Collaboration Project RSS Feed

Washington D.C.'s Citywide Data Warehouse (updated)

2008-06-03T20:11:52Z

Page: Updated by Mark DiGiammarino to revision 9 on Mar 26, 2010 11:42 AM. Created by Andy Hanna on Jun 03, 2008 4:11 PM

Case Summary

The District of Columbia provides an online Citywide Data Warehouse allowing for real-time Real Simple Syndication, extensible markup language and ATOM Web publishing standard feeds that dramatically increase the data's potential to highlight relationships, trends and other areas in time to affect service delivery. The feeds are compiled from more than 320 datasets, ranging from crime reports to pothole complaints. Surveillance mashups can monitor the status of road repairs while datasets on adult and juvenile crime, home sales, and alcohol permits provide other useful insight. To date, Washington's Citywide Data Warehouse site lacks an easy-to-understand user guide or a central site where citizen mashups could be displayed, categorized, discussed and compared, but these improvements are certainly possible.

Business Challenge

The District of Columbia was searching for a way to improve service delivery, drive efficiencies, enhance public safety, and reduce costs.

Approach Taken

The District of Columbia established the Citywide Data Warehouse (CityDW), which aims to provide real-time data as incidents occur and events unfold, allowing city decision makers to act quickly and make tactical decisions. City DW has three components: infrastructure, tools, and analysts. With regard to Infrastructure, CityDW uses technology to build bridges across business systems thoughout the district, allowing different data applications to be shared within individual agencies and also agency-to-agency. The site also offers user friendly tools to allow information to be gathered and delivered to DC employees and the public. Finally, CityDW relies on a staff of analysts that identify important events and information; analyze data; assemble trends; and provide potential action steps to city managers.

Results Achieved

CityDW has compiled more than 320 datasets, ranging from crime reports to home sales to pothole complaints. Surveillance mashups have successfully monitored the status of road repairs as well as other on-going projects.

In 2009 the District's Data Feeds Wins Innovations in American Government Award.

Lessons Learned

Washington's CityDW still lacks an easy-to-understand user guide or a central site where citizen mashups are displayed, categorized, discussed and compared. All of these additions, however, could be easily developed.

Changes between revision 8 and revision 9:

view all revisions | revert page to version 8

		h1. Case Summary
		{excerpt}
		[The District of Columbia\|http://www.dc.gov/] provides an online [Citywide Data Warehouse \|http://dcstat.octo.dc.gov/dcstat/site/default.asp] allowing for real-time Real Simple Syndication, extensible markup language and ATOM Web publishing standard feeds that dramatically increase the data's potential to highlight relationships, trends and other areas in time to affect service delivery. The feeds are compiled from more than 320 datasets, ranging from crime reports to pothole complaints. Surveillance mashups can monitor the status of road repairs while datasets on adult and juvenile crime, home sales, and alcohol permits provide other useful insight. To date, Washington's Citywide Data Warehouse site lacks an easy-to-understand user guide or a central site where citizen mashups could be displayed, categorized, discussed and compared, but these improvements are certainly possible.
		{excerpt}

		h2. Business Challenge
		The District of Columbia was searching for a way to improve service delivery, drive efficiencies, enhance public safety, and reduce costs.


		h2. Approach Taken
		The District of Columbia established the Citywide Data Warehouse (CityDW), which aims to provide real-time data as incidents occur and events unfold, allowing city decision makers to act quickly and make tactical decisions. City DW has three components: infrastructure, tools, and analysts. With regard to Infrastructure, CityDW uses technology to build bridges across business systems thoughout the district, allowing different data applications to be shared within individual agencies and also agency-to-agency. The site also offers user friendly tools to allow information to be gathered and delivered to DC employees and the public. Finally, CityDW relies on a staff of analysts that identify important events and information; analyze data; assemble trends; and provide potential action steps to city managers.

		h2. Results Achieved
		CityDW has compiled more than 150 datasets, ranging from crime reports to home sales to pothole complaints. Surveillance mashups have successfully monitored the status of road repairs as well as other on-going projects.
		CityDW has compiled more than 320 datasets, ranging from crime reports to home sales to pothole complaints. Surveillance mashups have successfully monitored the status of road repairs as well as other on-going projects.

		In 2009 the District's Data Feeds Wins Innovations in American Government Award.

		h2. Lessons Learned
		Washington's CityDW still lacks an easy-to-understand user guide or a central site where citizen mashups are displayed, categorized, discussed and compared. All of these additions, however, could be easily developed.

The National Ocean Service -- Increasing Web Reach through Social Media (updated)

2009-05-06T03:52:39Z

Page: Updated by Mark DiGiammarino to revision 5 on Mar 26, 2010 11:32 AM. Created by Emily Crum on May 05, 2009 11:52 PM

Case Summary

In the fall of 2008, NOAA's National Ocean Service (NOS) began efforts to overhaul the NOS Web site (oceanservice.noaa.gov). The biggest change was a shift from being a relatively static (infrequently updated) site to one that is updated with rich, new content on an almost daily basis. As the site grew, staff began to think about ways to let people know that this content was available and developed a strategy to use social media tools to extend the reach of the NOS Web site and thus the NOS message.

Business Challenge

With interesting and engaging content being delivered via the NOS Web site, staff began to consider ways to let people know that this content was there. Social media tools offer a relatively easy, low-cost, high-impact solution - a lot of people are using these tools and many of these people are not people who are otherwise aware of NOS or what the organization is doing. With increased interest in using social media tools, using them to increase traffic to the site was a win-win: NOS got to test these innovative, but relatively new tools, while increasing the overall reach of NOS's organizational message.

Approach Taken

At the start of fiscal year 2009, NOS began devoting resources to the regular development of content on the NOS Web site. Staff began writing news stories and ocean fact pieces and developing multimedia elements for posting on the site. The bulk of efforts was, and continues to be, directed towards content development on the NOS Web site. Social media offered a platform to extend the reach of the content on the NOS site, and, by repurposing content on the site, maintenance associated with social media tools was kept to a minimum.

In October 2009, NOS was using no social media tools to deliver its messages. Since that time, NOS has:
• developed RSS feeds for ocean facts, weekly news, audio podcasts, and video to deliver NOS news and information already posted on the NOS Web site directly to subscribers;
• launched an NOS Twitter account to highlight new Web postings and drive more visitors to the NOS Web site;
• began offering two bi-weekly audio podcasts (Making Waves and Diving Deeper) on the NOS Web site as a new tool to inform a broader audience about the work of NOS;
• launched an NOS Facebook page to again highlight NOS Web content and reach an additional audience with NOS messages while providing a forum for this audience to voice their opinions and interact with NOS;
• launched an NOS YouTube channel to present videos from corporate NOS as well as all NOS offices; and
• launched an NOS Flickr page to present images that are also posted on the NOS Web site image gallery.

These platforms are updated regularly, typically on a daily basis.

Additionally, NOS is preparing to add social bookmarking capabilities to the NOS site to allow visitors who find content on the NOS Web site useful, credible, and interesting to "tag" and "share" that content so that they can find it again and also so that others can find it as well.

These efforts have been envisioned and implemented by the NOS Communications and Education Division, which includes a perhaps somewhat unique blend of communications staff (content developers) and technology staff (Web and technical experts). While communications staff are the managers/implementers of these tools, regular interactions and discussions between the content and technical experts has helped smooth implementation and use of social media by NOS.

Staff developed specific operating plans for each tool to make sure that the tool fits in with the larger communication goals of NOS. In other words, each tool serves a very specific purpose. Each plan lays out major project goals and measures for success, project implementation strategies (including required resources), and editorial guidelines for using the tool. The plans are being revisited as use and understanding of each tool grows.

Results Achieved

The primary measure of success of this initiative is the numbers of visitors to NOS Web site pages referred to from the different social media platforms. Other measures include the number of fans (or followers or contacts) and the number of views of each tool (if applicable).

While the initiative is still relatively new, early statistics suggest that continually updated content on the site combined with the use of social media tools to 'market' the content is having an impact:
• In the period between January and March of 2009, the NOS Web site received 1,262,847 page requests---an increase of 35 percent over the same period of time last year.
• The RSS feeds for the audio podcasts were the most frequently requested pages on the site in March.
• As of March 2010, after 18 months of operation, the NOS Twitter account had over 7,200 followers and continues to gain between 100-200 or more new followers each week. Additionally, Twitter is now a regular referrer to the NOS Web site.
• At the end of March 2010, after being live for on year, the NOS Facebook page had 1,4180 fans, with an additional 25 new fans joining each week.

Overall return on investment with the use of these tools is high. The bulk of staff time is used to generate the content on the NOS Web site; the additional time investment to repurpose this content is minimal (~ 10 minutes per day), yet the results are significant.

Lessons Learned

For NOS, the use of social media tools is not about the tools themselves, but about the overall communication goals of the organization. NOS started social media efforts not by asking "what social media tools do we want to use?" Instead, NOS looked at overall goals and objectives and then considered what tools (social media or otherwise) would be most effective in reaching those goals. Social media represents one communications tactic, but is not the end-all, be-all for NOS. With fresh and engaging content being available on the NOS Web site, staff always have something to "say" via social sites---and the management of these social media tools has been small relative to the overall gain.

NOS efforts to increase Web reach through social media have been successful for a number of other reasons. First, NOS leadership has been supportive of the adoption of social media and has encouraged staff to test and implement these relatively new, yet innovative, communication tools. Additionally, the combination of communications and Web staff collaborating on these tools has allowed NOS to develop the use of social media within an environment that considers both content and technical issues. Also, a key element to success thus far has been the development of written operating plans that provide guidance and help set parameters on the focus and scope of these tools.

The efforts by NOS to incorporate social media into organizational communication can be replicated by other organizations, both within NOS, NOAA, and beyond. The relatively simple operating plans are being distributed throughout the federal Web community and provide a baseline for other organizations to get started.

Changes between revision 4 and revision 5:

view all revisions | revert page to version 4

		h1. Case Summary
		{excerpt}
		In the fall of 2008, NOAA's National Ocean Service (NOS) began efforts to overhaul the NOS Web site ([oceanservice.noaa.gov\|http://oceanservice.noaa.gov/]). The biggest change was a shift from being a relatively static (infrequently updated) site to one that is updated with rich, new content on an almost daily basis. As the site grew, staff began to think about ways to let people know that this content was available and developed a strategy to use social media tools to extend the reach of the NOS Web site and thus the NOS message.{excerpt}

		h2. Business Challenge

		With interesting and engaging content being delivered via the NOS Web site, staff began to consider ways to let people know that this content was there. Social media tools offer a relatively easy, low-cost, high-impact solution - _a lot_ of people are using these tools and many of these people are not people who are otherwise aware of NOS or what the organization is doing. With increased interest in using social media tools, using them to increase traffic to the site was a win-win: NOS got to test these innovative, but relatively new tools, while increasing the overall reach of NOS's organizational message.

		h2. Approach Taken

		At the start of fiscal year 2009, NOS began devoting resources to the regular development of content on the NOS Web site. Staff began writing news stories and ocean fact pieces and developing multimedia elements for posting on the site. The bulk of efforts was, and continues to be, directed towards content development on the NOS Web site. Social media offered a platform to extend the reach of the content on the NOS site, and, by repurposing content on the site, maintenance associated with social media tools was kept to a minimum.

		In October 2009, NOS was using _no_ social media tools to deliver its messages. Since that time, NOS has:
		• developed [RSS feeds\|http://oceanservice.noaa.gov/rss.html] for [ocean facts\|http://oceanservice.noaa.gov/facts/], [weekly news\|http://oceanservice.noaa.gov/news/weeklynews/], [audio podcasts\|http://oceanservice.noaa.gov/podcast.html], and [video\|http://oceanservice.noaa.gov/video.html] to deliver NOS news and information already posted on the NOS Web site directly to subscribers;
		• launched an [NOS Twitter\|http://twitter.com/oceanservice] account to highlight new Web postings and drive more visitors to the NOS Web site;
		• launched an [NOS Twitter\|http://twitter.com/usoceangov] account to highlight new Web postings and drive more visitors to the NOS Web site;
		• began offering two bi-weekly audio podcasts ([_Making Waves_\|http://oceanservice.noaa.gov/podcast.html#mw] and [_Diving Deeper_\|http://oceanservice.noaa.gov/podcast.html#dd]) on the NOS Web site as a new tool to inform a broader audience about the work of NOS;
		• launched an [NOS Facebook page\|http://www.facebook.com/pages/Silver-Spring-MD/National-Ocean-Service/64601512866?ref=ts] to again highlight NOS Web content and reach an additional audience with NOS messages while providing a forum for this audience to voice their opinions and interact with NOS;
		• launched an [NOS YouTube channel \|http://www.youtube.com/usoceangov] to present videos from corporate NOS as well as all NOS offices; and
		• launched an [NOS Flickr page \|http://www.flickr.com/photos/usoceangov/] to present images that are also posted on the NOS Web site image gallery.


		These platforms are updated regularly, typically on a daily basis.
		\\

		Additionally, NOS is preparing to add social bookmarking capabilities to the NOS site to allow visitors who find content on the NOS Web site useful, credible, and interesting to "tag" and "share" that content so that they can find it again and also so that others can find it as well.

		These efforts have been envisioned and implemented by the NOS Communications and Education Division, which includes a perhaps somewhat unique blend of communications staff (content developers) and technology staff (Web and technical experts). While communications staff are the managers/implementers of these tools, regular interactions and discussions between the content and technical experts has helped smooth implementation and use of social media by NOS.

		Staff developed specific operating plans for each tool to make sure that the tool fits in with the larger communication goals of NOS. In other words, each tool serves a very specific purpose. Each plan lays out major project goals and measures for success, project implementation strategies (including required resources), and editorial guidelines for using the tool. The plans are being revisited as use and understanding of each tool grows.

		h2. Results Achieved

		The primary measure of success of this initiative is the numbers of visitors to NOS Web site pages referred to from the different social media platforms. Other measures include the number of fans (or followers or contacts) and the number of views of each tool (if applicable).

		While the initiative is still relatively new, early statistics suggest that continually updated content on the site combined with the use of social media tools to 'market' the content is having an impact:
		• In the period between January and March of 2009, the NOS Web site received 1,262,847 page requests---an increase of 35 percent over the same period of time last year.
		• The RSS feeds for the audio podcasts were the most frequently requested pages on the site in March.
		• As of April 2009, after six months of operation, the NOS Twitter account had over 1,200 followers and continues to gain between 100-200 or more new followers each week. Additionally, Twitter is now a regular referrer to the NOS Web site.
		• As of March 2010, after 18 months of operation, the NOS Twitter account had over 7,200 followers and continues to gain between 100-200 or more new followers each week. Additionally, Twitter is now a regular referrer to the NOS Web site.
		• At the end of March 2010, after being live for on year, the NOS Facebook page had 1,4180 fans, with an additional 25 new fans joining each week.

		Overall return on investment with the use of these tools is high. The bulk of staff time is used to generate the content on the NOS Web site; the additional time investment to repurpose this content is minimal (\~ 10 minutes per day), yet the results are significant.

		h2. Lessons Learned

		For NOS, the use of social media tools is not about the tools themselves, but about the overall communication goals of the organization. NOS started social media efforts not by asking "what social media tools do we want to use?" Instead, NOS looked at overall goals and objectives and then considered what tools (social media or otherwise) would be most effective in reaching those goals. Social media represents one communications tactic, but is not the end-all, be-all for NOS. With fresh and engaging content being available on the NOS Web site, staff always have something to "say" via social sites---and the management of these social media tools has been small relative to the overall gain.

		NOS efforts to increase Web reach through social media have been successful for a number of other reasons. First, NOS leadership has been supportive of the adoption of social media and has encouraged staff to test and implement these relatively new, yet innovative, communication tools. Additionally, the combination of communications and Web staff collaborating on these tools has allowed NOS to develop the use of social media within an environment that considers both content and technical issues. Also, a key element to success thus far has been the development of written operating plans that provide guidance and help set parameters on the focus and scope of these tools.

		The efforts by NOS to incorporate social media into organizational communication can be replicated by other organizations, both within NOS, NOAA, and beyond. The relatively simple operating plans are being distributed throughout the federal Web community and provide a baseline for other organizations to get started.

The Guardian Newspaper's Investigate Your MP's Expenses (updated)

2009-09-12T04:11:27Z

Page: Updated by Mark DiGiammarino to revision 13 on Mar 26, 2010 11:25 AM. Created by Matt Thomas on Sep 12, 2009 12:11 AM

Case Summary

Following the May 2009 disclosure of British MP expense claims and the scandal that ensued, The Guardian newspaper launched Investigate Your MP's Expenses in June of 2009. Investigate Your MP's Expenses is an online gallery of Parliamentary expense claims in which visitors can sort and flag claims that have yet to be reviewed. This approach not only gives citizen readers a role in ensuring transparency in their own government, but also supplies the newspaper with hours of free document review.

Business Challenge

After a year of vigorous debate and opposition from some Members of Parliament, the British House of Commons agreed in April of 2009 to begin releasing copies of MP's expense reports. That May, a British newspaper obtained a copy of the expense claims and, due to fears that the government's disclosure would be incomplete, began publishing them independently. The release of the expense reports revealed numerous violations of both the letter and the spirit of Parliamentary rules and caused a scandal as countless MP's were shown to have taken unfair advantage of the system. On June 18th, 2009, the Guardian newspaper launched Investigate Your MP's Expenses, a website that allows visitors to help review over four hundred and fifty thousand expense claims submitted by MP's over the last five years.

