Rialtas.net - Government 2.0 » Web 2.0 http://www.rialtas.net/blog Web 2.0 to Government 2.0 in Ireland --- e-Government and e-Democracy Wed, 04 Aug 2010 13:49:16 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0 First Government Twitter Case Study http://www.rialtas.net/blog/2010/07/27/first-government-twitter-case-study/ http://www.rialtas.net/blog/2010/07/27/first-government-twitter-case-study/#comments Tue, 27 Jul 2010 11:58:26 +0000 admin http://www.rialtas.net/blog/?p=223

One of the U.S. Geological Survey’s unique responsibilities is the monitoring and reporting of earthquakes, which affect the daily lives of people around the world. By mining real-time tweets, the USGS expands its suite of seismically derived information and obtains first-hand accounts of shaking seconds after an earthquake occurs.
The USGS is automatically gathering, summarizing, and mapping earthquake tweets to provide a rapid overview of what people experienced during an earthquake. This Twitter-based application provides tweet counts for affected cities and lists the tweets generated immediately following the event.
Read Twitter’s case study on the USGS use of twitter…
http://business.twitter.com/twitter101/case_usgs
]]> http://www.rialtas.net/blog/2010/07/27/first-government-twitter-case-study/feed/ 0 A renaissance of US government Web apps http://www.rialtas.net/blog/2010/07/27/214/ http://www.rialtas.net/blog/2010/07/27/214/#comments Tue, 27 Jul 2010 11:04:06 +0000 admin http://www.rialtas.net/blog/?p=214 Wyatt Kash argues on Government Computer News that while it’s easy to snipe about how basic some of these US Federal Government approches to Web 2.0  might be, the important point is the renaissance that is taking place on federal Web sites. In many cases, federal Web sites are finding innovative ways to serve the public that complement, if not rival, what’s taking place in the private sector.
In this Article Kash outlines 10 such sites which he feels are god examples of such innovation:
Project: Twitter Earthquake Detector:
http://recovery.doi.gov/press/us-geological-survey-twitter-earthquake-detector-ted
Project: 2010 Earthquake in Haiti
http://www.state.gov/p/wha/ci/ha/earthquake/index.htm
Project: Apps for Healthy Kids
http://www.appsforhealthykids.com/
Project: Puget Sound and watershed management wiki
http://www.epa.gov/region10/psgb/
http://www.epa.gov/region10/psgb,%20www.epa.gov/watershedcentral/wiki.html
Project: Global Pulse 2010
http://www.globalpulse2010.gov/
Project: Library of Congress photostream
http://www.flickr.com/photos/library_of_congress/
Project: Pillbox
http://pillbox.nlm.nih.gov/
Project: OpenGov Tracker
http://www.opengovtracker.com/
Project: Summer Travel Widget
http://www.tsa.gov/travelers/share_widget.shtm
Project: TV Converter Coupon Box Program
http://www.dtv2009.gov/
See also
]]> http://www.rialtas.net/blog/2010/07/27/214/feed/ 0 Security a top public sector ICT priority http://www.rialtas.net/blog/2010/07/27/211/ http://www.rialtas.net/blog/2010/07/27/211/#comments Tue, 27 Jul 2010 10:51:39 +0000 admin http://www.rialtas.net/blog/?p=211

