I'm in Seoul, South Korea, this week for a Global e-Government Forum.  Seoul is 13 hours ahead of Washington, DC, so for more than half the day, it's tomorrow.  But that's not the only way that Seoul is in the future.  The smell of kimchi mixes with the omnipresent electronica of smartphone rings and tablet notifications.  The Samsung building is visible from my hotel room, and its logo appears on at a majority of devices I've seen in this city.

Both are strategic assets to an agency that understands managing these resources efficiently and effectively is essential to its success. In fact, it was the 19th largest federal civilian agency in terms of IT spending in FY 2010, with a budget of $466 million.

Instant gratification – a motto for our modern world. With information available almost instantly for download, mobile workers with wireless access can answer questions faster, enter data and complete tasks right from the field. With more productive field agents, citizens and businesses reap the benefits.

Professor Ganapati traces the evolution of the use of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) in government, with a focus on the use of GIS by local government. The current third wave (Geospatial Web 2.0 platforms) has seen a dramatic increase in the use of GIS by citizens, such as obtaining transit and crime information. Professor Ganapati presents several case examples of how GIS is now being used by local governments across the nation.