Vivek Kundra's Unconventional Approach

Web developers across the country have been invited to enter a contest to develope "Apps for Democracy". A contest to encourage developers to create apppications for cellphones and the Web which would give residents in the Washington area access to certain city data, such as: crime reports, pothole repair schedules and health care. The contest, organized by Vivek Kundra, the chief technology officer for the District, boasts a $50,000 prize.

Other technology improvements and changes in D.C. include the digitizing of personnel files for the school system. A project the mayor states "saves us a lot of money and got us into compliance with the auditors." Fenty stated that Vivek Kundra is trying to install more computers into the schools. Jefferson Middle School was one of the schools which received new equipment in time for the fall classes. A large portion of the costs was obtained through donations from Dell, Microsoft and Intel. As an added benefit of the new technolgy classroom, about a dozen of Vivek Kundra's staff work on the site, occassionally holding demonstrations in technology for the students.

There are plans to help the police officers of D.C. as well. Projects which will allow officers to receive and file real-time reports from the field on mobile devices. Kundra's project even includes leeting officers recieve text and video messages and 911 call audio.

In the next few years the approach is to allow citizens more access to goverment data and to allow entrepreneurs and other firms to develop new technologies. Both ideas are based off of Obama's agenda.