{
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    "title" : "Getting it Done with Open Opportunities: The Case of the Mobile Code Catalog |Digital.gov",
    "description": "Getting it Done with Open Opportunities: The Case of the Mobile Code Catalog",
    "home_page_url" : "/preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/","feed_url" : "/preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2014/09/05/getting-it-done-with-open-opportunities-the-case-of-the-mobile-code-catalog/index.json","item" : [
    {"title" :"Getting it Done with Open Opportunities: The Case of the Mobile Code Catalog","summary" : "Imagine open source code, publicly available to share, that jump starts your agency’s mobile development efforts. Pretty neat idea, huh? Well last year it became a reality with the Mobile Code Catalog. This idea was the brainchild of Mike Pulsifer, who, as the Technical Manager for the Division of Enterprise Communications, Office of Public Affairs,","date" : "2014-09-05T10:30:00-04:00","date_modified" : "2025-01-27T19:42:55-05:00","authors" : {"jparcell" : "Jacob Parcell","lnelson" : "Lisa Nelson"},"topics" : {
        
            "mobile" : "Mobile",
            "open-source" : "Open source",
            "professional-development" : "Professional development"
            },"branch" : "bc-archive-content-3",
      "filename" :"2014-09-05-getting-it-done-with-open-opportunities-the-case-of-the-mobile-code-catalog.md",
      
      "filepath" :"news/2014/09/2014-09-05-getting-it-done-with-open-opportunities-the-case-of-the-mobile-code-catalog.md",
      "filepathURL" :"https://github.com/GSA/digitalgov.gov/blob/bc-archive-content-3/content/news/2014/09/2014-09-05-getting-it-done-with-open-opportunities-the-case-of-the-mobile-code-catalog.md",
      "editpathURL" :"https://github.com/GSA/digitalgov.gov/edit/bc-archive-content-3/content/news/2014/09/2014-09-05-getting-it-done-with-open-opportunities-the-case-of-the-mobile-code-catalog.md","slug" : "getting-it-done-with-open-opportunities-the-case-of-the-mobile-code-catalog","url" : "/preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2014/09/05/getting-it-done-with-open-opportunities-the-case-of-the-mobile-code-catalog/","content" :"\u003cdiv class=\"image\"\u003e\n  \u003cimg\n    src=\"https://s3.amazonaws.com/digitalgov/_legacy-img/2014/09/600-x-418-Mobile-phone-and-gears-Application-development-concept-alex-mit-iStock-Thinkstock-453629635.jpg\"\n    alt=\"Mobile phone and gears; application development concept\"/\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\n\n\n\u003cp\u003eImagine open source code, publicly available to share, that jump starts your agency’s mobile development efforts.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003ePretty neat idea, huh? Well last year it \u003ca href=\"/preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2013/05/13/federal-mobile-code-sharing-catalog-is-here/\" title=\"Federal Mobile Code Sharing Catalog Is Here\"\u003ebecame a reality\u003c/a\u003e with the Mobile Code Catalog.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis idea was the brainchild of Mike Pulsifer, who, as the Technical Manager for the Division of Enterprise Communications, Office of Public Affairs, at the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL), is responsible for developing and publishing the DOL website and mobile applications.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eMike got involved with the \u003ca href=\"/preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/communities/\" title=\"Mobile\"\u003eMobileGov Community of Practice\u003c/a\u003e and responded to a request for ideas to create a government-wide mobile application development program.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eHe championed, and ultimately volunteered, to lead the development of a \u003ca href=\"/preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2013/05/13/federal-mobile-code-sharing-catalog-is-here/\" title=\"Federal Mobile Code Sharing Catalog Is Here\"\u003ecatalog of open source mobile app code\u003c/a\u003e for government developers through the auspices of the \u003ca href=\"https://openopps.digitalgov.gov/\"\u003eOpen Opportunities\u003c/a\u003e program, a task-based network that leverages government innovators to help agencies deliver government information and services.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAs Mike found, change is hard. At first, Mike couldn’t find enough government open source code to fill out a catalog. There was a lot of third party code available, but comparatively little from federal agencies due either to a conscious decision not to open source their code or because they simply had not considered the option. With the help of the \u003ca href=\"https://openopps.digitalgov.gov/\"\u003eOpen Opportunities\u003c/a\u003e task creator, Mike was able to reach out to agencies that had mobile apps and request they consider open sourcing their code.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eA few positive responses got the ball rolling.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eMike considers the current catalog a good starting point and an overall move in the right direction. The initial idea was that users would find value in complete native apps that are open source. Based on initial feedback, they found the most value would actually be in providing functional pieces of apps that could then be reused. Accordingly, Mike piloted a “\u003ca href=\"/preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2014/07/21/mobile-gov-code-chop-shop-help-department-of-labor-share-their-app-functionality-gov-wide/\" title=\"Mobile Gov Code Chop Shop: Help Department of Labor Share Their App Functionality Gov-wide\"\u003emobile code chop-shop\u003c/a\u003e” in July where participants took one app and focused on breaking out the useful functionality from the overall code. They are currently taking lessons learned from the pilot to apply to the next “chop-shop,” which will be held late fall of 2014.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIf you’re interested in building on these efforts or helping other programs get off the ground, check out the \u003ca href=\"https://openopps.digitalgov.gov/\"\u003eOpen Opportunities\u003c/a\u003e program—as Mike says, you won’t regret it! In fact, you can help build out the Mobile Code Catalog by \u003ca href=\"https://openopps.digitalgov.gov/tasks/19\"\u003esearching for other agency open source mobile code\u003c/a\u003e.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003ch2 id=\"open-opportunities-tips\"\u003eOpen Opportunities Tips\u003c/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eFor those who have ideas they want to make reality through the Open Opportunities program—here are a few of Mike’s tips for maximizing your Open Opportunities experience:\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003col\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eMake sure you set aside the chunk of time to complete the task—or if you have a chaotic schedule that precludes you from taking a chunk of time, make sure you can fit it in the gaps that exist as the week unfolds.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eSeize the opportunity to make connections outside of your agency and across the federal government—it is a great chance to expand your network and resume.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003c/ol\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eTo learn more about the Open Opportunities program be sure to read our previous post \u003ca href=\"/preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2014/06/23/hacking-the-bureaucracy-one-task-at-a-time/\" title=\"Hacking the Bureaucracy One Task at a Time\"\u003eHacking the Bureaucracy One Task at a Time\u003c/a\u003e.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eSam Fox\u003c/strong\u003e, Pathways Intern, National Park Service, conducted the interview with Mike Pulsfier providing the basis for the article.\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n"}
  ]
}