Session Description: The potential for Government 2.0 is both real and exciting: technology-wise, we can now cheaply and efficiently enable a government that is transparent, participatory, collaborative, and effective. But there are some very real, very stubborn obstacles in the form of outdated laws, regulations, and policies. Andrew will outline these barriers, and set forth an agenda for reform.

This session took place Friday, April 3, 2009 and kicked off the Government 2.0 track of sessions.  The speaker:

• Andrew McLaughlin, Google

This was a fascinating session, and Andrew did his best to cover what he did to assist with the transition committee, Tigger, to transition President Obama into the White House.  Andrew dedicated his personal time, taking three months off from his job at Google to commute to Washington DC during the week and back home to the Bay Area on weekends, from Election Day to Inauguration Day, to help.

He used a really cool software called MindMap (I think) that he actually said was proprietary, but it was basically an outline on steroids, so forgive me if there are a LOT of notes; I tried to get everything, but I’m sure some might not make sense.

Bullet Point Review!

• The promise: transparency, participation, collaboration, efficiency & effectiveness.
  • Get a better government; spend less money.
• Some Examples:
  • DC: CapStat Mapping Application
    • Puts government data in citizens’ hands in real time.
    • Key facts:
      • All 911 and 311 reports are viewable online, same day, with full tracking to resolution.
      • Every city agency must provide public data feeds; now more than 260 live data feeds.
      • 2008 year to date homicide rate down 19% over 07.
    • Mapping applications
  • DataCatalog
  • Apps for Democracy
  • DC Stumble Safely
    • Virtual Alabama
      • Emergency response platform becomes backbone of statewide gov collaboration and performance.
        • Changed government culture across the state to reward sharing and use of data, rather than hoarding and ownership.
    • Now used to improve operations in all kinds of ways not originally envisioned.
    • Key facts
      • Total cost $160k + 2 staff.
      • Supports 550 agencies.
      • 10 days from decision to functioning system.
      • Enables state to mothball expensive emergency operations center, saving millions.
      • Uses Google Earth geo platform.
      • Can be used by governor and police/responding agencies.
      • If you want access to this, you have to give us your data in real time and keep it updated – has worked well.
      • Hopefully positive political pressure will also en courage participation.
  • Washington State Dashboards
    • Since 2005
      • 93% of highway projects completed on time, 95% within budget.
      • <24 hour response time to child abuse calls went from 69% to 95%.
      • Doubled job placement rates.
      • Lowest traffic fatality rate in history.
    • Data driven management isn’t new; what’s new are the cheap, powerful IT tools that drive performance.
  • SeeClickFix
    • Lets you create an area to monitor reports of complaints.
• The Obstacles:
  • Acquisition and procurement.
    • Federal procurement.
      • Must government use of free online service be subjected to a competitive bidding process?
      • Gratuitous service agreements for free apps.
        • Library of Congress iTunes, Flickr, YouTube
        • GSA: YouTube, Flickr, vimeo, blip.tv
      • Advertising: agencies are restricted from carrying advertising for private individuals, firms, or corporations (so if it’s ad supported, can’t use it).
      • Government subject to terms and conditions, but has to individually evaluate and perhaps not be subject to those.
    • Indemnification
      • Anti Deficiency Act
        • Federal contracts can only provide for ltd indemnification unless a specific statue provides otherwise.
        • But conventional website boilerplate terms and conditions like Google, YouTube, provide for unlimited liability.
        • Example: The VA wanted to use Second Life to rehabilitate vets.
          • Linden Labs contract specified unlimited liability, so had to have a special contract drafted.
    • Legal jurisdiction and venue.
      • Federal agencies are governed by fed law. Agency GCs won’t sign contracts that bind them to state law.
      • Most internet companies terms define legal jurisdiction in a specific state.
  • Access
    • Employee access and use of social media.
      • Acceptable use of Facebook during work.
      • Some agencies prohibit use of social networking and other web 2.0 sites.
      • Need to establish a presumption.
    • Disabled Access
      • Needs to be equally accessible for disabled and non disabled
      • Can the government sign a contract with a web service that is not section 508 compliant? If so, how to ensure equal access to info for disabled employees and citizens?
    • Freedom of Information Act
      • Challenge if iterative media
        • How many versions of a document are subject to FOIA requests?
      • Danger of disclosure of user login data, which would discourage citizen use of web tools.
        • Need to clarify that personal data is exempt from FOIA.
  • Privacy and Security
    • Privacy
      • OMB circular on cookies.
        • Prohibits federal websites from using persistent cookies unless certain conditions are met.
          • Persistent browsing.
        • So federal web can’t remember preferences or settings, or gather web analytics.
        • Needs to be fixed to enable persistent cookies while protecting citizen privacy.
      • 3rd party websites and embedded content.
    • IT Security
      • Malware, spyware via web 2.0 use, threat to agency networks and citizen personal information.
      • Every technology platform adopted by the government must undergo a rigorous security review.
      • Federal Information Systems” included.
  • Management Statuses.
    • Paperwork Reduction Act
      • Requires some forms of web 2.0 information collection to undergo a time-consuming OMB clearance process.
        • Example: solicitations of input and ideas to improve government that involve particular data about users.
          • Stories and Experiences
        • Public engagement tools can trigger OMB info collection requirement and approval process.
      • “Public Information Collecting Activities”
        • Example: TSA blog’s use of a survey.
    • Presidential Records Act
      • Requires preservation of all written white house communications.
        • “Document Material” = records
        • When is a wiki doc or online comment forum final and thus is a “record”?
      • Electronic records must be kept in written form.
        • Printer overload
    • • Need to enable electronic storage of web-based records.
        • Official websites like WhiteHouse.gov
        • Official postings on third party sites like YouTube videos, Flickr photos, Facebook status updates.
  • Commercial Endorsement
    • Advertising supported 3rd party sites?
      • YouTube
      • Facebook
    • Exclusive use of a single service?
      • They do redundancy of services.
• A Reform Agenda
  • Laws, regulation, rules
    • Takes time.
    • Sometimes there are statutes that require the cooperation of Congress, etc.
  • Culture
    • People -> Send Good People
      • President Obama really personally “gets it”.

