Open Government

Research Note: Is Your Government Open or Closed? October 2011 13 Department Mission Office of the Government Chief Information Office Objective is to implement the Government‟s Information and Communications Technology (ICT) agenda for data center, network, software and asset consolidation and the shift towards cloud computing; calls upon the commercial, procurement and program management capabilities in the Cabinet Office to improve the delivery and cost effectiveness of government ICT projects. Office of Cyber Security & Information Assurance The unit provides strategic direction and coordinates action relating to enhancing cyber security and information assurance in the UK. Works with CIO to ensure the resilience and security of government ICT infrastructures such as the Public Sector Network and G-cloud. Office of Communications (Key roles: Director of Policy Communications, Deputy Director Digital Communications) Responsible for communications planning, cross government campaigns and co-ordination which includes digital communication, search engine optimization, design, social media, film production, photography, digital campaigning and audience outreach. Gov 2.0 Accomplishments of the UK Cabinet Office Data.gov.uk, created by Sir Tim Berners-Lee and Professor Nigel Shadbolt of the Public Sector Transparency board, is now the main UK government portal for open data which plays a vital role in public transparency, demonstrating that the government has ambitiously encouraged the re-use of data. Following its launch, an Open Government License in the UK enabled individuals to easily re- use government data without having to ask permission. Moreover, Cabinet Office Minister Francis Maude announced that the Freedom of Information Act would be amended so that all data released through it must be in a reusable and machine-readable format. This means that commercial and social entrepreneurs would be able to obtain and reuse datasets that were once locked in PDF files. These initiatives have encouraged departments to be open and honest, providing the British people with access to the data that they essentially own. Alpha.gov.uk, now in beta stage, is the product of shifting all UK government websites to a single domain while being user-sensitive. This was accomplished using agile software development techniques, crowdsourcing and cloud computing. Tom Loosemore, deputy director of the Cabinet Office's Single Government Website development, is dedicated to delivering the mainstream, citizen- facing aspects of gov.uk. that now involves a strategy to test a "corporate" publishing platform, aimed