Excerpt from Article BY AMIT ROY CHOUDHURY Asiaone Tech Sense
EMERGING technologies such as Web 2.0 and cloud computing, plus new ways of transacting and accessing information through new media, have bolstered the importance of online security for public sector institutions.
The public sector typically holds the personal data of its citizens, as well as other sensitive national information.
As a result, according to Gerald Wang of IDC Government Insights, any compromise of this sensitive data can severely dent public safety, national security and undermine public trust.
Speaking to BizIT, Mr Wang, who is senior market analyst at IDC Government Insight Asia-Pacific, said the top three threats facing public sector ICT systems in Singapore and the region are: a) data loss protection; b) messaging and Web security; and c) security policy and compliance.
‘While cloud computing and Web 2.0 technologies have been around and actively discussed over the past few years, governments are still at the infancy stage in utilising these technologies to interact with their citizens,’ Mr Wang said.
One reason for this is that governments are cautious about exposing sensitive data by using such technologies, he said. Many government implementations in this sphere are, therefore, limited in scope.
‘In Singapore, for example, government agencies provide information on policies and invite discussions from citizens via public platforms such as Facebook,’ he said. ‘Yet, other e-government services that entail transactions of sensitive information with citizens or businesses continue to be carried out via secured channels.’
Security risks associated with public clouds have led many governments to consider hybrid and private cloud models instead, where there is better control in terms of where information is stored and processed, Mr Wang explained.
His colleague Janet Chiew noted that Singapore is one of the first countries in the region to have developed a national security masterplan.
‘The setting up of the Singapore Infocomm Technology Security Authority in 2009 demonstrates further the high emphasis the governments puts on security against cyberthreats,’ said Ms Chiew, who is research manager at IDC Government Insights Asia-Pacific.
She added that while security will continue to remain an issue for governments to contend with, there are sufficient technologies that can be deployed to address these concerns.

Read entire article

]]> http://www.rialtas.net/blog/2010/07/27/211/feed/ 0 Kilkenny County Council Launches Collaborative Website for Local Area Plans http://www.rialtas.net/blog/2010/06/24/kilkenny-county-council-launches-collaborative-website-for-local-area-plans/ http://www.rialtas.net/blog/2010/06/24/kilkenny-county-council-launches-collaborative-website-for-local-area-plans/#comments Thu, 24 Jun 2010 15:38:45 +0000 admin http://www.rialtas.net/blog/?p=200
http://lap.kilkennycoco.ie/

At Kilkenny County Council we have just launched a consultative website for the forward planning department.

The new website allows members of the public to comment on and to make submissions to the Local Area Plan. These comments and submissions are considered by the Council in the formulation of the Local Area Plans.

We believe that this site will help to enable enhanced transparency within the consultative process and will also permit a wider group of interested parties to participate in the process.

This site represents an evolution of our planning wiki project , the new site is easier to use and to navigate than the wiki site and allows interested parties to easily make comments on or submissions to the plan.

As far as we are aware Kilkenny County Council is the first Local Authority in Ireland to allow members of the public to make submission to such plans online.

Three additional Local Area Plans, for Fiddown, Piltown and Mooncoin will be published using the same format over the coming months.

Visit Gowran Local Area Plan

]]> http://www.rialtas.net/blog/2010/06/24/kilkenny-county-council-launches-collaborative-website-for-local-area-plans/feed/ 0 US General Services Administration signs agreements with Web 2.0 providers http://www.rialtas.net/blog/2010/02/01/us-general-services-administration-signs-agreements-with-web-2-0-providers/ http://www.rialtas.net/blog/2010/02/01/us-general-services-administration-signs-agreements-with-web-2-0-providers/#comments Mon, 01 Feb 2010 10:46:32 +0000 admin http://www.rialtas.net/blog/?p=191
By Doug Beizer

This is an article from March last year (published while I was out of commission for a few months) but outlines an interesting precedent for governments internationally.

By Doug Beizer on FCW.com

The General Services Administration has signed agreements with Flickr, YouTube, Vimeo and blip.tv that make it possible for federal agencies to use new-media tools while meeting their legal requirements, GSA officials announced today.

Under the agreement, agencies can immediately begin using new-media tools that let people post, share, and comment on videos and photos on the Web. Individual agencies must decide which tools their employees may use and how they may use them.

GSA and a coalition of agencies have been working with the new-media providers for some time to develop terms of service for federal agencies. The new agreements resolve legal concerns associated with many standard terms and conditions that pose problems for agencies, such as liability limits, endorsements and freedom of information, GSA officials said.

