Rep. Honda embraces 'crowd-sourcing'

Rep. Mike Honda (D-Calif.) launched what he calls the first crowd-sourced federal government website, designed to help citizens more easily reach and give advice and feedback to members of Congress.

“Congress must take advantage of Web 2.0 technologies and transform the relationship between citizens and government,” Honda said. “Instead of viewing the public as a customer, I believe that we should empower citizens to become our partners in shaping the future of our nation.”
The site, http://honda.house.gov, showcases a design submitted by one of his constituents. Using a “crowd-sourced” model, Honda invited people to submit Web designs. The winner was chosen by constituents in his district.

The crowd-sourcing concept is a key component to the Government 2.0 movement, which uses participatory websites to improve governing methods. Beth Noveck, a deputy chief technology officer in the White House, has used the same model to gather citizen input for how the government should become more transparent.

Using public data in creative ways is another tenet of Gov 2.0. The Consumer Electronics Association, the largest tech trade group, on Wednesday launched an “Apps for Innovaton” contest, inviting software developers to use data to create applications that promote the group’s innovation policy agenda. CEA is hoping people use public data to, for example, show the need for broadband in rural areas or demonstrate how venture capital-backed companies create jobs in their state.

Honda recently added a provision to the House omnibus bill to provide free access to databases maintained by the Library of Congress and Government Printing Office. Honda said his efforts “reflect the tradition of innovation in my Silicon Valley region.”

      (from my On Technology column, which appears every Thursday)

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