(Washington, DC) – Today, Mayor Muriel Bowser announced a groundbreaking new Open Data initiative and announced Archana Vemulapalli as the new Chief Technology Officer for the District.
“The District has become a mecca for social innovation and technology – and the Office of Chief Technology Officer is instrumental in building that capacity within our government,” said Mayor Bowser. “Archana Vemulapalli is the person to keep the District on the cutting edge of technology and enhance the service delivery for District agencies and residents.”
The District’s Open Data push delivers on the Mayor’s commitment to utilize technology to innovate, increase transparency and improve accountability across government. As part of the push, the Office of the Chief Technology Officer (OCTO) has created drafts.dc.gov which includes a draft Open Data Policy that the public, tech activists and government officials can provide their feedback on for the next four weeks. The policy will be updated yearly.
The new draft policy calls for:
- Hiring a new Chief Data Officer at OCTO
- Partnering with the community to launch an Independent, Regional Data Catalog
- Launching an Open Source Program
- Reviving the Open Government Advisory Board
Once adopted, the Data Policy will modernize and significantly expand the District’s central data catalog allowing the public, media, entrepreneurs and academics greater access data, from information on traffic patterns to invaluable health statistics. For the first time, DC Government will also have a centralized home where agencies can share code openly and proactively encourage public participation in the development of its technology, paving that new path for collaboration and innovation.
“The information we gather collectively with the input from residents and stakeholders helps us learn from our successes and shortcomings, and plan for the future,” said Mayor Bowser. “When we share our knowledge with District residents, we are more effective – and more powerful. With this policy, we will make the District one of the most open jurisdictions in the country.”
At today’s announcement, Mayor Bowser revived the DC Open Government Advisory Group, which will be a forum for direct feedback from stakeholders. Advisory committee will include representatives from eight District agencies and eight Public Members, which are Robert Becker, Kathryn Pettit, Justin Grimes, Shannon Turner, Aliya Rahman, Joshua Tauberer, Clarence Wardell and Sandra Moscoso.
Today’s announcement is part of a Bowser Administration effort to expand the use and accessibility of data throughout government. This week, the Metropolitan Police Department began publishing topline crime stats every business day. Last week, Deputy Mayor for Planning and Economic Development launched an Economic Intelligence Dashboard, an open-source economic data tool to drive positive change and build good government for DC residents, particularly on DC’s economic development priorities.
Biography for Archana Vemulapalli
Vemulapalli served as the Chief Technology Officer for Pristine Environments. She was responsible for the company’s IT strategy and transforming the company’s technology solutions offering in the market. In this position, she demonstrated technology leadership by developing and executing IT strategies to promote organizational growth and ensuring optimal utilization of emerging technologies.
Previously, she spent years as a management consultant at global consulting firms such as Booz Allen Hamilton, Deloitte Consulting and Lucent Technologies.
Vemulapalli has a master’s degree in Leadership from McDonough School of Business at Georgetown University, a master’s degree in Telecommunications from the University of Pennsylvania and an undergraduate degree in Engineering from the University of Madras. Recently, Vemulapalli was recognized as the 2015 Washington Business Journal’s Women Who Mean Business award recipient.