Virtual USA is Officially Announced

It’s been a big week for Virtual USA.  First, the White House announced vUSA  as part of Obama’s Open Government Directive and then Secretary Napolitano followed that up with a press release  officially launching the vUSA initiative. Try Googling “Virtual USA,” and you will see a lot of new hits.

The White House’s Open Government Directive focuses on transparency, participation, and collaboration in government, which is why vUSA was identified as a lead example for the nation. Virtual USA relies on collaboration among local agencies, neighboring jurisdictions, states, regions, and citizens and the participation of each of those groups and many more.

One of the main focuses of the Obama administration is citizen participation and it looks like vUSA may be able to embrace that as the initiative unfolds. One of the great things about Virginia’s VIPER system, which has been one of the partners for a vUSA pilot, is that it is open to the public – hopefully they are leading the way to a public side of vUSA.

Also worth a read is the White House’s report: Open Government: A Progress Report to the American People.