Tag Archives: open government

Which three words best describe your Open Government vision? Let us know in the comments.

In the last few weeks, Archives staff have attended two meetings sponsored by Open Government West: Open Government West 2011, in Portland, and a Vancouver Open Government Lunch, at City Hall. Being legally responsible for preserving and making available City records of enduring value, we have been a part of open government for many years. We are always trying to find ways to make more records available online and in useful formats.

We have a strong interest in

• connecting with people who need these records
• learning from others who are opening government
• sharing what we are doing to open these records to a wider audience

Sue Bigelow writes:

Open Government West (OGW) 2011 was held May 13-14 in Portland. Day 1 had scheduled speakers and Day 2 was an unconference, in which the participants suggested their own topics. Talks for a wider audience were held in a huge tent in the hotel parking lot and in a live-music venue down the street. The first OGW conference was held last year and was such a success that many attendees came from Ontario and the eastern US.

The hotel rooms came with chalkboard doors and plenty of chalk

Here are some highlights from the many sessions.

The first keynote was given by Portland Mayor Sam Adams, who announced the impending launch of a new hyper-local 2-way communication service building on their PDX Reporter app, which allows citizens to report problems with Portland infrastructure, including an image and GPS coordinates. Continue reading →