Policy Making in the Digital Age took place on February 27, 2010. For more about these sessions, please see our video and liveblog.

8:45

Registration

9:15

Opening Remarks
Anne Nelson [bio]

9:30

Building a Culture of Collaboration – Behind the Firewall
Richard Boly [bio]
Embracing openness and collaboration behind the government firewall is necessary first to achieve transparency with the public. The U.S. State Department, the oldest federal agency and steeped in Cold War secrecy, might appear an unlikely early adopter of internal Web 2.0 tools. Find out how the culture is changing from need-to-know to need-to-share.

10:30

A NATO for the Internet
Jonathan Zittrain [bio]

11:30

Panel: Open Governance
The Honorable Gale A. Brewer [bio]
Tom Glaisyer [bio]
Kimberly Harrington [bio]
Moderator: Tanya L. Domi [bio]
Digital technology enables a new era where barriers between political leaders and citizens are breaking down even further. But does simply putting data online or broadcasting presidential speeches over YouTube improve and engage citizen participation? This panel will discuss the implications for an “open society” and how open governance efforts vary across different communities.

12:30

Lunch Break

1:30

Mobile Crisis Response in Haiti
Patrick Meier [bio]
Minutes after the earthquake struck Haiti, a global team of staff and volunteers deployed Ushahidi, an incident-reporting and mapping tool that aggregates data from the public for use in crisis response. It is widely known for tracking post-election violence in Kenya, conflict in Gaza and national elections in India. As the primary platform for reporting incidents in Haiti, Ushahidi has served as a vital tool to aid decision-making, direct resources and understand the situation in real time. Patrick Meier of Ushahidi will discuss the work following the earthquake and how mobile technologies and traditional and new media are being used in crisis situations.

2:30

Multimedia @ MediaStorm
Brian Storm [bio]

3:30

Panel: ICT and Development
Michael Cervieri [bio]
Laura Forlano [bio]
Patricia Mechael [bio]
Moderator: Anne Nelson [bio]
Digital technology is helping information flow faster and farther, reaching new parts of the world every day. This panel will explore how information and communication technology (ICT) is being used by governments, development agencies, non-profit organizations and ordinary citizens to work toward a better world.

4:30

Policy Schools and the New Media Debate
Moderator: Ben Colmery [bio]
We will conclude with an open discussion of the role of students, recent graduates and faculty members in the digital space. Drawing on their own experiences as well as the ideas raised throughout the day, these stakeholders will discuss the challenges and opportunities presented by new media technologies and how aspiring policy makers can thrive in the digital age.