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Digital.gov
Guidance on building better digital services in government
A product of the U.S. General Services Administration
August 8, 2016, marks the 18th anniversary of the amendment to the Section 508 Rehabilitation Act of 1973, which covers access to information technology in the federal sector. To recognize the importance of IT accessibility, we wanted to highlight some agency initiatives to improve accessibility across the federal landscape. As amended, the Act requires: …access
The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) provided this guidance to implement the Government Paperwork Elimination Act (GPEA). GPEA required Federal agencies, by October 21, 2003, to allow individuals or entities that deal with the agencies the option to submit information or transact with the agency electronically, when practicable, and to maintain records electronically, when practicable.
The Digital Government Strategy complements several initiatives aimed at building a 21st century government that works better for the American people. These include Executive Order 13571 (Streamlining Service Delivery and Improving Customer Service), Executive Order 13576 (Delivering an Efficient, Effective, and Accountable Government), the Presidential Memorandum on Transparency and Open Government, OMB Memorandum M-10-06 (Open Government Directive), the National
This overview provides reference to and legal analysis of court decisions interpreting the Privacy Act’s provisions. The Overview is not intended to provide policy guidance, as that role statutorily rests with the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), 5 U.S.C. § 552a(v). . The 2015 edition of the Overview was issued electronically and sent for publication
This memo dated October 6, 2011, from the Federal CIO to the CIO’s of Executive Departments and Agencies, mandates that “agencies are to begin leveraging externally-issued credentials, in addition to continuing to offer federally-issued credentials.” The memo begins with the observation that the use of externally-issued credentials (i.e., those that have been issued by an
In the January 2009 Memo on Transparency and Open Government, President Obama emphasized the importance of establishing “a system of transparency, public participation, and collaboration.” Plain writing is indispensable to achieving these goals. The Plain Writing Act of 2010 (the Act) (Public Law 111-274), which the President signed into law on October 13, 2010, calls for
This memo set forth that “To the extent feasible and appropriate, especially for complex or lengthy forms, agencies shall engage in advance testing of information collections, including Federal forms, in order (1) to ensure that they are not unnecessarily complex, burdensome, or confusing, (2) to obtain the best available information about the likely burdens on
Making information resources accessible, discoverable, and usable by the public can help fuel entrepreneurship, innovation, and scientific discovery- all of which improve Americans’ lives and contribute significantly to job creation. This Memorandum establishes a framework to help institutionalize the principles of effective infonnation management at each stage of the information’s life cycle to promote interoperability and
Openness in government strengthens our democracy, promotes the delivery of efficient and effective services to the public, and contributes to economic growth. As one vital benefit of open government, making information resources easy to find, accessible, and usable can fuel entrepreneurship, innovation, and scientific discovery that improves Americans’ lives and contributes significantly to job creation.
Executive Order 13 1661 was issued in August of 2000 and this memorandum reaffirms its mandate. The Executive Order has two primary parts: Each federal agency must develop and implement a system by which limited English proficient (LEP) persons can meaningfully access the agency’s services. Each agency providing federal financial assistance must issue guidance to
On August 11, 2000, the President signed Executive Order 13166, “Improving Access to Services for Persons with Limited English Proficiency”. The Executive Order requires Federal agencies to examine the services they provide, identify any need for services to those with limited English proficiency (LEP), and develop and implement a system to provide those services so
This guidance provides information to agencies on implementing the privacy provisions of the E-Government Act of 2002. It addresses privacy protections when Americans interact with their government. The guidance directs agencies to conduct reviews of how information about individuals is handled within their agency when they use information technology (IT) to collect new information, or when
This final rule provided a new policy for the .GOV domain that will be included in the Federal Management Regulation. This final rule establishes FMR part 102-173, Internet GOV Domain, and provides policy for registration of domain names. View .Gov Domain Registration Final Rule Related Resources OMB M-05-04, Policies for Federal Agency Public Websites
The Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) is a United States copyright law that implements two 1996 treaties of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO). Passed on October 12, 1998, the DMCA amended Title 17 of the United States Code to extend the reach of copyright, while limiting the liability of the providers of online services
United States trademark law is mainly governed by the Lanham Act. “Common law” trademark rights are acquired automatically when a business uses a name or logo in commerce, and are enforceable in state courts. Marks registered with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office are given a higher degree of protection in federal courts than unregistered
The Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA) of 1995 requires that agencies obtain Office of Management and Budget (OMB) approval before requesting most types of information from the public. “Information collections” include forms, interviews, and record keeping, to name a few categories. View the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995v Related Resources Paperwork Reduction Act (44 U.S.C. 3501
In September 2009, the President released his Strategy for American Innovation, calling for agencies to increase their ability to promote and harness innovation by using policy tools such as prizes and challenges. This guidance calls for the increased use of challenges and prizes to develop new tools and approaches to improve open government, and highlights for
Circular A-130 was first issued in December 1985 to meet information resource management requirements that were included in the Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA) of 1980. Specifically, the PRA assigned responsibility to the OMB Director to develop and maintain a comprehensive set of information resources management policies for use across the Federal government, and to promote
This quick reference guide will help you meet Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.0. It is a customizable quick reference to the requirements, success criteria and techniques. View Quick Reference Guide to WCAG 2.0 Related Resources Section 508 Standards for Electronic and Information Technology (29 USC § 794d) Section 508 Laws – Section508.gov Web Content
This memorandum is intended to direct executive departments and agencies to take specific actions to implement the principles of transparency, participation, and collaboration set forth in the President’s Memorandum on Transparency and Open Government. This Directive was informed by recommendations from the Federal Chief Technology Officer, who solicited public comment through the White House Open
The Section 508 Standard for Electronic and Information Technology requires that when a federal agency shares information digitally, individuals with disabilities seeking information or services from a Federal agency, must have access to and be able to use the information and data, unless an undue burden would be imposed on the agency. View 508 Standards
Policies for Federal Agency Public Websites (M-05-04) (PDF, 48 KB, 5 pages, December 2004) states that the management of agencies’ public websites should be in compliance with Federal information resource management law and policy. This memo fulfills the requirements of section 207(f) of the E-Government Act of 2002 (Pub. L. No. 107- 347). Related Resources E-Government Act
The Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) documents explain how to make web content more accessible to people with disabilities. Web “content” generally refers to the information in a web page or web application, including: natural information such as text, images, and sounds code or markup that defines structure, presentation, etc. View the Web Accessibility Guidelines
The Plain Writing Act of 2010 (PDF, 153 kb, 3 pages, September 2010) was enacted to enhance citizen access to Government information and services by establishing that Government documents issued to the public must be written clearly. View Plain Writing Act of 2010 Related Resources: PLAIN’s Federal Plain Language Guidelines Plain Writing Basics Plain Language Web Writing
This document explores some of the emerging web applications and their impact on records management. In its early days, the web was seen largely as a place to post static documents that were Internet-accessible. More recently, it is seen as a tool for facilitating collaboration across geographic and institutional boundaries. This document examines four applications
The Plain Language Action and Information Network (PLAIN) put together these federal guidelines to help implement the Plain Language Act of 2010. View Plain Language Guidelines Related Resources: Plain Writing Act of 2010 Plain Writing Basics Plain Language Web Writing Tips See all DigitalGov Resources
The Section 508 Guidelines include this subpart on Electronic and Information Technology to ensure government websites are accessible to “individuals with disabilities, who are members of the public seeking information or services from a Federal agency, have access to and use of information and data that is comparable to that provided to the public who
The Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) is the law that gives anyone the right to access information from the federal government. It is often described as the law that keeps citizens in the know about their government. This 2009 FOIA memo covers the following: An agency should not withhold information simply because it may do so legally. Whenever an
Around this month’s Communities Theme, the DigitalGov team thought we’d round up your community rock stars. These are people in your communities who’ve gone above and beyond, who’ve contributed content, organized events, participated in developing toolkits and more. Let’s kick it off with the DigitalGov Summit Sounding Board. DigitalGov Summit Sounding Board For the 2015 DigitalGov Summit we pulled
The #SocialGov Community is coming up on three years of hard work and pushing the boundaries on using social tools across the federal government. I’d like to start this round up by taking a look at the event we hosted last year, State of the #SocialGov 2014: 2 Years of Smashing Silos + Elevating Citizen
The DigitalGov platform helps federal agencies meet 21st century digital expectations, and we’ve planned our second DigitalGov Summit with this mission and your needs in mind. The theme is open and the agenda is packed with presentations about how “opening” data, content, contracts and talent makes digital citizen services better, more effective and even cheaper.
