Developing open source and open government at Tech@State

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Open source technology and collaborative models will matter in media, mapping, education, smarter cities, national security, disaster response and much more in 2011 and beyond. The success of open source in building systems that work at scale offers an important lesson to government leaders as well: to meet grand national challenges and create standards for the future, often it’s best to work collectively on them. The hundreds of people who gathered yesterday at the United States Department of State spent the day parsing open source at Tech@State, the technology conference organized by the office of eDiplomacy.

Open source is playing an important role in open government, although it’s hardly a precondition for it. Whether it’s Energy.gov or House.gov moving to Drupal, middleware for open government data or codesharing with CivicCommons, open source matters more than ever.

One challenge that Gunnar Helleksen articulated in his presentation on Open Source for America’s federal open technology report card was that while many agencies are using open source, very few are contributing code or interacting with the community. As Melanie Chernoff pointed out, the Obama administration has shown unprecedented interest in open source.

The Administration generally emphasizes transparency, participation, and collaboration as government goals while maintaining a “technology neutral” policy. Yet they have shown unprecedented interest in open source.  Macon Phillips & Dave Cole of whitehouse.gov talked about how open source can help the federal government achieve its engagement and collaboration goals in their OSFA award acceptance speech.

Phillips said that the White House has released more open source code this week, available at WhiteHouse.gov/tech. Perhaps one of the most important slides from the entire day came from his presentation, where he noted that the accessibility module that the White House had released was being used by nearly 1000 websites. When we work on our platform and contribute back to the public,” said Phillips, “it’s part of our service to the public.”

Given its mission, however, the State Department will likely always need place limits on the radical transparency some equate with open government, but as Susan Swart, the department CIO, observed at Dipnote, “technology is the key enabler of our information enterprise.” Open source will be a part of that enterprise going forward, whether it’s MediaWiki, WordPress or Drupal.

Many of the conversations, videos and presentations from the Tech@State open source conference are captured below.

Open Source at the State Department and what the White House and HSS are doing with it

Video of Swart, Aneesh Chopra, CTO of the United States, Macon Phillips, White House new media director, and Todd Park, CTO at HHS, is embedded below:

http://www.ustream.tv/flash/viewer.swf

Open standards matter here too. As Phillips observed, the choice to use the H.264 online video standard and develop in HTML5 meant that when Apple released the iPad, the company featured WhiteHouse.gov, since users could go and watch video there. (In this context, at least, the White House avoided “shiny app syndrome.”)

As Chopra noted, the U.S. moved forward into the pilot phase of an open source model for health data systems as the fruits of the Direct Project came to Minnesota and Rhode Island. The Direct Project allows for the secure transmission of health care data over a network. Some observers have dubbed it the Health Internet , and the technology has the potential to save government hundreds of millions of dollars, along with supporting the growth of new electronic health records systems. “Healthcare information will be shared around the United States, powered by the direct protocol,” said Chopra. He says that’s a philosophy to “engage entrepreneurs as problem solvers” in the context of open energy, transportation, where government platforms can spur innovation.

No where is that locus more dynamic that in the release of open health data from the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). As Brian Kalish reported for NextGov, HHS wants to be a data ‘sugar daddy’, so to speak. To put it another way, HHS is making community health information as useful as weather data, and here come the healthcare apps as a result. Tens of thousands of people have used open health data in the iTriage app to find local health centers.HHS CTO Park says that the new HealthData.gov will be launching next week. In the meantime, HealthIndicators.gov is already live. Look for more activity in that space.

How We Got Here: Industry and Open Source Software

Jeremy Allison, creator of Samba, Chris DiBona, open source and public sector programs manager at Google, and Darren Krape, of State Department, offered up a frank discussion of the history open source and industry. Looking back, a lot of people thought that open source gathered steam because proprietary software wasn’t providing change fast enough, said DiBona. “They needed something that moved faster.”

In that context, Dibona described open source software as a “remarkable form of liberation,” with benefits wholly separate from philosophy. “As an end user, you don’t even know that you’re using it,” he said “I see it as the fruits of labor of tens of thousands of open source developers.”