Approach Taken

In setting up Investigate Your MP's Expenses, the Guardian sought to use the energy of the public to help identify and expose corruption in Parliament. This strategy of public involvement is often referred to as crowdsourcing, a theory in which decisionmakers engage a broad and diverse community to help solve a problem. In many circumstances, the internet crowd is capable of delivering the same, or even better, quality service at a much lower cost than more conventional methods.

In order to review the expense reports released by the government, the Guardian built an online gallery of over 450,000 digital expense claims, which were scanned into PDF form from the MP's original papers. These digital copies can be viewed randomly or searched by name, constituency and zip code. As visitors view the expense claims, they can categorize them by type of document and relevancy, and flag a claim if it raises suspicion. Dubious claims are examined by journalists at the Guardian and, if they demonstrate questionable behavior by the MP, are highlighted on the website. The website uses Google Apps to display quantitative data that the Guardian has aggregated.

Results Achieved

As of September 10th, 2009, a total of 458,832 pages have been posted online. 26,132 users have reviewed 219,650 pages, leaving 239,182 pages still unexamined.

As a direct result of this project, the Guardian has learned exactly how many expense claims each Member of Parliament filed over the last five years, and it is currently in the process of calculating the amount that each MP has submitted as write-off claims. With not yet half of all the pages viewed, the website provides a running count of how much money each party spent on different categories of goods and services.

MP Expenses by category.¹

Perhaps the most interesting result is the page that displays many of the most suspicious findings made through Investigate your MP's Expenses.

Lessons Learned

There are a few lessons to be learned from the Guardian's Investigate Your MP's Expenses site. The first lesson is that the webpage format needs to be flexible. For this project, the Guardian copied and posted all the expense claims using Adobe Acrobat's PDF. This format strictly limits a user's ability to search documents and contribute additional information. Using a more flexible webpage format would allow people to access raw data and "mash it up" to add context such as biographies, maps and graphs. A more open format would make the information more accessible, interactive, and engaging to the community; and might increase the amount of time and effort that visitors to the site donate.

If the Guardian chooses to have their webpage content fixed, the administrators of Investigate Your MP's Expenses should at least better utilize tagging to categorize material. As it stands now, the viewer can only apply one of a few different descriptors when viewing a previously unviewed page. There is only a single interface to search for information and the only search parameters that can be entered are MP name, Constituency (district) and zip code. If tagging was more effectively utilized, users could increase the categories that pages are listed under and access those listings from any page on the site.

Data authenticity is also a central concern of this initiative. Caution should be taken when posting information to ensure it is wholly accurate. Shortly after the site launched, the Guardian reported that Adrian Bailey, MP had filed a claim for ?160 spent at Solihull Tanning Centre. Mr. Bailey had in fact spent the money at Sandwell Training Association to provide job training to young people. The mistake had been made because someone had misread a handwritten expense report. Although the Guardian later apologized for the mistake, this example demonstrates the potential that this approach can have for causing great and unnecessary harm to a person's reputation.

Investigate your MP's Expenses is an ongoing project that is still far from complete. Three months after the initiative began, less than half of the four hundred and fifty thousand expense claims posted on the site have been reviewed. Between August 17th and September 10th only 353 new users participated and only 3,603 more pages were reviewed. This means that, in the program's third month, the total number of visitors and amount of activity on the site grew by only 1.5 to 2%. Such low growth shortly after the project began may demonstrate that heavy site traffic is driven by constant news coverage of the Parliamentary expense scandal. Although crowdsourcing may have allowed the Guardian to have a portion of its material reviewed quite cheaply, many of the expense claims remains unseen. Crowdsourcing can complement more conventional research methods; however, it cannot replace them.

References

1. http://mps-expenses.guardian.co.uk/
2. http://mpsallowances.parliament.uk/mpslordsandoffices/hocallowances/allowances-by-mp/
3. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/mps-expenses/5294350/Expenses-How-MPs-expenses-became-a-hot-topic.html
4. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/politics/7840678.stm
5. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crowdsourcing
6. http://www.wired.com/wired/archive/14.06/crowds.html
7. http://www.wired.com/epicenter/2009/03/is-crowdsourcin/

Changes between revision 12 and revision 13:

view all revisions | revert page to version 12

		h1. Case Summary
		{excerpt}
		Following the May 2009 disclosure of British MP expense claims and the scandal that ensued, [The Guardian\|http://www.guardian.co.uk/] newspaper launched [Investigate Your MP's Expenses\|http://mps-expenses.guardian.co.uk/] in June of 2009. Investigate Your MP's Expenses is an online gallery of Parliamentary expense claims in which visitors can sort and flag claims that have yet to be reviewed. This approach not only gives citizen readers a role in ensuring transparency in their own government, but also supplies the newspaper with hours of free document review.
		{excerpt}

		h2. Business Challenge
		After a year of vigorous debate and opposition from some Members of Parliament, the [British House of Commons\|http://www.parliament.uk/] agreed in April of 2009 to begin releasing copies of MP's expense reports. That May, a British newspaper obtained a copy of the expense claims and, due to fears that the government's disclosure would be incomplete, began publishing them independently. The release of the expense reports revealed numerous violations of both the letter and the spirit of [Parliamentary rules\|http://www.parliament.uk/documents/upload/GreenBook0309.pdf] and caused a scandal as countless MP's were shown to have taken unfair advantage of the system. On June 18th, 2009, the Guardian newspaper launched Investigate Your MP's Expenses, a website that allows visitors to help review over four hundred and fifty thousand expense claims submitted by MP's over the last five years.

		h2. Approach Taken
		In setting up Investigate Your MP's Expenses, the Guardian sought to use the energy of the public to help identify and expose corruption in Parliament. This strategy of public involvement is often referred to as [crowdsourcing\|http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crowdsourcing], a theory in which decisionmakers engage a broad and diverse community to help solve a problem. In many circumstances, the internet crowd is capable of delivering the same, or even better, quality service at a much lower cost than more conventional methods.

		In order to review the expense reports released by the government, the Guardian built an online gallery of over 450,000 digital expense claims, which were scanned into [PDF\|http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portable_Document_Format] form from the MP's original papers. These digital copies can be viewed randomly or searched by name, constituency and zip code. As visitors view the expense claims, they can categorize them by type of document and relevancy, and flag a claim if it raises suspicion. Dubious claims are examined by journalists at the Guardian and, if they demonstrate questionable behavior by the MP, are highlighted on the website. The website uses Google Apps to display [quantitative data\|http://www.guardian.co.uk/news/datablog/2009/jun/19/mps-expenses-houseofcommons] that the Guardian has aggregated.


		h2. Results Achieved
		As of September 10th, 2009, a total of 458,832 pages have been posted online. 23,788 users have reviewed 208,977 pages, leaving 249,855 pages still unexamined.
		As of September 10th, 2009, a total of 458,832 pages have been posted online. 26,132 users have reviewed 219,650 pages, leaving 239,182 pages still unexamined.

		As a direct result of this project, the Guardian has learned exactly how many expense claims each Member of Parliament filed over the last five years, and it is currently in the process of calculating the amount that each MP has submitted as write-off claims. With not yet half of all the pages viewed, the website provides a running count of how much money each party spent on different categories of goods and services.

		{quote}
		!mpexpenses.PNG\|align=center!
		MP Expenses by category.^[1\|http://www.guardian.co.uk/news/datablog/2009/jun/19/mps-expenses-houseofcommons]^
		{quote}

		Perhaps the most interesting result is the [page\|http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/blog/2009/jun/19/mps-expenses-what-you-ve-found] that displays many of the most suspicious findings made through Investigate your MP's Expenses.


		h2. Lessons Learned
		There are a few lessons to be learned from the Guardian's Investigate Your MP's Expenses site. The first lesson is that the webpage format needs to be flexible. For this project, the Guardian copied and posted all the expense claims using Adobe Acrobat's PDF. This format strictly limits a user's ability to search documents and contribute additional information. Using a more flexible webpage format would allow people to access raw data and "mash it up" to add context such as biographies, maps and graphs. A more open format would make the information more accessible, interactive, and engaging to the community; and might increase the amount of time and effort that visitors to the site donate.

		If the Guardian chooses to have their webpage content fixed, the administrators of Investigate Your MP's Expenses should at least better utilize tagging to categorize material. As it stands now, the viewer can only apply one of a few different descriptors when viewing a previously unviewed page. There is only a single interface to search for information and the only search parameters that can be entered are MP name, Constituency (district) and zip code. If tagging was more effectively utilized, users could increase the categories that pages are listed under and access those listings from any page on the site.

		Data authenticity is also a central concern of this initiative. Caution should be taken when posting information to ensure it is wholly accurate. Shortly after the site launched, the Guardian reported that [Adrian Bailey, MP\|http://www.adrianbailey.org/] had filed a claim for ?160 spent at Solihull Tanning Centre. Mr. Bailey had in fact spent the money at [Sandwell Training Association\|http://www.sandwelltraining.com/] to provide job training to young people. The mistake had been made because someone had misread a handwritten expense report. Although the Guardian later apologized for the mistake, this example demonstrates the potential that this approach can have for causing great and unnecessary harm to a person's reputation.

		Investigate your MP's Expenses is an ongoing project that is still far from complete. Three months after the initiative began, less than half of the four hundred and fifty thousand expense claims posted on the site have been reviewed. Between August 17th and September 10th only 353 new users participated and only 3,603 more pages were reviewed. This means that, in the program's third month, the total number of visitors and amount of activity on the site grew by only 1.5 to 2%. Such low growth shortly after the project began may demonstrate that heavy site traffic is driven by constant news coverage of the Parliamentary expense scandal. Although crowdsourcing may have allowed the Guardian to have a portion of its material reviewed quite cheaply, many of the expense claims remains unseen. Crowdsourcing can complement more conventional research methods; however, it cannot replace them.


		h2. References
		1. http://mps-expenses.guardian.co.uk/
		2. http://mpsallowances.parliament.uk/mpslordsandoffices/hocallowances/allowances-by-mp/
		3. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/mps-expenses/5294350/Expenses-How-MPs-expenses-became-a-hot-topic.html
		4. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/politics/7840678.stm
		5. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crowdsourcing
		6. http://www.wired.com/wired/archive/14.06/crowds.html
		7. http://www.wired.com/epicenter/2009/03/is-crowdsourcin/

Texas Virtual Border Watch (updated)

2008-11-24T17:28:42Z

Page: Updated by Mark DiGiammarino to revision 3 on Mar 26, 2010 11:22 AM. Created by Daniel Honker on Nov 24, 2008 12:28 PM

Case Summary

In an effort to better engage citizens in border protection, the State of Texas launched a "Virtual Border Watch" program to allow citizens to view live video feeds of the area and submit reports of suspicious activity.

Business Challenge

The State of Texas wanted to better protect the state's border with Mexico and improve crime prevention efforts through engaging citizen input from residents in the region.

Approach Taken

In November 2006, the Texas Border Sheriff's Coalition, a group of 20 sheriffs from the border region, launched a month-long "Texas Virtual Border Watch" website as a trial attempt to create a virtual community for border protection. The site allowed users, or "Virtual Texas Deputies," to view live streaming video feeds from cameras stationed throughout the border area and submit their own reports of suspicious activity.

The State launched a full-scale version of the program in November 2008 through a partnership between the Sheriff's Coalition and social networking company BlueServo, Inc. The new site allows users to feed video from their own video cameras into the Virtual Border Watch system. Granted $2 million for project by the State, the program aims to create a virtual "neighborhood watch" along the border consisting of the community and law enforcement offices. The sheriffs also hope to raise advertising revenue through a large number of hits to the site in order to defray expenses and rollout more cameras along the border.

The initiative was covered in Federal Computer Week..

Results Achieved

Results of the recent full-scale launch in November 2008 are not yet known.

During the month-long pilot of the site in 2006, there were 221,562 registered users of the site, 27,923,387 hits, and 14,800 reports of suspicious activity submitted.

Lessons Learned

Utilizing crowd-sourcing the texas border watch was able to give Texas citizens a voice and many of the recommendations for improvements to the website were incorporated during the test period and will be part of the RFP that the state issues.

More information to come.

Changes between revision 2 and revision 3:

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		h1. Case Summary
		{excerpt}
		In an effort to better engage citizens in border protection, the State of Texas launched a "Virtual Border Watch" program to allow citizens to view live video feeds of the area and submit reports of suspicious activity.
		{excerpt}

		h2. Business Challenge

		The [State of Texas\|http://www.texasonline.com/portal/tol] wanted to better protect the state's border with Mexico and improve crime prevention efforts through engaging citizen input from residents in the region.

		h2. Approach Taken

		In November 2006, the Texas Border Sheriff's Coalition, a group of 20 sheriffs from the border region, launched a month-long ["Texas Virtual Border Watch"\|http://texasborderwatch.com/] website as a trial attempt to create a virtual community for border protection. The site allowed users, or "Virtual Texas Deputies," to view live streaming video feeds from cameras stationed throughout the border area and submit their own reports of suspicious activity.

		The State launched a [full-scale version\|http://www.blueservo.com/] of the program in November 2008 through a partnership between the Sheriff's Coalition and social networking company [BlueServo, Inc.\|http://www.blueservo.com/] The new site allows users to feed video from their own video cameras into the Virtual Border Watch system. Granted $2 million for project by the State, the program aims to create a virtual "neighborhood watch" along the border consisting of the community and law enforcement offices. The sheriffs also hope to raise advertising revenue through a large number of hits to the site in order to defray expenses and rollout more cameras along the border.

		The initiative was covered in [Federal Computer Week.\|http://www.fcw.com/online/news/154468-1.html].

		h2. Results Achieved

		Results of the recent full-scale launch in November 2008 are not yet known.

		During the month-long pilot of the site in 2006, there were 221,562 registered users of the site, 27,923,387 hits, and 14,800 reports of suspicious activity submitted.

		h2. Lessons Learned

		Utilizing crowd-sourcing the texas border watch was able to give Texas citizens a voice and many of the recommendations for improvements to the website were incorporated during the test period and will be part of the RFP that the state issues.

		{info}
		More information to come.
		{info}

Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals (updated)

2008-06-03T19:23:37Z

Page: Updated by Mark DiGiammarino to revision 9 on Mar 25, 2010 11:23 PM. Created by Andy Hanna on Jun 03, 2008 3:23 PM

Case Summary

The 7th Circuit Court of Appeals has created a wiki for court business, providing electronic access to Seventh Circuit case information, rules, procedures and opinions. This is the first public wiki launched by the federal judiciary. The site is based on the principle that comments from lawyers across the nation are important to the judicial process because issues of federal practice, especially in the appellate courts, are common ones.

The court also allows oral arguments to be heard through the use of RSS feeds

Business Challenge

The 7th Circuit Court of Appeals sought a dynamic way to refine federal judicial procedures and practices.

Approach Taken

The circuit established a wiki site that posts rules of practice, opinions, a link to the Practitioner's Handbook and other informative materials. Judges and attorneys from across the country are invited to establish an account on the site in order to comment on practices and procedures occuring in both the court of appeals and the district courts. Anyone who wishes to edit pages needs to supply their real name and confirm their email address.

Results Achieved

The wiki site established by the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals was the first to be launched by the Federal judiciary.

There have not been many updates made to the site recently, but there are many informative articles within the wiki.

Lessons Learned

There is not a great deal of information available at this time but it should be interesting to watch how this develops and whether other courts will follow the 7th Circuit's lead. As of March 25, 2010 a more friendly user interface, like including text on the main page, could help boost traffic on the wiki.

Changes between revision 8 and revision 9:

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		h1. Case Summary
		{excerpt}
		The [7th Circuit Court of Appeals\|http://www.ca7.uscourts.gov/] has created a [wiki for court business\|http://www.ca7.uscourts.gov/wiki/index.php?title=Main_Page], providing electronic access to Seventh Circuit case information, rules, procedures and opinions. This is the first public wiki launched by the federal judiciary. The site is based on the principle that comments from lawyers across the nation are important to the judicial process because issues of federal practice, especially in the appellate courts, are common ones.
		{excerpt}

		The court also allows oral arguments to be heard through the use of [RSS feeds\|http://www.ca7.uscourts.gov/ca7_rss.htm]

		h2. Business Challenge
		The 7th Circuit Court of Appeals sought a dynamic way to refine federal judicial procedures and practices.


		h2. Approach Taken
		The circuit established a wiki site that posts rules of practice, opinions, a link to the Practitioner's Handbook and other informative materials. Judges and attorneys from across the country are invited to establish an account on the site in order to comment on practices and procedures occuring in both the court of appeals and the district courts. Anyone who wishes to edit pages needs to supply their real name and confirm their email address.

		h2. Results Achieved
		The wiki site established by the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals was the first to be launched by the Federal judiciary.

		There have not been many updates made to the site recently, but there are many informative articles within the wiki.


		h2. Lessons Learned
		There is not a great deal of information available at this time but it should be interesting to watch how this develops and whether other courts will follow the 7th Circuit's lead.
		There is not a great deal of information available at this time but it should be interesting to watch how this develops and whether other courts will follow the 7th Circuit's lead. As of March 25, 2010 a more friendly user interface, like including text on the main page, could help boost traffic on the wiki.

