Implementing the Federal Digital Strategy
New expectations require the Federal Government to be ready to deliver and receive digital information and services anytime, anywhere and on any device. It must do so safely, securely, and with fewer resources. To build for the future, the Federal Government has developed a Digital Strategy that embraces the opportunity to innovate more with less, and enables entrepreneurs to better leverage government data to improve the quality of services to the American people.
The Energy Department has responded to this challenge through key initiatives that make high-value data sets available through API’s that allow programmers to use data to reveal new opportunities and trends, websites that follow best practices for mobile design, and applications designed for mobile computing devices and smart phones. The links below provide the status of these projects as they are developed and document DOE's approach to the Digital Government Strategy.
Below is the status of each item in the Digital Strategy at the Energy Department.
Digital Government Strategy Report for the Department of Energy
2.1. Engage with customers to identify at least two existing major customer-facing services that contain high-value data or content as first-move candidates to make compliant with new open data, content, and web API policy.
Overall Status: completed
2.1.1. Paragraph on customer engagement approach
Paragraph on customer engagement approach: The U.S. Department of Energy will use the DOE Web Council to obtain input on which projects should be selected for the August 23rd deadline. The DOE Web Council is made up from stakeholders across all branches of the complex and the National Labs. This council has expertise that will be invaluable for determining which projects should be prioritized for transparency and impact. We will solicit their feedback via email and / or in person meetings. In addition, we will utilize Energy.gov and it's social media features to solicit input from the public.
2.1.2. Prioritized list of systems (datasets)
System Name: ALTERNATIVE FUELING STATION LOCATION DATA - API
System Description: The underlying data used to populate the Alternative Fueling Station Locator tool is available via a Web service. This data set is considered the most trusted industry resource for location-based alternative fueling station data because of the long-standing collection process fostered by relationships with industry and fuel providers and its continuous and rigorous vetting process. Using this API, developers can access the data to build their own mobile apps, widgets, or tools. Developers may choose to mash up the station data set with numerous other data sets available on the Web to create useful products to fill industry-specific needs. http://developer.nrel.gov/doc/transportation
System Scope: both
Main Customer: Owners and operators of alternatively fueled vehicles
Unique Investment Identifier: 019-000001183
System Name: DOE GREEN ENERGY
System Description: This API data service provides green energy results from research and development conducted throughout the Department and by DOE-funded awards at universities. The service allows extraction of two data sets: green energy technical (approximately 40,000) reports and green energy patents (over 2,000). http://www.osti.gov/GreenEnergyXMLManual.pdf
System Scope: both
Main Customer: Universities, Researchers and Businesses
Unique Investment Identifier: 019-000000882
System Name: Electricity API
System Description: The U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) collects, analyzes, and disseminates independent and impartial energy information to promote sound policymaking, efficient markets, and public understanding of energy and its interaction with the economy and the environment. The Electricity API project will make this dataset publically available.Beta Site: http://www.eia.gov/beta/api/
System Scope: both
Main Customer: Researchers / businesses
Unique Investment Identifier: 019-000001161
System Name: OpenEI
System Description: OpenEI continues to strive to be a global leader in open-data source for energy information--specifically analyses on renewable energy and energy efficiency. The platform is a Wiki, similar to Wikipedias Wiki, which many users are already familiar with and include an API. Users can view, edit, and add data, " and download data for free. https://www.openei.org
System Scope: both
Main Customer: Researchers / businesses
Unique Investment Identifier: 019-000001183
7.1. Engage with customers to identify at least two existing priority customer-facing services to optimize for mobile use.
Overall Status: completed
7.1.1. Paragraph on customer engagement approach
Paragraph on customer engagement approach: The U.S. Department of Energy will use the DOE Web Council to obtain input on which projects should be selected for the August 23rd deadline. The DOE Web Council is made up from stakeholders across all branches of the complex and the National Labs. This council has expertise that will be invaluable for determining which projects should be prioritized for transparency and impact. We will solicit their feedback via email and / or in person meetings. In addition, we will utilize Energy.gov and it's social media features to solicit input from the public.
7.1.2. Prioritized list of systems (datasets)
System Name: MOBILE SITE FOR JOBS AT THE ENERGY DEPARTMENT
System Description: The site features a searchable data pull from USAJobs of the currently available Energy Department job opportunities. It is updated daily, allowing prospective employees to search for the latest opportunities wherever and whenever they want. In addition to the job search capabilities, there are resources available to the public concerning student, veteran, and other office programs/opportunities.
System Scope: both
Main Customer: Job Seekers
Unique Investment Identifier: 019-000000297
System Name: ENERGY.GOV
System Description: The Energy Department’s main site, Energy.gov and its contents, are now available on the go. This allows users to access the Energy Departments’ resources over a variety of mobile devices such as smart phones and tablets. The American public is becoming increasingly mobile and the Energy department is responding to this demand.