“We need to get official information out to sites where people are already visiting and encourage them to interact with their government,” said GSA Acting Administrator Paul Prouty. “The new agreements make it easier for the government to provide official information to citizens via their method of choice.”

Read original article

]]> http://www.rialtas.net/blog/2010/02/01/us-general-services-administration-signs-agreements-with-web-2-0-providers/feed/ 0 Code for America http://www.rialtas.net/blog/2010/02/01/code-for-america/ http://www.rialtas.net/blog/2010/02/01/code-for-america/#comments Mon, 01 Feb 2010 10:38:04 +0000 admin http://www.rialtas.net/blog/?p=186 Code for America is anew website aiming to help city governments become more transparent, connected and efficient by connecting the talents of cutting-edge web developers with people who deliver city services and want to embrace the transformative power of the web to achieve more impact with less money.   Inspired in part by Teach for America, CFA works with city officials and leading web development talent to identify and then develop web solutions that can then be shared and rolled out more broadly to cities across America.
Working with city managers, Code for America plans to help to identify projects that can benefit from web-based solutions.  Code for America recruits both the development teams and the participating cities through competitive application processes.  Once identified and funded, each city project is connected with a web development team that can further scope the project, develop an action plan, and deliver an appropriate solution over an 11-month development cycle.  Throughout the development cycle, CFA mentors, trains, and coordinates the teams and facilitates their relationships with their city management clients.
The applications that Code for America fellows build fit a certain model:  1) They are web applications – think Facebook, Yelp, Zillow, or Picnik; 2) They will enable cities to connect with their constituents in ways that reduce administrative costs and engage citizens more effectively; 3)  They support the move toward transparency and collaboration; 4) and finally, they are shareable – which means that an application built for one city can be used by any other city.
Fundamentally, it’s all about helping American cities use web technology to do a better job of providing services to citizens.

Code for America is a new website aiming to help city governments become more transparent, connected and efficient by connecting the talents of cutting-edge web developers with people who deliver city services and want to embrace the transformative power of the web to achieve more impact with less money.   Inspired in part by Teach for America, CFA works with city officials and leading web development talent to identify and then develop web solutions that can then be shared and rolled out more broadly to cities across America.

Working with city managers, Code for America plans to help to identify projects that can benefit from web-based solutions.  Code for America recruits both the development teams and the participating cities through competitive application processes.  Once identified and funded, each city project is connected with a web development team that can further scope the project, develop an action plan, and deliver an appropriate solution over an 11-month development cycle.  Throughout the development cycle, CFA mentors, trains, and coordinates the teams and facilitates their relationships with their city management clients.

The applications that Code for America fellows build fit a certain model:  1) They are web applications – think Facebook, Yelp, Zillow, or Picnik; 2) They will enable cities to connect with their constituents in ways that reduce administrative costs and engage citizens more effectively; 3)  They support the move toward transparency and collaboration; 4) and finally, they are shareable – which means that an application built for one city can be used by any other city.

Fundamentally, it’s all about helping American cities use web technology to do a better job of providing services to citizens.

If any Irish technologists are interested in starting something similar over here please contact me.

]]> http://www.rialtas.net/blog/2010/02/01/code-for-america/feed/ 0 The 2.0 presidency: Obama to stage YouTube-based exchange http://www.rialtas.net/blog/2010/02/01/183/ http://www.rialtas.net/blog/2010/02/01/183/#comments Mon, 01 Feb 2010 10:25:50 +0000 admin http://www.rialtas.net/blog/?p=183 By Matthew Weigelt on FCW.com
As the president of the United States last week addressed Congress about the state of the union, he’s going before the public Feb. 3 to answer their questions about the state of the country via YouTube.
President Barack Obama will use the Web to offer the public a direct and participatory way to communicate with him, the White House wrote Jan. 26 on its blog.
Norman Ornstein, resident scholar at the American Enterprise Institute and long-time political columnist, said Obama’s event is a carryover from his campaign where he pioneered the use of social media in politics. While a sitting president has never taken citizens’ questions via YouTube, it’s not new to Obama, he said.
“It’s an extension of My.BarackObama.com,” he said. And “it certainly validates social media.”
The online forum is another vehicle to reach out to the public and give them a voice directly to him, experts say.
Daniel Castro, senior analyst at the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation, said more people are able to join in the political process with online forums such as Monday’s event.
While the event may be a validation, it may not advance social media initiatives too far, said Mark Drapeau, director of innovative social engagement for Microsoft’s U.S. Public Sector and FCW columnist. Many people have been experimenting with new forms of media for a while now.

