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Why Information Sharing Precedes Open Data - Coffee Talk

The Agency Deputy CIO (DCIO), Enterprise Architect (EA), IT System/Security Manager (ITSM) and the Open Data Community Evangelist (ODCE) – Over Cafeteria Coffee

The DCIO & ITSM at a table, talking about the annual IT budget status. The ODCE drifts over, recognizes the ITSM from a recent agency newsletter.

ODCE – "Can I sit here? I wanted to talk to you about opening up data, freeing it, from your system to my Github group. Want to join? It’s at ODCE.io., plus there will be an announcement soon on Sharepoint."

ITSM – "Um, sure. Do you have a badge? Who do you work for?"

DCIO (Thinking – this must be one of those social media risks. Can you twitter without using your hands? Maybe he’s got the new Google glasses thing. Need to check my email. This coffee is a bit stale.)

ODCE – "Oh, sorry (produces badge from pocket) – the lanyard felt like a tie. I’m not a clacker yet, you know, with all the badges, I mostly telecommute – but I work for the Outreach/PR office, I’m their Wordpress Content Administrator and SoMe Evangelist."

ITSM (Thinking – is clacking a bad thing? When did we get Wordpress, is it on MySQL? Can I telecommute?) "What data do you need? Where does your Github group sit, on the 3rd floor with Outreach?"

DCIO – "Yes, open data is a great thing, probably. But isn’t “io” a foreign country TLD? We can’t expose our data to them. Wait, isn’t that an ocean?"

ITSM – "Not our data, anyway – it’s sensitive. You’re a DBA? Do you know Bill, our DBA? He has the legacy and big data platforms. I think “io” is really British."

ODCE – "Bill? No, does he know Wordpress? It’s really easy, with all the plug-ins. ODCE.io isn’t really foreign, it’s all over, it’s crowdsourced development. Github is on the Internet, it’s really outside of work."

ITSM – "Bill’s our Oracle DB expert, he’d need to understand this – but is this a requirement from your office, a work thing, maybe a FOIA request or some new regulation? Who’s your manager?"

DCIO (Thinking – “crowdsourcing” can be cheaper, but it’s too much risk – when did we get Wordpress, is it part of the Portal? Is it better than Drupal?) – "Please ask your manager to check with our Enterprise Architect (Katie) on this."

ODCE – "Open Data is the new currency of the Internet, a public utility, it’s like free energy for everyone. It’s massive, but accessible. My manager is Scott, but you don’t really manage “evangelizing” or social media, it’s part of the new company DNA. What’s the Enterprise Architect, does she work for you?"

DCIO (Thinking – “massive” doesn’t mean “free” around here) – "Katie does work for me, she’s in the Directory (but she keeps telling me she belongs in the CFO’s office.). I have a Big Data conference call to attend – good luck with your DNA club, I think my daughter’s in one just like it, at school!" (He leaves, quickly).

ITSM (checking his phone – Wordpress? Maybe it costs less than the CMS platform we have, but isn’t it “freeware”? Drupal really isn't so free...) – "I have a meeting also, about our SOA Data Security status with Bill – I’ll let him know to expect a new system interface request, from the PR office? Use the help desk form, if you can access it – it would be an “enhancement”, probably, for next quarter earliest, especially if it’s using our new SOA platform. Thanks for introducing yourself." (He leaves, beelines across the cafeteria after spotting his Scrum Master).

@ODCE (Drifting away, tweeting) - #opendatarising #Agency CIO all over Open Big Data 4 next qtr, share via ODCE.io – #opensource #dontcomehereforthecoffee.

@DCIO (Locked) - @KatieEA, are you finished with our “As-Is” data models? I think the PR office has a new database. Also, please check http://www...(text truncated)

KatieEA (Thinking – I thought we were skipping the “as-is”, and focusing on the “to-be” – that’s what the new OMB 300 guys really want this year, part of the “Open Government” mandate or something. But we don’t have any new “major investments” to report, beyond the new Open Data catalogue, BPM and SOA software just purchased by the GIS department. I’ll check with Bill.) – To DCIO (via email) – "DCIO, let’s talk via email, my twitter is really just for home stuff."


Outcome – “Information Sharing” will/should always precede “Open Data”, so plan for it - plus, always include your EA.

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