San Francisco's 311 on Twitter (updated)

2009-09-29T08:32:49Z

Page: Updated by Mark DiGiammarino to revision 18 on Mar 25, 2010 11:17 PM. Created by Matt Thomas on Sep 29, 2009 4:32 AM

Case Summary

In an effort to improve 311 service and simultaneously lower costs, the City of San Francisco launched SF 311 on Twitter on June 2nd, 2009. SF 311 on Twitter is a Twitter-based platform that allows residents to access 311 services online. Although not yet a feasible replacement for phone-based 311 services, SF 311 on Twitter can serve as a complement to the phone-based system, strengthening San Francisco's existing 311 service with capabilities that were previously unavailable.

Business Challenge

Since its launch on March 29, 2007, San Francisco's 311 service has received over 6,000,000 calls. Traffic has increased over time, with the service receiving over 300,000 calls almost every month during fiscal year 2008/2009. 311's increased traffic has directly led to increases in the cost of the program. Facing budget difficulties for the upcoming 2009-2010 fiscal year, San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom sought a way to increase the capacity of the popular 311 program, while also lowering its costs.

According to the City's press release, the solution came to Mayor Newsom while attending a meeting with Twitter founder Biz Stone, when the Mayor received a Tweet from one of his constituents informing him of a pothole that needed to be filled. The Mayor then directed the city's Department of Technology to look into ways that the City could use Twitter to better communicate with its residents. As a result of the Department of Technology's efforts, on June 2nd, 2009, Mayor Newsom announced the launch of San Francisco's new 311 Twitter service.

Approach Taken

Twitter is a free, Web 2.0, social networking platform that allows users to send short messages of up to 140 characters to friends and acquaintances who also have accounts on the site. Under San Francisco's new 311 Twitter program, City residents with Twitter accounts can sign up as Followers of San Francisco 311 and send Tweets containing service requests and complaints, instead of calling 311 on the phone.

The list of requests that residents can make includes: street cleaning, graffiti removal, pothole and sidewalk repairs, abandoned vehicle and garbage pickup, as well as general requests for city information.

If city residents wish to submit requests anonymously, they may use a direct-messaging feature that ensures their submission cannot be tracked by the public. San Francisco's 311 Twitter communications are managed by CoTweet, a company that specializes in corporate Twitter account management.

San Francisco's 311 Twitter service has the potential to offer a number of advantages over the phone service, which could benefit both City officials and residents. Under the new program, fewer 311 staff members are able to respond to more requests than they previously could by phone alone. When residents submit requests through Twitter, they can attach pictures of problems they need addressed, clarifying why the issue requires resolution. After a Twitter request has been made, 311 staff can easily provide follow-up, allowing residents to track resolution of the problem. Because Twitter is a free service, all these benefits can be achieved with little additional cost.

Results Achieved

As of March 25, 2010, San Francisco's 311 Twitter account has accumulated 5,597 followers and received 779 Tweets. Such a low number of submissions after almost four months, compared to the 300,000+ calls the phone service receives monthly, may suggest that the Twitter platform is still too new to effectively facilitate some communication between government and citizen. Usage of San Francisco's 311 on Twitter may not increase until Twitter use is more widespread. However, even if the 311 Twitter program is ill-suited to completely replace phone service, it can still effectively complement the phone service with its own unique strengths. Since its initial launch on June 2nd, 2009, neither the City of San Francisco, nor the news media have published many reviews of the project.

Lessons Learned

There are a few lessons that San Francisco's 311 Twitter pilot can teach to other cities planning to use Twitter, or any other new technology, to engage the public. Web 2.0 platforms have great potential to increase public outreach; however, when governments adopt these new technologies, they should consider what results they expect the technology to realistically achieve. While San Francisco's 311 Twitter program has not absorbed as much 311 traffic as city officials had hoped, it has provided a model for a valuable, complementary service that can be reproduced in other cities.

One complaint that some have voiced is that the deal between the City of San Francisco and Twitter seemed to have been conducted in an exclusive and nontransparent manner. When announcing the program in June, the City's press release stated,

"The idea for this new application developed during a meeting with Mayor Newsom and Twitter founder Biz Stone and Twitter CEO Evan Williams. During that meeting the Mayor received a "tweet" from a citizen regarding a pothole."

There has been some criticism that 311 has not expanded this program to SMS and MMS text messaging services. Jackson West, a reporter with the online newspaper The San Francisco Appeal, wrote in an article published on June 2nd,

"Why is 311 only supporting text messages via Twitter, and not simply through regular SMS and MMS messaging? It simply adds a fourth party as a layer of complexity between the citizen, phone company, and government agency."

Some have noted that other platforms which provide similar messaging services, such as Facebook, were not included in the deal. Including other platforms in the online 311 service might increase traffic and further improve the site's capabilities.

Although some aspects of the program are not universally supported, San Francisco's 311 on Twitter represents an innovative example of collaborative technology being used to improve government services. Through 311 on Twitter, San Francisco has expanded the capabilities of its 311 service, at very little cost. Twitter's effectiveness as a component of 311 service will likely grow as the micro-blogging site's popularity increases.

1. http://www.sfgov.org/site/mayor_index.asp?id=105288
2. http://www.sfgov.org/site/uploadedfiles/sf311/FY08-09_311_Report.pdf
3. http://www.sfgov.org/site/uploadedfiles/mayor/PolicyFinance/CCSF%20Mayor%20Proposed%20FY2009-2010%20Budget.pdf
4. http://sftwitter.sfgov.org/twitter/
5. http://twitter.com/sf311
6. http://www.govtech.com/gt/693142
7. http://sfappeal.com/business_tech_re/2009/06/311-and-twitter-more-problems-than-solutions.php
8. http://sfcitizen.com/blog/2009/06/02/one-tweet-does-it-all-twitter-joins-san-franciscos-311-telephone-service/

Changes between revision 17 and revision 18:

view all revisions | revert page to version 17

		h1. Case Summary
		{excerpt}
		In an effort to improve [311 service\|http://www.sfgov.org/site/sf311_index.asp?id=86063] and simultaneously lower costs, the [City of San Francisco\|http://www.sfgov.org/index.asp] launched [SF 311 on Twitter\|http://sftwitter.sfgov.org/twitter/] on June 2nd, 2009. SF 311 on Twitter is a [Twitter\|http://twitter.com/]-based platform that allows residents to access 311 services online. Although not yet a feasible replacement for phone-based 311 services, SF 311 on Twitter can serve as a complement to the phone-based system, strengthening San Francisco's existing 311 service with capabilities that were previously unavailable.
		{excerpt}

		h2. Business Challenge
		Since its launch on March 29, 2007, San Francisco's 311 service has received over 6,000,000 calls. Traffic has increased over time, with the service receiving over [300,000 calls\|http://www.sfgov.org/site/uploadedfiles/sf311/FY08-09_311_Report.pdf] almost every month during fiscal year 2008/2009. 311's increased traffic has directly led to increases in the cost of the program. Facing budget difficulties for the upcoming 2009-2010 fiscal year, San Francisco [Mayor Gavin Newsom\|http://www.sfgov.org/site/mayor_index.asp?id=22014] sought a way to increase the capacity of the popular 311 program, while also lowering its costs.

		According to the City's [press release\|http://www.sfgov.org/site/mayor_index.asp?id=105288], the solution came to Mayor Newsom while attending a meeting with Twitter founder [Biz Stone\|http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biz_Stone], when the Mayor received a Tweet from one of his constituents informing him of a pothole that needed to be filled. The Mayor then directed the city's [Department of Technology\|http://www.sfgov.org/site/dtis_index.asp] to look into ways that the City could use Twitter to better communicate with its residents. As a result of the Department of Technology's efforts, on June 2nd, 2009, Mayor Newsom announced the launch of San Francisco's new 311 Twitter service.


		h2. Approach Taken
		Twitter is a free, Web 2.0, social networking platform that allows users to send short messages of up to 140 characters to friends and acquaintances who also have accounts on the site. Under San Francisco's new 311 Twitter program, City residents with Twitter accounts can sign up as Followers of San Francisco 311 and send Tweets containing service requests and complaints, instead of calling 311 on the phone.

		{align:center}
		!twitter sample 3.bmp!
		{align}

		The list of requests that residents can make includes: street cleaning, graffiti removal, pothole and sidewalk repairs, abandoned vehicle and garbage pickup, as well as general requests for city information.

		{align:center}
		!twitter sample 6.bmp!
		{align}

		If city residents wish to submit requests anonymously, they may use a direct-messaging feature that ensures their submission cannot be tracked by the public. San Francisco's 311 Twitter communications are managed by [CoTweet\|http://cotweet.com/], a company that specializes in corporate Twitter account management.

		San Francisco's 311 Twitter service has the potential to offer a number of advantages over the phone service, which could benefit both City officials and residents. Under the new program, fewer 311 staff members are able to respond to more requests than they previously could by phone alone. When residents submit requests through Twitter, they can attach pictures of problems they need addressed, clarifying why the issue requires resolution. After a Twitter request has been made, 311 staff can easily provide follow-up, allowing residents to track resolution of the problem. Because Twitter is a free service, all these benefits can be achieved with little additional cost.


		h2. Results Achieved
		As of September 24th, 2009, San Francisco's 311 Twitter account has accumulated 4,059 followers and received 270 Tweets. Such a low number of submissions after almost four months, compared to the 300,000+ calls the phone service receives monthly, may suggest that the Twitter platform is still too new to effectively facilitate some communication between government and citizen. Usage of San Francisco's 311 on Twitter may not increase until Twitter use is more widespread. However, even if the 311 Twitter program is ill-suited to completely replace phone service, it can still effectively complement the phone service with its own unique strengths. Since its initial launch on June 2nd, 2009, neither the City of San Francisco, nor the news media have published many reviews of the project.
		As of March 25, 2010, San Francisco's 311 Twitter account has accumulated 5,597 followers and received 779 Tweets. Such a low number of submissions after almost four months, compared to the 300,000+ calls the phone service receives monthly, may suggest that the Twitter platform is still too new to effectively facilitate some communication between government and citizen. Usage of San Francisco's 311 on Twitter may not increase until Twitter use is more widespread. However, even if the 311 Twitter program is ill-suited to completely replace phone service, it can still effectively complement the phone service with its own unique strengths. Since its initial launch on June 2nd, 2009, neither the City of San Francisco, nor the news media have published many reviews of the project.

		h2. Lessons Learned
		There are a few lessons that San Francisco's 311 Twitter pilot can teach to other cities planning to use Twitter, or any other new technology, to engage the public. Web 2.0 platforms have great potential to increase public outreach; however, when governments adopt these new technologies, they should consider what results they expect the technology to realistically achieve. While San Francisco's 311 Twitter program has not absorbed as much 311 traffic as city officials had hoped, it has provided a model for a valuable, complementary service that can be reproduced in other cities.

		One complaint that some have voiced is that the deal between the City of San Francisco and Twitter seemed to have been conducted in an exclusive and nontransparent manner. When announcing the program in June, the City's press release stated,

		{quote}
		"The idea for this new application developed during a meeting with Mayor Newsom and Twitter founder Biz Stone and Twitter CEO Evan Williams. During that meeting the Mayor received a "tweet" from a citizen regarding a pothole."
		{quote}

		There has been some criticism that 311 has not expanded this program to [SMS\|http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SMS] and [MMS\|http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Multimedia_Messaging_Service] text messaging services. [Jackson West\|http://jacksonwest.wordpress.com/about/], a reporter with the online newspaper [The San Francisco Appeal\|http://sfappeal.com/], wrote in [an article\|http://sfappeal.com/business_tech_re/2009/06/311-and-twitter-more-problems-than-solutions.php] published on June 2nd,

		{quote}
		"Why is 311 only supporting text messages via Twitter, and not simply through regular SMS and MMS messaging? It simply adds a fourth party as a layer of complexity between the citizen, phone company, and government agency."
		{quote}

		Some have noted that other platforms which provide similar messaging services, such as [Facebook\|http://www.facebook.com/], were not included in the deal. Including other platforms in the online 311 service might increase traffic and further improve the site's capabilities.

		Although some aspects of the program are not universally supported, San Francisco's 311 on Twitter represents an innovative example of collaborative technology being used to improve government services. Through 311 on Twitter, San Francisco has expanded the capabilities of its 311 service, at very little cost. Twitter's effectiveness as a component of 311 service will likely grow as the micro-blogging site's popularity increases.

		1. [http://www.sfgov.org/site/mayor_index.asp?id=105288]
		2. [http://www.sfgov.org/site/uploadedfiles/sf311/FY08-09_311_Report.pdf]
		3. [http://www.sfgov.org/site/uploadedfiles/mayor/PolicyFinance/CCSF%20Mayor%20Proposed%20FY2009-2010%20Budget.pdf]
		4. [http://sftwitter.sfgov.org/twitter/]
		5. [http://twitter.com/sf311]
		6. [http://www.govtech.com/gt/693142]
		7. [http://sfappeal.com/business_tech_re/2009/06/311-and-twitter-more-problems-than-solutions.php]
		8. [http://sfcitizen.com/blog/2009/06/02/one-tweet-does-it-all-twitter-joins-san-franciscos-311-telephone-service/]

Peer-to-Patent Project, US Patent and Trademark Office (updated)

2008-05-07T11:10:47Z

Page: Updated by Mark DiGiammarino to revision 8 on Mar 25, 2010 11:08 PM. Created by Dan Munz on May 07, 2008 7:10 AM

Summary

New York Law School piloted a Peer-to-Patent Project that enables the public to submit information and commentary relevant to the claims of 250 pending patent applications in computer architecture, software, and information security via the Web. This pilot program demonstrated that organized public participation can improve the quality of issued patents.

Business Challenge

The US Patent and Trademark Office (PTO) was in search of an efficient means to gather information that would ultimately help them to make determinations on patentability.

Approach Taken

To provide the PTO with better information to make its determination about patentability, New York Law School piloted a Peer-to-Patent Project that enables the public to submit information and commentary relevant to the claims of 250 pending patent applications in computer architecture, software, and information security via the Web. The public is asked to rank-order its submissions so that the PTO reviews only the Top 10 submissions and the attached commentary. This approach allows for open but structured input into the legal-decision-making process.

As of June 15, 2009 this Peer-to-Patent forum has closed.

Results Achieved (metrics)

Since the Peer-to-Patent program was launched in June 2007, there have been 186,043 page views from 32,457 unique viewers in 126 different countries/territories.

Peer to Patent has recently released results of their initiative in their one-year report. These include:

From June 2007-April 2008, Peer-to-Patent has attracted well over 2,000 registered users and 173 items of prior art submitted on 40 applications by participants from 140 countries.

Public submissions of prior art have been used to reject claims in first office actions coming back from the USPTO. The first 23 office actions issued during the pilot phase showed use of Peer-to-Patent submitted prior art in nine rejections, with all but one rejection using non-patent prior art literature. At least 3 additional office actions suggest that, while examiners did not use Peer-to-Patent prior art references in rejecting the application, they were influenced by Peer-to-Patent submissions in their search strategy and understanding of the prior art.

Of the 419 total prior art references submitted by inventors during the pilot, only 14 percent were non-patent literature. In contrast, 55 percent of prior art references cited by Peer-to-Patent reviewers were non-patent literature.

Eighty-nine (89) percent of participating patent examiners thought the presentation of prior art that they received from the Peer-to-Patent community was clear and well formatted. Ninety-two (92) percent reported that they would welcome examining another application with public participation.

Seventy-three (73) percent of participating examiners want to see Peer-to-Patent implemented as regular office practice.

Twenty-one (21) percent of participating examiners stated that prior art submitted by the Peer-to-Patent community was "inaccessible" by the USPTO.

The USPTO received one third-party prior art submission for every 500 applications published in 2007. Peer-to-Patent reviewers have provided an average of almost 5 prior art references for each application in the pilot.

Lessons Learned

The pilot program demonstrated that organized public participation can improve the quality of issued patents. Early results also show that the quality of participants is high and that non-governmental experts can help solve of our most complex social and scientific problems, while reducing the burden of overloaded agencies like the PTO.

Changes between revision 7 and revision 8:

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		h1. Summary
		{excerpt} [New York Law School\|http://www.nyls.edu/pages/1.asp] piloted a [Peer-to-Patent Project\|http://dotank.nyls.edu/communitypatent/] that enables the public to submit information and commentary relevant to the claims of 250 pending patent applications in computer architecture, software, and information security via the Web. This pilot program demonstrated that organized public participation can improve the quality of issued patents.{excerpt}

		h2. Business Challenge
		[The US Patent and Trademark Office (PTO)\|http://www.uspto.gov/] was in search of an efficient means to gather information that would ultimately help them to make determinations on patentability.

		h2. Approach Taken
		To provide the PTO with better information to make its determination about patentability, New York Law School piloted a Peer-to-Patent Project that enables the public to submit information and commentary relevant to the claims of 250 pending patent applications in computer architecture, software, and information security via the Web. The public is asked to rank-order its submissions so that the PTO reviews only the Top 10 submissions and the attached commentary. This approach allows for open but structured input into the legal-decision-making process.

		As of June 15, 2009 this Peer-to-Patent forum has closed.

		h2. Results Achieved (metrics)
		Since the Peer-to-Patent program was launched in June 2007, there have been 186,043 page views from 32,457 unique viewers in 126 different countries/territories.

