The Digital Government Strategy is aimed at building a 21st century government that works better for the American people. The strategy's three primary goals are to:
- Enable the American people and an increasingly mobile workforce to access high-quality digital government information and services anywhere, anytime, on any device.
- Ensure that as the government adjusts to this new digital world, we seize the opportunity to procure and manage devices, applications, and data in smart, secure, and affordable ways.
- Unlock the power of government data to spur innovation across our nation and improve the quality of services for the American people.
Open Data, Content, and Web APIs |
eServices Ideas | High Value Data in Customer-Facing Systems
Governance | Inventory of Mobile Devices and Wireless Service Contracts | Mobile Contracts
Digital Services | Identify Mobile Services | Establish Mobile Services
Performance and Customer Satisfaction Measuring Tools
Ensure all new IT systems follow the open data, content, and Web API policy and operationalize agency.gov/developer pages.
Status: In Progress
Along with other federal agencies, DOJ has made data sets available online for public use and will continue to be responsive to public requests for data that serves the public interest and improves awareness of the Department's operations. When we do so, DOJ is committed to providing data that complies with federal standards for openness and easy public use. To promote openness, DOJ will implement a development environment that is consistent with GSA's Project Open Data initiative. The environment will include support for developing open data sets, as well as cataloguing services for hosting, marketing, and making available open data sets to the public. To manage the open data sets, DOJ will develop a life cycle that spans the identification of potential high-value data sets through creation, use, and final disposition. Integrated into the life cycle will be various controls to ensure protections for data security, access security, records management, privacy, legal stature, civil rights protection, and eDiscovery.
DOJ will also engage proactively with the public to identify data sets that are desirable for public access. To do so, DOJ will partner with mission owners to develop and manage public interaction tools that provide the Department with greater awareness of public interest and enable the public's greater involvement in providing input into the Department's public policy making process.
To measure the effectiveness of this public engagement, the Department will capture performance metrics and analytics that measure usage and satisfaction of various customer groups. Currently, the Department analyzes and publishes key performance metrics on enterprise IT investments, infrastructure, and transformation initiatives through the Federal IT Dashboard, DOJ Dashboard, and Exhibit 53 and 300 submissions. To expand this level of transparency, the Office of the CIO will establish a program performance and reporting team whose purpose is to provide oversight, evaluation, and tracking of OCIO performance and establish quantitative metrics to better measure expected business value, customer satisfaction, and return on investment.
These performance metrics will be shared with component IT program management, business and mission sponsors, and departmental leadership to enable better decision making for investment funding and continuance. The Department CIO also plans to create a communications and coordination team who will establish OCIO communication protocols and improve engagement with DOJ customers, including components, external agencies, and key stakeholders. The communications team will develop communication strategies to optimize information sharing and coordinate with the program performance and reporting team to analyze feedback from customers on OCIO performance and satisfaction levels.
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.
Status: Completed
The list below offers a candidate set of digital content to potentially be repurposed via an Application Programming Interface, or API. The Department of Justice (DOJ) will engage with customers to identify at least two as first-move candidates to make available through web APIs. While API may be a foreign term to some, anyone who has ever shared a photo from Instagram to Facebook, embedded a Slideshare presentation in LinkedIn, or put a YouTube video on a blog, has taken advantage of an API.
Please email us at opengov@usdoj.gov with your comments and suggestions.
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.
Status: In Progress
DOJ will promote the development of open data sets for use by DOJ and the public, and provide the enabling support. To modernize existing systems through the addition of APIs, DOJ will do the following:
1. Develop an Open Data resources web page. DOJ has created a /developer page to serve as the primary location of open data for the Department. The /developer page links Departmental APIs and descriptions for use by developers. The page will also provide links to open source developer tools, collaboration sites, and information regarding ongoing Open Data initiatives across the DOJ enterprise, serving as the primary developer collaboration site for open data issues.
2. Develop Two Pilot Open Data Sets and associated Application Programming Interfaces (APIs). The department has collaborated with components to identify two high value data sets which will be converted to open format and published with APIs that enable developers to dynamically access and query the data sets. These initial data sets serve as usable examples of the Open Data concept. One data set is described below, the second will be delivered in the third quarter of FY2013.
System Name = National Crime Victimization Survey
System Description = Annual survey data collection provides statistical and detailed information directly from crime victims describing the impact of crime and characteristics of violent offenders.
Scope = external
Main Customers = Sociologists, legislators, victim program planners, law enforcement agencies, victim advocacy groups, etc.
3. Identify High Value Open Data Priorities and Opportunities. Working with DOJ components, the public, and justice community partners, the Department OCIO will identify a set of high value data sets that should be converted to Open Data format, and will collaboratively work to prioritize the data sets and develop a plan with agreed upon target dates for data set conversion and API development. Data to be included are: data sets currently published on Data.gov, data provided through webpage queries, and data released to the public or shared with justice partners on a frequently recurring basis. The objective of this plan is to put in motion the release of a continuing stream of justice data that is easily accessible in a flexible and scalable format for use as needed from a variety of platforms.
4. Build and mature the DOJ Open Data Catalog. DOJ will build and launch the Department's open data catalog which will serve as a central listing of open data sets and APIs available for use by the public and justice community partners. The catalog will become a dynamic listing of all current DOJ open data sets which will be searchable from across the justice enterprise and the federal domain through links to Data.gov and other open data sharing sites. This will provide a "one stop shop" for locating and interfacing with DOJ open data versus the current state where data is typically only accessible through coordination with the system owners who manage the collection or creation of data.
