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Promoting Careers in Knowledge Management: My Experiences

Brand Niemann

Library of Congress

June 3, 2010

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Background• Kent State University is launching an effort to increase the visibility of

professionals who are in key knowledge management positions today.  The goal of this effort is to increase understanding of the important work these individuals perform, and the critical role they fulfill in today's knowledge organizations.  We will be publishing the recorded interviews on the Kent State University YouTube channel and providing a link from our Knowledge Management program's website. 

• As a recognized professional of long standing in the knowledge management field, we would like to invite you to participate in this effort.  You may record the interview independently, structure it as you wish and send it to us, or we could provide someone to conduct the interview with you in a conversational style.  If you chose the latter approach, we would of course provide you with a copy to review and approve.

• I am attaching a sample set of questions for you consideration.  These are simply a suggested set - to start the conversation.  You may address any aspect of your work that you think knowledge management professionals should know about.

– Source: Dr. Denise Bedford, Goodyear Professor of Knowledge Management, College of Communication and Information, Kent State University, Kent OH, March 11, 2010.

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My Experiences

• 1. KM Role Model Interview

• 2. Communities of Practice

• 3. Data Scientist– I think I have always been a "Data Scientist"

as coined by Jeff Hammerbacher in Facebook 2007, combining Data Analyst & Research Scientist (June 1, 2010):

• http://twitter.com/bniemannsr/status/15207340783

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1. KM Role Model Interview• Introduction:

– Senior Enterprise Architect, US EPA, 1980 - present.• A typical day:

– Finding a place for all the information that comes my way.• How did you come to this role?

– By being inquisitive about what was going on in the entire organization and being dedicated to organizing it.

• What do you enjoy the most about this role?– Public service is a noble profession.

• Do you have a success story that you’d like to share?– Being recognized across the government for helping people collaborate to make the

government work better.• What is the most challenging aspect of your position?

– Internal politics.• What skills, competencies and experience do you think are important for your role?

– Information architecture, Web 2.0/3.0 technologies, community of practice principles and participation, and persistence.

• Where do you think this profession is going in the future?– Knowledge workers have a great future in the information service economy.

• What advice would you offer to anyone who is thinking about a professional career in knowledge management?

– Learn to work with the latest social networking tools and Web 2.0/3.0 technologies and network with lots of people.

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2. Communities of Practice:Session 9: Practical Communities –

Science and Engineering

Guest Lecturer: Brand Niemann (US EPA)Thursday, November 5, 2009

6:15 - 8:45 pmWalsh Hall, Room 499Georgetown University

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Overview• Introductions:

– Who, What, Where, When, How, & Why.– Me: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7p6pTtEXwaM

• GSA Collaboration Expedition Workshops (Doug Englebart’s bootstrapping of collective intelligence):

– http://colab.cim3.net/cgi-bin/wiki.pl/ • Scientific Data CoP Workshops (Shenandoah, Agency, & Interagency):

– http://shenandoahvalleyscience.wik.is/, http://epageoss.wik.is & http://federaldata.wik.is

• SOA and Semantic Interoperability CoPs (Software engineering CoPs):– http://federalsoa.wik.is and http://semanticommunity.net/

• CIOC Best Practices Committee Paper (Service Science and Engineering):– http://semanticommunity.wik.is/@api/deki/files/1624/=BNiemannIJEWT03072009

.doc

• Semantic Web Meetups (Fast growing world-wide CoP for Web 3.0):– http://semweb.meetup.com/31/

• Cloud Computing and Twitter (Fastest growing database in history):– http://federalcloudcomputing.wik.is – http://twitter.com/bniemannsr

Note: See NASA JPL Virtual World Community and Jeanne Holm on Cross-agency collaboration .

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3. Data Scientist

http://radar.oreilly.com/2010/06/what-is-data-science.html

June 2, 2010

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My Data Science Library in the Cloud

http://ondemand.spotfire.com/public/library.aspx?folder=Users/USEEVL-4372/public

Each “Book and Chapter” in the Library UsesMindtouch (Wiki) and Spotfire (Analytics)

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A Gov 2.0 Platform for Open Government

• First there was Put Your Desktop in the Cloud to Support the Open Government Directive and Data.gov/semantic, April 19, 2010. Semantic Universe.

• Second was Build Your Own Data.gov (Spotfire) and EPA Microsite (Spotfire) with Semantics and Statistics in the Cloud, May 15, 2010. Slides.

• Third was Build Your Community Health Information "Design for America" Using Mindtouch and Spotfire, May 17, 2010. Slides.