		Peer to Patent has recently released results of their initiative in their [one-year report\|http://dotank.nyls.edu/communitypatent/P2Panniversaryreport.pdf]. These include:
		{quote}* From June 2007-April 2008, Peer-to-Patent has attracted well over 2,000 registered users and 173 items of prior art submitted on 40 applications by participants from 140 countries.
		* Public submissions of prior art have been used to reject claims in first office actions coming back from the USPTO. The first 23 office actions issued during the pilot phase showed use of Peer-to-Patent submitted prior art in nine rejections, with all but one rejection using non-patent prior art literature. At least 3 additional office actions suggest that, while examiners did not use Peer-to-Patent prior art references in rejecting the application, they were influenced by Peer-to-Patent submissions in their search strategy and understanding of the prior art.
		* Of the 419 total prior art references submitted by inventors during the pilot, only 14 percent were non-patent literature. In contrast, 55 percent of prior art references cited by Peer-to-Patent reviewers were non-patent literature.
		* Eighty-nine (89) percent of participating patent examiners thought the presentation of prior art that they received from the Peer-to-Patent community was clear and well formatted. Ninety-two (92) percent reported that they would welcome examining another application with public participation.
		* Seventy-three (73) percent of participating examiners want to see Peer-to-Patent implemented as regular office practice.
		* Twenty-one (21) percent of participating examiners stated that prior art submitted by the Peer-to-Patent community was "inaccessible" by the USPTO.
		* The USPTO received one third-party prior art submission for every 500 applications published in 2007. Peer-to-Patent reviewers have provided an average of almost 5 prior art references for each application in the pilot.{quote}

		h2. Lessons Learned
		The pilot program demonstrated that organized public participation can improve the quality of issued patents. Early results also show that the quality of participants is high and that non-governmental experts can help solve of our most complex social and scientific problems, while reducing the burden of overloaded agencies like the PTO.

OhioSunshine.org (updated)

2008-09-08T15:17:14Z

Page: Updated by Mark DiGiammarino to revision 2 on Mar 25, 2010 10:59 PM. Created by Michael Maurer on Sep 08, 2008 11:17 AM

Case Summary

OhioSunshine.org is a wiki (a publicly edited Web site) that is one of several initiatives by the Center for Transparent and Accountable Government at the Buckeye Institute for Public Policy Solutions in Columbus, Ohio. The mission of OhioSunshine.org is "to serve as a convenient place where Ohio citizens and others with an interest in ensuring that government is open, honest and accountable may join together and work to ensure that government data is available to everyone. This includes government officials and offices at all levels that might find OhioSunshine.org a convenient place to post information that is commonly requested, thereby reducing their own burden while simultaneously easing the burden of citizens seeking information."

Business Challenge

Assuming that the three dimensions of a successful initiative include mission, awareness and technology, the salient dimension of OhioSunshine.org is awareness. That is to say, wiki technology is readily available, and the transparency and accountability mission is widespread. The challenge, then, for OhioSunshine.org is to be both effective, which is to say valuable to users, and known, which is to say within the horizon of user activity and consciousness.

Approach Taken

With help from many sources, CTAG established the wiki platform and has dedicated staff effort to regular "priming" of the wiki pump. Related CTAG projects, including describing and circumscribing the boundaries of "transparency," collecting relevant government information, spurring government entities to provide essential data, and promoting CTAG efforts and transparency concepts in relevant media and other support centers, will be related to OhioSunshine.org by providing content and also promoting the site to a wide audience of citizens and government officials.

Results Achieved

CTAG has committed to supporting OhioSunshine.org for a minimum of one year, both by contributing original content and collected government data, and by working to engage citizen sectors, including both activists such as school district residents supporting or opposing property tax levies, and governments that find a public site such as a wiki is a convenient and credible way to serve a sometimes-demanding public.

Lessons Learned

OhioSunshine.org was launched Aug. 11, 2008 and as of March 2010 has been successful in allowing Ohio residents to get "just the facts" about Ohio government. OhioSunshine.org now has a sister site, Sunshinereview.org has 45,684 articles, 794 contributors, and 5 million page views. Together the two sites are helping make Ohio government transparent for Ohio residents.

Changes between revision 1 and revision 2:

view all revisions | revert page to version 1

		h1. Case Summary
		{excerpt}
		OhioSunshine.org is a wiki (a publicly edited Web site) that is one of several initiatives by the Center for Transparent and Accountable Government at the Buckeye Institute for Public Policy Solutions in Columbus, Ohio. The mission of OhioSunshine.org is "to serve as a convenient place where Ohio citizens and others with an interest in ensuring that government is open, honest and accountable may join together and work to ensure that government data is available to everyone. This includes government officials and offices at all levels that might find OhioSunshine.org a convenient place to post information that is commonly requested, thereby reducing their own burden while simultaneously easing the burden of citizens seeking information."{excerpt}

		h2. Business Challenge

		Assuming that the three dimensions of a successful initiative include mission, awareness and technology, the salient dimension of OhioSunshine.org is awareness. That is to say, wiki technology is readily available, and the transparency and accountability mission is widespread. The challenge, then, for OhioSunshine.org is to be both effective, which is to say valuable to users, and known, which is to say within the horizon of user activity and consciousness.

		h2. Approach Taken

		With help from many sources, CTAG established the wiki platform and has dedicated staff effort to regular "priming" of the wiki pump. Related CTAG projects, including describing and circumscribing the boundaries of "transparency," collecting relevant government information, spurring government entities to provide essential data, and promoting CTAG efforts and transparency concepts in relevant media and other support centers, will be related to OhioSunshine.org by providing content and also promoting the site to a wide audience of citizens and government officials.

		h2. Results Achieved

		CTAG has committed to supporting OhioSunshine.org for a minimum of one year, both by contributing original content and collected government data, and by working to engage citizen sectors, including both activists such as school district residents supporting or opposing property tax levies, and governments that find a public site such as a wiki is a convenient and credible way to serve a sometimes-demanding public.

		h2. Lessons Learned

		OhioSunshine.org was launched Aug. 11, 2008 and is currently being developed and evaluated on an ongoing basis.
		OhioSunshine.org was launched Aug. 11, 2008 and as of March 2010 has been successful in allowing Ohio residents to get "just the facts" about Ohio government. OhioSunshine.org now has a sister site, Sunshinereview.org has 45,684 articles, 794 contributors, and 5 million page views. Together the two sites are helping make Ohio government transparent for Ohio residents.

ODNI Intellipedia (updated)

2008-05-15T12:12:34Z

Page: Updated by Mark DiGiammarino to revision 31 on Mar 25, 2010 10:48 PM. Created by Dan Munz on May 15, 2008 8:12 AM

Case Summary

In response to intelligence missteps leading up to 9/11 and the Iraq War, the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) sought to build a flatter US Intelligence community better equipped to coordinate and share classified surveillance information. The technology solution, "Intellipedia," is a peer-to-peer online collaboration network built on the same open-source software used by Wikipedia which allows intelligence analysts to share information through the federal government's classified Intelink intranet site. Intellipedia has already facilitated many small wins for the intelligence community, and the future seems bright for this collaborative tool.

Business Challenge

Following the September 11, 2001 attacks and the failure to find Weapons of Mass Destruction in Iraq, the U.S. intelligence community was widely criticized for downplaying dissenting views among their own analysts¹. Consequently, ODNIdesired a more dynamic and open intelligence sharing environment that would significantly improve the quality of future intelligence estimates.

Approach Taken

In April 2006, ODNI under the leadership of John Negroponte launched "Intellipedia," an online peer-to-peer collaboration system built on open-source software from Wikipedia that allows analysts as well as other relevant personnel such as engineers, librarians and human capital specialists from all 16 U.S. intelligence agencies to establish a common operating picture through the federal government's classified Intelink Web.² Intellipedia, commonly referred to as the "spooks" wiki, is not available to the public and is presently divided into three classification categories, ranging from "sensitive but unclassified" to "top secret." This tool allows users to share information by creating, editing, and discussing articles in an online space that is both topically-focused and agency-neutral.³

Unlike the largely anonymous environment of Wikipedia, ODNI's collaborative tool requires all online participants to include their name and organization when they submit a contribution or an edit. This aspect of the approach is critical for providing accountability to the intelligence evaluation process in the event that assessments are proven to be faulty.

Results Achieved (Metrics Used)

When New York Yankees pitcher ,Cory Lidle crashed his plan into a New York apartment building on October 11, 2006, analysts from the Transportation Security Administration and other relevant agencies utilized Intellipedia to provide information updates on the accident 80 times during a two hour period. This proved to be an early success for the new collaboration tool, as it allowed intelligence officials to quickly determine that the crash was not a terrorist threat.

As of December 2008, Intellipedia has an estimated 90,000 users (some of which are registered multiple times, though) and 130,000 articles between its various networks. Quite surprisingly, the current community of active 'Intellipedians' includes both members of Generation X & Y as well more seasoned intelligence veterans.

In September 10, 2007 testimony before Congress, Michael McConnell, Director of National Intelligence, commended Intellipedia's capacity to aid analysts in making quick and accurate assessments by accelerating knowledge pooling and facilitating virtual team formation.⁵

In 2009, Don Burke and Sean P. Dennehy, two of the originators of Intellipedia, were awarded with the "Homeland Security Service to America Medal" by the Partnership for Public Service.

Lessons Learned

While Wikipedia thrives on the anonymous nature of its online community, Intellipedia has so far drawn a surprisingly different lesson. According to avid participant Christian Rasmussen, attaching user identification to submissions has been critical to Intellipedia's early success, as it has provided ["ego gratification in providing great edits."⁶

Another important lesson learned so far is that there are many communication challenges that must be faced due to the classified nature of the intelligence information hosted on Intellipedia. Jessie Wilson, a Regional Issues Analyst for U.S. Central Command, importantly notes that while it is necessary to have different security level portals on the site, some users have unfortunately begun to store lower classified information on the higher level portals. This is problematic because when analysts search Intelink these hidden portals block the system's indexing ability, thus making appropriately classified knowledge undiscoverable.⁷ Hopefully these inevitable pitfalls will be addressed as Intellipedia becomes an increasingly indispensible communication resource.

Finally, Intelligence officials have noted that Intellipedia has yet to reach its full potential. Wiki collaborative technology allows for increased scrutiny of intelligence information, which should lead to more accurate reporting in the future. Additionally, wikis appear to be a natural compliment to National Intelligence Estimates and thus will further strengthen intelligence efforts when they are eventually implemented in this capacity.

References

1. Greg Miller, 'U.S. Using Wikipedia Software for Intelligence Reports', Los Angeles Times, November 1, 2006.
2. Katherine Shrader, 'Over 3,600 Intelligence Professionals Tapping Into Intellipedia', November 2, 2006.
3. Katherine Shrader, 'Over 3,600 intelligence professionals tapping into Intellipedia.'
4. Florence Olsen, 'Intell's wiki pied piper,' FCW.Com, December 17, 2007.
5. Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, Hearing on 'Confronting the Terrorist Threat to the Homeland: Six Years after 9/11,' Statement for the Record of J. Michael McConnell, September 10, 2007
6. Florence Olsen, 'Intell's wiki pied piper.'
7. JD Kathuria, 'Executive Spotlight with Jesse Wilson,' Executive Biz, October 26, 2007.

Changes between revision 30 and revision 31:

view all revisions | revert page to version 30

		h1. Case Summary
		{excerpt}In response to intelligence missteps leading up to 9/11 and the Iraq War, the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) sought to build a flatter US Intelligence community better equipped to coordinate and share classified surveillance information. The technology solution, "Intellipedia," is a peer-to-peer online collaboration network built on the same open-source software used by Wikipedia which allows intelligence analysts to share information through the federal government's classified Intelink intranet site. Intellipedia has already facilitated many small wins for the intelligence community, and the future seems bright for this collaborative tool. {excerpt}

		h2. Business Challenge
		Following the September 11, 2001 attacks and the failure to find Weapons of Mass Destruction in Iraq, the U.S. intelligence community was widely criticized for downplaying dissenting views among their own analysts[^1^\|http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2006/11/01/MNGMIM3K471.DTL&hw=wikipedia&sn=001&sc=1000]. Consequently, [ODNI\|http://odni.gov]desired a more dynamic and open intelligence sharing environment that would significantly improve the quality of future intelligence estimates.

		h2. Approach Taken
		In April 2006, ODNI under the leadership of [John Negroponte\|http://www.state.gov/r/pa/ei/biog/80476.htm] launched "Intellipedia," an online peer-to-peer collaboration system built on open-source software from Wikipedia that allows analysts as well as other relevant personnel such as engineers, librarians and human capital specialists from all 16 U.S. intelligence agencies to establish a common operating picture through the federal government's classified Intelink Web.^[2\|http://www.usatoday.com/tech/news/techinnovations/2006-11-02-intellipedia_x.htm]^ Intellipedia, commonly referred to as the "spooks" wiki, is not available to the public and is presently divided into three classification categories, ranging from "sensitive but unclassified" to "top secret." This tool allows users to share information by creating, editing, and discussing articles in an online space that is both topically-focused and agency-neutral.^[3\|http://www.usatoday.com/tech/news/techinnovations/2006-11-02-intellipedia_x.htm]^

		Unlike the largely anonymous environment of Wikipedia, ODNI's collaborative tool requires all online participants to include their name and organization when they submit a contribution or an edit. This aspect of the approach is critical for providing accountability to the intelligence evaluation process in the event that assessments are proven to be faulty.


		h2. Results Achieved (Metrics Used)
		When New York Yankees pitcher ,[Cory Lidle\|http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=2621860] crashed his plan into a New York apartment building on October 11, 2006, analysts from the [Transportation Security Administration\|http://tsa.gov] and other relevant agencies utilized Intellipedia to provide information updates on the accident 80 times during a two hour period. This proved to be an early success for the new collaboration tool, as it allowed intelligence officials to quickly determine that the crash was not a terrorist threat.

		As of December 2008, Intellipedia has an estimated 90,000 users (some of which are registered multiple times, though) and 130,000 articles between its various networks. Quite surprisingly, the current community of active 'Intellipedians' includes both members of Generation X & Y as well more seasoned intelligence veterans.

		In [September 10, 2007 testimony \|http://dni.gov/testimonies/20070910_testimony.pdf] before Congress, Michael McConnell, Director of National Intelligence, commended Intellipedia's capacity to aid analysts in making quick and accurate assessments by accelerating knowledge pooling and facilitating virtual team formation.^[5\|http://dni.gov/testimonies/20070910_testimony.pdf]^

		In 2009, Don Burke and Sean P. Dennehy, two of the originators of Intellipedia, were awarded with the "Homeland Security Service to America Medal" by the Partnership for Public Service.


		h2. Lessons Learned
		While Wikipedia thrives on the anonymous nature of its online community, Intellipedia has so far drawn a surprisingly different lesson. According to avid participant Christian Rasmussen, attaching user identification to submissions has been critical to Intellipedia's early success, as it has provided ["ego gratification in providing great edits."^[6\|http://www.fcw.com/print/13_43/management/151075-1.html]^

		Another important lesson learned so far is that there are many communication challenges that must be faced due to the classified nature of the intelligence information hosted on Intellipedia. [Jessie Wilson\|http://www.executivebiz.com/newsletter-executives-detail.php?who=jwilson], a Regional Issues Analyst for U.S. Central Command, importantly notes that while it is necessary to have different security level portals on the site, some users have unfortunately begun to store lower classified information on the higher level portals. This is problematic because when analysts search Intelink these hidden portals block the system's indexing ability, thus making appropriately classified knowledge undiscoverable.^[7\|http://www.executivebiz.com/newsletter-executives-detail.php?who=jwilson&check=1]^ Hopefully these inevitable pitfalls will be addressed as Intellipedia becomes an increasingly indispensible communication resource.

		Finally, Intelligence officials have noted that Intellipedia has yet to reach its full potential. Wiki collaborative technology allows for increased scrutiny of intelligence information, which should lead to more accurate reporting in the future. Additionally, wikis appear to be a natural compliment to National Intelligence Estimates and thus will further strengthen intelligence efforts when they are eventually implemented in this capacity.

		h2. References
		1. Greg Miller, '[U.S. Using Wikipedia Software for Intelligence Reports\|http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2006/11/01/MNGMIM3K471.DTL&hw=wikipedia&sn=001&sc=1000]', Los Angeles Times, November 1, 2006.
		2. Katherine Shrader, '[Over 3,600 Intelligence Professionals Tapping Into Intellipedia\|http://www.usatoday.com/tech/news/techinnovations/2006-11-02-intellipedia_x.htm]', November 2, 2006.
		3. Katherine Shrader, '[Over 3,600 intelligence professionals tapping into Intellipedia\|http://www.usatoday.com/tech/news/techinnovations/2006-11-02-intellipedia_x.htm].'
		4. Florence Olsen, '[Intell's wiki pied piper\|http://www.fcw.com/print/13_43/management/151075-1.html],' FCW.Com, December 17, 2007.
		5. Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, Hearing on '[Confronting the Terrorist Threat to the Homeland: Six Years after 9/11\|http://dni.gov/testimonies/20070910_testimony.pdf],' Statement for the Record of J. Michael McConnell, September 10, 2007
		6. Florence Olsen, '[Intell's wiki pied piper\|http://www.fcw.com/print/13_43/management/151075-1.html].'
		7. JD Kathuria, '[Executive Spotlight with Jesse Wilson\|http://www.executivebiz.com/newsletter-executives-detail.php?who=jwilson&check=1],' Executive Biz, October 26, 2007.

