> OIP Home > Return to Previous > Trends Shaping the Future of Public Sector Information Access

Trends Shaping the Future of Public Sector Information Access
Accessing Transportation Information Resources Worldwide
St. Petersburg, Florida
July 31, 2001

Emerging Trends Shaping the Future of Public Sector Information Access
Emerging Trend-Distributed Networks

• Traditional Model
  - Access information from people you know and trust or a central, controlled repository
• New Model
  - Access information from communities you know and trust, including people you've never met
  - Distributed ownership of knowledge
  
• Example-Virtual communities exchange and evaluate knowledge using Web technologies
  - Bound by common interest or expertise
  - Distributed across organizational and geographic boundaries

New Concept-Accessing Tacit Knowledge On-Demand

• Process of information generation and evaluation totally different
  - Distributed, not linear
  - On-demand, customized responses
  - Information and sources (people) evaluated, validated, credentialed by community as a whole
  
• New distributed model adds context and relevance to traditional explicit information
  
• Tacit knowledge becomes more broadly available and can be rapidly converted to explicit knowledge in response to requests
  - Ideas and solutions generated and presented more quickly
  - Relevant knowledge applied in context-not information overload

Emerging Trend-Government as Active Partner in the Information Economy

• Traditional Model
  - Oversight role, use knowledge for Federal oversight purposes
  - Control knowledge, Federal government as THE source
  
• New Model
  - Share knowledge as widely as possible with those who will be making decisions
  - Broker knowledge from Federal and many other sources
  - Government adding value through use and exchange of knowledge

New Public Sector Role-Active Partnering for Information Access and USE

• Partner with constituencies to see that knowledge is put to best use
  - Go beyond information collection and organization…
  - From passive to active information delivery
  - Build trust with potential users of information
  
• Deliver other people's knowledge
  - Federal organizations uniquely positioned to be high-value broker of knowledge from Federal, state and local, academic, and industry sources

Emerging Trend-eGovernance

• Traditional Model
  - FOIA request (if you know what to ask for)
  - Public comment (if you can afford to travel to meetings, understand processes)
  - Special Interest Groups and Lobbyists have greater access to knowledge
  
• New Model
  - Level information playing field
  o Citizens and lobbyists have same information access
  - Direct voice in process
  o Electronic processes and outreach for comments and input
  
• Citizens/businesses are brought closer to the governing process

Potential New Role on the Horizon? -"Publish Information to Devolve Governance"

• Emerging Examples of New Model Today
  - Re:NEPA-Outreach to states and industry on FHWA environmental processes and approaches
  o http://nepa.fhwa.dot.gov
  - FMCSA Strategic Planning-Outreach to constituencies not represented in traditional strategic planning and public input processes
  
• Direct interaction with citizens and constituents-where will it lead?
  - What impact on relationship between citizen and government services?
  - What impact on representative (vs. direct) system of government?