The expectation of transparency is creating demand for government agencies to develop new ways to communicate complex data and trends to the public in easy-to-access and easy-to-understand formats. Some agencies are turning to Google Maps and KML data to visualize raw information online and on mobile devices. Delivering data in more easily understandable formats not only boosts trust and confidence between government agencies and their publics, but also streamlines workloads among Data, Web, Editorial, and Customer Service teams. The Texas Comptroller is the state’s chief revenue officer, tax collector, and treasurer. The agency uses public-facing maps to communicate data and economic trends across the state, editorial coverage, and to promote initiatives such as its Unclaimed Property initiative, which works to reunite taxpayers with about $2 billion in unclaimed money and property. This discussion will focus on how agencies and other organizations can use free or inexpensive tools to deliver data to the public in both traditional online formats and mobile platforms, and how workflows can be arranged so that data visualization can be managed and administered by non-technical staff. We will also discuss how maps can be used internally to enhance strategic efforts.
Jeremiah Akin leads GIS initiatives for the Texas Comptroller’s Office, one of the first agencies in the nation to integrate the technology into its public outreach initiatives.
I serve as e-communications coordinator and publications editor for the Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts, where I help strategize the agency’s social media and editorial initiatives.
We use a lot of new tools to enhance the transparency of public data and information.
A native of Urbana, Illinois, I hold a master’s degree in Technical Communication from Texas Tech University.
I live in Austin, Texas.