Library of Congress Flickr Project (updated)

2009-01-21T16:30:10Z

Page: Updated by Mark DiGiammarino to revision 10 on Mar 24, 2010 3:11 PM. Created by Daniel Honker on Jan 21, 2009 11:30 AM

Case Summary

In January 2008, the Library of Congress began an initiative to publicly share over 8,000 photos in its collection through Flickr in an effort to enrich the collection with public identifications and descriptions. The Library of Congress has also invited other cultural heritage institutions to join in making photo collections more accessible. Nine months after its inception, the initiative's Flickr page has logged over 10 million total views and averages 500,000 views per month.

Business Challenge

Over time, the Library of Congress has acquired thousands of photos that arrive with sparse caption information and in need of research, identification, and description. LOC needed a way to enrich their photo collection without undertaking costly, time-consuming staff research.

Approach Taken

LOC opened an account with photo sharing site Flickr to share the photos and solicit comments, descriptions, and tags (to organize the photos). The initial collections featured 1,600 color photographs showing the Great Depression and the World War II home front and 1,500 black-and-white news photos from the early 1900s. These photos were already digitized and on the Library's Web site and were known to be popular. They were also good candidates for additional research and description because, as often happens with valuable old photographs, many of the images had arrived at the Library with sparse caption information.

Results Achieved

LOC now loads an additional 50 photos each Friday, and the account now totals more than 8,000 photos. Today, LOC photos on Flickr are averaging approximately 500,000 views a month and have surpassed the 10 million mark in total views.

No staff members worked full time on this project. The majority of effort expended on the pilot occurred prior to the public launch of the Library's Flickr account as a one-time cost, including approximately 222 hours of technical programming work. Ongoing costs to moderate the account and add new images once a week came to 1 FTE. Participating more actively and keeping up with the flood of new information about the photographs would require additional resources.

As of October 23, 2008, there have been:

10.4 million views of the photos on Flickr.
79% of the over 8,000 photos have been made a "favorite" (i.e., are incorporated into personal Flickr collections).
More than 15,000 Flickr members have chosen to make the Library of Congress a "contact," creating a photostream of Library images on their own accounts.
7,166 comments were left on 2,873 photos by 2,562 unique Flickr accounts.
67,176 tags were added by 2,518 unique Flickr accounts.
Less than 25 instances of user-generated content were removed as inappropriate.
More than 500 Prints and Photographs Online Catalog (PPOC) records have been enhanced with new information provided by the Flickr Community.

Lessons Learned

More information to come - if you are involved in this initiative, please help fill in the details! Create an account here

References

1. http://www.flickr.com/photos/library_of_congress

2. http://www.flickr.com/commons

3. http://www.loc.gov/rr/print/flickr_report_final.pdf

4. http://www.loc.gov/rr/print/flickr_pilot.html

5. http://www.loc.gov/today/cyberlc/feature_wdesc.php?rec=4281

6. Library of Congress expands its Web 2.0 outreach to iTunes and YouTube (Mar. 26, 2009): http://www.rwonline.com/article/77072

Changes between revision 9 and revision 10:

view all revisions | revert page to version 9

		h1. Case Summary
		{excerpt}
		In January 2008, the Library of Congress began an initiative to publicly share over 3,000 photos in its collection through Flickr in an effort to enrich the collection with public identifications and descriptions. The Library of Congress has also invited other cultural heritage institutions to join in making photo collections more accessible. Nine months after its inception, the initiative's Flickr page has logged over 10 million total views and averages 500,000 views per month.{excerpt}
		In January 2008, the Library of Congress began an initiative to publicly share over 8,000 photos in its collection through Flickr in an effort to enrich the collection with public identifications and descriptions. The Library of Congress has also invited other cultural heritage institutions to join in making photo collections more accessible. Nine months after its inception, the initiative's Flickr page has logged over 10 million total views and averages 500,000 views per month.{excerpt}

		h2. Business Challenge

		Over time, the Library of Congress has acquired thousands of photos that arrive with sparse caption information and in need of research, identification, and description. LOC needed a way to enrich their photo collection without undertaking costly, time-consuming staff research.

		h2. Approach Taken

		LOC opened an account with photo sharing site Flickr to share the photos and solicit comments, descriptions, and tags (to organize the photos). The initial collections featured 1,600 color photographs showing the Great Depression and the World War II home front and 1,500 black-and-white news photos from the early 1900s. These photos were already digitized and on the Library's Web site and were known to be popular. They were also good candidates for additional research and description because, as often happens with valuable old photographs, many of the images had arrived at the Library with sparse caption information.

		h2. Results Achieved

		LOC now loads an additional 50 photos each Friday, and the account now totals more than 5,200 photos. Today, LOC photos on Flickr are averaging approximately 500,000 views a month and have surpassed the 10 million mark in total views.
		LOC now loads an additional 50 photos each Friday, and the account now totals more than 8,000 photos. Today, LOC photos on Flickr are averaging approximately 500,000 views a month and have surpassed the 10 million mark in total views.

		No staff members worked full time on this project. The majority of effort expended on the pilot occurred prior to the public launch of the Library's Flickr account as a one-time cost, including approximately 222 hours of technical programming work. Ongoing costs to moderate the account and add new images once a week came to 1 FTE. Participating more actively and keeping up with the flood of new information about the photographs would require additional resources.

		As of October 23, 2008, there have been:
		* 10.4 million views of the photos on Flickr.
		* 79% of the 4,615 photos have been made a "favorite" (i.e., are incorporated into personal Flickr collections).
		* 79% of the over 8,000 photos have been made a "favorite" (i.e., are incorporated into personal Flickr collections).
		* More than 15,000 Flickr members have chosen to make the Library of Congress a "contact," creating a photostream of Library images on their own accounts.
		* 7,166 comments were left on 2,873 photos by 2,562 unique Flickr accounts.
		* 67,176 tags were added by 2,518 unique Flickr accounts.
		* 4,548 of the 4,615 photos have at least one community-provided tag.
		* Less than 25 instances of user-generated content were removed as inappropriate.
		* More than 500 Prints and Photographs Online Catalog (PPOC) records have been enhanced with new information provided by the Flickr Community.

		h2. Lessons Learned
		{info}{center}More information to come - if you are involved in this initiative, please help fill in the details\! Create an account [here\|http://www.collaborationproject.org/signup.action] {center}{info}

		{info}
		{center}More information to come - if you are involved in this initiative, please help fill in the details\! Create an account [here\|http://www.collaborationproject.org/signup.action]
		{center}
		{info}

		h2. References

		1. http://www.flickr.com/photos/library_of_congress
		1. [http://www.flickr.com/photos/library_of_congress]

		2. [http://www.flickr.com/commons]

		3. http://www.loc.gov/rr/print/flickr_report_final.pdf
		3. [http://www.loc.gov/rr/print/flickr_report_final.pdf]

		4. [http://www.loc.gov/rr/print/flickr_pilot.html]

		5. [http://www.loc.gov/today/cyberlc/feature_wdesc.php?rec=4281]

		6. Library of Congress expands its Web 2.0 outreach to iTunes and YouTube (Mar. 26, 2009): [http://www.rwonline.com/article/77072]

GovLoop (updated)

2008-07-15T13:23:00Z

Page: Updated by Mark DiGiammarino to revision 6 on Mar 24, 2010 3:00 PM. Created by Andy Hanna on Jul 15, 2008 9:23 AM

Case Summary

In June 2008, Young Government Leaders co-founder Steve Ressler launched GovLoop, a new social networking site that strives to build a strong online community connecting government professionals and promoting knowledge sharing. This 'Facebook for Feds' includes individual social profiles, an events calendar, career resources, and a diverse collection of blogs. By mid-July, the site boasts more than 1800 members and a rapidly growing array of content.

Business Challenge

Steve Ressler is a co-founder of the Young Government Leaders (YGL,) a professional organization of more than 1800 young federal employees.^¹ For the last several years, this motivated fed has felt strongly that the government community needed an online social network that connected people and facilitated information sharing in a manner paralleling the best real world collaborative opportunities. Further, he envisioned a site that would reach across agencies, topics of expertise, age and geographical divides to build a population of users dedicated to public service.

As Ressler recalls:
'Personally, I have participated in many government associations and have found them very rewarding. The most valuable part was that I would be dealing with a problem at work and think to myself I'm dealing with a problem someone in the government has always researched and solved. And the value of these groups is that I could often talk to someone who had often dealt with the same problems, and they would offer great advice. However, I never could find an online home that facilitated the same level of discussions and connections...'^²

Approach Taken

Initially Ressler thought that his vision of a 'Facebook for Feds' could be developed and administered by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB,) or the U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM.)^³ However, he ultimately decided to take matters into his own hands, launching GovLoop in June 2008.

The site's content includes individual social profiles, a calendar featuring upcoming conferences and events, discussion forums and career resources. GovLoop also contains a wide array of blogs including posts from Ressler himself, a Senior Executive Service (SES) employee, and a college sports enthusiast known as the 'Hokie Guru.'

Ressler's 'Facebook for Feds' is open to all members of the government community as well as students and academics, and anyone else interested in public administration. It also welcomes government contractors to sign-up, although these users are asked to refrain from engaging in business development and marketing activities while online.⁴

Although GovLoop aims to serve employees of the U.S. government, it currently does not receive federal funding nor is endorsed formal by government entities.

Results Achieved

Although only launched recently, GovLoop has quickly generated an impressive level of user activity. As of March 2010, the site boasts more than 1800 members and supporters, and a growing number of blogs and other engaging content. Aside from the promising quantitative metrics, Ressler is also seeing early personal success stories immerge from GovLoop.

For instance, he notes that:

'I already have a master's student in public administration at Iowa State who has connected with several government employees who have provided him advice and potential resources for his thesis.'^⁵

Lessons Learned

As GovLoop expands and matures in the coming months, solid conclusions to be drawn from this bold new initiative will become apparent. For now though, it is worth noting the initial success that the site has achieved in recruiting new members exclusively through a viral, 'word-of-mouth' outreach effort.

References

1. 'DotGov Spotlight: Steve Ressler,' The Dotgov Buzz, Volume 3 Issue 6: June 24, 2008.
2. Steve Kelman, 'GovLoop gives the public sector community a voice,' FCW.com Blog: The Lectern, July 11, 2008.
3. Steve Kelman, 'GovLoop gives the public sector community a voice.'
4. GovLoop Website, FAQ
5. Steve Kelman, 'GovLoop gives the public sector community a voice.'

Changes between revision 5 and revision 6:

view all revisions | revert page to version 5

		h1. Case Summary
		{excerpt}
		In June 2008, Young Government Leaders co-founder Steve Ressler launched GovLoop, a new social networking site that strives to build a strong online community connecting government professionals and promoting knowledge sharing. This 'Facebook for Feds' includes individual social profiles, an events calendar, career resources, and a diverse collection of blogs. By mid-July, the site boasts more than 250 members and a rapidly growing array of content.
		In June 2008, Young Government Leaders co-founder Steve Ressler launched GovLoop, a new social networking site that strives to build a strong online community connecting government professionals and promoting knowledge sharing. This 'Facebook for Feds' includes individual social profiles, an events calendar, career resources, and a diverse collection of blogs. By mid-July, the site boasts more than 1800 members and a rapidly growing array of content.{excerpt}

		{excerpt}

		h2. Business Challenge
		[Steve Ressler\|http://www.usa.gov/dotgovbuzz/0608.html#dotgovspotlight] is a co-founder of the [Young Government Leaders\|http://www.younggovernmentleaders.org/] (YGL,) a professional organization of more than 1500 young federal employees.^[1\|http://www.usa.gov/dotgovbuzz/0608.html#dotgovspotlight]^ For the last several years, this motivated fed has felt strongly that the government community needed an online social network that connected people and facilitated information sharing in a manner paralleling the best real world collaborative opportunities. Further, he envisioned a site that would reach across agencies, topics of expertise, age and geographical divides to build a population of users dedicated to public service.

		[Steve Ressler\|http://www.usa.gov/dotgovbuzz/0608.html#dotgovspotlight] is a co-founder of the [Young Government Leaders\|http://www.younggovernmentleaders.org/] (YGL,) a professional organization of more than 1800 young federal employees.^[^1^\|http://www.usa.gov/dotgovbuzz/0608.html#dotgovspotlight]^ For the last several years, this motivated fed has felt strongly that the government community needed an online social network that connected people and facilitated information sharing in a manner paralleling the best real world collaborative opportunities. Further, he envisioned a site that would reach across agencies, topics of expertise, age and geographical divides to build a population of users dedicated to public service.

		As Ressler recalls:
		'Personally, I have participated in many government associations and have found them very rewarding. The most valuable part was that I would be dealing with a problem at work and think to myself I'm dealing with a problem someone in the government has always researched and solved. And the value of these groups is that I could often talk to someone who had often dealt with the same problems, and they would offer great advice. However, I never could find an online home that facilitated the same level of discussions and connections...'^[2\|http://www.fcw.com/blogs/thelectern/153117-1.html]^
		'Personally, I have participated in many government associations and have found them very rewarding. The most valuable part was that I would be dealing with a problem at work and think to myself I'm dealing with a problem someone in the government has always researched and solved. And the value of these groups is that I could often talk to someone who had often dealt with the same problems, and they would offer great advice. However, I never could find an online home that facilitated the same level of discussions and connections...'^[^2^\|http://www.fcw.com/blogs/thelectern/153117-1.html]^

		h2. Approach Taken
		Initially Ressler thought that his vision of a 'Facebook for Feds' could be developed and administered by the [Office of Management and Budget\|http://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/] (OMB,) or the [U.S. Office of Personnel Management\|http://www.opm.gov/] (OPM.)^[3\|http://www.fcw.com/blogs/thelectern/153117-1.html]^ However, he ultimately decided to take matters into his own hands, launching GovLoop in June 2008.

		Initially Ressler thought that his vision of a 'Facebook for Feds' could be developed and administered by the [Office of Management and Budget\|http://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/] (OMB,) or the [U.S. Office of Personnel Management\|http://www.opm.gov/] (OPM.)^[^3^\|http://www.fcw.com/blogs/thelectern/153117-1.html]^ However, he ultimately decided to take matters into his own hands, launching GovLoop in June 2008.

		The site's content includes individual social profiles, a calendar featuring upcoming conferences and events, discussion forums and career resources. GovLoop also contains a wide array of blogs including posts from Ressler himself, a Senior Executive Service (SES) employee, and a college sports enthusiast known as the 'Hokie Guru.'


		Ressler's 'Facebook for Feds' is open to all members of the government community as well as students and academics, and anyone else interested in public administration. It also welcomes government contractors to sign-up, although these users are asked to refrain from engaging in business development and marketing activities while online.^4^

		Although GovLoop aims to serve employees of the U.S. government, it currently does not receive federal funding nor is endorsed formal by government entities.

		h2. Results Achieved
		Although only launched recently, GovLoop has quickly generated an impressive level of user activity. As of mid-July 2008, the site boasts more than 250 members and a growing number of blogs and other engaging content. Aside from the promising quantitative metrics, Ressler is also seeing early personal success stories immerge from GovLoop.

		Although only launched recently, GovLoop has quickly generated an impressive level of user activity. As of March 2010, the site boasts more than 1800 members and supporters, and a growing number of blogs and other engaging content. Aside from the promising quantitative metrics, Ressler is also seeing early personal success stories immerge from GovLoop.

		For instance, he notes that:

		'I already have a master's student in public administration at Iowa State who has connected with several government employees who have provided him advice and potential resources for his thesis.'^[5\|http://www.fcw.com/blogs/thelectern/153117-1.html]^
		'I already have a master's student in public administration at Iowa State who has connected with several government employees who have provided him advice and potential resources for his thesis.'^[^5^\|http://www.fcw.com/blogs/thelectern/153117-1.html]^

		h2. Lessons Learned

		As GovLoop expands and matures in the coming months, solid conclusions to be drawn from this bold new initiative will become apparent. For now though, it is worth noting the initial success that the site has achieved in recruiting new members exclusively through a viral, 'word-of-mouth' outreach effort.

		h2. References

		1. '[DotGov Spotlight: Steve Ressler\|http://www.usa.gov/dotgovbuzz/0608.html#dotgovspotlight],' The Dotgov Buzz, Volume 3 Issue 6: June 24, 2008.
		2. Steve Kelman, '[GovLoop gives the public sector community a voice\|http://www.fcw.com/blogs/thelectern/153117-1.html],' FCW.com Blog: The Lectern, July 11, 2008.
		2. Steve Kelman, '[GovLoop gives the public sector community a voice\|http://www.fcw.com/blogs/thelectern/153117-1.html],' FCW.com Blog: The Lectern, July 11, 2008.
		3. Steve Kelman, '[GovLoop gives the public sector community a voice\|http://www.fcw.com/blogs/thelectern/153117-1.html].'
		4. GovLoop Website, FAQ
		5. Steve Kelman, '[GovLoop gives the public sector community a voice\|http://www.fcw.com/blogs/thelectern/153117-1.html].'

Fix My Street (updated)

2008-06-27T18:31:17Z

Page: Updated by Mark DiGiammarino to revision 8 on Mar 24, 2010 2:41 PM. Created by Mark Rosenthal on Jun 27, 2008 2:31 PM

Case Summary

A wiki site created by My Society in order to help resolve physical problems needing to be fixed in communities within the United Kingdom. Problems, some of which include landscaping, rubbish and street lighting are reported on the site and are then emailed by the website to the corresponding town council.