Points brought up during the Q&A

• GMAP really fantastic management process but still needs work; not really parsable.
• Wonderful in theory, hard to manage in practice.
• Now considered mandatory in campaigning to have a great website with lots of awesome content.
• User interface always lags behind the back end.

Especially with my involvement of late in lobbying in Sacramento against legistlation that could really hurt my industry, this session hit home for me and convinced me to stay for the rest of the Government 2.0 sessions that day.

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As I mentioned yesterday, I only made it to day 1 and 2 of the keynotes.  I tried my best to get there on time, but just barely missed the BART train I needed to get to Moscone on time to catch the beginning of they keynotes.  So admittedly, these aren’t the best notes I’ve ever taken, and for that I apologize.

Anssi Vanjoki, Nokia: The Year of the Mobile Computer: Mobile Computers as Personal (Mobile) Computers

• Context is forming everything.
• Social locations are the future.
• Anssi showed video of the Morph phone, currently in development, and MAN does it look SWEET!

Ellen Miller, Sunlight Foundation: A Conversation with Ellen Miller

• Information is not public unless it is online.
• Real-time availability and disclosure.
• Creating accountability within government.
• Trying to do for data what open source did for software.
• Trying to redesign government.

Kevin Lynch, Adobe Systems Incorporated

• Kevin didn’t really talk about much except to demonstrate a new product they’re working on called Flash Catalyst.  It looked REALLY cool; basically Flash meets Illustrator to easily design widgets and apps.

I was stoked to see Flash Catalyst because it appeals to my designer side, and that Morph from Nokia… consider a smart phone that can fold, wrap around your wrist, match color to your purse or outfit of the day, etc.  Awesome!