• Fourth was Build EPA's CASTNET in less that two hours, see Mindtouch and Spotfire, May 21, 2010. Slides. Completed in 8 more hours by May 30, 2010.

• Fifth was Build Your Own Data.gov/semantic with Mindtouch and Spotfire in the Cloud: The White House Visitor Database, May 22, 2010.  Slides. See Data.gov takes the 'Mumsy' test, FCW, May 26, 2010.

• Sixth was Build EPA's EPA's Facility Registry System (FRS) and Locational Reference Database with Mindtouch and Spotfire in the Cloud: Virginia, June 1, 2010.

• More in process.

http://radar.oreilly.com/2010/05/data-and-simplicity-can-build.html

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Community Infrastructure Sandbox for 2010

http://semanticommunity.net/

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Resources• Open Government Directive, December 8, 2009:

– Implement the principles of transparency, participation, and collaboration set forth in the President’s Memorandum (January 21, 2009):

• 1. Publish Government Information Online:– Publish online in an open format at least three high-value data sets*.– Create an Open Government Webpage*.

• 2. Improve the Quality of Government Information:– Make certain that the information conforms to OMB guidance on information

quality*.• 3. Create and Institutionalize a Culture of Open Government:

– Develop and publish on its Open Government Webpage an Open Government Plan*.

» Flagship Initiative: Each agency’s Open Government Plan should describe at least one specific, new transparency, participation, or collaboration initiative*.

• 4. Create an Enabling Policy Framework for Open Government:– Help OMB identify impediments to open government and to the use of new

technologies*.

* Done by the pilot as of March 19, 2010.

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Resources• October 28, 2009:

– Federal IT Summit Cloud Computing Panel: EPA work on "a cloud computing desktop" cited as a best practice by Peter Tseronis, Co-Chair, Cloud Computing Advisory Committee.

• December 10, 2009:– Data Architecture Subcommittee Meeting with Donna Roy (NIEM) and

Jim Hendler (Data-gov Semantic Wiki) and discussions of Data.gov CONOPS and its evolution to the Semantic Web.

• December 15, 2009:– Semantic Web Meetup: Party Cloudy with a Chance of Semantics. (Put

Your Desktop in the Cloud to Support the Open Government Directive and Data.gov/semantic!).

• December 17, 2009:– Federal Cloud Computing Advisory Council Meeting (same as above).

• December 24, 2009:– 2010 Office of Environmental Information National Symposium, May 11

– 13, 2010, Proposal for Presentation and Tutorial.

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Resources• January 11, 2010:

– Open Government Directive Workshop and Government Desktop in the Cloud Breakout Session at the US Department of Transportation at the Direction of the Office of the EPA Administrator and the National Center for Innovation.

• January 14-15, 2010:– Federal CIO Council Boot Camp Training, Partnership for Public Service SAGE

Program, Washington, DC. My Suggested 2010 Plan for an Open Government Directive Roadmap Using Cloud Computing Desktop / Mobile Apps as a Member of the Federal CIO Council's Best Practice Committee.

• January 19-21, 2010:– EPA Enterprise Architecture Strategic Planning Sessions

• January 21, 2010:– Put Your Statistical Work in the Cloud in Support of the Open Government

Directive and Data.gov/semantic (EPA Statistics Users Group).• January 28, 2010:

– Tutorial for the EAWG: Solution Architecture for 2010.• February 4, 2010:

– Design Suggestions for EPA’s One Wiki in Support of the EPA OGD Work Group.

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Resources• March 3, 2010:

– Joint Services / Cloud Computing Session: Semantic Cloud Computing and Linked Open Data Discussion of Three Uses Cases.

• March 3rd, 2010:– For Open Government, Technology Is The Least of Your Problems (Gartner Blog

Comment).• March 4, 2010:

– 2010 Annual Statistical Abstract of the United States: More than 1300 high-value data sets and graphs with standard metadata, and EPA Report on the Environment Indicators: More than 200 high-value data sets and graphs with standard metadata.

• March 6, 2010:• Flagship Initiative Pilot Tutorial: EPA Report on the Environment, EPA Wiki and

Blog Work Group.

• March 13, 2010:– Data Quality Plan Pilot Tutorial: EPA Report on the Environment, Scientific Data

Management Workshop Planning Group.• March 19, 2010:

– Community Engagement Pilot Tutorial: One EPA, EPA Web Work Group, EPA Wiki and Blog Work Group, and EPA Open Government Directive Work Group.