inspectors in Montgomery County, Pa., to check on safety standards and practices in local restaurants.

Software Application: PocketPEO Parking Enforcement Software from ACS.
Hardware: A range of handheld devices, including the Wi-Fi- and Bluetooth-enabled Itronix Q-200.
Who's Taking Advantage: City parking and traffic departments, including those in Los Angeles, Denver, San Francisco and Washington, D.C.

Software Application: SQL Anywhere mobile database and synchronization solution with Afaria mobile-device management and security technology from Sybase's iAnywhere Solutions.
Hardware: Yet to be determined, but presumably a range of mobile information and communication devices. Taiwan's HTC Corp. reportedly has the inside track.
Who's Taking Advantage: Initially selected for data collection by the U.S. Census Bureau for the upcoming 2010 Census.