By Matthew Weigelt on FCW.com

As the president of the United States last week addressed Congress about the state of the union, he’s going before the public Feb. 3 to answer their questions about the state of the country via YouTube.

President Barack Obama will use the Web to offer the public a direct and participatory way to communicate with him, the White House wrote Jan. 26 on its blog.

Norman Ornstein, resident scholar at the American Enterprise Institute and long-time political columnist, said Obama’s event is a carryover from his campaign where he pioneered the use of social media in politics. While a sitting president has never taken citizens’ questions via YouTube, it’s not new to Obama, he said.

“It’s an extension of My.BarackObama.com,” he said. And “it certainly validates social media.”

The online forum is another vehicle to reach out to the public and give them a voice directly to him, experts say.

Daniel Castro, senior analyst at the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation, said more people are able to join in the political process with online forums such as Monday’s event.

While the event may be a validation, it may not advance social media initiatives too far, said Mark Drapeau, director of innovative social engagement for Microsoft’s U.S. Public Sector and FCW columnist. Many people have been experimenting with new forms of media for a while now.

Read full article..

]]> http://www.rialtas.net/blog/2010/02/01/183/feed/ 0 From e-Government to e-Governance http://www.rialtas.net/blog/2009/10/15/from-e-government-to-e-governance/ http://www.rialtas.net/blog/2009/10/15/from-e-government-to-e-governance/#comments Thu, 15 Oct 2009 16:46:17 +0000 admin http://www.rialtas.net/blog/?p=169

Accenture, has just published a report, From e-Government to e-Governance, recommending ways in which Goverment might enahnce its services to the public.
A key recommendation in the report is for public sector organisations not to build everything from scratch themselves, but to capitalise on the popularity of outside websites, including ones set up for social networking and communities.
According to the report “These sites present public managers with a range of opportunities for soliciting real-time citizen feedback, engaging constituents and improving accessibility to government information,”
Using external websites is a cost effective and very quick way to interact with the public, however the report does concede that there are some signifigant risks,such as the danger that public sector organisations will not be able to control the content.
However it is a shame that public sector organisations are reluctant to see negative comments and content posted on websites; the report focuses on the need for public sector organisations to encourage opinions: “Front-office employees should value customer feedback and view it as an essential means of gaining insights that will help them improve the customer experience and overall service delivery.”

From e-Government to e-Governance – Using new technologies to strengthen relationships with citizens

Accenture, has just published a report, From e-Government to e-Governance, recommending ways in which Goverment might enahnce its services to the public.

A key recommendation in the report is for public sector organisations not to build everything from scratch themselves, but to capitalise on the popularity of outside websites, including ones set up for social networking and communities.

According to the report “These sites present public managers with a range of opportunities for soliciting real-time citizen feedback, engaging constituents and improving accessibility to government information,”

Using external websites is a cost effective and very quick way to interact with the public, however the report does concede that there are some signifigant risks,such as the danger that public sector organisations will not be able to control the content.

However it is a shame that public sector organisations are reluctant to see negative comments and content posted on websites; the report focuses on the need for public sector organisations to encourage opinions: “Front-office employees should value customer feedback and view it as an essential means of gaining insights that will help them improve the customer experience and overall service delivery.”