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Most conferences I’ve been to have one keynote for the entire conference, maybe one keynote per day.  This conference had a bunch of keynotes all in one big block – every day!  On the official Day 1 of the conference, April 1st, they had the keynotes in the evening after the sessions and before the cocktail reception, sponsored by Palm. The other days the keynotes were in the morning. I made it to the keynotes on the 2nd, but not on the 3rd, so those notes are coming tomorrow. Without further ado, here is a recap of some random notes I took during the first day’s keynote sessions.

Tim O’Reilly, O’Reilly Media: O’Reilly Radar

• Google figured out how to extract additional data.
• Able to extract meaning.
• Starting to see coordination of electronic sensors.
• A meaningful names pace is a very powerful tool.
• Meaning doesn’t have to be formalized.
• The energy signature of major appliances are so unique you can identify the make/model by the energy surge.
• We’re getting beyond the point where the web is just fun and it’s starting to work.
• Web 2.0 + World = Web Squared
• History is on a different course because of someone being able to understand how to apply technology (President Obama).
• The Power of Less
• Take what we’ve learned with the consumer internet and apply it to hard problems.
• Build a simple system – let it evolve.
• Create more value than you capture.
• Continue to create, invent, and make value.

John Maeda, Rhode Island School of Design: “Open Source Administration”

• Developed the laws of simplicity.
• Forever Stamp the perfect example of simplicity of design.
• Technology makes things happen at light speed.
• The pendulum swung towards tech and now it’s swinging back to humanity.
• RISD is a traditional art and design school.
• Perfect symbol for American innovation.
• Used to have a hierarchy of leadership tree, turning into a network that you can talk to anyone in.
• Creative Leadership:
  • Leading Creatively – example Steve Jobs
  • Google creative leadership

Stephen Elop,  Microsoft Business Division: A Conversation with Stephen Elop

• People are bringing in different perspectives.
• Has the benefit of learning from other areas of the business.
• Taking on the cloud: Microsoft working to combine offline.
• Will there be MS Office apps for the iPhone? Keep watching!
• Beta code for Office online soon (maybe next year).
• Software plus services.
• Sharepoint is the fastest growing product in the history of Microsoft.
• If they redo any interface, half a billion people use the products and would have to re-learn the software.
• OneNote is like Word on crack.
• Microblogging – will Microsoft get into that? They’re experimenting with it and blogs.
• There’s a joke that Microsoft is the evil empire, so Stephen gave Tim a “I am the Empire” shirt people around the MS campus have been wearing lately.

Amanda Koster, SalaamGarage: Imagine What You Can Do

• Telling stories that will make a difference in people’s lives.
• She told the story of a little girl and what it’s like to go on a SalaamGarage.com trip.
• Tell someone’s story through you, through your social media.
• Use your influence to educate to make a difference.
• It’s all for amateurs; not for professional photographers.
• They’ve used ReveNews
• It’s not a broad message, it’s one little girl, that you met, whose story you can share.

Michael Abbott, Palm, Inc.: High Order Bit

• New Palms run on a web OS
• Cards – multiple apps running at once.
• Palm Synergy – bring the data together in a single place.
• Notifications – notice manager.
• Web OS platform built with HTML, Java, and CSS.
• Doesn’t require a server to run.

Tim O’Reilly had very engaging and interesting things to say, and I loved listening to John Maeda’s presentation.  Stephen Elop seemed to be on the defensive a little during the Q&A portion of their conversation, and what he said kind of ran on a little and I tuned out unintentionally.  I appreciated Amanda’s passion and I really like what they’re doing at SalaamGarage, but towards the end it did sound like a Save the Children commercial.  Finally, since I have a Blackberry that I love I kind of tuned out Michael’s commercial for the new Palm Pre, but it DID sound like a pretty handy little PDA.

I’m glad that they made the video of John Maeda available and I wish they’d have made the video of Amanda Koster available too, because they were both good speakers.

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