Rock Creek Roundup (November 6 Edition)

Posted by: Meagen Ryan, Director of Strategy Nov 06, 2009 0 Comments

Digital communities get the thumbs up, DARPA hosts a high-stakes balloon launch, NASA takes a cross-channel approach, and open source aficionados gather at GOSCON, all in this week’s version of the Rock Creek Roundup:

• What do Corpus Christi, Norfolk, Santa Monica, and Flower Mound (Texas) all have in common? They were all named “Top Digital Cities” in a recent survey by Digital Communities magazine. Recognized for their use of technology to better serve their citizens, innovative initiatives range from social media outreach via Facebook and Twitter to automated water and gas meter-readers and Google-powered parking maplettes. It’s great to see local government agencies harnessing the power of technology to make life better and easier for its citizens. Congrats to all the cities that made the list!
• The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) is celebrating the 40th anniversary of the Internet with a contest that showcases the power of online collaboration. Open to everyone across the world, the contest offers a $40,000 cash prize to the first person who accurately identifies the latitude and longitude of 10 red weather balloons that DARPA will place throughout the continental United States. Registration opens December 1 and the balloons launch on December 5, so get your balloon-seeking teams together now and be sure to keep your eye on the DARPA Facebook page to follow the excitement.
• Businesses and government agencies can learn a lot about social media strategy by taking a look at how NASA has managed its social media initiatives, according to this blog post by internet marketing consultant Michael Gray. Among other lessons, Gray points out the strength in NASA’s cross-channel approach, where they cross-post interesting content from one channel (like their Flickr account) to another (like their Facebook fan page) yet still have unique content on each channel that serves as a value add for visitors. I think that Gray’s analysis is spot on and the whole post is a must-read.
• At the Government Open Source Conference (GOSCON) on Thursday, enthusiasm for open source ran high. Proponents from all over government praised open source technology for its flexibility, agility, modularity, and security. As many noted, open source still faces significant hurdles. Contracting vehicles are not fully in place. Implementation requirements prohibit agile development. Culture and behavior must change. Fortunately, open source has gained support at the highest levels. From David Wennergren at DoD and Dr. David Boyd at DHS, to the much-noted White House website, open source is now seen as a viable solution, and one that has the potential to transform the government IT landscape.

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Meagen Ryan

Director of Strategy

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