Rock Creek Roundup (August 26 Edition)

Posted by: Meagen Ryan, Director of Strategy Aug 26, 2011 0 Comments

Homeland Security asks people to turn to social media during the earthquake, two agencies turn to Facebook for a disaster preparedness app, the CDC asks citizens to create their next emergency preparedness video, the Department of Transportation looks to the private sector for innovation and collaboration, and state government apps are shaking up operations, all in this week’s Rock Creek Roundup!

—As Tuesday’s earthquake shook up the east coast, the Department of Homeland Security urged people to use social media to contact friends and family. The agency didn’t use traditional media channels to get the word out either. DHS didn’t issue a press release, but instead turned to its official Twitter feed to get news out faster. With phone lines clogged, east coasters used Facebook and Twitter to send and receive news of the earthquake many of whom learned about the quake through social media before feeling the tremors. Twitter reported about 5,500 tweets per second which beat out the record for Osama bin Laden’s death and was on par with the Japanese quake this year; Facebook reported the term “earthquake” appeared in the status updates of 3 million users.

—This year, the United States has faced nine natural disasters amounting to an economic loss of more than $1 billion. While Hurricane Irene creeps up the coast, the Department of Health and Human Services and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association are seeking new ways to better prepare Americans for emergencies through technology. Instead of a mobile app, the HHS and NOAA are sponsoring the Lifeline Facebook Application Challenge giving developers a chance at $10,000 in winnings. The Facebook application will ask people to identify three friends who can be ‘lifelines,’ complete a personal plan, share their plan with their lifelines, and share the app with others. The agencies are hoping to refine and support the phenomenon of using social media during natural disasters.

—With natural disasters on everyone’s mind this week, the Centers for Disease and Control made a timely announcement this week asking citizens to create a 60-second video showing how to prepare for an emergency with the tagline “Get a Kit, Make a Plan, Be Informed.” The ‘Are You Prepared?’ video contest encourages creativity when making the videos and allows people to work in teams or individually. The winning video will be posted on the CDC homepage, the CDC Emergency page, and the CDC StreamingHealth YouTube channel to be seen by thousands of viewers. Video entries can be submitted between Aug. 29 and Sept. 30.

—With mobile apps on the rise and government websites consolidating, the Gov 2.0 movement is well underway. The Department of Transportation is taking an alternate path by launching an online exchange connecting the government to private sector entrepreneurs and innovators to advance transportation technology. The Digital Transportation Exchange allows the public and private to come together through ideas and capital to find solutions in the transportation industry. Through September 23, the DOT is conducting an online discussion to learn how to better serve both the public and the private through the DTE. The DTE is a step towards filling in the technology gaps and fostering new ideas in the public sector with the help of private expertise.

—While federal agencies have launched over 75 mobile apps, it’s at the state level that apps are really changing the way things are being done. Last year, Arkansas released the first state app allowing families and friends to make secure payments to prison inmates; it was also the first app anywhere to allow secure payments. Arkansas residents can even pay taxes and track wild game and kills making it easier for the Game and Fish Commission to manage game populations and the hunters. Among others, Utah, Indiana, Minnesota, New York, and Florida are releasing apps to make data more accessible and streamlining operations around the state making data gathering simpler. Smartphones are not only making state information more available, but state workers are able to do jobs remotely and on-site quickly.

Meagen Ryan

Director of Strategy

• Most Recent
• Topics

View all previous posts