Dibona asserted that open source can allow developers to move more quickly, with respect to bugs or building out features. It can also disrupt the industry. As he noted, “the computer business has been profitable but frankly some things don’t deserve to be any more.”

Allison similarly observed that  lot of the time the easiest way for an organization to get needed functionality is to “just download something and make it work.” He also referred to the role of software patents in technology, with respect to the ability of their owner to shut down innovation. “Software patents handcuff entrepreneurs,” he said to scattered applause, and suggested that the issue could cost government “billions.”

http://www.ustream.tv/flash/viewer.swf

Code for America and “Zen and the Art of Open Source”

David Eaves kicked off with a great lightning talk on Code for America. After Eaves answered questions, Greg Elin, chief data architect at FCC, Dr. Linton Wells, director of center for technology and national security policy at the National Defense University, Deb Bryant, public sector communities manager at the Oregon State University Open Source Lab, and this correspondent talked about some of the fears, misconceptions and case studies that exist in the open source world.

http://www.ustream.tv/flash/viewer.swf

Key takeaways:

For Elin, open source and open data “go hand in hand.” The biggest thing he needs support for is security patching. For handing open data on the scale that the FCC requires, commercial software doesn’t address their needs; they were able to solve their issues by writing Python code, leveraging open source and integrating it with commercial software. In his view, one area where open source is superior lies in procurement and prototyping, given that you can do either for free.

For Bryant, it’s that many of the same critiques that people levy against open source exist for proprietary software. You won’t always have support, bug reports won’t always be fixed and the person who wrote code won’t always be available. Open source isn’t free, given the support requires time and money, but there’s a lot for “fear, uncertainty and doubt” out there, also known as “FUD.”

For Wells, it was that the combination of open source, social media and government that we saw in Haiti showed the promise of “what can be done” in terms of situational awareness and assistance. In 2011, that combination is being tried in many more places.

Open Communications: The Changing Media Landscape

A remarkable historic confluence brought the Tech@State conferees to the State Department on the day that President Mubarak stepped down in Egypt after weeks of protests. At 3 PM, many attendees of Tech@State gathered to watch President Obama’s remarks on Egypt on the big screen in the main meeting room.

As the president observed: “There are very few moments in our lives where we have the privilege to witness history taking place. This is one of those moments. This is one of those times. The people of Egypt have spoken, their voices have been heard, and Egypt will never be the same.”

http://www.whitehouse.gov/sites/all/modules/swftools/shared/flash_media_player/player5x2.swf

The historic day framed a provocative discussion on how media has changing between Saad Khan, seed investor at CMEA Capital Katherine Maher,  ICT Program Officer at National Democratic Institute, and Habib Haddad, founder YallaStartup, Yamli, co-creator Alive in Egypt. That video is embedded below.

http://www.ustream.tv/flash/viewer.swf

Open Source vs Government Culture: Creating Change

The culture of open source and the culture of government aren’t always aligned. As many people in those world know, open source wasn’t validated as a legitimate alternative to proprietary technologies until the middle of the last decade. Now it’s running straight into the “beast of bureaucracy,” with varying results. The conversation between Richard Boly, State Dept, Emma Antunes, NASA, Lisa Wolfisch, GSA, Matthew Burton, Dept. of Treasury, and Gwynne Kostin, GSA, is worth listening to in that context.

http://www.ustream.tv/flash/viewer.swf

Tech@State Unconference

Today the conversations continue at an unconference at the National Democratic Institute. Details are at http://techatstate-oss-unconf.eventbrite.com

Deb Bryant on open source at the Tech@State unconference

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Deb Bryant, public sector communities manager at the Oregon State University Open Source Lab, kicked off the Tech@State unconference on open source at the National Democratic Institute today.

The short video below, capturing some of her thoughts on the evolution of open source in government, are worth considering, particularly with respect its use internationally. As Bryant pointed out, for instance, Brazil has been doing open source for a decade. “They’re really the Simon Bolivar of software down there.”

The schedule for the Tech@State unconference is evolving at Open4m.org/NDI. It bids to be an interesting day.

