ISE's Participation in the Open Government Initiative
My Administration is creating an unprecedented level of openness in government. We will work together to ensure the public trust and establish a system of transparency, public participation, and collaboration. Openness will strengthen our democracy and promote efficiency and effectiveness in Government.
- President Barack Obama, January 21, 2009
On his first day in Office, President Obama signed a Memorandum on Transparency and Open Government, ushering in a new era of open and accountable government meant to bridge the gap between the American people and their government. The Memorandum sought to empower the American public through greater openness and new technologies allowing them to influence the decisions that affect their lives.
In support of the President’s direction, the Director of the Office of Management and Budget issued an Open Government Directive requiring federal agencies to take immediate, specific steps to achieve key milestones in transparency, participation, and collaboration. You can see all Open Government Directive milestones, track progress across the Executive Branch on the Open Government Dashboard, and read about how the Obama Administration is changing the way Washington works in the Progress Report to the American People.
The National Security Strategy calls for a “Whole of Government” approach for strengthening national capacity based on applying and integrating the efforts of all agencies with a national security mission. The scope of the ISE spans our federated democracy—integrating federal, state, local, and tribal governments, and extends to our partners in the private sector where 85% of critical infrastructure is owned and operated. A conservative estimate is that there are millions of potential ISE participants – men and women on the frontline, fighting terrorism and protecting our homeland, needing timely, accurate, and relevant information to do their jobs effectively. Such an expansive scope advances the “Whole of Government” by leveraging and extending Open Government through implementation of transparency, increasing participation, and collaboration, with the appropriate safeguards for information security, privacy, and civil liberties.
A number of activities over the last year directly supported the President’s goal of creating and institutionalizing a culture of open government based on the cornerstone principles of transparency, participation, and collaboration.
The ISE participates in several activities that respond directly to the four major improvement areas cited in the Open Government Directive:
- Publishing government information online
- Improving the quality of government information
- Creating and institutionalizing a culture of open government
- Enabling a policy framework for open government
The ISE will continue its leadership in supporting governance and cultural change necessary in the accomplishment of its mission and support of Open Government
