Silicon Rally.

• Author: Holt, Valerie
• Position: Utah government information - Brief Article

Utah Plays Hard for High-tech

DIGITAL STATE OF MIND

You need to register your car, but don't know where to go or how much it will cost. Before calling the state Department of Motor Vehicles or local county assessor's office, take a quick cyber trip to e-Utah.net, an online hub of useful Utah government information that even includes online registration.

"Eventually this project will work across the lines of government, integrating the services of city and county government in conjunction with those performed by the state of Utah," predicts Al Sherwood, Utah's acting chief information officer.

Gov. Mike Leavitt in 1999 issued a vision statement in a briefing paper titled "Making Utah a Digital State" in which he said he wanted to showcase Utah as a digital state by the 2002 Olympics. One of his plan's key thrusts is a complete line-up of electronic services from state and local government agencies. Just as important as citizen-targeted services, are the services provided for the businesses of the state, says Sherwood.

One possibility is to develop a "virtual Main Street," where community businesses get wired and participate in a digital...