By Lookout Staff

November 17, 2011 -- The prominent Center for Digital Government has recognized Santa Monica as having one of the most wired governments in the nation for a city its size.

The beachside city ranked among the top 10 digital governments serving a population of between 75,000 and 125,000, according to eRepublic's Center for Digital Government and Digital Communities Program.

“The highest-ranking cities in the survey showed great strides in consolidating and enabling shared services, government transparency and communications interoperability," said Todd Sander, director of Digital Communities.

"Cities that are investing in technology are capturing cost savings that are critical to continuity of operations and their ability to meet higher demand for services," Sander said.

Santa Monica ranked tenth, along with High Point, North Carolina and Independence, Missouri. The top rated city was Roseville, California, followed by Lynchburg Virginia and Pueblo, Colorado.

Santa Monica's application demonstrated how its use of fiber optic telecommunications and web and mobile technologies benefit local businesses, residents and guests, according to City officials.

"Santa Monica makes information about the city available through a wide array of channels," officials said.

They include 29 Wi-Fi hot zones, 21 pay-on-foot stations, and mobile applets for iPhone(r) and AndroidTM users to find real-time parking information or report issues with city services, officials said. In addition, there are more than 80 web and social media feeds.

"The city has also made significant traffic circulation improvements through traffic signal synchronization and transit priority systems for buses and emergency vehicles," officials said.

There are plans to expand these services by implementing a mobile version of the city website and new mobile applets for key services.

The Center for Digital Government is a division of eRepublic, a national publishing, event and research company focused on smart media for public sector innovation, which serves as a national research and advisory institute on information technology policies and best practices in state and local government.