General News

NY Congressman introduces sweeping Open Gov legislation

2010-03-18T22:17:00Z

Rep. Steve Israel (D-NY) introduced legislation on Tuesday to force all executive branch agencies to publish non-confidential data online. The bill, known as the Public Online Information Act (POIA), would also create an open data protocol for the federal government, which would demand that agencies display this data in a user-friendly database.

While plenty of government data is already legally required to be made public, much of it is inaccessible as anyone who has ever tried to file a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request can tell you. Some government agencies are reluctant to release data; others struggle to keep pace with FOIA requests, and then some of the data released is extremely difficult to read.

“Right now, our government will stamp something 'public' and lock it away in a warehouse in Maryland,” Rep. Israel explained. “That's about as accessible and transparent as a nuclear missile silo.”

“It's time for 'public' to mean something different,” he said. “My bill will require that all executive branch agencies make their public documents easily available online. People across the country -- from scholars to school children -- should be able to see any public government information from the convenience of their computer."

Helping Rep. Israel write the legislation were think tanks that work towards more transparent government in Washington. Ellen Miller, co-director of the Sunlight Foundation, praised Rep. Israel's efforts. “We commend Rep. Israel for his work to ensure that government information will be available to everyone within a few keystrokes on a computer,” Miller said.

Another group that helped draft the legislation, the Personal Democracy Forum, was also full of praise for POIA. Founder Andrew Rasiej said that the bill will “redefine what the term 'public information' means for democracy and civic life in the 21st century.”

The legislation would not, however, force government agencies to publish data from before the bill's enactment, and would give government agencies three years to come up with a system of only making data acquired after POIA's passing public.

Unless, of course, that information is about President Obama's true place of birth, which, as we all know, will be kept under wraps at his underground lair inside the Communist Party compound in France. Just joking, White House.

Read more about POIA from Truthout.org.

Spigit crowdsourcing tech takes aim at government

2010-03-17T16:24:00Z

However brilliant America’s forefathers were, they did not foresee the day when democracy would truly be “by the people.” But with a growing belief that more ideas are better, today’s technology is enabling our democracy to approach its purest form. While government websites embrace social media to make communication with citizens easier than ever, with access to new software, government by the people may be ready for launch.

Today the software management firm Spigit and IT collaborative specialists Metro Star Systems are announcing the expansion of their General Services Administration contract to allow government organizations to purchase their software on GSA IT-70. The software will provide the agency with a platform from which it can communicate with its citizens and constituents in a transparent, structured and actionable manner. The technology might just prove to be more effective than the black hole that was the suggestion box at city hall, although perhaps not as entertaining to read.

“Metro Star is excited to announce that Spigit’s innovation software is available to our government customers,” said Ali Reza Manouchehri, CEO of Metro Star Systems. “Spigit has a history of providing social software to top Fortune 1000 enterprises and businesses. With our partnership government agencies will now have access to a broader range of social media products from Metro Star Systems to connect and communicate with their citizens and constituents.”

We asked Scott Anderson, Vice President of Partner Relationships at Spigit, when they considered that their software would be a good fit for the government. “Our analytics have revealed government organizations in the US and around the world have been researching Spigit’s capabilities on Spigit.com for quite a while. We realized the power the Spigit SaaS platform could bring to government agencies to enable them to empower and connect with citizens, and allow them to create and collaborate on innovative and actionable ideas."

Proving that you don’t have to be big in order to be innovative, the folks down in Manor, TX, population 6,500, have been using the Spigit software in their own city government. Working closely with their partner, the city opened the website Manor Labs where citizens can log in and submit ideas. “We wanted to demonstrate to other cities how to build a sustainable innovation platform,” said Dustin Haisler, Chief Information Officer of Manor.

Anderson told OhMyGov that “the city of Manor, TX is using Spigit for Government to ask citizens for input in eight categories, including IT services, the court system, police, utility billing, and public works. Citizens get virtual currency for their efforts --- called "Innobucks" --- and can cash in these rewards for a ride with the police chief or even a rare custom-framed flag of the state of Texas. The effort is early, but thus far, the City of Manor, TX has received 68 ideas, with police being the most popular department.”

So far at Manor Labs the ideas submitted have covered a wide spectrum, from serious proposals like this --- “As a new form of economic development, the city of Manor could utilize augmented reality to allow prospective businesses to visualize how vacant land could potentially be developed” --- to less serious ones like “It’s my understanding that the water from the old downtown Artisan well is in the neighborhood of 180 degrees. If the hot water is still flowing, why not uncap it and open a resort offering hot artisan baths.” (The hot baths are currently leading the augmented reality 11 promotions to 9).

The benefits of this software, according to Anderson, are multifold. “Engaging with citizens’ results in a better allocation of resources, as well as improved efficiency and operations, as government learns what citizens want, sometimes at a neighborhood by neighborhood level. When used internally, Spigit helps government employees in exactly the same way; by making their ideas become a reality. It is empowering for individuals to believe they can make a difference, particularly in large organizations where employees can sometimes feel that their ideas are not valued.”

The ability for government organizations to purchase professional crowd-sourcing software is just another step in the direction of the “open and participatory” government that US CIO Vivek Kundra envisions. The success of the program in Manor is proof that it can work at many different levels both large and small. “The results can be incredible, where a simple idea evolves through our process to become something that vastly improves government services, or saves taxpayers money,” said Anderson.

Can my boss delay my departing date for a new position?

