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 But there are some very real, very stubborn obstacles in the form of outdated laws, regulations, and policies.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.
- Emergency response platform becomes backbone of statewide gov collaboration and performance.
- 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.
- Virtual Alabama
- 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.
- Since 2005
- SeeClickFix
- Lets you create an area to monitor reports of complaints.
- DC: CapStat Mapping Application
- 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.
- Anti Deficiency Act
- 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.
- Federal procurement.
- 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.
- Challenge if iterative media
- Employee access and use of social media.
- 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.
- Prohibits federal websites from using persistent cookies unless certain conditions are met.
- 3rd party websites and embedded content.
- OMB circular on cookies.
- 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.
- Privacy
- 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.
- Example: solicitations of input and ideas to improve government that involve particular data about users.
- “Public Information Collecting Activities”
- Example: TSA blog’s use of a survey.
- Requires some forms of web 2.0 information collection to undergo a time-consuming OMB clearance process.
- 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
- Requires preservation of all written white house communications.
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- 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.
- Need to enable electronic storage of web-based records.
- Paperwork Reduction Act
- Commercial Endorsement
- Advertising supported 3rd party sites?
- YouTube
- Exclusive use of a single service?
- They do redundancy of services.
- Advertising supported 3rd party sites?
- Acquisition and procurement.
- 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”.
- People -> Send Good People
- Laws, regulation, rules
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.
