In September I attended and moderated a panel for North American Day — a conference hosted by Canadians, for government information technology leaders from Canada, Mexico and the United States. Its purpose was to discuss common IT challenges, concerns, and solutions and foster information sharing. I was surprised at the similarity of our discussions and realized that we all shared the same IT concerns and challenges.
Network security, interconnectivity and interoperability were common themes across the delegation. Another theme, with an entire panel session dedicated to it, was the use of Web 2.0 technologies. Although it sounds like the next generation of the Internet, Web 2.0 is simply the application of new technologies that facilitate sharing and collaboration using the current Internet. These technologies include blogs, wikis, podcasts, mashups and Really Simple Syndication (RSS), to name a few. In the DON CIO, we are looking at how to best take advantage of these collaborative technologies as they present a host of opportunities for our workforce. If you're not familiar with these terms, here's my short and simple explanation of a few that the DON has begun using or experimenting with.
Blogs (a truncation of "Web logs") consist of multiple journal entries that provide commentary or news. Personal blogs are not sanctioned within the Navy or Marine Corps due to operational security concerns and bandwidth constraints; however, personal blogs proliferate and enhance the real-time dissemination of crucial and time-critical information. It has been surmised that personal blogs and chat rooms discussing some of the enemy's new tactics related to improvised explosive devices have resulted in sharing of critical tactical information reducing the enemy's effectiveness. The Marine Corps Center for Lessons Learned uses a Lesson Management System, a content-controlled blog that reports findings, trends and issues.
Wikis are collaborative Web sites that can be edited by anyone. You may be familiar with Wikipedia; perhaps you've used it as a resource or heard that schools have banned its use as a resource. Whatever the case, wikis do provide valuable information from subject matter experts. The Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) has launched "Intellipedia," a wiki that reflects the diverse expertise of intelligence community analysts and specialists. Because the information on a wiki is unverified except by other users, the potential for opinion and hearsay may be commingled with actual facts. It is the user's responsibility to separate the "wheat from the chaff." I understand that the Navy Information Operations Command (NIOC) Norfolk and the Naval Research Laboratory are using or experimenting with wikis as well.
Podcasts are digital media files distributed over the Internet for playback on personal digital devices. I started a podcast series in August to enhance communication of key IM and IT initiatives and their impact to the Department. These podcasts are available on the DON CIO Web site at www.doncio.navy.mil. The Chief of Naval Operations, Commander Navy Reserve and Commander Fifth Fleet have realized the potential of podcasts and have begun using this technology also.
Mashups are Web applications that combine and integrate data from multiple sources. The DIA is using mashups to combine human intelligence feeds with mapping and Global Positioning System data. Although I don't know that we have called them "mashups" in the DON, the integration of data is characteristic of many of the Department's knowledge management applications.
Finally, RSS feeds provide user-tailored news directly to your personal computer, enabling you to continuously receive news related to topic areas of your choice. This capability is being developed into the redesign of the DON CIO Web site and should be available by the first of the year.
Young people joining the Navy and Marine Corps today, the Millennial Generation, are well-versed in Web 2.0 applications. They grew up with the Internet and computers; they are totally wired, totally digital, totally mobile and able to multi-task. They expect to use familiar tools to get their work done. In looking at how to reach this generation, as well as the remainder of our workforce, the Department must explore all options and be open to innovation. As an organization with roots in IT and net-centricity, I encourage you to think about where the Department is going, what we need to communicate, and where it makes sense to leverage Web 2.0 applications.