3 words from the Tech@State unconference

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On Friday, the fifth Tech@State conference at the United States Department at State focused on the role of open source in government, industry and society. Today, there is a Tech@State unconference on open source at the National Democratic Institute. In keeping with the tradition of an unconference – sometimes called a barcamp – the day kicked off with a introduction where every attendee shared his or her name, affiliation and three words that describe who they are, what they care about, what they’ve come to learn or what they do. Or all three. Below is a wordle that shows the frequency of words used.

The schedule for the Tech@State unconference is evolving at Open4m.org/NDI. It bids to be an interesting day.

2011 Gov 2.0 and Open Government Events Calendar

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Tomorrow, another great Tech@State event kicks off at the State Department in Washington, D.C. In New York City, the city’s first chief digital officer, will put on the capstone on Social Media Week at an open government forum. Out in Los Angeles, people will gather at KPCC for a digital diplomacy forum. It will be a busy Friday but these three events are only a few coming up that sit in the intersection of technology, citizens and government coming up this year.

As J.D. Lasica reported in his comprehensive Socialbrite list of 2011 social media, tech marketing conferences, there won’t be a Gov 2.0 Expo. (For an explanation of why O’Reilly won’t be doing the Expo this year, visit Quora.) There will, however be many other places for people to gather, talk and learn about Gov 2.0 in 2011 — just take a look through the many Govloop event listings. For a broader selection, Socialbrite has a terrific calendar of calendar of 2011 nonprofit conferences.

There will be any number of citizen-generated unconferences around the world in 2011, where the attendees generate the program. They’ll include CityCamps, BarCamps, PodCamps or MobileCamps. Check out the CityCamp calendar to find one near you and keep an eye out for CityCamp meetups in February.

The following listings are by no means comprehensive but should serve as a starting point if you’re wondering what’s happening, when and where. If you know about more Gov 2.0 events that should be listed here, please let me know at alex@oreilly.com or @digiphile.

Gov 2.0 LA

This Los Angeles conference brings a “West Coast” sensibility to the Gov 2.0 conversation, with a particular emphasis on social media and speakers from the diplomatic, marketing and consulting worlds. For a sense of what the 2010 event held, read On Language: Government 2.0 jargon and technology or a history lesson in disruptive innovation applied to modern government at Gov 2.0 LA.

Website: gov20la.org

DataCamp

February 13, Boston, MA
February 19, Seattle, WA
Philadelphia and DC TBD.

Code for America is hosting a set of “data camps” in its host cities this winter. Here’s why: “City governments have a lot of information which is useful to all of us. This ranges from maps of local parks to building footprints to real-time 911 calls. We all have an interest in our budget information, legistlative documents and other resources that we use in collective decision-making and deliberation. Not all of this information is currently available for all cities, even though much of it is public record. The “Open Data” movement is a way to work on getting information into machine-readable formats, allowing for easy publishing, sharing, and reuse. We’re hosting DataCamps in CfA’s cities this year to build communities around making city data more open and accessible to allow citizens to help cities work better. DataCamp is a event focusing on skill-building and collaborative work on city data. It is an opportunity for interested parties in a city to work together, and build a network of people with shared interested in improving civic communications and information management.”

Website: Code for America datacamps

2011 Computer-Assisted Reporting Conference

Feb. 24 to 27, 2011 — Raleigh, N.C.
Data journalism is a key component of the Gov 2.0 world. If government releases data, data journalism must evolve to validate, analyze and tell stories with it.

Website: www.ire.org/training/conference/

Social Media for Government Conference

February 14-17, 2011
Social media is but one component of Gov 2.0, alongside open data, collective intelligence or a rethinking of how services are provided, but it’s clear that it’s important.

Website: www.aliconferences.com/conf/social_media_govt0211/index.htm

Intelligent Cities Meetup

February 23rd, Washington, DC
“Intelligent Cities, a National Building Museum initiative, supported by its partners TIME and IBM and funded by The Rockefeller Foundation, explores the intersection of IT and urban design to understand where we are, where we want to be, and how to get there.” Meetups are planned for San Francisco, NYC and Chicago.

