Federal Agencies Vie for Spot at South by Southwest Tech Conference
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Ideas have been submitted by two intelligence agencies and smart-car experts from the Transportation Department.
Two intelligence agencies, scientists from the Department of Homeland Security and smart-car experts from the Transportation Department.
Those are just some of the government personnel angling for speaking spots at next year’s South by Southwest tech confabulation.
The event, which promotes innovative ideas spanning technology, music and film, doesn’t actually happen until next March. But the public can vote on potential panel ideas submitted by South by Southwest hopefuls through midnight on Sept. 4.
All told, there are more than 4,000 panel suggestions competing for enough votes to present at the annual festival. About 190 suggestions deal specifically with “government and policy.”
Nextgov sorted through the proposals looking for interesting concepts pitched by the government. (This is not a comprehensive list. Feel free to check out all panel ideas here).
Proposal: Overcoming Design Roadblocks in Government
Agency: OPM’s Innovation Lab, which is currently redesigning the federal government’s notoriously clunky career site USAJOBS.gov
From the submission: “Government is involved in the largest and most complex problems on the planet, but it’s also a bureaucracy that can make change difficult. In this interactive session, learn how designers in the Lab at OPM have overcome roadblocks to designing change in government."
Proposal: For All Your Eyes Only: Communicating Secrets @CIA
Agency: CIA’s social media team, which has already been feted for its “genius” Twitter strategy and -- full disclosure -- is a finalist for the Nextgov Bold Awards.
From the submission: “We have proven even a government intelligence agency can be relevant, innovative & informative regardless of the constraints of secrecy & controversy surrounding the organization. CIA's social media team will discuss potential pitfalls & unparalleled rewards of a secret agency on social media...We may even reveal the identity of #CIACat.”
Proposals: What In The World is NGA? and Find Pirates From Your Couch
Agency: Both ideas submitted by the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency, the once low-profile intelligence agency devoted to collecting and analyzing geospatial data
From the submission: "The National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency is in your local mobile app store and on GitHub. With NGA’s apps you can find pirates from your couch and access geospatial information even when you don’t have a network connection...Our goal is to increase the impact of government investments and take things in new directions."
Proposal: Optimizing "All the Things" to Save Lives
Agency: The Department of Homeland Security’s high-concept Science and Technology Directorate
From the submission: “IoT capabilities are reshaping homeland security by giving first responders access to real-time data in emergency situations that can save a single person or an entire city...S&T wants to work with you to build trusted networks, promote standards, and test and facilitate the adoption of new technologies.This discussion will inspire you to help S&T.”
Proposal: The White House Police Data Initiative
Agency: Organized by Clarence Wardell, a Presidential Innovation Fellow, the panel would feature White House Chief Data Scientist DJ Patil and officials from police departments in Seattle, New Orleans and Los Angeles.
From the submission: “During this session, moderated by the U.S. chief data scientist, three of the participating jurisdictions will discuss their work opening up data and using advanced analytics to improve community relations and decrease uses of force. They will also share models for how civic technologists and agencies can work together to achieve common goals.”
Proposals: Educating the Public about Talking Cars and Technology Driven Accessible Transportation Apps
Agency: Transportation Department
From the submissions: In the future cars, trucks, buses, and even bicycles will "talk" with each other using wireless technology…This session will focus on the innovative tools that the U.S. Department of Transportation is using to help the public visualize how connected vehicles work.”
Government speakers have cropped up at the annual tech event in the past. At the 2015 conference, Commerce Secretary Penny Pritzker made a SXSW appearance and announced the hiring of the department’s first-ever chief data officer. Mikey Dickerson, the head of the U.S. Digital Service, also took his recruiting pitch for the White House tech team to Austin last spring for a session titled, “How Government Fails and How You Can Fix It.”
Event organizers will announce their selections beginning Oct. 19. Public votes aren’t the only factor in determining the lineup. SXSW staff and the event’s programming committee also have a say.