[LINK] US has new CIO

[Jan Whitaker]

At 09:39 AM 7/03/2009, Ash Nallawalla wrote:

>I like his style, e.g. renew driving licences via Facebook. Without
>researching that further, I presume he wants Facebook as an additional
>channel, not the only one, since many constituents can't use it.

Loved this:

In October, he launched a contest called "Apps for Democracy" to 
encourage developers to create applications for the Web and 
cellphones to give District residents access to city data such as 
crime reports and pothole repair schedules.

"I expected to get maybe 10 entries, but we got 47 apps in 30 days," 
Kundra said. He said he spent $50,000 for the contest and prize 
money, and estimates he saved $2.6 million over what it would have 
cost to hire contract developers.

"I don't want to buy technology the old way," he said. "Three years 
ago, D.C. schools spent $25 million to deploy a human resources 
software program. It failed, and not a single person was fired," 
Kundra said as he rushed between meetings. "And they had the audacity 
to ask for more money. How is that an intelligent use of taxpayer money?"
----

Can we have him next in Canberra?

Jan



Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
jwhit at janwhitaker.com
blog: http://janwhitaker.com/jansblog/
business: http://www.janwhitaker.com

Our truest response to the irrationality of the world is to paint or 
sing or write, for only in such response do we find truth.
~Madeline L'Engle, writer

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