Website: Meetup.com/Intelligent-cities

Transportation Camp

March 5-6, NYC, New York
March 19-20, San Francisco, CA
TransportationCamp is a new unconference about transportation and technology.

Website: transportationcamp.org

South by Southwest Interactive Festival

March 10-15, Austin, Texas
This year’s SXSWi will include many sessions that fall under the umbrella of Gov 2.0, including government officials talking about open government, citizens talking about new apps or platforms, and new services or applications that will be relevant to both. Here’s just a sampling.

Website: sxsw.com/interactive

2011 Web and New Media Conference

March 17–18, 2011, Washington, DC
This conference is for government new media managers and webmasters, many of whom are wearing both hats in 2011. It’s proven to be an excellent networking and educational forum.

Website: http://www.usa.gov/webcontent/wmu/conference/2011/index.shtml

Web 2.0 Expo

March 28-31, San Francisco, CA
October 10-13, NYC, NY
There are many lessons for Gov 2.0 from Web 2.0, including the power of platforms to catalyze innovation, investment and more agile government.

Website: web2expo.com

NASA Open Source Summit

March 29-30, Mountain View California

From the organizers: “On March 29 & 30, NASA will host its first Open Source Summit at Ames Research Center in Mountain View California. This event will bring together engineers and policy makers across NASA and respected members of the open source community to discuss the challenges with the existing open source policy framework, and propose modifications that would make it easier for NASA to develop, release, and use open source software.”

Website: NASA Open Source Summit

Media Access to Government Information Conference (MAGIC)

April 12, National Archives, Washington, D.C.

From the organizers: “MAGIC is a collaborative, one-day conference sponsored by the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) and Duke University’s DeWitt Wallace Center for Media and Democracy that will:

  • Explore obstacles and opportunities for access to government information by journalists and others writing about public affairs in the digital age;
  • Include government officials, reporters, scholars, and Non Government Organization (NGO) leaders who can contribute insights into how journalists can better discover, access, and use digital government information; and
  • Inform government professionals about the use of technology to provide better access to government information

The conference is free and open to the public, though registration is required. Breakfast, lunch, and refreshments are included. The conference sessions will be videotaped and made available for viewing at a later date. For more information, please contact MAGIC@nara.gov.”

Website: MAGIC

Mobile Citizen Summit

April 16, Washington, D.C.

From the organizers: “You have heard the word, mobile is the new hot thing. You have convinced your management to start using mobile, but how do you actually use mobile to engage citizens and create impact? The Mobile Citizen Summit is a one-day learning laboratory for those interested in applying mobile technologies to empower, fuel and drive citizen engagement in the public good. Our focus is on providing you with informative and practical discussions.”

Website: Mobile Citizen Summit

Transparency Camp

April 30-May 1, Washington, DC
The 2010 Transparency Camp delved into open data, coffee, open government, culture and yes, transparency. Look for more of the same.

Website: transparencycamp.org

Open Government and Innovations Conference

Likely in May 2011, Washington, DC
Applied uses of platforms, social media, culture change and more, all relevant transparency and open government

Website: http://events.1105govinfo.com/events/ogi-open-government-2010/home.aspx

Gov 2.0a

May 6-7, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

From the organizers: “The second annual Gov 2.0a conference is focused on applications of technology to government problems. The conference will be a forum to learn about successful Gov 2.0 applications through case studies, to learn about best practices for Gov 2.0 applications, and to network with other professionals from city and state organizations, community groups, non-profits and the private sector who share interest in the application of technology to improve the functioning of our government.”

Website: Gov20a.com

Fedtalks Open Government Summit

May 11, Washington, D.C.

From the organizers: “FedScoop’s Open Government & Citizen Engagement Summit, part of the FedTalks event series, will bring together leading federal government and industry experts to discuss the state of open government and tech solutions to better engage citizens.”

Website: Fedscoop.com/fedtalks/opengov2011

OpenGov West

May 13-14, Portland, OR
Open government and Gov 2.0 community leaders, public officials, citizens and technologists from all over the West Coast.

