24 July 2009
Obama Administration Breaks New Ground on the Internet
Outreach initiative seeks to engage public in policymaking
Washington — During his presidential campaign, Barack Obama impressed Americans and the world with his deft use of the Internet and social networking technologies. Now his administration is using the Internet to make government more accessible and include citizens in the policymaking process.
The Open Government initiative, announced by the White House May 21, calls for more citizen participation to enhance government effectiveness and for greater collaboration across all levels of government and with the private sector to harness innovative tools. It provides an online platform allowing Americans to share and evaluate ideas on how to make government information more accessible.
The idea was conceived the day after Obama took office, when he issued the Memorandum on Transparency and Open Government. The memorandum calls for greater government transparency, which, it said, promotes accountability.
In announcing the Open Government effort, Valerie Jarrett, senior adviser and assistant to the president for intergovernmental affairs and public engagement, said the initiative will help achieve “a new foundation for our government — a foundation built on the values of transparency, accountability and responsibility.”
President Obama, she said, “believes that effective policy benefits from the best available information in society, and that the expertise from a diverse segment of Americans will strengthen government policies and approaches.”
Vivek Kundra, White House chief information officer, and Beth Noveck, deputy chief technology officer for Open Government, described the initiative as a “sea change from conventional practice.”
On the White House blog, they said: “We are not asking for comments on an already-finished set of draft recommendations, but are seeking fresh ideas from you (the American people) early in the process of creating recommendations. We will carefully consider your comments, suggestions and proposals.”
Americans, they explained, may offer their recommendations for the Open Government initiative via the White House Web site and vote on suggested ideas. As of May 28, the White House had received more than 900 submissions and 33,000 votes.
On June 3, the most compelling ideas from the initial brainstorming period will be put on a weblog for discussion, Kundra and Noveck said. Then on June 15, Americans will be invited to use a wiki to draft recommendations in a collaborative fashion.
Finally, the White House chief technology officer, in coordination with the U.S. Office of Management and Budget and the U.S. General Services Administration, will review the public recommendations before issuing directives that will guide federal agencies in implementing the final initiatives into their daily practices.
FEDERAL AGENCIES MAKING INFORMATION MORE ACCESSIBLE
Although virtually all federal agencies maintain their own Web sites, the fact that the information they contain is fragmented across multiple sites and formats can make it difficult for users to track down the information they need.
In an effort to resolve this problem, the Federal Chief Information Council, a federal interagency forum aiming to improve information technology management, launched a new Web site called Data.gov.
Office of Management and Budget Director Peter Orszag described Data.gov as “a one-stop shop for free access to data generated across all federal agencies.”
“Data.gov will open up the workings of government by making economic, healthcare, environmental, and other government information available on a single website, allowing the public to access raw data and transform it in innovative ways,” Orszag said on the White House blog May 21. Data.gov, he said, is part of President Obama’s commitment to “democratizing information.”
But Data.gov is also expected to help government agencies operate more efficiently and save tax dollars, Orszag said. “Through live data feeds, agencies will have the ability to easily access data both internally and externally from other agencies, which will allow them to maintain higher levels of performance,” he said.
In addition, the Environmental Protection Agency and the Office of Management and Budget, as part of the Open Government initiative, launched Regulations.gov Exchange, a Web site for taking public input on the best ways to achieve public participation in federal agency rulemaking.
Additionally, the White House continues to seek public input via the Federal Register. First launched in 1934 in print form and now accessible on the Internet, the Federal Register is the U.S. government’s official daily publication for rules, proposed rules, notices issued by federal entities, executive orders and other presidential documents. (See “U.S. Federal Register Informs Citizens of Government Actions.”)
The White House is showcasing information innovations on its Web site, Innovations Gallery. More information is available about the Open Government initiative on the White House Web site.
The full text of the January Memorandum on Transparency and Open Government also is available on the White House Web site.