This month, our round up focuses on customer experience (CX). As I was rounding up the CX events and articles we’ve shared on DigitalGov over the past year, I realized that CX touches all of the work we do. From Web to mobile to contact centers and social media, we need to not only be
DigitalGov University has added podcasts to our suite of offerings on DigitalGov, featuring interviews and discussions with leaders in the DigitalGov community. For the first edition, we talked to Diane Devera, “Voice of the IVR” for the USA.gov Contact Center. In this 10 minute discussion with Jacob Parcell, Manager of Mobile Programs, Devera discusses several
We are busting at the seams with excitement because the DigitalGov Citizen Services Summit is less than a month away! Today we are announcing the working agenda and confirmed speakers. The Summit, which will be taking place on Thursday, May 21, 2015
The Government Contact Center Council (G3C), led by GSA’s Tonya Beres, has been working with DigitalGov University to host events for the contact center community across the federal government. This year they hosted events and posted articles that will help you get a contact center up and running, make up-to-date changes to meet 21st century
Sign up now to watch the DigitalGov Summit from the comfort of your desk! We are excited to announce that although we’ve sold out in-person attendance for the DigitalGov Citizen Services Summit, we have just opened up registration to attend virtually. Virtual attendance will be an awesome way to experience the event with extras not
Here’s another other opportunity to show DigitalGov innovators what you got! The spring Digital Citizen Services Summit will host an expo, like we did in 2014, where you can showcase your program or service. This way participants will get a chance to meet
DigitalGov University has hosted some great events over the last year in partnership with Data.gov, the MobileGov Community and 18F to bring you information on opening data and building APIs. This month we’ve rounded up the events over the past year so that you can see what’s
Thanks to your awesome input on the Citizen Services Summit agenda and the rallying of the Summit Sounding Board, we now have more than 70 ideas and 50 comments on those ideas. Vote early and Vote often! We’ve opened up the voting floodgates for these 70 ideas until February 28th! Now
You may have seen this icon on our calendar recently. This icon indicates a digitalgov “friend event.” What’s a Friend Event Does your agency offer training or events to help improve digital services? Are they free? Are they open to other federal government agencies? If you answered YES to all three questions then you have a friend
Performance Analytics for Social Media Decision Making. Creating Adaptive Content. Usability Testing. These are just some of the areas of programming we are putting together. After taking a look at the most widely attended events in 2014, we decided to gather ideas we received from community and program leads for our 2015 events lineup through
In recent years, DigitalGov University (DGU) has evolved from a prescriptive training program to a more agile program looking to federal government leaders like you to share the innovations, tools, resources, hurdles and case studies of how you work to meet the digital expectations of the 21st century citizen customer better. Whew. That’s a mouthful.
You might remember in the post Crowdsourced Digital Citizen Services Summit we said “Go to Citizen Services Summit 2015. Go there now!” Well if you haven’t yet, there is still time to go there and propose a session, idea, or speaker. Anyone
Recap of the 2014 Challenge and Prize competition events hosted by DigitalGov
In May 2015, we’re hosting the second DigitalGov Citizen Services Summit. This round we are looking to you—federal innovators across government—to help build the agenda. We want to get you the information you need, ignite discussion, foster sharing, build capacity, even get you to challenge and debate each other in the name of delivering better
This past year DigitalGov University has hosted at least one Usability event per month and we thought we’d give you a round-up of those events. After all, November 13th was World Usability Day. Since this year’s theme of World Usability Day is Engagement it would be great to take a look at the event recap
DigitalGov University took the pulse of our participants this spring and found that our audience wants more information about events, wants us to better communicate the value of programs and wants more access to our programs. DigitalGov University (DGU) is a platform for feds to share ideas, experiences and techniques to meet 21st century public
We are all collecting a lot of performance data across our digital properties and DigitalGov University has hosted many events on the collection, reporting and strategizing around metrics. DigitalGov has shared many posts on these topics as well. So we thought it would be great to curate these events and posts for easy reference and
Six months ago, we launched this DigitalGov.gov platform to support federal agencies in delivering 21st century digital services and information to the public. It seems a good time to share some of the thinking that went into the development of the platform, and what we’ve learned so far.
We had a GREAT DigitalGov Citizen Services Summit today. There were more than 200 digital innovators from across government and industry working to build the 21st century government the public expects. The four panels focused on performance analysis, customer service across channels, inter-agency work, and public private partnerships. Here’s what you missed in a short highlight video. [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EIWwnomPxo4&w=600]
Have a DigitalGov success?—published an API? Got buy-in from leadership? Changed a part of your customer-service paradigm? Developed a cool dashboard? Got the app out the door? Heck! Have you prototyped a wearable, drivable or flyable? Have a DigitalGov opinion?—think we should be focusing more or less on something? Have an idea on how to
We won’t build the government of the 21st century by drawing within the lines. We don’t have to tell you the hard work of building a digital government doesn’t exist in a vacuum or a bubble. Show us social media without mobile, Web without data and user experience without APIs. You can’t? That’s right—in reality,
Open Opportunities is a government wide program offering professional development opportunities and facilitating collaboration and knowledge sharing across the Federal Government.
Yesterday marked three months since the release of the Digital Government Strategy and agencies have been making great strides in meeting the milestones toward building a 21st Century Government. In his blog, Building-blocks of a 21st Century Digital Government, Steve Van Roekel said: Executing on this vision of government cannot happen
In his May 23rd, 2012 Presidential Memorandum, President Obama directed Executive Departments and Agencies to: Implement the requirements of the Digital Government Strategy, and Create a page at www.[agency].gov/digitalstrategy to publicly report progress of this implementation. Consistent with Milestone Actions #2.1 (open data) and #7.1 (mobile optimization), agencies will post candidate data sets and services to
No information is more critical to your work than the numbers that reveal what’s happening, how you’re performing, and opportunities to do better. GovTech provides ten tips for getting the most from your data visualizations. The tips include: Use layers to tell a story Involve users in the design Be aware of multiple platforms Use style to tell a