Wilson Center’s Science & Technology Innovation Program

, , , , , , , , ,

New Open Data Rules Continue Push for Government Innovation

In Commons Lab, Foresight, Governance, News and Events, Technology and the Law on May 9, 2013 at 12:08 pm

low power

FCC Visualization of Low Power FM Availability, built on open data and explained on GitHub.

Today, the Office of Management and Budget and the Office of Science and Technology Policy jointly released a new Open Data Policy directing agencies to implement specific structural reforms. In conjunction with an Executive Order prioritizing open and machine readable government information, these adjustments are forward looking and exciting. They speak to a general understanding that a deliberate approach to the way that data are processed and released can exponentially enhance their value.

We’ve seen several examples of the drive towards open data and innovation, and today’s releases should augment previous improvements. Philosophically, the Open Data Policy commands agencies to view information as an asset, building an approach that will allow people inside and outside of government to leverage its potential. The Policy’s requirements look at the life cycle of data in practical terms, envisioning a process where accessibility is the norm. This includes using machine-readable and open formats, following data standards, using open licenses and choosing common core and extensible metadata. The Policy directs that information systems support interoperability and information accessibility, and strengthening data security to protect privacy and confidentiality.

An exciting manifestation of this Policy is Project Open Data. Provided via the dynamic coding community GitHub, Project Open Data could be a rich resource for agencies working to implement this Policy and citizens looking to learn more. It is designed as “an online repository of tools, best practices and schema to help agencies adopt the framework presented in this guidance.” Envisioning it as a “community resource,” it will include definitions, explanations, code, checklists and case studies. This type of educational and collaborative hub has helped facilitate thriving technology communities. Project Open Data could go a long way towards providing agencies the tools they need to get the job done.

We’ll continue to track these developments as they arise. Today’s releases show an encouraging emphasis on the nuts and bolts of making open government data the status quo, not an exception.

View the Commons Lab’s case study on the National Broadband Map as government open innovation here.

Comment »

, , , , , ,

Connecting Grassroots to Government Podcast #1: Eric Rasmussen

In Foresight, News and Events, Commons Lab, Disaster Management, Crowdsourcing on May 6, 2013 at 2:28 pm

Editor’s note: In September 2012, the Commons Lab hosted the Connecting Grassroots to Government for Disaster Management workshop. Over two days, we spoke with a number of event participants for a series of video podcasts covering various aspect of the proceedings. The conversation below with Eric Rasmussen is the first of these podcasts. Please stay tuned: Additional installments will be posted in the coming weeks and the workshop summary report will be published in June.

Eric Rasmussen wears many hats: He is a medical doctor, a research professor for environmental security and global medicine at San Diego State University, an affiliate associate professor of medicine at the University of Washington, and the managing director at Infinitum Humanitarian Systems, a “profit-for-purpose” company in California that focuses on reducing vulnerability for systems and populations. In addition to sitting on a number of boards, Rasmussen served in the Navy for more than 25 years and was deployed more than 15 times to Iraq, Afghanistan and other countries.

In this podcast, Rasmussen discusses the limitations software developers face when moving ideas from concept to implementation in disaster response, noting that developers often have too little access to end users and too little understanding of the constraints faced by those users in the field. He also discusses the need to engage agencies and other responders early on to make sure new systems are incorporated into agency response plans and the role of policymakers in addressing these challenges.


Comment »

, , ,

NEW POLICY MEMO: Cybersecurity Issues in Social Media and Crowdsourcing

In Commons Lab, Crowdsourcing, News and Events, Reports and Publications on April 29, 2013 at 12:00 pm

trustworthy_thumb

The Commons Lab today released a new policy memo exploring the vulnerabilities facing the widespread use and acceptance of social media and crowdsourcing. This is the second publication in the project’s policy memo series.

Using real-world examples, security expert George Chamales describes the most-pressing cybersecurity vulnerabilities in this space and calls for the development of best practices to address these vulnerabilities, ultimately concluding that it is possible for institutions to develop trust in the emerging technologies. From the memo’s executive summary:

Individuals and organizations interested in using social media and crowdsourcing currently lack two key sets of information: a systematic assessment of the vulnerabilities in these technologies and a comprehensive set of best practices describing how to address those vulnerabilities. Identifying those vulnerabilities and developing those best practices are necessary to address a growing number of incidents ranging from innocent mistakes to targeted attacks that have claimed lives and cost millions of dollars.

Click here to read the full memo on Scribd.

Comment »
Follow

Get every new post delivered to your Inbox.

Join 340 other followers