Mr. Smith goes to Silicon Valley
Gov 2.0 evangelists might have been the only ones to notice this summer when Obama ordered federal agencies to start using APIs. At least the information surprised a room of journalists, developers and designers gathered last Tuesday night at Trulia’s San Francisco office for a sold-out data visualization workshop co-hosted by Hacks and Hackers.
Obama had already issued Executive Order 13571 in April, requiring executive departments and agencies to, among other things, identify ways to use innovative technologies to streamline their delivery of services to lower costs, decrease service delivery times, and improve the customer experience.
Washington was going to become a “Digital Government.”
Federal agencies received a 12-month roadmap to use for building “a 21st Century Platform to Better Serve the American People.”
The Department of Transportation developed the Safety Data Initiative and invited developers to use the data, which runs the gamut from transportation to crime to consumer products. If it’s about safety it’s on the website.
There is more buy-in than you might expect, Jo Strang, Co-lead of the Safety Data Initiative, said Tuesday. The agencies involved care about safety, she said. Oh, and, if the order comes from the president they might drag their feet but, “It’s not like they are going to say no.”
Not everyone is sold on the government adopting APIs. Others are just skeptical and keeping track of progress (report card).
Either way, federal data can be a mixed bag especially if it’s old. That’s the case with the National Jail Census. The most recent comes from 2006.
But after a few demos by Sha Hwang, Design Technologist at Trulia, the audience was ready to pitch ideas for telling stories visually using the data sets. Lunar cycles and emergency room visits. Visualizing the most tolerant district in San Francisco using Census data. Transportation safety data sets could show how vehicular fatalities plunge during noon and shoot up on weekends. Crime and law enforcement in the Bay Area is always popular, especially during staff cuts and especially for anyone who covers Oakland. One group suggested comparing law enforcement fatalities to officer-involved shootings. With numerous CalTrain suicides in mind, grad students from Stanford suggested using data about suicides to design preventive safety measures on California’s high-speed rail system (if the system is ever built).
Strang happened to be in California for a meeting to discuss the high-speed rail project. The D.C.-California jet lag was setting in and she had been up since 4 a.m. “It’s midnight my time,” Strang said. “I’m tired.” (Hwang said Strang’s colleague couldn’t get clearance to attend the concurrent New York data vis workshop even though it’s a short train ride from D.C.) Strang’s parting words before heading back to her hotel room in Sacramento: “If you open up data and set it free, fabulous things will happen and we believe that.”
5 comments
Alex Howard (@digiphile)
I covered the launch of the digital government strategy in March. I guess I need to earn more readers. http://radar.oreilly.com/2012/05/white-house-launches-new-digit.html
I was part of the workshop in NYC. A representative from the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy did attend, via Google Hangout.
Sep 12, 2012
Chris O'Brien
A:
I’m not quite sure how to respond to that. Obviously you have a lot of readers and a wide following among folks who are interested in government and technology. But surely you don’t think that because you’ve covered it, everyone therefore is aware of the topic?
I think I’m puzzled that you seem to have taken a throw-away line in a post that doesn’t mention you by name so personally.
Sep 12, 2012
Alex Howard
Most of the country doesn’t watch the evening news anymore, much less follow me on social media or read Radar. I don’t think the lede of a post is ever a ‘throw-line’ …but I was too quick to comment.
Sep 12, 2012
Angela Woodall
@Alex: The audience nearly fell off their seats when they heard about the APIs. I’m exaggerating but a good number of people at the data vis event were surprised. I am under the impression that many people don’t know what an API is in the first place.
The rep wasn’t given leave to attend IN PERSON. But thanks for clarifying that he was allowed to participate via Google Hangout. Better than nothing. The more interesting thing is that the Executive Order is in PDF format
Sep 12, 2012
Alex Howard (@digiphile)
No kidding? I would like to have seen that — thank you for sharing more of your reporting. I know I still end up explaining APIs to friends, family and many folks around DC.
As for EOs being in PDF format, well, that sort of thing is endemic. Check out the Digital Government Strategy link below. You might have a pleasant surprise.
http://www.whitehouse.gov/digitalgov/html5
Sep 12, 2012