Website: opengovwest.org

Local Open Government Summits

May 13-22, 2011, 35+ cities
In 2011, there will be a host of other camps too, as readers will find below, and a new initiative: local open government innovation summits. According to the organizers, “The summits’ overarching objective is to gather citizens and local government staff together in dialogue for knowledge-sharing and relationship-building. It is not necessary to include action planning, identification of next steps, or decision-making into your local summit. A successful outcome is raising awareness of local gov officials that they are not alone as they implement open government programs and that they can access the expertise of the broader open government community. The target is 50+ local summits across the US and internationally.”

Website: opengovplaybook.org

OpenGov Camp

June 4-5, NYC

From the organizers: “OpenGov Camp is a one day conversation on how participation builds transparency to deliver efficiency. We are a community of doers and decision-makers talking about what works—and what doesn’t. Whether you are a developer, journalist, activist, organizer or government employee, you should attend. For one day, we ask you three questions:

  • Where is “local” Open Government going?
  • How can we deepen the knowledge of what Open Government can be?
  • What are the social and technical tools affecting Open Government’s development?”

Website OpenGovNYC

Personal Democracy Forum

June 6-7, New York City, NY
This world-class conference exploring and analyzing technology’s impact on politics and government is back for the 8th year in New York City.

Website: personaldemocracy.com

OSCON 2011

July 25-29, 2011, Portland, OR
The O’Reilly Open Source Convention is the crossroads of all things open source. Open source plays an increasingly important role in government. The processes involved in open source itself have served as a model for open government.

Website: oscon.com/oscon2011

Supernova Hub

Likely in July 2011 in Philadelphia, PA (Unconfirmed)
Technologists, entrepreneurs, business executives, investors, and policy-makers have come to Supernova for strategic insights on our increasingly interconnected world

Website: supernovahub.com

Strata NYC

September 19-21, NYC, NY
To say that big data is a big deal for government is an obvious understatement. Government, after all, has extraordinary amount of data, with much more becoming available as open data initiatives move forward. The first Strata Conference in February 2011 was a sold-out hit. Strata NYC will pull together global leaders in big data in the Big Apple.

Website: strataconf.com

Fedtalks 2011

October 12th, Washington, DC

Open government went to the theater at the first Fedtalks. In 2011, look for more federal government and industry experts to discuss the state of innovation in government.

Website: Fedscoop.com/fedtalks/fedtalks2011

GOSCON

October 2011, Portland, OR
If 2010 was a year where open government moved “beyond plans to practice,” by late 2011 there should be many more case studies of implementation. GOSCON – the government open source conference – will feature discussions and presentations about how government leaders, innovators and smart operations are using open source.

Website: goscon.org

Digital Capital Week

November 4 – November 11, Washington, DC

Last year, the inaugural Digital Capital Week showcased tech innovation in Washington. The 2011 version of Digital Capital Week bids to be even bigger.
Website: digitalcapitalweek.org

Web 2.0 Summit

November 15-17, San Francisco
This event brings together business leaders, big thinkers, and innovative technologists who are shaping the future of the Web. In 2011, it’s clear that the shape of that future matters for government and citizens alike.

Website: web2summit.com

Live townhall from Twitter HQ with US UN @AmbassadorRice [#AskAmbRice]

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Today at 1 PM EST, Susan Rice, United States Ambassador to the United Nations, participated in a live town hall on foreign policy. Archived video from the livestream is embedded below:

Here’s how Ambassador Rice described the digital town hall at the White House blog:

When I left the West Coast after college in 1986, only one in 500 Americans owned a cell phone – and these were essentially bricks about 10 inches long. IBM had just announced its first laptop, which weighed 12 pounds. The founders of Facebook, I can only imagine, were then figuring out how to master nap time and tee ball.

As I go back again this week to take part in a Twitter Town Hall in San Francisco, an event that will be carried live on Twitter and Ustream at 10:00 a.m. Pacific Time, the Bay Area looks quite a bit different. Education and innovation – “the currency of the 21st century,” in the words of President Obama – have changed the face of Silicon Valley and much of the world. But our interconnected age has also brought us new challenges. Today, transnational threats can sweep across borders as freely as a mass migration, an environmental calamity, or a deadly disease.