System Scope: both
Main Customer: Public
Unique Investment Identifier: 019-000001183
System Name: ENERGY CAREER GAME
System Description: This is a fun, fast-paced puzzle/strategy game intended to generate interest and recruit the next generation of individuals and entrepreneurs in the energy industry. In the game, the player is tasked with managing resource networks between cities, power plants, homes, and businesses to provide power to these buildings. The game will educate players about the unique challenges and economic opportunities faced in meeting America’s energy needs and transitioning to a clean energy future. It will give players a better understanding of the career opportunities in the energy sector as well as the Energy Department. The game is being developed for the Department free of charge by college students who are working with the Department’s Office of Human Capital. The game will also incorporate a plug-in that will allow players to post their scores to Facebook. Expected to be ready for beta release by October 2012.
System Scope: external
Main Customer: Public
Unique Investment Identifier: 019-000000297
4.2. Establish an agency-wide governance structure for developing and delivering digital services
Overall Status: completed
Paragraph on Governance: The Department of Energy (DOE) Web Managers Council (Web Council) was created in December 2010 as a way for DOE Web Managers to collaborate across programs, and share common challenges, ideas, and best practices. Members work in various Program Offices, National Laboratories and Staff Offices that include representatives from Policy, Communications, Public Affairs, and Chief Information Officer (CIO) staffs.
URL to Governance Document: http://energy.gov/doe-web-managers-council-charter
5.2. Develop an enterprise-wide inventory of mobile devices and wireless service contracts
Overall Status:completed (05, 10,20,50, 60.)
5.2.1. Develop wireless and mobile inventory
Overall Status: in-progress
8.2. Implement performance and customer satisfaction measuring tools on all .gov websites
Overall Status: in-progress
8.2.1. Implement performance measurement tool
Implemented Digital Analytics Program: yes
If Not, Describe Implementation:
Percent of websites covered: 16%
URL of performance data:www.google.com/analytics
8.2.2. Implement customer satisfaction tool
Describe Implementation: Able to add questions to pages via CMS.
URL of performance data:
1.2. Ensure all new IT systems follow the open data, content, and web API policy and operationalize agency.gov/developer pages
Overall Status:in-progress
1.2.1. Document policy for architecting new IT systems for openness by default
URL of policy:http://energy.gov/cio/articles/transform-protect-and-advance-doe-s-it-mo...
Describe policy:DOE is implementing a three-pillar approach -- Transform, Protect and Advance – as part of this broader strategy, to manage the information life cycle. This approach will promote interoperability and openness, as well as drive more secure, cost-effective, and efficient IT infrastructure and services. DOE is transforming its IT architecture to improve our information creation and collection data management processes and to promote system design and release practices to make our information more agile and flexible. As part of this broader effort, the Department is working to consolidate and connect its enterprise networks and services, helping to streamline, simplify, and reduce the cost of IT solutions and acquisition. DOE is working collaboratively within the Department to establish enterprise-wide architecture, policy and standards that give the flexibility to address different devices and platforms and make sure the Department is responding to IT needs quickly and effectively. Finally, DOE has streamlined its IT governance framework to provide more effective management (e.g. DOE Web Council) to develop open standards. The Department will continue to use best practices to safeguard information. (http://energy.gov/cio/articles/transform-protect-and-advance-doe-s-it-mo...)
1.2.2. Operationalize /developer page
URL of page:energy.gov/developer
2.2. Make high-value data and content in at least two existing, major customer-facing systems available through web APIs, apply metadata tagging and publish a plan to transition additional high-value systems
Overall Status: in-progress
2.2.1. Make 2+ systems (datasets) available via web APIs with metadata tags
2.2.2. Publish plan on future activity
Name of system: ALTERNATIVE FUELING STATION LOCATION DATA - API
Description of system: The underlying data used to populate the Alternative Fueling Station Locator tool is available via a Web service. This data set is considered the most trusted industry resource for location-based alternative fueling station data because of the long-standing collection process fostered by relationships with industry and fuel providers and its continuous and rigorous vetting process. Using this API, developers can access the data to build their own mobile apps, widgets, or tools. Developers may choose to mash up the station data set with numerous other data sets available on the Web to create useful products to fill industry-specific needs.
Scope of system: both
Main Customers: Owners and operators of alternatively fueled vehicles
Endpoint URL: http://developer.nrel.gov/doc/transportation
Name of system: DOE GREEN ENERGY
Description of system: This API data service provides green energy results from research and development conducted throughout the Department and by DOE-funded awards at universities. The service allows extraction of two data sets: green energy technical (approximately 40,000) reports and green energy patents (over 2,000).
Scope of system: both
Main Customers: Universities, Researchers and Businesses
Endpoint URL: http://www.osti.gov/GreenEnergyXMLManual.pdf
Name of system: ELECTRICITY API
Description of system: The U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) collects, analyzes, and disseminates independent and impartial energy information to promote sound policymaking, efficient markets, and public understanding of energy and its interaction with the economy and the environment. The Electricity API project will make this dataset publically available.
