ABC's "Seen and Heard in America" Campaign is Supported by Neighborhood America's Solutions

ABC News has selected Neighborhood America to provide interactive media solutions for its "Seen and Heard in America" campaign. The solution is used to enable ABC's project team to manage the large number of videos and comments collected from its viewer audience and to build an audience community.

The campaign kicked off with this year's State of the Union address, where viewers were invited to submit videos online giving their own State of the Union addresses and to comment on issues in our nation that are important to them. Videos and comments were then selected to air on national television during ABC's broadcast coverage of the event. 

The innovative Web-based solution makes it easy for news teams to collect and easily review viewer submissions, enabling them to integrate the public's views into their news processes.

ABC's efforts resulted in "high minded" and "thoughtful" participation from the public, as reported by ABC News.  

"We are proud to be the provider of a new and innovative way for the media to interact with their audiences," commented David Bankston, Neighborhood America's CTO. "Our technology made it incredibly easy for the public to express their views with regards to our nation and enabled the news team to effectively manage a very large volume of content."

Visit http://www.neighborhoodamerica.com/media to hear news coverage on the State of the Union address and see what viewers had to say about our nation.

Does Our Current Health Care System Meet Your Needs?

The Citizens’ Health Care Working Group has recently begun collecting comments regarding our nation's health care reform using Public Comment® Service. Over 5,000 Americans have already voiced their opinions. Are you one of them?

Two more public comment questionnaires have been released on the public involvement site. Visit the site today and have your say about health care reform at www.citizenshealthcare.gov/speak_out/comment.php

Neighborhood America Provides Public Outreach Solution for an Environmental Study in Denton County, Texas

The Denton County Transportation Authority (DCTA) and its consultant, URS Corporation are moving forward with the second phase of a major regional transportation project and have re-enlisted Neighborhood America's technology to enhance the public participation process. 

An alternatives analysis was conducted in 2004 and 2005 using the IBM - Neighborhood America Public Comment® Service to identify the best option for improving mobility in Denton County. As a result, rail was confirmed as the best option, and a locally preferred route was chosen.

Now, the IBM - Neighborhood America Public Comment Service will be used to complete an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) that will evaluate and document any environmental impacts associated with building the passenger rail line. The public is being asked to comment on environmental issues that are important to them with regards to the new rail line, as well as issues that should be considered during the review process. 

"We were extremely satisfied with the results we received using Neighborhood America's technology during the alternatives analysis and are confident that we will be able to achieve the same quality results again," commented Tim Baldwin, Senior Associate at URS Corporation. "With a two year deadline and an aggressive schedule, Public Comment Service will keep us on track moving quickly and efficiently."

To learn more about Denton County's RailDCTA project, visit www.raildcta.net.

Neighborhood America Further Eliminates Barriers to Participation with Mobile Kiosks

Neighborhood America takes its technology to a wider audience by making Public Comment Service available through kiosks. Kiosks can be placed anywhere that people congregate, whether it be a coffee shop, airport, grocery store or library. 

As society changes to require more public involvement in every process, organizations are challenged with finding new ways to reach citizens. And while the Web has been the most effective method for inclusiveness, there are still those who have difficulty participating, particularly those without a computer or Internet access. 

"A strategically located Public Comment kiosk can help organizations reach a broader, targeted audience," stated David Bankston, Neighborhood America's CTO. "The back end of the system is managed remotely through the Web and works immediately to compile real-time results. Decision-makers are provided with meaningful analysis, mapping and reports."

South Florida's Intelligent Transportation System (ITS), sponsored by the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT), has enhanced its public involvement process with a Public Comment Center. Florida citizens can comment and share stories on the project Website using multiple public comment surveys on a variety of transit and traffic issues.

Public Comment Service enables the FDOT project team to efficiently collect, moderate, and report on public comments regarding 511 traffic and transit information, ITS, Road Ranger Services, and more. The solution can quickly adapt to the FDOT's changing needs by enabling them to develop multiple questionnaires as traffic and transit information is updated.

The Public Comment Center is located at www.sunguide.org/commentnow.asp