The Obama Administration is working every day to meet these challenges through our work at the United Nations, which plays an essential role as a keeper of peace, a provider of emergency aid, and a mediator between nations. You may agree – or disagree – with an approach to foreign policy that makes the best use of this complicated but indispensable institution. Whatever your views, I encourage you to send me your questions tomorrow at 10 a.m. Pacific Time on Twitter, using the hashtag, #AskAmbRice.

A snapshot of the conversation is featured using the Twitter search widget below.

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Here’s the uStream social stream:

Live from the Newseum: Jobs and the Economy of the Future

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In February of 2011, the effects of the The Atlantic has released a special report on jobs and the economy. This morning, the report and the prospects for growth will be discussed at a digital town hall on at the Newseum, “Jobs and the Economy of the Future.

Guests include:

  • Timothy Geithner, Secretary of the Treasury
  • Julius Genachowski, Chairman, FCC
  • Sen. Orrin Hatch
  • Jon Huntsman, US Ambassador to China
  • Gov. Bob McDonnell, Virginia
  • Brian Deese, Deputy Director, NEC

    The event’s digital component includes a livestream and a new instance of Microsoft’s Town Hall platform for collecting feedback from the online audience. There is also an active backchannel on Twitter aggregated at the #USFutureEconomy hashtag:

    http://widgets.twimg.com/j/2/widget.js

    new TWTR.Widget({
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    search: ‘USFutureEconomy’,
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    The Atlantic will be liveblogging the event as well.

    • Nicholas Gruen on Gov 2.0 in Australia and cultural change

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    “I began the Gov 2.0 taskforce thinking that open government was a kind of civil rights agenda, even if it has economic costs,” said Nicholas Gruen last week in Santa Clara at the Strata Conference. Gruen headed Australia’s Gov 2.0 taskforce. “At the end of it, I realized that open government was actually a really powerful economic driver.”

    Why? Gruen pointed to the efficiencies presented inside of government by improved communication and the opportunities to ask citizens for ideas and solutions to problems. “Even if our team said we couldn’t do it technically, I just said we’ll tell everyone that we need help and approach it that way.” Asking questions was, he said, an effective means of accomplishing many tasks much faster than they would have been otherwise.

    In a video interview, embedded below, Gruen talked more about the state of Gov 2.0 in Australia and some of his thoughts of the economics involved His comments on cultural change will be of particular interest those focused on technology as a panacea to inefficiency or engagement.

    The recent historic flooding in Australia created an urgent use case for improved communications between the public and government. “When you look at the Queensland floods, the Facebook of the police department use blew people away,” said Gruen. “Their links got many comments and compliments.”

    For more about how social media combine with geospatial mapping in crisis response, read about a new online application from geospatial mapping giant ESRI that applies trend analysis to help responders to Australia’s recent floods create relevance and context from citizen-generated reports.

    Achieving better outcomes through technology isn’t just about setting up a Facebook page or Twitter account, emphasized Gruen. Public servants have to be willing to share information that matters to citizens and in turn listen to feedback from the public to create better feedback loops.

    “This is a cultural transformation,” said Gruen. “You can’t impose that. You can’t dictate it.”

    Further reading: “Gov 2.0 Down Under: Australia and Open Government“

    White House CTO takes questions on innovation strategy on Twitter

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    US chief technology officer Aneesh Chopra took questions about the White House’s new innovation strategy on Twitter. Following is a report of the conversation between Chopra and the online audience. http://storify.com/digiphile/white-house-cto-aneesh-chopra-takes-questions-on-i.js

    The importance of being earnest about big data

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    We are deluged in big data. We have become more adept, however, at collecting it than in making sense of it. The companies, individuals and governments that become the most adept at data analysis are doing more than find the signal in the noise: they are creating a strategic capability. Why?

    “After Eisenhower, you couldn’t win an election without radio.

    After JFK, you couldn’t win an election without television.

    After Obama, you couldn’t win an election without social networking.