2010-03-17T11:46:00Z

Dear Bureaupat,

I am in the process of accepting a new position at a different government agency. I know that my boss is not happy about me leaving her department. Could she delay the process by delaying my last day of employment at current job? Is there a rule about this? Thanks.

Dear Departing,

Generally speaking, a government employer can not hold back an employee from the gaining government employer. Typically, the losing organization gets notice of one pay period (two weeks) for a promotion and two-pay periods (4 weeks) for a lateral move to plan your going-away party and finish the transition.

That is the policy and general practice, but it's not unusual for a the losing organization to cry the blues to the gaining organization and ask for an extension. So it's in your best interest to let your new employer know that you want to get there as soon as possible so they can go to bat and remind the losing organization about the general rules above.

A word of caution: do your best to ensure that you leave on a good note. Believe it or not, government is a small community and you never know who you will cross paths with. Plus it's always nice to have a good reference for other jobs you may compete for in the future.

Yours in Gov,

Bureaupat

[EVENT] Social Media 101 for Seniors

2010-03-16T19:54:00Z

If you are a senior citizen in Boulder, Colorado and want to learn how to use social media, then this event is for you.

When: March 29th, 2010. 10:00 - 11:00 AM.

Cost: Free

Location: West Senior Center, Boulder, CO (909 Arapahoe)

Register: More info here.

[EVENT] Open Gov West

2010-03-16T18:36:00Z

A number of governments throughout the greater Northwest have launched open government directives. Open Gov West is hoping to bring these regional open government leaders together.

The conference includes a work summit on the first day and an "unconference" on the second.

Sponsored by the City of Seattle, Knowledge As Power, Re-Vision Labs, The Ford Foundation, Comcast, the Province of British Columbia and the Seattle Department of Information Technology.

When: March 26 - 27, 2010

Cost: $85 for both days (prices may vary).

Location: City Hall, Seattle WA (600 5th Ave)

Register: Sign up/more info about tickets here. More event information here.

States find Facebook, Twitter help engage state park fans

2010-03-16T15:23:00Z

It's not often that we read Recreation Management magazine. But a story this month caught our attention --- writer Stacy St. Clair profiles three different U.S. states' smart use of social media to promote their State Park systems.

Government communicators at public-facing government agencies can glean some useful tips from the case studies. Virginia State Parks Operations Director Nancy Heltman saw the success that candidate Barack Obama had using social media during his successful campaign for president, and decided to give Twitter a try. Heltman took the time to find and follow Twiter users who expressed a love for the outdoors, many of whom followed her @VAStateParks feed in return. The list grew from there, and now has more than 8,500 followers and an engaged audience that asks questions and benefits from the 10,000 plus messages posted to date. Though it's a time investment by Heltman, the cost of this extra outreach is virtually zero and she gathers great (often positive) feedback from park lovers.

State park officials in Arkansas focused on Facebook. Joe Jacobs, the manager of parks marketing and revenue, started a friend page in November 2008, and later expanding to a fan page that now boasts nearly 20,000 Arkansas state parks fans. By spending one to two hours a day managing the social media outreach, tapping travel writers for their regional expertise, and encouraging followers to post their own images, the state Parks and Tourism agency has cultivated a loyal following and even made some money.

"If you're not trying to engage everyone, then you're not going to be successful," Jacobs said.

The Recreation Management story also mentions South Carolina, which got onboard with Facebook in July 2009 and saw instant success with a campaign where a pair of state employees posted updates and photos from their statewide park visits. Facebook followers started showing up on the route to greet "Gwen and Ken," demonstrating that social media can engage fans and supporters in ways other media rarely do.

10 flaws in Data.gov data

2010-03-16T04:24:00Z

Accuracy errors, incorrectly labeled records, and poorly structured data are just 3 of the problems that Washington Technology contributor Michael Daconta sees with the government data posted to Data.gov.

"If government data is untrustworthy, the government defaults on its backstop role in society," Daconta writes. His "cursory examination" of newly-released data sets revealed a number of errors and inconsistencies that should trouble open government advocates and scientists looking for useful data, not just a numbers dump.

Census promotion hits Legoland

2010-03-16T04:02:00Z

The U.S. Census Bureau is promoting this year's all-important national headcount even in fictional places, reports The Washington Post's Federal Eye.

The Legoland amusement park in Carlsbad, California, is getting in on the Census action too. This isn't a paid promotion by the feds, but rather a cute way of spreading word about the decennial census to visitors and fans of the San Diego area attraction.

Six Lego characters sporting Census uniforms have been placed throughout the park's miniature cities and locales, and will remain there ostensibly counting Lego figures until July.

[EVENT] NHIN University - Exchanging eHealth Information Securely

2010-03-15T20:20:00Z

The National eHealth Collaborative is hosting the first Nationwide Heath Information Network (NHIN) University class online tomorrow. Students will learn about and discuss the many models of health information exchange that can be supported by the NHIN.

The lecture is being given by Douglas B. Fridsma, MD, PhD, Acting Director of Standards and Interoperability, Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT.

When: March 16, 2010. 2:00 - 3:00 PM.

Cost: Free

Where: Online.

Register: Sign up here.

Obama Caught Lip-Syncing Speech

2010-03-14T16:05:00Z

The Onion News Network breaks story of Obama lip syncing speech. Despite the controversy, Obama will not be altering the schedule of his upcoming tour opening for the Black Eyed Peas.