Singer-songwriter and actor Tom Waits once said, “We are buried beneath the weight of information, which is being confused with knowledge.” This is particularly relevant for discussions regarding open data. Open data has the potential to do great things and some advocates call for the publication of all available data – a “You got it?Read… Read more »
Your team has spent countless hours pulling together data, organizing it, and finally publishing it for anyone to use. Congratulations! You’ve successfully created open data. But your job is not yet done. The next step is to engage your audience with the information you’ve produced. After all, what’s the use of opening your data toRead… Read more »
Below is an excerpt from GovLoop’s latest guide, Capitalizing on the Open Data Revolution. You can access the full guide here. MedWatcher is a free mobile and web app that allows patients to understand and report side effects of drugs, medical devices and vaccines. The service was created in 2010 and is an early exampleRead… Read more »
His first day in office, President Obama called for a more open, participatory and transparent government. “Openness will strengthen our democracy and promote efficiency and effectiveness in Government,” he wrote in his Transparency and Open Government Memorandum. But for some agencies, the idea of opening and publicly releasing data is old news. The questions todayRead… Read more »
A few years ago I heard it said by political advisors that one hand-written letter to a Minister counts for more than 100 emails on the same topic.The perception was that if someone sat down and wrote their thoughts in long-hand it showed more interest and commitment than if they typed and posted them onlineRead… Read more »
Six words of advice for the U.S. Digital Service As I mentioned, I was away last week. One of the announcements that came out: The release of the U.S. Digital Service and the Digital Service Playbook. U.S. Digital Services Playbook: The American people expect to interact with government through digital channels such as websites, email,Read… Read more »
This case study is excerpted from our latest free guide, The Future of Digital Public Services. For the full case study, and many more like it that explore how digital services can transform your agency, download the guide here. As with many public-sector agencies, the Agriculture Department’s National Resource Conservation Service (NRCS) is looking forRead… Read more »
According to the White House’s fiscal year 2015 budget document, the federal government’s IT spending will be cut by $2.4 billion. State and local level cuts reflect an even sharper decrease in IT and support service budgets. Contrast that to IT spending in the private sector, which is predicted to increase by nearly 4 percentRead… Read more »
By John Simpson, Engagement Consultant What should go into your digital engagement strategy can be a complex and organizationally challenging question. The specifics of your own strategy are usually discovered with some internal “soul searching” and by nailing down exactly what public engagement is for you and your leadership. Yet, there are a few basicRead… Read more »
In response to the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) began a strategic transformation from a law-enforcement to a threat-focused intelligence agency. A case study1 of the progress in the transformation at the FBI shows how strategic resources propelled by inertia, along with theRead… Read more »