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Marsha Beecher, a senior health inspector who started using the
computer in 2002, said that using the new technology has kept her
more focused on her job and sped up the inspection process. "Not
everyone likes change, but I think the majority wanted it," she
said.
"It's more professional looking," she said. "It gives us more of
a sense that we know what we're doing."
Some city agencies have also turned to technology to make their
operations more open to scrutiny, and safeguard against embarrassing
lapses. For instance, the Buildings Department spent more than
$800,000 to include hand-held computers, satellite tracking devices
and electronic records in its inspection process after 19 plumbing
inspectors were arrested in a bribery scandal.
The program, known as Pipes - Plumbing Inspection Portable Entry
System - uses mapping technology to schedule appointments and track
inspectors throughout the day for better planning and
accountability. "Our goal is not to track every plumbing inspector
everywhere they go, it's to improve the system," Mr. Topping
said.
The new technology has largely drawn praise from council members
and government oversight groups, who say that it is making more
information available about city services than ever before. "You
wouldn't find out this kind of information in the past," said Gene
Russianoff, a senior attorney for the New York Public Interest
Research Group. "You'd have to call each one of these agencies, and
they'd tell you the data wasn't available, or it wasn't broken down
that way, or click."
Councilwoman Gale Brewer, chairwoman of the Technology in
Government Committee, said that while she supported
satellite-tracking devices and hand-held computers, she would like
to see even more investment in consumer-oriented technology that
could be shared across agencies.
"I think some of these gadgets are fine, but that's not the whole
story," she said. "We are still very far in terms of providing
consumer services, where you can actually do things online instead
of in line."
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