What does Government 2.0 look like?

[In observance of the Gov 2.0 Expo occurring this week in DC, check out this O'Reilly Radar post written by Mark Drapeau in which he visually represents the components of Government 2.0. The post is here: http://radar.oreilly.com/2010/05/what-does-government-20-look-l.html. The Knight Commission on the Information Needs of Communities in a Democracy has called for government at all levels to operate transparently, facilitate easy and low-cost access to public records, and make civic and social data available in standardized formats that support the productive public use of such data (See Recommendation 4). Additionally, Recommendation 13 calls for all citizens to be empowered to participate actively in community self-governance, including local “community summits” to address community affairs and pursue common goals.]

What does Government 2.0 look like?

By Mark Drapeau

The most important thing I learned in grad school was very simple: “Draw the picture.” (Thanks Tony.) By that my advisor meant that it’s often hard or impossible to describe a complex system in words alone. And consequently, if you can’t draw a picture of what you’re trying to explain, you probably don’t understand it. Drawing pictures of complex systems also helps everyone understand where the knowledge gaps are, or where unsolved problems are buried, or where contradictions exist.

So, moving into the inaugural Gov 2.0 Expo week, as I reflect on where Government 2.0 is and where it’s headed, I thought I would draw a picture of it. To some people Gov 2.0 is about technology, to some it’s about culture change, to some it’s still about taking risks and doing experiments, to some it’s about policy, or collaboration, or openness. It’s about all of those things. How do they come together into a complex system?

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