Moving right along here......
Iowa to launch smartphone driver's license
William Petroski, bpetrosk@dmreg.com 9:15 a.m. CST December 10, 2014
(Photo: William Petroski/Register photo)
Iowans will soon be able to use a mobile app on their smartphones as their official driver's license issued by the Iowa Department of Transportation.
The app, which will be provided to drivers at no additional cost, will be available sometime in 2015, DOT Director Paul Trombino told Gov. Terry Branstad during a state agency budget hearing Monday.
"We are really moving forward on this," Trombino said. "The way things are going, we may be the first in the nation."
People will still be able to stick a traditional plastic driver's license in their wallet or purse if they choose, Trombino said. But the new digital license, which he described as "an identity vault app," will be accepted by Iowa law enforcement officers during traffic stops and by security officers screening travelers at Iowa's airports, he said.
"It is basically your license on your phone," he said.
DESMOINESREGISTER
Driver's license app logistics could be tricky
Branstad, who conducted a series of budget hearings on Monday for a host of state agencies in preparation for the 2015 legislative session, marveled at the DOT's plans. He noted that even Iowa children are now working on digital development projects.
The new app should be highly secure, Trombino said. People will use a pin number for verification.
"Having this really allows people to protect their identify," he added, suggesting the technology could be expanded for other types of state licenses.
Iowa is already one of more than 30 states that allow motorists to show electronic proof of insurance during a traffic stop. Rather than digging through clutter in your glove compartment for an insurance card, you can simply hand the law enforcement officer your mobile phone.
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Trombino said it's only logical for the Iowa DOT to develop a mobile driver's license app as more and more Iowans rely on their smartphones to conduct routine business. He pointed to the watch on his wrist as one example of a device that many younger Iowans have replaced by using their smartphones.
The digital driver's license is just one example of the Iowa DOT's push towards expanded use of new technology. The transportation agency has already installed dashboard cameras on snowplows and it is expanding a program for "paperless construction projects." The DOT is also expanding driver's license kiosk locations, and it has experimented with a new method for accelerated bridge construction through modular construction.
DOT plans consolidation at Ames headquarters
The Iowa Department of Transportation is proposing to consolidate facilities at its headquarters in Ames, DOT Director Paul Trombino told Gov. Terry Branstad on Monday. The plans call for selling property housing the DOT's Annex Facilities and Conference Center, and adding two floors to the main administration building south of Lincoln Way. Stand-alone outbuildings would be demolished.
The sale of some state property would create an opportunity for prime real estate to be available for economic growth and to be returned to property tax rolls, Trombino said. The plan would reduce the DOT's footprint and eliminate 16,000 square feet of space. The outer skin of the Northwest Wing would be replaced.
Trombino is asking for $14.8 million in state money for the project. After property is sold and utility savings are realized, the net cost of the project would be $11 million, he said. Branstad will consider the DOT's proposal in developing his budget proposal for the Iowa Legislature's 2015 session, which convenes in January.
http://www.desmoinesregister.com/st...-digital-smartphone-drivers-license/20114979/
Iowa to launch smartphone driver's license
(Photo: William Petroski/Register photo)
Iowans will soon be able to use a mobile app on their smartphones as their official driver's license issued by the Iowa Department of Transportation.
The app, which will be provided to drivers at no additional cost, will be available sometime in 2015, DOT Director Paul Trombino told Gov. Terry Branstad during a state agency budget hearing Monday.
"We are really moving forward on this," Trombino said. "The way things are going, we may be the first in the nation."
People will still be able to stick a traditional plastic driver's license in their wallet or purse if they choose, Trombino said. But the new digital license, which he described as "an identity vault app," will be accepted by Iowa law enforcement officers during traffic stops and by security officers screening travelers at Iowa's airports, he said.
"It is basically your license on your phone," he said.
DESMOINESREGISTER
Driver's license app logistics could be tricky
Branstad, who conducted a series of budget hearings on Monday for a host of state agencies in preparation for the 2015 legislative session, marveled at the DOT's plans. He noted that even Iowa children are now working on digital development projects.
The new app should be highly secure, Trombino said. People will use a pin number for verification.
"Having this really allows people to protect their identify," he added, suggesting the technology could be expanded for other types of state licenses.
Iowa is already one of more than 30 states that allow motorists to show electronic proof of insurance during a traffic stop. Rather than digging through clutter in your glove compartment for an insurance card, you can simply hand the law enforcement officer your mobile phone.
DESMOINESREGISTER
Finney 5: Top smartphone license excuses
Trombino said it's only logical for the Iowa DOT to develop a mobile driver's license app as more and more Iowans rely on their smartphones to conduct routine business. He pointed to the watch on his wrist as one example of a device that many younger Iowans have replaced by using their smartphones.
The digital driver's license is just one example of the Iowa DOT's push towards expanded use of new technology. The transportation agency has already installed dashboard cameras on snowplows and it is expanding a program for "paperless construction projects." The DOT is also expanding driver's license kiosk locations, and it has experimented with a new method for accelerated bridge construction through modular construction.
DOT plans consolidation at Ames headquarters
The Iowa Department of Transportation is proposing to consolidate facilities at its headquarters in Ames, DOT Director Paul Trombino told Gov. Terry Branstad on Monday. The plans call for selling property housing the DOT's Annex Facilities and Conference Center, and adding two floors to the main administration building south of Lincoln Way. Stand-alone outbuildings would be demolished.
The sale of some state property would create an opportunity for prime real estate to be available for economic growth and to be returned to property tax rolls, Trombino said. The plan would reduce the DOT's footprint and eliminate 16,000 square feet of space. The outer skin of the Northwest Wing would be replaced.
Trombino is asking for $14.8 million in state money for the project. After property is sold and utility savings are realized, the net cost of the project would be $11 million, he said. Branstad will consider the DOT's proposal in developing his budget proposal for the Iowa Legislature's 2015 session, which convenes in January.
http://www.desmoinesregister.com/st...-digital-smartphone-drivers-license/20114979/
theres NO WAY you can rely on a smartphone to have your license on you at all times
