Opening Welcome

Over the past fifteen years users of the World Wide Web have created remarkable new possibilities and business models reshaping our economy. A new generation has come of age with this technology and is committed to using its creativity, collaboration and civic-mindedness to address challenges facing our country and the world. With the proliferation of issues and not enough resources to address them all, many government leaders recognize the value in public-private partnerships and the opportunities inherent in harnessing a highly motivated and diverse population to address the great challenges facing our nation.

President Obama exhorted us to rise to the challenge: “We must use all available technologies and methods to open up the federal government, creating a new level of transparency to change the way business is conducted in Washington, and giving Americans the chance to participate in government deliberations and decision-making in ways that were not possible only a few years ago.”

There is a new compact on the horizon: government maintains information on a variety of issues and that information should rightly be considered a national asset. Citizens are connected like never-before and have the skill sets and passion to solve problems affecting them locally as well as nationally. Government information and services can be provided to citizens where and when they need it. Citizens will be empowered to become leaders, with government, to spark the innovation that will result in an improved approach to governance.

Yet, why have 40,000 applications been developed for the Apple iPhone by independent developers while other phones have to develop their own applications? Why are there thousands of mash-ups for Google Maps, but only hundreds for any other web-mapping platform? Why are there hundreds of third party applications for Twitter? Becoming a platform that enables the success of others is the secret sauce of Silicon Valley.

How does government itself become an open platform that allows people inside and outside government to innovate? How do you design a system in which all of the outcomes aren’t specified beforehand, but instead evolve through interactions between the technology provider and its user community? How can open data, broadband stimulus, and other government technology initiatives spark innovation?

We are going to hear from outside innovators, both core technology industries and edge-level creators; from user-generated applications in the private sector to government employees recognizing needs and acting on them. We will hear from policy makers and thoughtful critics, and we hope to hear from you.