Welcome to Gov 2.0 Expo!

Although we like to assign geographic location to ideas and communities, technology and government are not exclusive to Silicon Valley, Tokyo, London, Hong Kong, or Washington, D.C. Hosting the inaugural Gov 2.0 Expo in the nation’s capitol will bring together citizens, technology companies and governments from around the United States and around the globe.

Visitors to the District of Columbia are often impressed and inspired by the monuments of history and government institutions that surrounding the National Mall. These monuments celebrate the people who not only founded America but also provided the constitutional framework that allowed public service, leadership and inspiration to flourish for generations to come. As the United States continues to grow as a nation, encourage innovation, and strive for a better government, we might do well to reflect upon the words forever emblazoned on the walls of the Jefferson Memorial by our third president.

“I am not an advocate for frequent changes in laws and constitutions, but laws and institutions must go hand in hand with the progress of the human mind. As that becomes more developed, more enlightened, as new discoveries are made, new truths discovered and manners and opinions change, with the change of circumstances, institutions must advance also to keep pace with the times. We might as well require a man to wear still the coat which fitted him when a boy as civilized society to remain ever under the regimen of their barbarous ancestors.

The timelessness of Thomas Jefferson’s thinking lends weight to why the idea of “government 2.0” is so important now. These early days of 21st century are an optimal time to embrace and explore more than just technology. In 2010, collaborative techology can also enable the enrichment of people and improvement of processes inside of government to deliver more efficient services to all citizens. The Open Government Directive is leading the federal government to become more transparent, participatory and collaborative. As citizens rapidly adopt new technologies and ways of living, working, they are participating in civic life online in unprecedented numbers. “institutions must advance also to keep pace with the times.” Although this conference focus on technology, the tools are only one of the essential elements in this discussion. If government is to offer a platform that’s allows citizens to build better services and policies though open data, it’s crucial to understand how people are changing and successfully applying technology to solving the grand challenges of our times.

Gov 2.0 Expo will provide a springboard for participating in this continual evolution by focusing on technologies that enrich and advance the mission of government at the federal, state and local level. We are here to celebrate the people and projects that sustain and improve the institutions here in Washington and in other seats of government around the world. What we build upon here will add to the continual advancement of a more participatory, transparent, and collaborative government on every street.

Thank you for being part of the Gov 2.0 Expo,

Laurel Ruma (@laurelatoreilly) and Mark Drapeau (@cheeky_geeky
Program Co-Chairs