Last month the Commonwealth Government announced the Web 2.0 Taskforce to look at how Web 2.0 tools can be used to improve accessibility, expand uses of Government information and generally create consultative and participatory engagement.
The taskforce, made up of independent web-focused types, has an excellent blog discussing different issues around government Web 2.0 engagement, which we will be following with great interest.
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On Thursday 18 June Peter Williams from Deloitte Digital gave a fantastic presentation on Web 2.0 tools and methodologies to Stage 2 short-listed cIIF applicants to inspire them to think creatively about their potential projects.
Peter’s presentation focussed on a site he was personally involved with - the Flowerdale Bushfire Relief (and the corresponding blog). This site was rapidly put together to support the people of Flowerdale during the February 09 bushfires and went on to become a valuable tool for the entire community in the post fire recovery period.
Peter also discussed the website for Extreme Weather Heroes as a great example of a site that utilises freely available resources like Twitter, Facebook, Flickr, YouTube, Google Maps, RSS feeds and blogs.
The Circus OZ website was also highlighted by Peter as a website that incorporates a range of Web 2.0 technologies, the combination of which allow it to be easily managed.
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One of the ways governments can use internet technologies is to allow access to information that would otherwise be difficult to find or use in a meaningful way.
The Commonwealth Government has endeavored to free up access to information with a site called My Environment. The site allows the public to search multiple databases to find information about their local area on topics such as heritage sites, pollution, recycling and animals and plants—making the information more accessible and relevant to individuals.
Searchable data sets have the potential to allow for the reuse of information by combining, analysing and sharing data. The My Environment site is a good example of how governments are beginning to experiment with this process.
A more Web 2.0 version of this type of site might add more interactivity - allowing end users to contribute to the data or combine the data themselves, increasing the potential (re)uses of the information.
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The Swine flu potential pandemic is a hot topic in web 2.0 communications, with a spike in web traffic about the issue, including tweets from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. This is global information being used by the global herd.
Under the threat of a pandemic the spread of useful, accurate and timely information that stops panic and rumour, without information overload is obviously essential. How well web 2.0 technologies help or hinder this goal is an interesting question, which probably does not have a black and white answer.
In an actual pandemic getting the right information accurately might be harder but there will certainly be a lot of it.
And regardless of using old or new methods to communicate, accuracy and timeliness are still about human error. For instance, the World Health Organisation (WHO) has revised down the number of confirmed deaths from the 150 said to have occurred in Mexico and reported in the media and online.
The Swine flu alert is a test for web 2.0 tools and the use of them by governments and other organisations where good communication is critical.
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The cIIF Team received a large volume of applications for cIIF funding in Round 1. The reading and assessment of these continues.
We expect to provide feedback to applicants regarding their application in May 2009.
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It has been widely recognised that USA President Obama’s election campaign was greatly helped by web 2.0 technologies. While not the sole precursor to a new era of government via web 2.0, it certainly has increased the focus on new ways that governments can interact with citizens and communities.
An article in the Australian newspaper makes this point about the new USA Secretary of State, Hilary Clinton and her State Department’s use of web 2.0 tools such as Twitter, Facebook, Flicker and Youtube.
In Great Britain, perhaps a more sophisticated web 2.0 response is being undertaken, with the launch of a website to encourage online debate about the Digital Britain report on the future digital economy and society and policies in the area.
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We’ve recently had quite a few questions about matched funding. The following information (taken from the Multimedia Victoria website) should help.
How should in-kind contributions to the project from participants be calculated?
There is no set methodology for calculating in-kind contributions to projects. Applicants should use a recognised method relevant to their project. Only high-level information about co-contributions is required on the EOI Stage 1 application form. If shortlisted to progress to Stage 2, applicants will be required to provide further details as part of the business planning process.
Is the cash component of the matched funding negotiable?
As a guide only project applications should aim for the matched funding levels specified in the cIIF guidelines.
If you have funding from other sources, can this be included as matched funding?
Yes other program funding or direct investments in a project can be included.
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The cIIF team have had many enquiries on whether universities are eligible as lead organisations in various projects and have previously advised that they would not be eligible.
We would like to clarify that as “not-for-profit” organisations universities are eligible lead organisations under the cIIF guidelines.
However university applicants should consider the eligibility of their project idea. cIIF funding is not available to fund research projects, and project ideas focused exclusively on research activities would not be eligible for funding under the program.
Further information about lead organisations and eligible projects is available in the program guidelines on the Multimedia Victoria website.
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We found it interesting that Governments overseas are starting to embrace next-generation ICT technology. We recently discovered that the UK government - through the Power of Information Task Force established in March 2008 - wants to find new uses for public information in the areas of criminal justice, health and education and is particularly interested in finding innovative ways of using the masses of data it collects.
For example, there are now crime maps available for 43 police force websites in England and Wales which provide a good picture of crime trends. The information provided is broken down into neighbourhood chunks, and includes locations of burglaries, robberies, thefts, vehicle crimes, violent crimes and anti-social behaviour. The maps also allow you to see how local crime fighting partnerships address local issues.
The site also provides a link to a wiki - The Power of Information - which lists some great examples of people reusing public information in new ways and people coming together in online communities to help each other. It covers sectors including community, education, health, transport/geography, government and business.
This website/blog might inspire you if you are considering submitting an application to the cIIF program. http://powerofinformation.wordpress.com/about/
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There’s been a fascinating article published about how the emergency services may be able to use technology in times of disaster response. While the article highlights some interesting uses of ICT, it also provides plenty of scope for further thought.
Key points of interest:
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