Scope of system: both
Main Customers: Researchers / businesses
Endpoint URL: Beta Site: http://www.eia.gov/beta/api/
Name of system: OPENEI
Description of system: OpenEI continues to strive to be a global leader in open-data source for energy information--specifically analyses on renewable energy and energy efficiency. The platform is a Wiki, similar to Wikipedias Wiki, which many users are already familiar with and include an API. Users can view, edit, and add data, " and download data for free.
Scope of system: both
Main Customers: Researchers / businesses
Endpoint URL: https://www.openei.org
5.3. Evaluate the government-wide contract vehicles in the alternatives analysis for all new mobile-related procurements
Overall Status:in-progress
Paragraph on policy:Driving down costs of mobile devices and services (from IRM Strategic Plan) DOE is improving usability, availability, and accessibility of services including the optimization of services for mobile use through the Right Path initiative. The RightPath initiative was jointly established by the DOE and NNSA to deliver an efficient and modernized IT infrastructure that enables a virtual workforce where employees may work anywhere, anytime, from any device while enhancing collaboration, business intelligence, and the agency’s cybersecurity posture by combining transformative changes in people, processes, and technology. These capabilities provide for leaner government, improve employee satisfaction and retention, enhance the agency’s cyber security posture, improve energy efficiency, and reduce long-term infrastructure needs for housing employees. Through RightPath, DOE and NNSA are focusing an enterprise approach on non-differentiated Federal IT. Examples include: core desktop computing, storage, and connectivity provided by datacenters and server rooms; mainframes/servers; telecommunications; desktop systems; mobile devices; email; non-email collaboration tools; identity access and management; corporate cybersecurity services; and web hosting infrastructure. Details of this effort are listed on page 2 of the DOE PortfolioStat Commodity IT Consolidation Plan v2_091112.
6.3. Ensure all new digital services follow digital services and customer experience improvement guidelines
Overall Status:in-progress
Paragraph on policy:The Department is committed to implanting the Federal Digital Strategy and maintaining a digital strategy page (http://energy.gov/sites/prod/files/digitalstrategy_1.html) to track our progress in establishing those goals. In addition, the Department is at the forefront attaining digital strategy goals. The Department has established energy.gov/data and energy.gov/developer websites to provide easy access to a growing list of data sets, APIs, and other digital tools. The Department is also a full partner in contributing agency energy performance data to the interagency Data.Gov website (http://energy.data.gov). DOE has a Customer Service Plan (http://energy.gov/sites/prod/files/DOE_Customer_Service_Plan.pdf) that outlines our vision for customer service and identifies areas for growth and improvement. For example, Energy.gov has seen a nearly 200 percent increase in traffic since moving to a new open source Drupal-based CMS and migrating nearly all program office sites to the platform. Beyond achieving significant cost savings by reducing duplicative contracts, the consolidation of sites has improved customer service by allowing a single web destination for most public services and information. DOE evaluates existing and planned customer facing services using our analytics tools and thru our established DOE web council. The Department uses Google analytics and various web based surveys to collect customer feedback. This feedback is used to drive CMS improvements and other web reform. The Department published its customer service plan at: (http://energy.gov/sites/prod/files/DOE_Customer_Service_Plan.pdf)
7.2. Optimize at least two existing priority customer-facing services for mobile use and publish a plan for improving additional existing services
Overall Status: complete
URL of plan:http://energy.gov/sites/prod/files/DOE_Customer_Service_Plan.pdf
7.2.1. Report on services
Service Name: MOBILE SITE FOR JOBS AT THE ENERGY DEPARTMENT
Service Description: The site features a searchable data pull from USAJobs of the currently available Energy Department job opportunities. It is updated daily, allowing prospective employees to search for the latest opportunities wherever and whenever they want. In addition to the job search capabilities, there are resources available to the public concerning student, veteran, and other office programs/opportunities.
System Scope: both
Unique Investment Identifier: 019-000000297
Primary customers: Job seekers
URL of service: http://jobs.energy.gov/
Service Name: ENERGY.GOV
Service Description:The Energy Department’s main site, Energy.gov and its contents, are now available on the go. This allows users to access the Energy Departments’ resources over a variety of mobile devices such as smart phones and tablets. The American public is becoming increasingly mobile and the Energy department is responding to this demand.
System Scope: both
Primary customers: Public
Unique Investment Identifier: 019-000001183
URL of service: energy.gov
Service Name: ENERGY CAREER GAME
Service Description: This is a fun, fast-paced puzzle/strategy game intended to generate interest and recruit the next generation of individuals and entrepreneurs in the energy industry. In the game, the player is tasked with managing resource networks between cities, power plants, homes, and businesses to provide power to these buildings. The game educates players about the unique challenges and economic opportunities faced in meeting America’s energy needs and transitioning to a clean energy future. It gives the players a better understanding of the career opportunities in the energy sector as well as the Energy Department. The game was developed for the Department free of charge by college students who are working with the Department’s Office of Human Capital. Currently the game is being beta tested by students and will be publicly released in the near future.
The game will also incorporate a plug-in that will allow players to post their scores to Facebook.
System Scope: external
Primary customers: Public
Unique Investment Identifier: 019-000000297
You can view the status of DOE's approach to the Digital Government Strategy in various formats.