Business Challenge

Fix My Street was created by an organization titled My Society in order to provide a service that would benefit individual communities and to help teach people how the internet can be used to improve our lives. The slow process of reporting problems that can be physically fixed to your local area council and waiting for them to fix it prompted the creation of the site, making the overall process more efficient.

Approach Taken

Fix My Street is a wiki that allows you to report physical problems within your local community; these reports are then emailed to the appropriate town council by the administrators of the site. The website is specifically for areas within the United Kingdom. In order to report the problem you must first reference where the problem is located. A postcode, street name or town is first entered and then a map appears which allows you to click on the exact location of your problem. After locating the problem, you're able to write a detailed description and add a picture of the problem. Problems are broken down into categories of which the town council is responsible to maintain or upkeep (landscaping, rubbish, abandoned vehicles etc...).

You're required to enter your email address which is shown to the administrators only and the posting of your name in connection with the problem is optional. There are also options to be kept updated through email on an individual problem or on problems affecting your local community. A offensive or unsuitable problem that is posted can be reported to the team running the website by another user.

The all reports tab on the top of the page lists each council alphabetically and categorizes the reports into new problems, old problems, old problems whose current state is unknown, recently fixed problems and old problems that have now been fixed. Updates about the problem can be posted underneath, when a problem is fixed the update sometimes includes a reference number for the incident from the council.

Results Achieved

There have been currently 1,209 reports posted within the past week.

2,323 reports have been fixed in the past month

There have been 76,718 updates on reports.

The United Kingdom Government has found Fix My Street to be so useful and innovative that they've held it as a paragon for web 2.0 citizen to government relationships. The reference is made in an article about a nationwide competition for a mashup, allowing the immense amount of data stored by the UK government to be useful/helpful.

Lessons Learned

The lesson learned is that the internet can serve as an important tool in linking citizens to their communities in order to resolve local issues. The wiki made this linking process between citizens and councils more efficient and served as a great place for a central location about town ordinance issues and to get updated information about problems that interest you.

References

1.http://www.fixmystreet.com/
2.http://www.mysociety.org/

Changes between revision 7 and revision 8:

view all revisions | revert page to version 7

		h1. Case Summary
		{excerpt}
		A wiki site created by [My Society\|http://www.mysociety.org/] in order to help resolve physical problems needing to be fixed in communities within the United Kingdom. Problems, some of which include landscaping, rubbish and street lighting are reported on the site and are then emailed by the website to the corresponding town council.
		{excerpt}
		A wiki site created by [My Society\|http://www.mysociety.org/] in order to help resolve physical problems needing to be fixed in communities within the United Kingdom. Problems, some of which include landscaping, rubbish and street lighting are reported on the site and are then emailed by the website to the corresponding town council. {excerpt}

		h2. Business Challenge
		Fix My Street was created by an organization titled My Society in order to provide a service that would benefit individual communities and to help teach people how the internet can be used to improve our lives. The slow process of reporting problems that can be physically fixed to your local area council and waiting for them to fix it prompted the creation of the site, making the overall process more efficient.

		Fix My Street was created by an organization titled My Society in order to provide a service that would benefit individual communities and to help teach people how the internet can be used to improve our lives. The slow process of reporting problems that can be physically fixed to your local area council and waiting for them to fix it prompted the creation of the site, making the overall process more efficient.

		h2. Approach Taken

		!fixmystreet1.png!

		[Fix My Street\|http://www.fixmystreet.com/] is a wiki that allows you to report physical problems within your local community; these reports are then emailed to the appropriate town council by the administrators of the site. The website is specifically for areas within the United Kingdom. In order to report the problem you must first reference where the problem is located. A postcode, street name or town is first entered and then a map appears which allows you to click on the exact location of your problem. After locating the problem, you're able to write a detailed description and add a picture of the problem. Problems are broken down into categories of which the town council is responsible to maintain or upkeep (landscaping, rubbish, abandoned vehicles etc...).
		[Fix My Street\|http://www.fixmystreet.com/] is a wiki that allows you to report physical problems within your local community; these reports are then emailed to the appropriate town council by the administrators of the site. The website is specifically for areas within the United Kingdom. In order to report the problem you must first reference where the problem is located. A postcode, street name or town is first entered and then a map appears which allows you to click on the exact location of your problem. After locating the problem, you're able to write a detailed description and add a picture of the problem. Problems are broken down into categories of which the town council is responsible to maintain or upkeep (landscaping, rubbish, abandoned vehicles etc...).

		You're required to enter your email address which is shown to the administrators only and the posting of your name in connection with the problem is optional. There are also options to be kept updated through email on an individual problem or on problems affecting your local community. A offensive or unsuitable problem that is posted can be reported to the team running the website by another user.
		You're required to enter your email address which is shown to the administrators only and the posting of your name in connection with the problem is optional. There are also options to be kept updated through email on an individual problem or on problems affecting your local community. A offensive or unsuitable problem that is posted can be reported to the team running the website by another user.

		The all reports tab on the top of the page lists each council alphabetically and categorizes the reports into new problems, old problems, old problems whose current state is unknown, recently fixed problems and old problems that have now been fixed. Updates about the problem can be posted underneath, when a problem is fixed the update sometimes includes a reference number for the incident from the council.
		The all reports tab on the top of the page lists each council alphabetically and categorizes the reports into new problems, old problems, old problems whose current state is unknown, recently fixed problems and old problems that have now been fixed. Updates about the problem can be posted underneath, when a problem is fixed the update sometimes includes a reference number for the incident from the council.

		!fixmystreet2.jpg!

		h2. Results Achieved
		There have been currently 275 reports posted within the past week.

		577 reports have been fixed in the past month
		There have been currently 1,209 reports posted within the past week.

		There have been 15,952 updates on reports.
		2,323 reports have been fixed in the past month

		The United Kingdom Government has found Fix My Street to be so useful and innovative that they've held it as a paragon for web 2.0 citizen to government relationships. The reference is made in [an article\|http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/7484131.stm] about a nationwide competition for a mashup, allowing the immense amount of data stored by the UK government to be useful/helpful.
		There have been 76,718 updates on reports.

		The United Kingdom Government has found Fix My Street to be so useful and innovative that they've held it as a paragon for web 2.0 citizen to government relationships. The reference is made in [an article\|http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/7484131.stm] about a nationwide competition for a mashup, allowing the immense amount of data stored by the UK government to be useful/helpful.

		!fixmystreet3.png!

		h2. Lessons Learned
		The lesson learned is that the internet can serve as an important tool in linking citizens to their communities in order to resolve local issues. The wiki made this linking process between citizens and councils more efficient and served as a great place for a central location about town ordinance issues and to get updated information about problems that interest you.

		The lesson learned is that the internet can serve as an important tool in linking citizens to their communities in order to resolve local issues. The wiki made this linking process between citizens and councils more efficient and served as a great place for a central location about town ordinance issues and to get updated information about problems that interest you.

		h2. References
		1.http://www.fixmystreet.com/
		2.http://www.mysociety.org/

		1.[http://www.fixmystreet.com/]
		2.[http://www.mysociety.org/]

FBI Bureaupedia (updated)

2008-10-06T15:17:26Z

Page: Updated by Mark DiGiammarino to revision 6 on Mar 24, 2010 2:25 PM. Created by Daniel Honker on Oct 06, 2008 11:17 AM

In September 2008, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) set up an internal wiki to enable agents and analysts to share lessons learned, best practices, and subject matter expertise. The wiki enables users to share information and link to Intellipedia, the intelligence community's internal wiki.

Business Challenge

The FBI needed a way to retain and share "tacit knowledge" - lessons learned, best practices, and subject-matter expertise gained by FBI employees - throughout the bureau. The agency, like many in the federal government, had seen information gaps develop particularly when agents and analysts retired or left the bureau, taking all their knowledge gained over the years with them. The FBI also saw such information gaps during transitions between administrations and wanted to lessen their impacts.

Approach Taken

The FBI's Chief Information Officer Zalmai Azmi, and Chief Knowledge Officer G. Clayton Grigg collaborated to set up an internal wiki named "Bureaupedia," on which FBI employees can view, create, edit, and search articles on different subjects. The wiki is intended to be a virtual encyclopedia of lessons learned, best practices and subject-matter expertise.

The wiki enables users to link to pages on Intellipedia, the Director of National Intelliegence's internal wiki, to facilitate the sharing of information between the law enforcement and intelligence communities.

The platform is currently in a test period, after which the bureau will launch it agency-wide on the FBI's intranet.

Results Achieved

As of April 2009, the overall Intellipedia project hosts 900,000 pages edited by 100,000 users, with 5,000 page edits per day

The increasing use of Intellipedia among analysts and its ability to help experts pool their knowledge, form virtual teams, and make quick assessments.

In 2009, Don Burke and Sean P. Dennehy, two of the originators of Intellipedia, were awarded with the "Homeland Security Service to America Medal" by the Partnership for Public Service.

Lessons Learned

The platform is currently in a test period as of September 2008, and so results are not yet known.

References

http://www.fcw.com/online/news/153926-1.html

Changes between revision 5 and revision 6:

view all revisions | revert page to version 5

		{excerpt}
		In September 2008, the [Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)\|http://www.fbi.gov/] set up an internal wiki to enable agents and analysts to share lessons learned, best practices, and subject matter expertise. The wiki enables users to share information and link to [Intellipedia\|http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intellipedia], the intelligence community's internal wiki.
		{excerpt}
		In September 2008, the [Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)\|http://www.fbi.gov/] set up an internal wiki to enable agents and analysts to share lessons learned, best practices, and subject matter expertise. The wiki enables users to share information and link to [Intellipedia\|http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intellipedia], the intelligence community's internal wiki.{excerpt}

		h2. Business Challenge

		The FBI needed a way to retain and share ["tacit knowledge"\|http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tacit_knowledge] - lessons learned, best practices, and subject-matter expertise gained by FBI employees - throughout the bureau. The agency, like many in the federal government, had seen information gaps develop particularly when agents and analysts retired or left the bureau, taking all their knowledge gained over the years with them. The FBI also saw such information gaps during transitions between administrations and wanted to lessen their impacts.
		The FBI needed a way to retain and share ["tacit knowledge"\|http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tacit_knowledge] \- lessons learned, best practices, and subject-matter expertise gained by FBI employees - throughout the bureau. The agency, like many in the federal government, had seen information gaps develop particularly when agents and analysts retired or left the bureau, taking all their knowledge gained over the years with them. The FBI also saw such information gaps during transitions between administrations and wanted to lessen their impacts.

		h2. Approach Taken

		The FBI's Chief Information Officer [Zalmai Azmi\|http://www.fbi.gov/hq/ocio/zalmai_azmi.htm], and Chief Knowledge Officer [G. Clayton Grigg\|http://www.fbi.gov/hq/ocio/grigg_clayton.htm] collaborated to set up an internal wiki named "Bureaupedia," on which FBI employees can view, create, edit, and search articles on different subjects. The wiki is intended to be a virtual encyclopedia of lessons learned, best practices and subject-matter expertise.

		The wiki enables users to link to pages on [Intellipedia\|http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intellipedia], the Director of National Intelliegence's internal wiki, to facilitate the sharing of information between the law enforcement and intelligence communities.

		The platform is currently in a test period, after which the bureau will launch it agency-wide on the FBI's intranet.

		h2. Results Achieved

		The platform is currently in a test period as of September 2008, and so results are not yet known. The bureau will launch it agency-wide on the FBI's intranet at the conclusion of the test period.
		As of April 2009, the overall Intellipedia project hosts 900,000 pages edited by 100,000 users, with 5,000 page edits per day

		The increasing use of Intellipedia among analysts and its ability to help experts pool their knowledge, form virtual teams, and make quick assessments.

		In 2009, Don Burke and Sean P. Dennehy, two of the originators of Intellipedia, were awarded with the "Homeland Security Service to America Medal" by the Partnership for Public Service.


		h2. Lessons Learned

		The platform is currently in a test period as of September 2008, and so results are not yet known.

		h2. References
		http://www.fcw.com/online/news/153926-1.html

		[http://www.fcw.com/online/news/153926-1.html]

Diplopedia (updated)

2008-07-18T18:07:05Z

Page: Updated by Mark DiGiammarino to revision 6 on Mar 24, 2010 1:55 PM. Created by Ross Kazer on Jul 18, 2008 2:07 PM

Case Summary

In September of 2006, the Department of State created Diplopedia, an internet encyclopedia for all personnel of the Department of State. This program allowed staff of the department and members of intelligence communities to pass down and share information by posting or editing articles.

Business Challenge

In January of 2006, Secretary Condoleezza Rice outlined strategies for working with other nations around the world. This was apart of a larger concept is known as Transformational Diplomacy. Secretary Rice called for an increase in participation from the Diplomatic community in many needed areas included some dangerous ones. This plan called for Diplomats to be proactive with the local communities in order to establish issues and begin to work on effective strategies. However, Members and Foreign Service Officers from the Department of state were dissatisfied with the ability to share and pass down information within the Department of State; thus making it increasingly difficult to identify issues. Users were looking for ways to enhance the flow and passage of knowledge for Foreign Service Officers. In conjunction, senior officials were looking for ways to update preliminary reports done by previous embassy staff. Without a centralized location for information sharing, officials were unable to access any concluding information.

Approach Taken

In September of 2006, the Office of eDiplomacy created Diplopedia. Diplopedia is apart of the Transformational Diplomacy plan, and under this it will utilize web 2.0 technologies such as blogs and wikis to smooth the progress of information sharing. Diplopedia is similar to wikipediain the sense that it is an encyclopedia for the Department of State. All information pertains to all employees and members are allowed to add or edit articles. Users can access a plethora of information pertaining to diplomacy and international relations. The program provides intranet access for registered members of the department. Within the program there are communities and work groups. Communities have the ability to read and make contributions to articles, and work groups are a selected group who are able to access a specified type of restricted information. Diplopedia is also available to foreign affairs agencies as well as members of the intelligence community.

Results Achieved

Diplopedia has only been around for two years but in that time frame it has vastly increased internal organization communication. The way in which information flows has also transformed through the use of this collaborative technology. As of March 2010 there are over 10,000 articles, 2000 registered users and 650,000 total page views.

Lessons Learned

This system has increased the efficiency in which our government communicates and passes knowledge. Through this technology, our government is taking that small step toward a better diplomatic program.

References

http://www.fcw.com/print/13_26/news/103353-1.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diplopedia

http://www.gcn.com/online/vol1_no1/44734-1.html#

http://www.epa.gov/oei/proceedings/2007/proceedings07/johnson.pdf

http://wikimania2006.wikimedia.org/wiki/Proceedings:CB1

http://www.state.gov/r/pa/prs/ps/2006/59339.htm

http://www.epa.gov/oei/proceedings/2007/proceedings07/johnson2.pdf

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transformational_Diplomacy

http://www.state.gov/r/pa/prs/ps/2006/59339.htm

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/04/business/media/04link.html?ex=1233460800&en=5d0f031bb41a44b9&ei=5087&WT.mc_id=BU-D-I-NYT-MOD-MOD-M055-OP-0808-L3&WT.mc_ev=click&mkt=BU-D-I-NYT-MOD-MOD-M055-OP-0808-L3

Changes between revision 5 and revision 6:

view all revisions | revert page to version 5

		h1. Case Summary
		{excerpt}
		In September of 2006, the [Department of State\|http://www.state.gov/] created [Diplopedia\| http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diplopedia], an internet encyclopedia for all personnel of the Department of State. This program allowed staff of the department and members of intelligence communities to pass down and share information by posting or editing articles.
		In September of 2006, the [Department of State\|http://www.state.gov/] created [Diplopedia\| http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diplopedia], an internet encyclopedia for all personnel of the Department of State. This program allowed staff of the department and members of intelligence communities to pass down and share information by posting or editing articles.{excerpt}


		{excerpt}

		h2. Business Challenge
		In January of 2006, [Secretary Condoleezza Rice \|http://www.whitehouse.gov/nsc/ricebio.html ] outlined strategies for working with other nations around the world. This was apart of a larger concept is known as [Transformational Diplomacy\| http://www.state.gov/r/pa/prs/ps/2006/59339.htm]. Secretary Rice called for an increase in participation from the Diplomatic community in many needed areas included some dangerous ones. This plan called for Diplomats to be proactive with the local communities in order to establish issues and begin to work on effective strategies. However, Members and Foreign Service Officers from the Department of state were dissatisfied with the ability to share and pass down information within the Department of State; thus making it increasingly difficult to identify issues. Users were looking for ways to enhance the flow and passage of knowledge for Foreign Service Officers. In conjunction, senior officials were looking for ways to update preliminary reports done by previous embassy staff. Without a centralized location for information sharing, officials were unable to access any concluding information.

