Edmonton Goes to CityCamp

This weekend is CityCamp, an unconference taking place in Chicago dedicated to the practice of Government 2.0 in local governments. For those unfamiliar with the term unconference, it’s used to differentiate the event from traditional conferences: attendance is free, the sessions are unsponsored, open and collaborative, and the agenda is selected by the participants.

This is not unlike the ChangeCamp event held here in October last year, but where ChangeCamp was focused on bringing together members of the public and government from around the region, this event brings together public servants and members of industry from across North America to share ideas, lessons and advice.

So what is this Government 2.0 thing? Well for starters it’s a buzzword, so it means a lot of different things to a lot of different people, but at a really broad level, it is usually interpreted as embracing technology (i.e. the Internet) in government to better engage and include citizens to improve efficiency and better align government services with the needs of those it serves.

For example, Open Data (such as Edmonton’s new Data Catalogue) is a part of the greater Government 2.0 concept.  It enables citizens to innovate and create new services based on public information.  It also enables them to interact with government on an equal level by using the same data government uses for its decision making. Right now, open data and other initiatives are only accessible to a smaller portion of the public, but like all technology it will grow simpler, more accessible and more effective as it matures.

In time, we will be able to interact effectively with our governments and other local citizens on community matters in a truly collaborative manner, much more than a suggestion box and with a much wider reach than is possible in person today.

Keep an eye out for most posts during this weekend and next week as we bring back some of the possibilities and successes from around North America.

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