Space Apps Challenge

Chris Vein, Deputy US CTO for Government Innovation and Nicholas Skytland, head of NASA’s Open Government Initiative, discuss how momentum for open government and open data is building internationally within policy leadership and also practical on-the-ground problem-solving events and initiatives.

Chris Vein shares some insights into how open data and code-a-thon events are a useful ‘sensemaking’ tool for open government, and ways in which this can turn into sustainable innovation inside governments. He encourages public sector agencies to…

…find groups of people, bring them together around an issue or problem that needs to be fixed, then step out of the way and let the collective energy of the people in the room come together and really take that data and solve things in creative and imaginative ways that we would never have done ourselves.

Nicholas Skytland talks about the inspiration and background to the initiative, which currently has 25 cities, around 70 organizations and more than 800 people across the world signed up to participate.

You’re able to solve challenges that might take months to do in government, but only take a weekend when you get the right people in the room together.

About Chris Vein

• Chris Vein is the Deputy U.S. Chief Technology Officer for Government Innovation in the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy. In this role, Chris searches for those with transformative ideas, convenes those inside and outside government to explore and test them, and catalyzes the results into a national action plan. Prior to joining the White House, Chris was the Chief Information Officer (CIO) for the City and County of San Francisco where he led the City in becoming a national force in the application of new media platforms, use of open source applications, creation of new models for expanding digital inclusion, emphasizing “green” technology, and transforming government.

About Nicholas Skytland

• Nicholas Skytland is a NASA engineer, designer, entrepreneur, and advocate for NASA’s Open Government Initiative. He has a passion for engaging all generations in the adventure of space exploration and is continually working to help NASA embrace new technologies, increase public participation and innovate on how the Agency does business. Combining elements of space exploration, science, technology, visual art and storytelling, Nicholas is well known for many of his presentations promoting NASA, the human space program, participatory exploration and the Open Government initiative.

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Episode links and resources

• International Space Apps Challenge website
• NASA Open Government website
• Open Government Partnership website
• US Government’s Open Innovator’s Toolkit

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You can use the social sharing links at the top of the page to easily share this story with your networks. You can also follow and join in the social conversation about this episode with:

• People and organisations:
  @WhiteHouseOSTP
  @skytland
  @intlspaceapps
  @NASA
  @opengovpart
• Tags: #spaceapps #opengov #opendata #nasa #OGP

Gov20 Radio is pleased to be a communication partner for the NASA / Open Government Partnership International Space Apps Challenge worldwide.

Over the weekend of April 21-22 2012, cities around the world will bring together innovators, developers, space enthusiasts and others to discover new solutions to global issues using open data from NASA and other sources.

In the lead-up to the event, G2R will be bringing you the stories through the voices of global and local organizers and participants, and we will be covering the city teams’ activities live throughout the 48 hour event.

Join in!

Interested in participating or convening a local SpaceApps event?  Find out more at the Space Apps Challenge website.

Prep for the journey

Listen to some of our previous interviews about the activities of NASA and the OGP, as well as the interview with David Eaves about ‘How to hold a hackathon’. [widgets_on_pages id=”SpaceApps posts”]

We’re joined by Julio Gonzalez Altamirano from Open Austin and Matt Esquibel from the City of Austin to talk about open government, open data, and civic application development in the city.

A lot of credit goes to the Austin community – the technical expertise and the energy helps the City develop that kind of mindframe as we’re going forward.

About Julio Gonzalez Altamirano and Matt Esquibel

• Julio Gonzalez Altamirano is the founder and a key leader in the Open Austin network, working closely with the City to support greater open govenrment outcomes and mobilizing local citizens to participate in Open Austin activities.
• Matt Esquibel is Programmer Analyst Supervisor for Internet/Intranet Web Design in the Office of Communications & Technology Management at the City of Austin in Texas. Matt has been leading the open government initiatives for the City of Austin, and is the key liaison point with the Open Austin community.

How you can use this episode

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Episode links and resources

• Interview with Matt Esquibel on GovFresh
• Open Austin website for civic activists and participants
• The new City of Austin website and Open Data Portal

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You can use the social sharing links at the top of the page to easily share this story with your networks.  You can also follow and join in the social conversation about this episode with:

• People and organisations:
  @openaustin @austintexasgov
• Tags: #openaustin

Civic innovator and hackfest vetern Mark Headd joins Gov20 Radio for an in-depth conversation about mobilizing and sustaining civic innovation: hacking, start-ups and what Governments can do to encourage local action.

In 2011, you really started to see independently-organized events taking place, where there were groups of civic-ly-minded hackers in these cities saying ‘We want to do something to give back to our cities.’

About Mark Headd

Mark is a writer, speaker and thought leader on communication technologies and open government. He currently works as a Developer Evangelist for Voxeo Labs. He holds a Master’s degree in Public Administration from the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs at Syracuse University, and is a former adjunct instructor at the University of Delaware teaching a course in electronic government.

He served for three years as the chief policy and budget advisor for the State of Delaware’s Department of Technology and Information. He has also served as Director of the Delaware Government Information Center and as Technology Adviser to former Delaware Governor Thomas Carper.

Mark has built open government applications for the District of Columbia, the Sunlight Foundation, the New York State Senate, and the cities of New York, San Francisco, Toronto, Baltimore and Philadelphia.

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Episode links and resources

• Civic hacking events in Baltimore and Philadelphia
• Mark’s Civic Innovations blog

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You can use the social sharing links at the top of the page to easily share this story with your networks. You can also follow and join in the social conversation about this episode with:

• People and organisations:
  @mheadd @civicio
• Tags: #civic #innovation

Inspired by International Open Data Day, we talk to Steve Spiker, IT director for the Urban Strategies Council in Oakland, California, to talk about open data’s role in taking on urban poverty.

Steve explains that the cost of government data can be a major factor in how effective non-profit groups can be in taking on pernicious urban issues like foreclosures and crime, and that low-cost data can spur new businesses and community benefits in urban regions such as Oakland and Alameda County. Open data is “far more impacting than we actually thought,” he says.

Steve organized and hosted the Open Data Day Bay Area event, and on Gov20 Radio he shares about a new app developed during the day of hacking that helps find fee-free credit union ATMs in the SF Bay Area, 99atms.com. Steve stresses that there is a need to link existing advocacy communities to the open data and Gov 2.0 movements to increase their impact.

Join us for a conversation with David Eaves about International Open Data Day, and his best advice on how to organize a hackathon – including the value of statisticians and project managers to success.

About David Eaves

David is a public policy entrepreneur, open government activist and negotiation expert and frequent speaker on these topics. He is retained by several governments to advise on open government and open data, works with two spin-offs of the Harvard Negotiation Project, and advises businesses on open source strategies and community management. Three years ago David advised the Mayor of Vancouver on Open Government and Open Data and helped draft the Open Motion. He has also launched a number of open data projects including Recollect.net and emitter.ca.

David blogs regularly at eaves.ca where you can read more about his projects and upcoming speaking engagements.

How you can use this episode

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Episode links and resources

• The Open Knowledge Foundation
• Open Spending website
• Scraper Wiki toolset
• The MySociety Mapit initiative
• Code for America Adopt-a-hydrant project