Edward Pickle

Under President Barack Obama’s Open Government Initiative, local governments must now publish their information online in "open formats," making it easily accessible to the electorate. Open source software is playing a crucial part in this move, helping to create transparency and trust. As the government strives to bring greater transparency to its communications, Edward Pickle, Senior Vice President of OpenGeo, explores the vital role of open source systems in this changing relationship between state and citizen. Open source software is perfectly positioned to facilitate the massive overhaul that will be necessary to open up government data to the public. As consumers, this technology is already changing the way in which we go about our day-to-day lives. It powers maps on our phones and provides us with information from organizations worldwide. Whether we realize ... (more)