The Center for Data Innovation (CDI), a Washington, D.C.-based think tank, recently released “The Best States for Data Innovation,” a new report analyzing how states are using data to innovate and offer new services. Topping the overall list were Massachusetts, Washington, and Maryland. Rounding out the bottom were Mississippi, West Virginia, and Louisiana.

Michael Cockrill became CIO of Washington state in 2013. Since then he has worked to streamline the state’s IT organization, help lawmakers understand the technological impact of their public policy decisions, and secure Washington well into the future. In an interview with 21st Century State & Local, Cockrill discussed his role, past achievements, and how Washington’s IT office is becoming more millennial-friendly.

The Vancouver Clinic in Washington has started integrating patients’ genetic information into their Epic EHRs, providing decision support, increasing personalized care/therapies, and better managing hereditary risks.

The Consumer Technology Association released the 2017 Innovation Scorecard, ranking states in four categories: Innovative Champion, Innovative Leader, Innovative Adopter, and Modest Innovator.

Prince George’s County, Md., on Monday released two new open data sets and plans to release another set in the coming weeks. The first two data sets contain information about agency performance and the Transforming Neighborhoods Initiative. The data sets will have updated versions of city information that was released in August about citizen complaints and requests.

Before Lt. Gov. Cyrus Habib stepped into office, the Washington State Senate received a technology overhaul. Habib is the state’s first blind lieutenant governor, and the Senate’s meetings room needed new technology to accommodate him.

On the same day as the first snow of the season, the city of Seattle announced its “Let It Snow!” hackathon. The city is hoping to tap technology users, designers, and developers for a community design workshop on how city officials communicate with the public during snow-related emergencies.

Though some areas of the country have become famous for high-tech innovation–such as Silicon Valley, Austin, Texas, and Seattle–all congressional districts in the U.S. have both investments and contributions in the high-tech space and should be treated as such, according to a recent report by the Information Technology Innovation Foundation.

Alex Alben, Washington state’s chief privacy officer, is helping private citizens, government agencies, and small businesses in the state better understand privacy laws and how to protect privacy when using and sharing sensitive information.

U.S. states are some of the largest employers in the country, so it only stands to reason that they are and can be some of the most influential advocates of preventive medicine and wellness programs for Americans.