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Co-Directors: Yigal Arens USC / Information Sciences Institute Judith Klavans Columbia University. Digital Government is Here!. An increasing quantity and variety of information is available in digital form Government agencies already collect much digital information
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Co-Directors: Yigal ArensUSC / Information Sciences Institute Judith Klavans Columbia University
Digital Government is Here! • An increasing quantity and variety of information is available in digital form • Government agencies already collect much digital information • Government is a holder and provider of often unique data and services • Access to information/services by industry and citizen-users must be facilitated, while limiting cost and risk
Well – Not Quite... • Expectations are very high due to the pervasiveness of Web/Internet information technology • Government IT/IS is behind best practices • Legacy, stovepipe systems designed for trusted staff • Failed very large modernization efforts • A disconnect exists between the research community and government IS
DGRC’s Purpose Make Digital Government Happen! • Advance information systems research • Bring the benefits of cutting edge IS research to government systems • Help educate government and the community • Work with the NSF’s DG Program
Why a Center? • Direction • Coordination • Visibility • Sustainability
DGRC Technical Goals • Conduct and support research in key areas of information systems • Develop standards/interfaces • Develop infrastructure • Build pilot systems • Collaborate closely with government information providers and users
The Magazine of Digital Government Research http://www.dgrc.org/dg-online DGRC Educational Efforts • NSF-sponsored DG workshop and conferences (2000, 2001, 2002) • Expanded PI workshop, now conferences • Collaboration workspace • In the process of being expanded • Newsletter:
DGRC Development Plans • Seeding by CU and ISI • ~$1M/yr initially from DG Program • ~$3M/yr funding with incorporation of additional or separately funded efforts • ~$5M/yr total will provide for significant impact on government systems • Expand government applications as funding develops Time Today
DGRC Composition • So far, primarily computer scientists • User interfaces, information integration, databases, natural language processing, information security, data mining, … • Recently also: Human factors • Our plans: Social sciences
Our Approach to IS Developm’t • Managed technology transfer: • Solving the legacy information system problem: Research > Technology > Applications Incremental Transition to Modern Systems
Wrapped Access to External Systems To Info System Models & Spec’s Wrapper Wrapper Wrapper New Legacy Legacy Solving the Legacy IS Problem Move from “Hardwired” Legacy Systems Info System Legacy Legacy
Legacy System Integration into New Information Systems Operating System Independent Middleware Mediators Wrappers
Major Research Thrusts • Terminology/ontology • Information integration • Human-computer interaction • In-memory data analysis Soon: • Collaboration • Multi-lingual access • Usability
Current DGRC Research • Support specific applications • Access to/interpretation of statistical data • Web site integration • Central problems attacked: • Proliferation of terminology • Difficulty requesting and interpreting data • Need to integrate data from autonomous sources
Our Experience So Far • Problem nicely defined in proposal, based on discussions with agencies • Access multiple sources from 4 agencies • Support querying over the Web • But access directly to data turned out to be impossible! • Only already public data could be used • The queryable space is very sparse • When dealing with Government, politics are cannot be ignored
Consequences for Research • Significant shifting of emphasis, to: • Extraction of information from public sources: Web sites, PDF files, text • Special subproblems: Ontology browsing, ontology merging, understanding PDF, … • Support for existing “reports” • In-memory data manipulation and analysis • We were lucky to have had broad experience and a wide array of talent to draw on • We’ve been set back by political missteps
For More Information • Visit http://www.dgrc.org • Read newsletter • Ask for report of last year’s dg.o2000 digital government workshop • Request report of this year’s dg.o2001 when it comes out