Obama appointee Vivek Kundra has quite a record for technology innovation including releasing 84,000 3D images for Google’s earth cities
By Martin Slofstra
President Barack Obama appointed the District of Columbia's chief technology officer, Vivek Kundra, as the federal government's first CIO.
The decision made this Thursday to appoint a CIO is an apparent move by the White House to give it more control over the US$80 billion that federal agencies spend annually on technology.
In a statement, Obama said that he has directed Kundra "to work to ensure that we are using the spirit of American innovation and the power of technology to improve performance and lower the cost of government operations. As chief information officer, he will play a key role in making sure our government is running in the most secure, open, and efficient way possible."
Kundra had previously been CTO for the District of Columbia where he pushed RSS-enablement of data to share information with the public. He also encouraged innovative use of this data with a contest last year called "Apps for Democracy," which encouraged developers to find new ways and create innovative new business models in order to use this data.
Prior to taking the post as CTO at the District of Columbia, Kundra had been assistant secretary of commerce and technology for the state of Virginia. He has also been known for his pioneering work in digital democracy—advancing government accessibility and transparency through technology. Mr. Kundra had thrown open the Virginian government’s vast data storehouse to the public so citizens can track contract awards, crime incidents, vacant properties, construction projects and more.
According to a Wiki blog, he has also been credited for an initiative to release data representing more than 84,000 3-D buildings for inclusion in Google Earths' Cities program. The effort was intended to allow citizens a greater role in discussions about the city's future.
Kundra has worked on the World Cities Alliance initiative to advance business and economic development in Arlington, Zurich, Paris, Berlin, and Wales. Within the private sector he has worked with multiple clients to build operations in the United States, Canada and India.