		In January of 2006, [Secretary Condoleezza Rice \|http://www.whitehouse.gov/nsc/ricebio.html ] outlined strategies for working with other nations around the world. This was apart of a larger concept is known as [Transformational Diplomacy\| http://www.state.gov/r/pa/prs/ps/2006/59339.htm]. Secretary Rice called for an increase in participation from the Diplomatic community in many needed areas included some dangerous ones. This plan called for Diplomats to be proactive with the local communities in order to establish issues and begin to work on effective strategies. However, Members and Foreign Service Officers from the Department of state were dissatisfied with the ability to share and pass down information within the Department of State; thus making it increasingly difficult to identify issues. Users were looking for ways to enhance the flow and passage of knowledge for Foreign Service Officers. In conjunction, senior officials were looking for ways to update preliminary reports done by previous embassy staff. Without a centralized location for information sharing, officials were unable to access any concluding information.


		h2. Approach Taken
		In September of 2006, the Office of [eDiplomacy \|http://www.state.gov/m/irm/c23839.htm] created Diplopedia. Diplopedia is apart of the Transformational Diplomacy plan, and under this it will utilize web 2.0 technologies such as [blogs\|http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blogs] and wikis to smooth the progress of information sharing. Diplopedia is similar to [wikipedia\|http://www.wikipedia.org/]in the sense that it is an encyclopedia for the Department of State. All information pertains to all employees and members are allowed to add or edit articles. Users can access a plethora of information pertaining to diplomacy and international relations. The program provides intranet access for registered members of the department. Within the program there are communities and work groups. Communities have the ability to read and make contributions to articles, and work groups are a selected group who are able to access a specified type of restricted information. Diplopedia is also available to foreign affairs agencies as well as members of the intelligence community.

		In September of 2006, the Office of [eDiplomacy \|http://www.state.gov/m/irm/c23839.htm] created Diplopedia. Diplopedia is apart of the Transformational Diplomacy plan, and under this it will utilize web 2.0 technologies such as [blogs\|http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blogs] and wikis to smooth the progress of information sharing. Diplopedia is similar to [wikipedia\|http://www.wikipedia.org/]in the sense that it is an encyclopedia for the Department of State. All information pertains to all employees and members are allowed to add or edit articles. Users can access a plethora of information pertaining to diplomacy and international relations. The program provides intranet access for registered members of the department. Within the program there are communities and work groups. Communities have the ability to read and make contributions to articles, and work groups are a selected group who are able to access a specified type of restricted information. Diplopedia is also available to foreign affairs agencies as well as members of the intelligence community.

		h2. Results Achieved
		Diplopedia has only been around for two years but in that time frame it has vastly increased internal organization communication. The way in which information flows has also transformed through the use of this collaborative technology. As of August 2008 there are over 4400 articles, 1000 registered users and 650,000 total page views.

		Diplopedia has only been around for two years but in that time frame it has vastly increased internal organization communication. The way in which information flows has also transformed through the use of this collaborative technology. As of March 2010 there are over 10,000 articles, 2000 registered users and 650,000 total page views.

		h2. Lessons Learned
		This system has increased the efficiency in which our government communicates and passes knowledge. Through this technology, our government is taking that small step toward a better diplomatic program.

		This system has increased the efficiency in which our government communicates and passes knowledge. Through this technology, our government is taking that small step toward a better diplomatic program.

		h2. References
		http://www.fcw.com/print/13_26/news/103353-1.html

		http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diplopedia
		[http://www.fcw.com/print/13_26/news/103353-1.html]

		http://www.gcn.com/online/vol1_no1/44734-1.html#
		[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diplopedia]

		http://www.epa.gov/oei/proceedings/2007/proceedings07/johnson.pdf
		[http://www.gcn.com/online/vol1_no1/44734-1.html#]

		http://wikimania2006.wikimedia.org/wiki/Proceedings:CB1
		[http://www.epa.gov/oei/proceedings/2007/proceedings07/johnson.pdf]

		http://www.state.gov/r/pa/prs/ps/2006/59339.htm
		[http://wikimania2006.wikimedia.org/wiki/Proceedings:CB1]

		http://www.epa.gov/oei/proceedings/2007/proceedings07/johnson2.pdf
		[http://www.state.gov/r/pa/prs/ps/2006/59339.htm]

		http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transformational_Diplomacy
		[http://www.epa.gov/oei/proceedings/2007/proceedings07/johnson2.pdf]

		http://www.state.gov/r/pa/prs/ps/2006/59339.htm
		[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transformational_Diplomacy]

		http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/04/business/media/04link.html?ex=1233460800&en=5d0f031bb41a44b9&ei=5087&WT.mc_id=BU-D-I-NYT-MOD-MOD-M055-OP-0808-L3&WT.mc_ev=click&mkt=BU-D-I-NYT-MOD-MOD-M055-OP-0808-L3
		[http://www.state.gov/r/pa/prs/ps/2006/59339.htm]

		[http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/04/business/media/04link.html?ex=1233460800&en=5d0f031bb41a44b9&ei=5087&WT.mc_id=BU-D-I-NYT-MOD-MOD-M055-OP-0808-L3&WT.mc_ev=click&mkt=BU-D-I-NYT-MOD-MOD-M055-OP-0808-L3]

Connect and Collaborate with NASA (updated)

2010-02-24T16:15:27Z

Page: Updated by Mark DiGiammarino to revision 6 on Mar 24, 2010 1:43 PM. Created by Mark DiGiammarino on Feb 24, 2010 11:15 AM

Case Summary

Utilizing Web 2.0 media tools NASA created a website site to connect the public to their data while also allowing an easy way to collaborate with NASA. The collaboration is done through numerous contests, educational games, and projects. As of February 2010 the site is being updated and revised but has the potential to further its success.

Business Challenge

The recent development of new online tools has enabled government agencies to increase transparency and encourage greater collaboration with the public than in the past. As the capacity for government to become more collaborative has expanded, calls for government entities to do this have grown. When the White House released the Open Government Directive on December 8th, 2009, those calls became a mandate, which required all government agencies to open themselves up to public scrutiny through the release of data and public engagement.

A year before the release of the Open Government Directive, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) sought a way to increase transparency within their organization. NASA quickly identified two potential challenges to this endeavor: the sheer volume of data held by the agency and the size and spread of the organization. Fortunately, NASA viewed the need to overcome these challenges as an opportunity to address unresolved issues, enabling them to not only make their organization more accessible to the public, but also improve internal operations.

For NASA, the greatest challenge to increasing transparency within their organization was to determine how they could display their "treasure trove" of available data in such a way that the public could easily access and understand it. As an active member of the scientific community, NASA produces a great deal of data from their experiments, but until recently, the organization had no way to easily display the data to the public. NASA needed to develop a new way of displaying data to the public.

Approach Taken

In order to develop the capacity to engage with the general public, NASA launched "Connect and Collaborate with NASA" in January of 2009. Connect and Collaborate with NASA is a website that allows visitors to track the progress of the organization's ongoing programs and interact with NASA content. The website utilizes several Web 2.0 media tools, including Twitter, Facebook and Youtube, to offer numerous avenues through which the public can stay updated on NASA activities. NASA posts podcasts and vodcasts available from iTunes that update the public on recent missions and give concise recaps of the activities from the past week. If the user wants raw data there is also a 'News' section of NASA.gov that allows users to look over recently published reports, and budget plans .

The site also allows users to compete in contests to create technology NASA could use in the future. For example users can sign up to be a part of contests like creating a more efficient power beam, better maneuverable space gloves or a lightweight tether that NASA could use in constructing space crafts. Winners of these contests can win prizes upwards of $2 million . The user can also emerge themselves in educational experiences like playing the "Be a Martian" game and exploring the universe, joining the search for stardust, or entering their space inspired art to the annual NASA art contest.

Results Achieved

Despite its recent development, NASA has great expectations for how "Connect and Collaborate with NASA" will increase the public's access to NASA information and allow NASA to better engage both internal and external stakeholders. Through the collaboration section of their site NASA hopes to inform the public about their space program while simultaneously generating increased public interest in NASA.

Once these new collaborative initiatives from "Connect and Collaborate with NASA" have matured, NASA will be able to evaluate their progress and draw solid conclusions regarding their success. As of March 2010, the Astronauts Twitter account boasts nearly 44,000 followers and NASAtelevision on YouTube has received over 3 million views. As the public continues to engage and interact with NASA the success of the collaborative projects they have initiated will only grow.

Lessons Learned

Connect and Collaborate with NASA is constantly being updated and evaluated on a day to day basis.

Changes between revision 5 and revision 6:

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		h1. Case Summary
		{excerpt}
		Utilizing Web 2.0 media tools [NASA\|http://www.nasa.gov/] created a website site to connect the public to their data while also allowing an easy way to collaborate with NASA. The collaboration is done through numerous contests, educational games, and projects. As of February 2010 the site is being updated and revised but has the potential to further its success. {excerpt}

		h2. Business Challenge

		The recent development of new online tools has enabled government agencies to increase transparency and encourage greater collaboration with the public than in the past. As the capacity for government to become more collaborative has expanded, calls for government entities to do this have grown. When the White House released the [Open Government Directive\|http://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/assets/memoranda_2010/m10-06.pdf] on December 8th, 2009, those calls became a mandate, which required all government agencies to open themselves up to public scrutiny through the release of data and public engagement.

		A year before the release of the Open Government Directive, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) sought a way to increase transparency within their organization. NASA quickly identified two potential challenges to this endeavor: the sheer volume of data held by the agency and the size and spread of the organization. Fortunately, NASA viewed the need to overcome these challenges as an opportunity to address unresolved issues, enabling them to not only make their organization more accessible to the public, but also improve internal operations.

		For NASA, the greatest challenge to increasing transparency within their organization was to determine how they could display their "treasure trove" of available data in such a way that the public could easily access and understand it. As an active member of the scientific community, NASA produces a great deal of data from their experiments, but until recently, the organization had no way to easily display the data to the public. NASA needed to develop a new way of displaying data to the public.

		h2. Approach Taken

		In order to develop the capacity to engage with the general public, NASA launched ["Connect and Collaborate with NASA"\|http://www.nasa.gov/connect/] in January of 2009. Connect and Collaborate with NASA is a website that allows visitors to track the progress of the organization's ongoing programs and interact with NASA content. The website utilizes several Web 2.0 media tools, including Twitter, Facebook and Youtube, to offer numerous avenues through which the public can stay updated on NASA activities. NASA posts podcasts and vodcasts available from iTunes that update the public on recent missions and give concise recaps of the activities from the past week. If the user wants raw data there is also a ['News'\|http://www.nasa.gov/news/budget/index.html] section of NASA.gov that allows users to look over recently published reports, and budget plans .

		The site also allows users to compete in contests to create technology NASA could use in the future. For example users can sign up to be a part of contests like creating a more efficient power beam, better maneuverable space gloves or a lightweight tether that NASA could use in constructing space crafts. Winners of these contests can win prizes upwards of $2 million . The user can also emerge themselves in educational experiences like playing the "Be a Martian" game and exploring the universe, joining the search for stardust, or entering their space inspired art to the annual NASA art contest.

		h2. Results Achieved

		Despite its recent development, NASA has great expectations for how "Connect and Collaborate with NASA" will increase the public's access to NASA information and allow NASA to better engage both internal and external stakeholders. Through the collaboration section of their site NASA hopes to inform the public about their space program while simultaneously generating increased public interest in NASA.

		Once these new collaborative initiatives from "Connect and Collaborate with NASA" have matured, NASA will be able to evaluate their progress and draw solid conclusions regarding their success. As of March 2010, Astronaut Twitter accounts boast nearly 44,000 followers and [NASAtelevision\|http://www.youtube.com/user/NASAtelevision] on YouTube has received over 3 million views. As the public continues to engage and interact with NASA the success of the collaborative projects they have initiated will only grow.
		Once these new collaborative initiatives from "Connect and Collaborate with NASA" have matured, NASA will be able to evaluate their progress and draw solid conclusions regarding their success. As of March 2010, the Astronauts Twitter account boasts nearly 44,000 followers and [NASAtelevision\|http://www.youtube.com/user/NASAtelevision] on YouTube has received over 3 million views. As the public continues to engage and interact with NASA the success of the collaborative projects they have initiated will only grow.

		h2. Lessons Learned

		Connect and Collaborate with NASA is constantly being updated and evaluated on a day to day basis.

Coast Guard Social Media Initiative (updated)

2008-11-19T20:04:19Z

Page: Updated by Mark DiGiammarino to revision 3 on Mar 24, 2010 1:18 PM. Created by Daniel Honker on Nov 19, 2008 3:04 PM

Case Summary

Faced with a coming "revolution" in information management and social networking, the U.S. Coast Guard, under Commandant Thad Allen, began "social media" initiative to utilize technologies such as YouTube, Facebook, and blogs, to adapt to accelerating change and improve communication processes within the service.

Business Challenge

Commandant Thad Allen, viewing what he terms a "revolution in information management and social networking," issued a challenge to the U.S. Coast Guard to adapt to the changing patterns of communication and social interaction in a Web 2.0 world. Similar to other organizations, the Coast Guard is facing a generational shift toward more technology-centric millennials, who are beginning to fill the ranks of the service. Commandant Allen's challenge came as part of a general initiative reorganize and transform the Coast Guard into a more change-centric service.

Approach Taken

Since the initiative was announced in August 2008, the Coast Guard has branched into existing social media platforms on the Internet, including creating a "celebrity" page for the Commandant and Coast Guard page on Facebook; launching a Coast Guard channel on YouTube to post videos and responses from service members; posting photos from Coast Guard events on Flickr; and offering news and opinions through podcasts. All these platforms are updated very frequently, sometimes daily.

The Commandant also manages his own blog (iCommandant Journal), where service members can post messages and directly access Commandant Allen. The initiative has been made a central feature of the Commandant's Corner 2.0 page.

The Coast Guard also has plans to launch in December 2008 more extensive internal tools, including a new "Coast Guard Central" platform with blogging and wiki capability.

Results Achieved

The success of the social media initiative has been measured primarily by hits and visits to the various sites it operates.

As of October 2008, Commandant Allen's blog had received about 2,000 visitors (500 visits per week) and many responses to the posts made daily by the Commandant and others.
As of March 2010, the Commandant's Facebook page logged nearly 4,200 fans, up from 2,000 just 1 year ago
As of March 2010, the Coast Guard's YouTube site logged features 375 videos from a wide variety of contributors, over 3,000 subscribers, and 120 "friends".

Lessons Learned

The Coast Guard's social media initiative has been very successful in a short amount of time mainly due to the emphasis placed on the effort by the service's leadership. While the initiative has seen a great response, there still is anxiety in the service about information control and integrity. There is also some degree of discomfort among lower level staff in regard to communicating directly with senior leadership, which clearly is a factor of the service's structure this initiative attempts to change.

Changes between revision 2 and revision 3:

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		h1. Case Summary
		{excerpt}
		Faced with a coming "revolution" in information management and social networking, the U.S. Coast Guard, under [Commandant Thad Allen\|http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thad_Allen], began ["social media"\|http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Social_media] initiative to utilize technologies such as YouTube, Facebook, and blogs, to adapt to accelerating change and improve communication processes within the service.
		{excerpt}
		Faced with a coming "revolution" in information management and social networking, the U.S. Coast Guard, under [Commandant Thad Allen\|http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thad_Allen], began ["social media"\|http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Social_media] initiative to utilize technologies such as YouTube, Facebook, and blogs, to adapt to accelerating change and improve communication processes within the service. {excerpt}

		h2. Business Challenge

		Commandant Thad Allen, viewing what he terms a "revolution in information management and social networking," issued a challenge to the U.S. Coast Guard to adapt to the changing patterns of communication and social interaction in a Web 2.0 world. Similar to other organizations, the Coast Guard is facing a generational shift toward more technology-centric millennials, who are beginning to fill the ranks of the service. Commandant Allen's challenge came as part of a general initiative reorganize and transform the Coast Guard into a more change-centric service.

		h2. Approach Taken

		Since the initiative was announced in August 2008, the Coast Guard has branched into existing social media platforms on the Internet, including creating a ["celebrity" page for the Commandant\|http://www.facebook.com/pages/Coast-Guard-Commandant-Thad-Allen/29550062054] and [Coast Guard page\|http://www.new.facebook.com/pages/US-Coast-Guard/25633842678] on Facebook; launching a [Coast Guard channel on YouTube\|http://www.youtube.com/user/USCGImagery] to post videos and responses from service members; posting photos from Coast Guard events on [Flickr\|http://www.flickr.com/photos/coastguardnews/]; and offering news and opinions through [podcasts\|http://www.uscg.mil/top/podcast.asp]. All these platforms are updated very frequently, sometimes daily.

		The Commandant also manages his own blog ([iCommandant Journal\|http://www.uscg.mil/comdt/blog/]), where service members can post messages and directly access Commandant Allen. The initiative has been made a central feature of the [Commandant's Corner 2.0\|http://www.uscg.mil/comdt/] page.

		The Coast Guard also has plans to launch in December 2008 more extensive internal tools, including a new "Coast Guard Central" platform with blogging and wiki capability.

		h2. Results Achieved

		The success of the social media initiative has been measured primarily by hits and visits to the various sites it operates.

		* As of October 2008, Commandant Allen's blog had received about 2,000 visitors (500 visits per week) and many responses to the posts made daily by the Commandant and others.
		* As of February 2009, the Commandant's Facebook page logged nearly 2,000 fans, up from 800 just 4 months before.
		* As of February 2009, the Coast Guard's YouTube site logged features 375 videos from a wide variety of contributors, over 1700 subscribers, and 109 "friends".
		* As of March 2010, the Commandant's Facebook page logged nearly 4,200 fans, up from 2,000 just 1 year ago
		* As of March 2010, the Coast Guard's YouTube site logged features 375 videos from a wide variety of contributors, over 3,000 subscribers, and 120 "friends".


		h2. Lessons Learned

		The Coast Guard's social media initiative has been very successful in a short amount of time mainly due to the emphasis placed on the effort by the service's leadership. While the initiative has seen a great response, there still is anxiety in the service about information control and integrity. There is also some degree of discomfort among lower level staff in regard to communicating directly with senior leadership, which clearly is a factor of the service's structure this initiative attempts to change.

