Thanks to all who attended Developing Solutions Camp on Friday. We had an exciting day of interactive working with about 50 people in the room and 6 teams working on ideas that had been submitted under the first phase of the competition. Congratulations to the winners of the mobile application competition; the team who workedRead… Read more »
From amazing metaphors involving adorable puppies to reflections about how data can transform generalities into actions, I was fortunate to attend the first CityCamp held in Minneapolis, Minnesota on 11/12/2011. This un-conference is designed to be more of an open exchange of ideas than the traditional professional conference that most of us are use toRead… Read more »
Presidential approval ratings have important consequences for legislative success and, of course, re-election. We also know presidential approval ratings, when they rise or fall below a certain level, signal future presidential successes or presidential struggles. An approval rising above or falling below 50 percent is an important benchmark. There are many factors influencing fluctuations inRead… Read more »
The 2nd annual CityCamp Colorado was held on October 28, 2011, with about sixty participants from eighteen cities and counties around Colorado, several private IT sector leaders, members of academia, and the engaged public. (Cross posted from the Open Colorado website, http://opencolorado.org/blog/citycamp-colorado-recap-2/) Here’s a rundown of how the day went: Opening remarks from Tom Downey,Read… Read more »
*What questions do you have about open data, apps contests and sustainability?* Earlier this year, the Environmental Protection Agency launched a contest to build “green apps” using its data. After months of preparation, development, publicity and engagement, the contest produced 38 apps:http://appsfortheenvironment.challenge.gov/submissions Last week, the winners of the contest were announcedhttp://www.epa.gov/appsfortheenvironment/winners.html Tomorrow, I’ll be moderatingRead… Read more »
I was watching the news the other day and started thinking about the differences between news analysts and news reporters. Many channels now have folks with titles like senior news analyst, senior Washington correspondent, policy analyst, and so on. When did reporting “news” become more than just actually telling folks what happened in a particularRead… Read more »
On November 4, 2010, U.S. President Barack Obama signed a new Executive Order to establish a uniform policy for the government treatment of “Controlled Unclassified Information” (CUI). This framework standardizes practices around the sharing of Controlled Unclassified Information, with the goal of improving the sharing of information within the executive departments of the U.S. FederalRead… Read more »
Where do you start to standardize legislative information for all 50 United States? Blazing an open data trail for one state government isn’t easy, so shifting 50 must be nearly impossible. Or is it? The Open State Project is making progress towards the impossible—and closing in on the goal. When I first heard about thisRead… Read more »
The information is out there. The technology is available. All it requires is a fair bit of inspiration and a little bit of perspiration to develop small scale applications that can really make a difference to people’s lives. A map can tell you which direction to go in, but it cannot tell you what yourRead… Read more »
USFS Program Selected by Presidents Council on Environmental Quality as a Pilot Program to Help Modernize and Reinvigorate NEPA The President’s Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) announced August 31st that the Electronic Management of NEPA (eMNEPA) program at the U.S. Forest Service (USFS) has been selected for the NEPA (National Environmental Policy Act) Pilot Program,Read… Read more »