Gov 2.0: Weaving Tech Through the Basket of Government

By Guest Contributor Kate Krontiris

There has been much talk of Obama’s “tech presidency” – and not just because he refused to give up his Blackberry. President Obama himself is a digital native, but the use of social media and information technology at all levels of government is what has really launched the federal infrastructure into the era of Gov 2.0. The administration has its first-ever “Chief Technology Officer” (Aneesh Chopra) and has commenced the Open Government Initiative, a directive requiring federal agencies to immediately commit to specific actions for greater transparency, participation, and collaboration. Technology is obviously a key component of this new policy.

Taking in all of the tech-related activity in government, I have come across three initiatives that I think are particularly good and that represent the range of possibilities. They match a technology resource to a real public need, they are simple and easily-consumable, and they help us think about how to capitalize on the technology already available to us in new ways.

Data.gov

If you are wondering where stimulus dollars are going, how well your local fourth-graders are doing in math, or the concentration of veterans returning to your town, Data.gov is the place to look. It is a central location for the Executive Branch to push out all sorts of data about how government is performing – not only in its “raw” form for the real data geeks, but also accompanied by tools that help the layperson digest the information they are looking at.

Text4Baby

Expectant mothers can now text “BABY” to 511411 (or “BEBE” para Español) and receive free public health messages each week, timed to the baby’s due date. Messages include ways that moms can take care of their health and give their babies the best possible start in life. While this initiative was coordinated through the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, it represents a collaboration between private sector companies (for example, Johnson and Johnson), public agencies (such as the Department of Health), and wireless phone service providers.

Digital Diplomacy

Under Secretary Clinton’s leadership, the internet and technology have taken a front seat in “21st Century Statecraft,” which is the Secretary’s vision for renewed American engagement in foreign affairs. In the coming year, the State Department will begin implementing initiatives to promote “internet freedom,” enhance online access across the developing world, and train civil society stakeholders in web-based organizing. One example is the use of mobile phone technology to directly pay soldiers in Afghanistan or the Congo, where graft has traditionally resulted in reduced or even non-payment. This kind of simple solution can seriously improve the capacity and performance of key state institutions.

In the coming years, I think we will see more and more innovations like these – and our government will have changed for the better, to appropriately suit the needs and talents of our millennial generation.

* * *