Panel Discussion

Empowering People with Data: Data.gov

—Jerry Johnston, GIO, EPA, and Data.gov geospatial lead

President Obama called for greater transparency, participation, and collaboration to improve the quality of government and strengthen democracy. Creative partnerships and out of the box thinking are powerful steps, made even more powerful when matched up with new technology and policy tools. Leveraging the Internet and GIS technology presents a whole new way to inform decision makers and engage the public. Complimentary policies driving government performance and accountability can help focus new efforts. This panel will feature an overview from the perspective of the White House combined with real examples of where technology and policy are helping to make government work better.

Open Government and the Geospatial Platform. Collaboration and ready access to useful data and tools is key to better decision making and good government. The federal government is stepping up to this challenge with efforts like Data.gov and the GeoSpatial Platform. These sites go beyond open government to providing a common platform of data and tools empowering data downloads, instant mashups, and other tools to better inform decision making.