And here’s a pic I took during the panel onstage at the Hilton:

More on the entire CNDA program here.

And my pic:

Here’s a post that sums up the evening really well, including a patented Craighton Berman sketchnotes item!

“I’ve started lots of ventures—a poetry book company, a theater company, a consulting practice—but never considered those activities ‘entrepreneurial’. I just thought of them as a way to do what I wanted. Everyone I ever knew from grade school on always had something on the side. It was always about ‘Do what you want, and have it financed by your day job.’ In the entrepreneurial world, I usually hear a lot of anti-corporate sentiment. But I thrive in both cultures. I have no problem with either whatsoever.

I’m just driven to do things, to create. And I’m always looking to align my passions with my efforts, and figure out how to easily pay for them, rather than how to make money off of them. Then the money always follows because the new passion usually turns into a new job. Then I start all over again with finding a new passion.”

You have been selected by United States Chief Technology Officer Aneesh Chopra to be highlighted as a ‘Champion of Change’, which is part of President Obama’s Winning the Future initiative.  As the White House executes President Obama’s plan to “out-innovate, out-educate and out-build the rest of the world”, entrepreneurs like you are being recognized for the innovative work you have undertaken in your community.Each week, we feature a group of Americans who embody the President’s commitment to ‘Innovate, Educate, and Build’.CTO Aneesh Chopra and CIO Vivek Kundra as well as other Administration officials will host an Open Innovation / Champions of Change event at the White House on Friday, June 10th , 9am- 11am.

Here is some press coverage: White House Honors Unsung Open Data App Developers — (Government Technology)

And an interview:

And some images:

Bonus: Here’s a pic of Brett’s camera setup in my kitchen:

Governments have started opening data for many reasons: it is a politically positive action and it alleviates the responsibility of analyzing and interpreting the data internally. Social Networks open data so they can become more valuable as the hub of many spokes, since 3rd parties will develop applications that make their data more valuable. Will traditional businesses open their data? Are some forms of data such as financial data necessarily closed-off and high-priced?

One of the things I focused on in my remarks was that governments already publish a wealth of data; they just may not conceive of these efforts as a part of the “open data” movement. For example, New York City has spreadsheets of every building permit issued going back to 2003. It’s not a “data feed”, but it’s definitely useful. The nascent industry built around open government stands on the shoulders of these spreadsheet-makers.

19 governments applied for our 2012 program, and it’s amazing to read about their project ideas, challenges, and passion for changing the way things work. As a growing start-up, we can only work directly with a handful next year, which is why they are selected through a competitive process. To help us evaluate these great proposals, we have put together a committee of government, industry, and thought leaders.