America launches “citizen science” platform
Helping officials include citizens.
The United States has just launched a new “citizen science” platform to help officials include citizens in decision-making.
The site - citizenscience.gov - has three objectives. First, it pulls together all ongoing crowdsourcing projects so that officials can see how other agencies are using this approach.
Second, it host a step-by-step guide to citizen engagement. This library includes case studies to inspire officials to engage ordinary people.
Third, it has a community where participants can discuss their projects, and debate the merits of different approaches.
The US has been at the forefront of citizen engagement since Obama launched a Memorandum on Transparency and Open Government in 2009.
Read GovInsider’s interview with his adviser on this programme, Beth Simone Noveck. 