Download the report (2.5 mb .pdf)

Visit site

]]> http://www.rialtas.net/blog/2009/10/15/from-e-government-to-e-governance/feed/ 0 China’s Web 2.0 Nightmare http://www.rialtas.net/blog/2009/10/15/chinas-web-2-0-nightmare/ http://www.rialtas.net/blog/2009/10/15/chinas-web-2-0-nightmare/#comments Thu, 15 Oct 2009 16:26:26 +0000 admin http://www.rialtas.net/blog/?p=165 The 60th anniversary of the People’s Republic of China on Oct. 1 took on symbolic importance not only for the Communist Party, but also for connoisseurs of China’s Internet controls. The thinking by some was that with the last of a series of sensitive anniversaries this year now finally behind us, the guardians of China’s Great Firewall might again allow access to some blocked foreign sites, including Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.
Instead, there has been no indication that the censors will loosen up. Forbes asked well-known Beijing journalist and microblogger Zhao Jing, aka Michael Anti, about China’s tightening of Internet controls. Anti already has a personal acquaintance with online censorship: His blog was deleted at the end of 2005 by Microsoft, apparently at the behest of Chinese authorities…
Anti: Web 2.0 Web sites like Facebook and Twitter can offer the public firsthand information, even faster than a government news agency like Xinhua. In fact, the July 5 Urumqi riots news was spreading first on Twitter hours before the first Xinhua English news piece. The Chinese government believes that the situation in Urumqi and other cities would be out of control if they can’t control the information flow. That’s the basic logic behind their decision to block Twitter and other Web 2.0 Web sites.

By Gady Epstein , Beijing Dispatch at Forbes.com

The 60th anniversary of the People’s Republic of China on Oct. 1 took on symbolic importance not only for the Communist Party, but also for connoisseurs of China’s Internet controls. The thinking by some was that with the last of a series of sensitive anniversaries this year now finally behind us, the guardians of China’s Great Firewall might again allow access to some blocked foreign sites, including Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.

Instead, there has been no indication that the censors will loosen up. Forbes asked well-known Beijing journalist and microblogger Zhao Jing, aka Michael Anti, about China’s tightening of Internet controls. Anti already has a personal acquaintance with online censorship: His blog was deleted at the end of 2005 by Microsoft, apparently at the behest of Chinese authorities…

Anti: Web 2.0 Web sites like Facebook and Twitter can offer the public firsthand information, even faster than a government news agency like Xinhua. In fact, the July 5 Urumqi riots news was spreading first on Twitter hours before the first Xinhua English news piece. The Chinese government believes that the situation in Urumqi and other cities would be out of control if they can’t control the information flow. That’s the basic logic behind their decision to block Twitter and other Web 2.0 Web sites.

Read original post..

]]> http://www.rialtas.net/blog/2009/10/15/chinas-web-2-0-nightmare/feed/ 0 Government 2010 event on 22nd October http://www.rialtas.net/blog/2009/08/31/government-2010-event-on-22nd-october/ http://www.rialtas.net/blog/2009/08/31/government-2010-event-on-22nd-october/#comments Mon, 31 Aug 2009 11:08:37 +0000 admin http://www.rialtas.net/blog/2009/08/31/government-2010-event-on-22nd-october/ Government 2010 ConferenceGovernment 2010 will examine how next generation government is set to change in the light of social, media and technology change. The conference is a video streamed conference,which  will be broadcast live on the web from London.

Keynote speakers include Peter Kellner (YouGov); Adam Afriyie MP (Shadow Minister, Innovation); Iain Dale (Political Blogger and Broadcaster); Tom Watson MP (Former Cabinet Office Minister)…and many  others.

There are a limited number of speaker slots still available in sessions ranging from Government Service Centres to Digital Inclusion to Open Data and Mashups.

Anyone can watch the event – completely free.  Although pre-registration is required.

http://g2010.co.uk

]]> http://www.rialtas.net/blog/2009/08/31/government-2010-event-on-22nd-october/feed/ 0