Digital Government: The Third Platform

The launch of the Government Digital Strategy earlier this year has spurred great discussion around the power of new technologies in government. Thom Rubel, VP of Research at IDC Government Insights, recently launched a YouTube Tech Talk, Government and the Third Platform, which addresses several of the opportunities that have arisen from technology innovation. In his video, Rubel discusses the “third platform”, stating that it is:

“A universe of smart connected things. It’s build upon four pillars: mobile devices and apps, social technologies, big data and analytics, and cloud computing. And though the third platform evolved through the proliferation of innovations and devices targeted largely at the commercial consumer market, the implications and opportunities for government are incredible.”

Rubel discusses the evolution of these technologies, starting with the understanding that mobile and social technologies are now in the hands of both the government workforce as well as citizens. This has allowed for increased communication, providing government with the ability to adjust services to respond to citizen needs.

One of the results government has seen from new technology is a huge increase in data, which, as Rubel says, can be rich with valuable information. He continued that, “The challenge for government is to manage, analyze, use, and store that data competently in ways that allow it to become more responsive to citizens.”

If you are interested in hearing more from Thom Rubel, or have questions you would like to pose, he will be speaking at GovDelivery’s event, Digital Government: The Transformative Power of Communications, You can register here and check out the full list of speakers.

Digital Government: The Transformative Power of Communications

• Keynote Speaker: Peter Sims, author of Little Bets: How Breakthrough Idea Emerge from Small Discoveries and co-author of True North: Discover Your Authentic Leadership
• Location: Grand Hyatt, 1000 H Street NW, Washington D.C. 20001
• Room: Constitution C
• Date: Tuesday, October 16, 2012
• Time: 7:30am – 12:30pm
• Cost: There is no charge for government employees, officials, and contractors – breakfast is included