American Solutions For Winning the Future (updated)

2008-06-26T21:37:20Z

Page: Updated by Mark DiGiammarino to revision 7 on Mar 24, 2010 9:38 AM. Created by Mark Rosenthal on Jun 26, 2008 5:37 PM

Case Summary

A non-partisan organization started by Newt Gingrich. The organizations' goal is to provide a forum for the American people, allowing them to share their solutions to problems facing the United States. This wiki site allows registered users to draft proposals, create teams, post comments and rewrite proposed solutions.

Business Challenge

Newt Gingrich thought that the current political landscape was too partisan and that the news media was too divisive for any substantial progress to be made in uniting people to help solve some of America's problems. So on September 27th, 2007 he launched a site called American Solutions for Winning the Future, which claimed to be non-partisan.

This site was created in order to bring the American people together and collaborate (share and critique each others ideas), enabling them to solve problems that affect the American people. What's interesting is that Newt Gingrich is using new technology to implement ideas brought forth by American citizens, not relying on the standard political system to address the publics' concerns.

"American Solutions for Winning the Future is a new, non-partisan organization
built around three goals: to defend America and our allies abroad and defeat
our enemies, to strengthen and revitalize America's core values, and to move the government into the 21st Century"1

Approach Taken

American Solutions is a wiki in that it allows users to read, change and comment on each other's proposed solutions. The site's front page presents recent solutions submitted, a featured solution, the top rated solutions and the solutions that were most viewed. In order to post a comment on a proposed solution, you must become a member through a free registration process.

When writing your proposed solution, you may mark it as a draft, which means your not done writing it and no one is therefore allowed to view or comment on it. There are two wiki's you're able write on. The first is called The Wild West Wiki where solution proposals are allowed to be edited by anyone with an account. The other wiki is titled the Collaborative Wiki, where you can join another person (they have to accept) if you like their proposal and make a team, which allows you to rewrite the solution. To get more interest towards your solution, you're able to send it to friends through a "Tell a friend" application.

The site also includes a blog, videos, audio and photos.

Results Achieved

American Solutions boasts a Citizen Action Network of 1.5 million members.

It has been recognized as having one of the top 5 email lists in politics.

The Wild West Wiki currently has 127 posted solutions

The Collaborative Wiki has 1,736 posted solutions

1.4 million signatures were collected by the website, wanting politicians to lower gas prices by exploring energy reserves American owned and from foreign countries which aren't "unstable" 2.

Lessons Learned

The lesson learned is that American citizens are willing to be engaged and active in politics if given the chance and opportunity. Wikis are just one form of new technology that enables the American citizenry to get involved in politics like never before. This technology gives the chance for an individuals opinion to be heard and actually implemented.

References

1.http://www.reuters.com/article/pressRelease/idUS146798+26-Feb-2008+PRN20080226
2.http://www.vaildaily.com/article/20080620/NEWS/134544761/1078&ParentProfile=1062
3.http://www.americansolutions.com/SolutionsLab/LearnAreas.aspx?fa=SolLab_How_to#how7
4.http://www.americansolutions.com/SolutionsLab/

Changes between revision 6 and revision 7:

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		h1. Case Summary
		{excerpt}
		A non-partisan organization started by Newt Gingrich. The organizations' goal is to provide a forum for the American people, allowing them to share their solutions to problems facing the United States. This wiki site allows registered users to draft proposals, create teams, post comments and rewrite proposed solutions.
		{excerpt}
		A non-partisan organization started by Newt Gingrich. The organizations' goal is to provide a forum for the American people, allowing them to share their solutions to problems facing the United States. This wiki site allows registered users to draft proposals, create teams, post comments and rewrite proposed solutions.{excerpt}

		h2. Business Challenge
		[Newt Gingrich\|http://newt.org/] thought that the current political landscape was too partisan and that the news media was too divisive for any substantial progress to be made in uniting people to help solve some of America's problems. So on September 27th, 2007 he launched a site called [American Solutions for Winning the Future\|http://www.americansolutions.com/SolutionsLab/], which claimed to be non-partisan.

		This site was created in order to bring the American people together and collaborate (share and critique each others ideas), enabling them to solve problems that affect the American people. What's interesting is that Newt Gingrich is using new technology to implement ideas brought forth by American citizens, not relying on the standard political system to address the publics' concerns.
		[Newt Gingrich\|http://newt.org/] thought that the current political landscape was too partisan and that the news media was too divisive for any substantial progress to be made in uniting people to help solve some of America's problems. So on September 27th, 2007 he launched a site called [American Solutions for Winning the Future\|http://www.americansolutions.com/SolutionsLab/], which claimed to be non-partisan.

		This site was created in order to bring the American people together and collaborate (share and critique each others ideas), enabling them to solve problems that affect the American people. What's interesting is that Newt Gingrich is using new technology to implement ideas brought forth by American citizens, not relying on the standard political system to address the publics' concerns.

		"American Solutions for Winning the Future is a new, non-partisan organization
		built around three goals: to defend America and our allies abroad and defeat
		our enemies, to strengthen and revitalize America's core values, and to move the government into the 21st Century"[1\|http://www.reuters.com/article/pressRelease/idUS146798+26-Feb-2008+PRN20080226]

		h2. Approach Taken

		American Solutions is a [wiki\|http://wiki.org/wiki.cgi?WhatIsWiki] in that it allows users to read, change and comment on each other's proposed solutions. The site's front page presents recent solutions submitted, a featured solution, the top rated solutions and the solutions that were most viewed. In order to post a comment on a proposed solution, you must become a member through a free registration process.
		American Solutions is a [wiki\|http://wiki.org/wiki.cgi?WhatIsWiki] in that it allows users to read, change and comment on each other's proposed solutions. The site's front page presents recent solutions submitted, a featured solution, the top rated solutions and the solutions that were most viewed. In order to post a comment on a proposed solution, you must become a member through a free registration process.

		When writing your proposed solution, you may mark it as a draft, which means your not done writing it and no one is therefore allowed to view or comment on it. There are two wiki's you're able write on. The first is called The Wild West Wiki where solution proposals are allowed to be edited by anyone with an account. The other wiki is titled the Collaborative Wiki, where you can join another person (they have to accept) if you like their proposal and make a team, which allows you to rewrite the solution. To get more interest towards your solution, you're able to send it to friends through a "Tell a friend" application.
		When writing your proposed solution, you may mark it as a draft, which means your not done writing it and no one is therefore allowed to view or comment on it. There are two wiki's you're able write on. The first is called The Wild West Wiki where solution proposals are allowed to be edited by anyone with an account. The other wiki is titled the Collaborative Wiki, where you can join another person (they have to accept) if you like their proposal and make a team, which allows you to rewrite the solution. To get more interest towards your solution, you're able to send it to friends through a "Tell a friend" application.

		The site also includes a blog, videos, audio and photos.
		The site also includes a blog, videos, audio and photos.

		h2. Results Achieved

		American Solutions boasts a Citizen Action Network of 1.5 million members.

		It has been recognized as having one of the top 5 email lists in politics.


		The Wild West Wiki currently has 127 posted solutions

		The Collaborative Wiki has 1,736 posted solutions

		1.1 million signatures were collected by the website, wanting politicians to lower gas prices by exploring energy reserves American owned and from foreign countries which aren't "unstable" [2\|http://www.vaildaily.com/article/20080620/NEWS/134544761/1078&ParentProfile=1062].
		1.4 million signatures were collected by the website, wanting politicians to lower gas prices by exploring energy reserves American owned and from foreign countries which aren't "unstable" [2\|http://www.vaildaily.com/article/20080620/NEWS/134544761/1078&ParentProfile=1062].


		h2. Lessons Learned
		The lesson learned is that American citizens are willing to be engaged and active in politics if given the chance and opportunity. Wikis are just one form of new technology that enables the American citizenry to get involved in politics like never before. This technology gives the chance for an individuals opinion to be heard and actually implemented.

		The lesson learned is that American citizens are willing to be engaged and active in politics if given the chance and opportunity. Wikis are just one form of new technology that enables the American citizenry to get involved in politics like never before. This technology gives the chance for an individuals opinion to be heard and actually implemented.

		h2. References
		1.http://www.reuters.com/article/pressRelease/idUS146798+26-Feb-2008+PRN20080226
		2.http://www.vaildaily.com/article/20080620/NEWS/134544761/1078&ParentProfile=1062
		3.http://www.americansolutions.com/SolutionsLab/LearnAreas.aspx?fa=SolLab_How_to#how7
		4.http://www.americansolutions.com/SolutionsLab/

		1.[http://www.reuters.com/article/pressRelease/idUS146798+26-Feb-2008+PRN20080226]
		2.[http://www.vaildaily.com/article/20080620/NEWS/134544761/1078&ParentProfile=1062]
		3.[http://www.americansolutions.com/SolutionsLab/LearnAreas.aspx?fa=SolLab_How_to#how7]
		4.[http://www.americansolutions.com/SolutionsLab/]

Federal Agencies Create 23 Open Gov Sites (created)

2010-02-25T18:30:57Z

Page: Created by Matt Thomas on Feb 25, 2010 1:30 PM

In line with the Open Government Directive released by the Obama Administration last December, 23 Federal departments and agencies have recently established open government websites, through which they can engage the public and increase agency transparency. These new sites include the latest news, data and information related to fulfilling the President's calls for a more open government. They also allow visitors to provide feedback on each agency's open government plan, and ideas on how agencies can be more effective and efficient. The open government sites will remain open until March 19th.

Visitors can access the list of open government sites through USA.gov. The public can also track user activity on the open government sites through OpenGovTracker.com.

As more people visit, interact with and provide feedback to these sites, the agencies that host them will be able to improve services and foster greater engagement with the public.

Give GSA your ideas for improving USA.gov (updated)

2009-12-16T22:32:02Z

Page: Updated by Daniel Honker to revision 4 on Jan 06, 2010 1:35 PM. Created by Matt Thomas on Dec 16, 2009 5:32 PM

The U.S. General Services Administration's Office of Citizen Services has launched Your Voice Matters: a Dialog on USA.gov. USA.gov is the web-based information hub for the federal government. This Dialog presents everyone from Federal IT experts to members of the general public with the opportunity to tell GSA how they want to find government information on the Web.

The Dialog will run until January 8th, 2009, so please, check it out early, visit it often and make sure your voice is heard!

Changes between revision 3 and revision 4:

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		{excerpt:hidden=true}
		The U.S. General Services Administration's Office of Citizen Services has launched Your Voice Matters: a Dialog on USA.gov.
		{excerpt}

		The [U.S. General Services Administration\|http://www.gsa.gov/Portal/gsa/ep/home.do?tabId=0]'s [Office of Citizen Services\|http://www.gsa.gov/Portal/gsa/ep/channelView.do?pageTypeId=8199&channelId=-25742] has launched [Your Voice Matters: a Dialog on USA.gov\|http://blog.citizen.apps.gov/yourvoicematters/]. [USA.gov\|http://www.usa.gov/] is the web-based information hub for the federal government. This Dialog presents everyone from Federal IT experts to members of the general public with the opportunity to tell GSA how they want to find government information on the Web.

		The Dialog will run until January 8th, 2009, so please, check it out early, visit it often and make sure your voice is heard!

		h1. Case Summary
		{excerpt}In response to intelligence missteps leading up to 9/11 and the Iraq War, the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) sought to build a flatter US Intelligence community better equipped to coordinate and share classified surveillance information. The technology solution, "Intellipedia," is a peer-to-peer online collaboration network built on the same open-source software used by Wikipedia which allows intelligence analysts to share information through the federal government's classified Intelink intranet site. Intellipedia has already facilitated many small wins for the intelligence community, and the future seems bright for this collaborative tool. {excerpt}

		h2. Business Challenge
		Following the September 11, 2001 attacks and the failure to find Weapons of Mass Destruction in Iraq, the U.S. intelligence community was widely criticized for downplaying dissenting views among their own analysts[^1^\|http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2006/11/01/MNGMIM3K471.DTL&hw=wikipedia&sn=001&sc=1000]. Consequently, [ODNI\|http://odni.gov]desired a more dynamic and open intelligence sharing environment that would significantly improve the quality of future intelligence estimates.

		h2. Approach Taken
		In April 2006, ODNI under the leadership of [John Negroponte\|http://www.state.gov/r/pa/ei/biog/80476.htm] launched "Intellipedia," an online peer-to-peer collaboration system built on open-source software from Wikipedia that allows analysts as well as other relevant personnel such as engineers, librarians and human capital specialists from all 16 U.S. intelligence agencies to establish a common operating picture through the federal government's classified Intelink Web.^[2\|http://www.usatoday.com/tech/news/techinnovations/2006-11-02-intellipedia_x.htm]^ Intellipedia, commonly referred to as the "spooks" wiki, is not available to the public and is presently divided into three classification categories, ranging from "sensitive but unclassified" to "top secret." This tool allows users to share information by creating, editing, and discussing articles in an online space that is both topically-focused and agency-neutral.^[3\|http://www.usatoday.com/tech/news/techinnovations/2006-11-02-intellipedia_x.htm]^

		Unlike the largely anonymous environment of Wikipedia, ODNI's collaborative tool requires all online participants to include their name and organization when they submit a contribution or an edit. This aspect of the approach is critical for providing accountability to the intelligence evaluation process in the event that assessments are proven to be faulty.


		h2. Results Achieved (Metrics Used)
		When New York Yankees pitcher ,[Cory Lidle\|http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=2621860] crashed his plan into a New York apartment building on October 11, 2006, analysts from the [Transportation Security Administration\|http://tsa.gov] and other relevant agencies utilized Intellipedia to provide information updates on the accident 80 times during a two hour period. This proved to be an early success for the new collaboration tool, as it allowed intelligence officials to quickly determine that the crash was not a terrorist threat.

		As of December 2008, Intellipedia has an estimated 90,000 users (some of which are registered multiple times, though) and 130,000 articles between its various networks. Quite surprisingly, the current community of active 'Intellipedians' includes both members of Generation X & Y as well more seasoned intelligence veterans.

		In [September 10, 2007 testimony \|http://dni.gov/testimonies/20070910_testimony.pdf] before Congress, Michael McConnell, Director of National Intelligence, commended Intellipedia's capacity to aid analysts in making quick and accurate assessments by accelerating knowledge pooling and facilitating virtual team formation.^[5\|http://dni.gov/testimonies/20070910_testimony.pdf]^

		In 2009, Don Burke and Sean P. Dennehy, two of the originators of Intellipedia, were awarded with the "Homeland Security Service to America Medal" by the Partnership for Public Service.


		h2. Lessons Learned
		While Wikipedia thrives on the anonymous nature of its online community, Intellipedia has so far drawn a surprisingly different lesson. According to avid participant Christian Rasmussen, attaching user identification to submissions has been critical to Intellipedia's early success, as it has provided ["ego gratification in providing great edits."^[6\|http://www.fcw.com/print/13_43/management/151075-1.html]^

		Another important lesson learned so far is that there are many communication challenges that must be faced due to the classified nature of the intelligence information hosted on Intellipedia. [Jessie Wilson\|http://www.executivebiz.com/newsletter-executives-detail.php?who=jwilson], a Regional Issues Analyst for U.S. Central Command, importantly notes that while it is necessary to have different security level portals on the site, some users have unfortunately begun to store lower classified information on the higher level portals. This is problematic because when analysts search Intelink these hidden portals block the system's indexing ability, thus making appropriately classified knowledge undiscoverable.^[7\|http://www.executivebiz.com/newsletter-executives-detail.php?who=jwilson&check=1]^ Hopefully these inevitable pitfalls will be addressed as Intellipedia becomes an increasingly indispensible communication resource.

		Finally, Intelligence officials have noted that Intellipedia has yet to reach its full potential. Wiki collaborative technology allows for increased scrutiny of intelligence information, which should lead to more accurate reporting in the future. Additionally, wikis appear to be a natural compliment to National Intelligence Estimates and thus will further strengthen intelligence efforts when they are eventually implemented in this capacity.

		h2. References
		1. Greg Miller, '[U.S. Using Wikipedia Software for Intelligence Reports\|http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2006/11/01/MNGMIM3K471.DTL&hw=wikipedia&sn=001&sc=1000]', Los Angeles Times, November 1, 2006.
		2. Katherine Shrader, '[Over 3,600 Intelligence Professionals Tapping Into Intellipedia\|http://www.usatoday.com/tech/news/techinnovations/2006-11-02-intellipedia_x.htm]', November 2, 2006.
		3. Katherine Shrader, '[Over 3,600 intelligence professionals tapping into Intellipedia\|http://www.usatoday.com/tech/news/techinnovations/2006-11-02-intellipedia_x.htm].'
		4. Florence Olsen, '[Intell's wiki pied piper\|http://www.fcw.com/print/13_43/management/151075-1.html],' FCW.Com, December 17, 2007.
		5. Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, Hearing on '[Confronting the Terrorist Threat to the Homeland: Six Years after 9/11\|http://dni.gov/testimonies/20070910_testimony.pdf],' Statement for the Record of J. Michael McConnell, September 10, 2007
		6. Florence Olsen, '[Intell's wiki pied piper\|http://www.fcw.com/print/13_43/management/151075-1.html].'
		7. JD Kathuria, '[Executive Spotlight with Jesse Wilson\|http://www.executivebiz.com/newsletter-executives-detail.php?who=jwilson&check=1],' Executive Biz, October 26, 2007.