Presentation by Jeanne Brown of the Digital Towpath Municipal Technology Cooperative and related issues (with input from her colleague Joseph Aiello).

From the Digital Towpath website: "More than 150 years ago, the Erie Canal helped transform a forgotten ‘wilderness’ into an industrial powerhouse — turning New York State into the Empire State. Where the Erie Canal — often referred to as the Towpath — was the primary artery for economic development and commerce within the State, today a new era is dawning and the internet is the vehicle driving commerce and information flow.
   Digital Towpath is an e-government solution for local governments that understand the utility of the internet and recognize its growing importance as a community resource. Through Digital Towpath's easy to implement and maintain e-government system, local government can provide and receive information and interact with the community in ways that just a few years ago did not seem possible. As a resource for people outside the community to learn more about your city, town, or village, Digital Towpath provides the flexibility that is needed to develop your community’s online signature.
   Just as the Erie Canal did years earlier, the Digital Towpath gives communities greater access to local information and even world markets. It’s a new infrastructure ‘towpath’ for community growth and prosperity, and a tool for economic and cultural expansion – a virtual statement that New York is connected and a good place to live, work and play."