    I predict that in 2012, you won’t be able to win an election without big data.”

    –Alistair Croll, founder of bitcurrent.

    In November 2012, we’ll know if his prediction came true.

    All this week, I’ll be reporting from Santa Clara at the so-called “data Woodstock” that is the Strata Conference. Croll is its co-chair. You can tune in to the O’Reilly Media livestream for the conference keynotes.

    For some perspective on big data and analytics in government, watch IBM’s Dave McQueeney at last year’s Gov 2.0 Summit:

    Or watch how Hans Rosling makes big data dance in this TED Talk:

    http://video.ted.com/assets/player/swf/EmbedPlayer.swf

    Why does government social media use matter to citizens?

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    An important role of technology journalists in the 21st century is to explain how broader trends that are changing technology, government and civic society relate to average citizens. Some have called this broader trend towards smarter, more agile government that leverage technology “Gov 2.0.” (Readers of this blog are no doubt familiar with the term.) When you dig into the topic, you can get stuck in a lot of buzzwords and jargon quickly. Most people don’t care about how a satellite gets into orbit, the release of community health data or the standards of an API for product recalls. They care quite a bit, however, about whether their GPS receiver enables them to get to a job interview, if a search engine can show them ER waiting room times and quality statistics, or if a cradle for their baby is safe. Those wonky policies can lead to better outcomes for citizens.

    If you follow Mashable, you might have read about the ways that social media promotes good health or how government works better with social media.

    The following stories have little to do with technology buzzwords and everything to do with impact. Following are five stories about government 2.0 that matter to citizens, with issues that literally come home to everyone.

    1) The Consumer Product Safety Commission has launched a public complaints database at SaferProducts.gov. You could think of it as a Yelp for government, or simply as a place where consumers could go to see what was safe. Add that to the mobile recalls application that people can already use to see whether a product has been recalled.

    2) The new Consumer Financial Protection Bureau will use technology to listen to citizens online to detect fraud. If you haven’t heard, DC has a new startup agency. That hasn’t happened in a long time. Your could think of it as Mint.gov mashed up with HealthCare.gov. The CFPB plans to use technology in a number of unprecedented ways for fraud detection, including crowdsourcing consumer complaints and trends analysis. Given how much financial fraud has affected citizens in recent years,and how much of the anger that the public holds for the bailouts of banks remains, whether this agency leveraging technology well will matter to many citizens.

    3) Social data and geospatial mapping join the crisis response toolset. Historic floods in Australia caused serious damage and deaths. Government workers used next-generation technology that pulled in social media in Australia and mapped the instances using geospatial tools so that first responders could help citizens faster, more efficiently and more effectively. It’s an excellent example of how an enterprise software provider (ESRI) partnered with an open source platform (Ushahidi) to help government workers use social media to help people.

    4) New geolocation app connects first responders to heart attack victims.The average citizen will never need to know what Web 2.0 or Gov 2.0 means. Tens of thousands, however, will have heart attacks every year. With a new geolocation mobile application that connects citizen first responders to heart attack victims, connected citizens trained in CPR now have a new tool to help them save lives.

    Better access to information about food safety, product recalls and financial fraud will help citizens around the country. Improvements to the ability of government workers to direct help in a disastrous flood or for citizens to receive immediate help from a trained first responder in an emergency are important developments. As 2011 takes shape, the need for government to use social media well has become more important than ever. That’s why the perspective of government officials like FEMA administrator Craig Fugate matter.

    “We work for the people, so why can’t they be part of the solution? “
said Fugate, speaking to delegates from the distributed chapters of Crisis Commons assembled at FEMA headquarters. “The public is a resource, not a 
liability.”

    For example, Fugate said that FEMA used reporters’ tweets during Hurricane Ike for
 situational awareness. “We’ve seen mashups providing better info than
 the government.” Listening and acting upon those digital cries for help on social media during crisis could literally be a matter of life and death.

    Whether government can adapt to a disrupted media landscape and the new realities of information consumption is of substantial interest to many observers, both inside and out of government. Whether government can be smarter, agile and more effective is a great interest to all.