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Chapter 19 Information Technology Page 3
INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY (Page 3)
Smart Grid—Our electricity transmission grid must be expanded and modernized to improve reliability, efficiency, and security, while enabling increased generation from clean energy sources. In 2011, the Administration will continue to advance the development of advanced communications, cybersecurity systems, and large-scale energy storage. These technologies will promote energy savings for consumers, increase energy efficiency, and foster the growth of renewable energy sources like wind and solar power.
Focus on Customer Service – In 2010 and 2011, the Federal CIO will continue to collaborate with agencies to harness the power of IT to make Government work better for the American people. Examplers of successful initiatives already undertaken include:
• Simplifying the student loan application process to reduce time and complexity in the Department of Education and the Internal Revenue Service.
• Streamlining the veterans benefits processing and reducing the backlog in the Department of Veterans Affairs.
• Enabling immigration applicants to get updates on the status of their applications in the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services.
TRANSPARENCY AND PARTICIPATION
USASpending—The public deserves to see how the Government spends their taxpayer dollars. Because of the scope and complexity of that spending, considerable effort is required to identify, collect and make sense of all that data. Upon launch in 2007, the focus was solely on meeting congressionally mandated deadlines. Consequently, the site was not designed for scalability or real-time data reporting, and does not provide a capability for sub-award reporting. and does not provide a capability for sub-award reporting.
In early 2010, the USASpending.gov platform is being re-engineered to create a scalable platform flexible enough to accommodate future growth and speedy assimilation of new and diverse datasets; however, without additional resources included in the 2011 budget, the site will still not be fully compliant with the Federal Funding Accountability and Transparency Act (FFATA). In 2010 and 2011, USASpending.gov will leverage the efforts of FederalReporting.gov to provide for recipient/sub-recipient reporting, making the site FFATA compliant.
Data.gov—Data.gov allows the public to easily find download, and use datasets and data tools that are generated and managed by the Federal Government. As a priority Administration initiative, the vision for Data.gov was encapsulated in the President’s January 21, 2009 Open Government and Transparency memorandum where he states that information should be disclosed “rapidly in forms that the public can readily find and use.” Following the example of Data.gov, States and cities in the United States and other countries are creating their own sites to make their data more publicly accessible. As a result of making more data available on Data.gov, new software applications providing useful services to the citizens have been rapidly developed for the public by the private sector.
Geospatial Platform — In 2010 and 2011, Federal data managers for geospatial data will move to a portfolio management approach, creating a Geospatial Platform to support GeoOneStop, place-based initiatives, and other potential future programs. This transformation will be facilitated by improving the governance framework to address the requirements of State, local and tribal agencies, Administration policy, and agency mission objectives. Investments will be prioritized based on business needs. The Geospatial Platform will explore opportunities for increased collaboration with Data.gov, with an emphasis on reuse of architectural standards and technology, ultimately increasing access to geospatial data.
Citizen Services Dashboard — In 2010 and 2011, the Administration will develop and implement a Citizens’ Services Dashboard to provide transparency into the quality of service the Government delivers to the public by highlighting the top service delivery touch points for each major Federal department and agency.
Challenge Platform— In 2010 and 2010, the Administration will help develop and implement web-based platforms to facilitate innovation through challenges and prizes. A challenge is exactly what the name suggests: it is a challenge by one party (a “seeker” to a third party or parties (a “solver”) to identify a solution to a particular problem. Challenge platforms are tools that provide a forum for the seeker to post the problem and invite a community of solvers to suggest, collaborate on, and judge solutions. Challenge platforms can also be used to run incentive prizes which reward contestants for accomplishing a particular future goal. Challenges are an important tool for achieving the President’s goals for Government to be more transparent, participatory and collaborative.
Transparency of Research and Development Information—In order to fulfill requirements in the E-government Act regarding the maintenance of a repository of information on research and development (R&D), in a manner harmonized with the Administration’s efforts to improve the transparency and usability of Federal data, the Administration is committed to exploring with stakeholders a fundamental change in how data on R&D should be made available to the public. As in other areas in the push for greater transparency, the emphasis will be on testing models for making R&D related data from contributing agencies available in ways that are secure, interoperable, and usable by a wide array of potential users. Efforts in this area will be coordinated with plans in closely related areas such as USASpending and Data.gov.
Broadband Access for Americans—Greater citizen engagement and participation in Federal, State and local civic processes is aided by reliable, cost effective access to broadband internet services. In the near term, the Departments of Agriculture and Commerce are awarding more than $7 billion in grants and loans under the Recovery Act, designed to expand broadband infrastructure capacity and improve subscribership. Broadband is a foundation for economic innovation and technological advances, and the Administration will continue to work toward universal, affordable access. Increased access to broadband capabilities will be enhanced over the long term by a national plan which will be submitted to Congress in 2010, aiming to advance the objective of ready access to broadband services for all Americans.