Establish an agency-wide governance structure for developing and delivering digital services.
Status: Completed
The Department of Justice has a federated system of governance for digital services. All components complete a quarterly web certification that ensures their unique websites and digital properties are in compliance with all federal and agency regulations. This certification is due to the department CIO. Component web managers also participate in quarterly Content Managers' meetings, which serve as a vehicle for collaboration among offices within the department. The Content Managers' meetings are organized and coordinated by staff from the Office of the CIO. The main department website, justice.gov, is operated and managed by the Office of the Chief Information Officer (CIO) with significant contributions from the Office of Public Affairs and department components.
Develop an enterprise-wide inventory of mobile devices and wireless service contracts.
Status: Completed
Evaluate the government-wide contract vehicles in the alternatives analysis for all new mobile-related procurements.
Status: In Progress
DOJ has consolidated the majority of acquisition spending for mobile devices and wireless service to three contracts with the FBI, USMS and DEA. The FBI Wireless contract provides the entire Department with a vehicle to procure wireless services at one of the lowest pricings offered to a Federal Agency. Compared to previous wireless contracts, the new vehicle provides multiple technology options, adding encrypted push-to-talk features, expanding the coverage area, including tethering, and decreasing additional costs associated with wireless contracts. This represents a significant step forward from FBI's previous wireless contracts, which focused only on BlackBerry phones provided at standard commercial rates.
The FBI Wireless contract is open to all organizations within DOJ and is designed with a tiered pricing structure that will drive down costs as additional Components join the contract. The pricing value and added technology benefits of this contract will accelerate movement to a shared environment as Components look to leverage this contract to provide new and expanded wireless services.
As of May 2013, all Components have migrated to one of the major contracts with a few minor approved exceptions. The consolidation has been estimated to save the Department $4M in annual costs for Mobility Telecom. As part of the Federal Digital Government Strategy, GSA is establishing a government-wide contract vehicle for mobile devices and services. DOJ is assessing the new contract relative to the existing Department vehicles to determine if the new GSA contract should be leveraged. Moving forward, another key activity in this area will be to assess the Wireless Telecommunications Expense Management (TEM) capabilities of the Department to determine if this is an area where the existing platform and processes should be enhanced.
Ensure all new digital services follow digital services and customer experience improvement guidelines.
Status: Completed
The Department of Justice recognizes that an increasingly mobile workforce needs access to high-quality digital information and services. Driven by the Digital Government Strategy, DOJ continues to establish its digital presence by expanding enterprise mobile services in four areas: 1) open data services; 2) mobile applications services; 3) mobile device services; and, 4) mobile platform services. The new mobile Justice.gov website and mobile Stopfraud.gov, existing APIs, and the implementation of Google Analytics will deliver a better customer experience. The Department has successfully implemented Google Analytics as provided by the Digital Analytics Program so that we can collect performance metrics across all websites. Collecting and addressing feedback through the customer experience survey will ensure that DOJ demonstrates its commitment to providing services focused on enhancing the customer experience to engage and inform public citizens. Sharing content and collaborating across the Department as well as regularly evaluating digital products will reduce duplicating and enhance performance and cost-effectiveness.
The Digital Government Strategy at DOJ will ultimately improve the quality of services to the American people and support the Department's mission "to enforce the law and defend the interests of the United States according to the law; to ensure public safety against threats foreign and domestic; to provide federal leadership in preventing and controlling crime; to seek just punishment for those guilty of unlawful behavior; and to ensure fair and impartial administration of justice for all Americans."
The Department is able to reach citizens who depend on the services provided by components and bureaus including the FBI, DEA, Office on Violence Against Women, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and the many litigating divisions throughout the Department by adhering to accessibility requirements, minimizing privacy and security risks, following plain language standards. All components complete a quarterly web certification that ensures their unique websites and digital properties are in compliance with all federal and agency regulations. Component web managers also participate in quarterly Content Managers' meetings, which serve as a vehicle for collaboration among offices within the department.
Engage with customers to identify at least two existing priority customer-facing services to optimize for mobile use.
Status: Completed
The list below proposes a candidate set of DOJ services to potentially be made available on mobile devices. DOJ will engage with customers to identify at least two existing priority customer-facing services to optimize for mobile use.
Please email us at opengov@usdoj.gov with your comments and suggestions.
Optimize at least two existing priority customer-facing services for mobile use and publish a plan for improving additional existing services.
Status: Completed
DOJ/OCIO will develop and execute a plan to modernize existing JMD systems and websites for mobile optimization. It will include public-facing apps and apps for mission communities, and will be aligned with the DOJ enterprise architecture.
DOJ has developed and implemented two customer facing mobile optimized services:
Enable data-driven decisions on service performance, agencies will be required to use analytics and customer satisfaction measurement tools on all .gov websites.
Status: Completed
Web Performance
The Department of Justice has implemented the web performance measurement tool provided by the Digital Analytics Program.
Customer Satisfaction
The Department of Justice has chosen to use LimeSurvey for customer satisfaction. Implementation will be a phased approach beginning with http://www.justice.gov/.
