Kundra plans mobile apps store

Federal CIO Vivek Kundra is planning a mobile apps website to help expand the use of mobile devices for both for federal workers and the public. It's the latest idea from the IT innovator now leading the federal government's technology charge.

"We see mobile computing as central to being able to serve the American people and making sure that government services are presented in the context that the American people are most comfortable with," Kundra said in a conference call with reporters last week

Kundra is planning an online portal of mobile applications that also will extend new services to the smartphone-carrying public, according to an article in InformationWeek. Under this proposal, he'll incorporate the government's mobile apps portal into the Apps.gov site, a one-stop shop for software run by the General Services Administration.

The federal CIO said the specific applications could include apps to track federal spending, as well as to view government projects in a user's community. Some of these applications are already being offered in very piecemeal way. Recovery.gov, for example, shows the public where stimulus money is going down to the zip code of a location. Yet it is not available as a mobile app. The State Department is in the process of developing mobile apps for its website, America.gov and other government agencies are hard at work to develop their own mobile resources.

But the possibilities from expanding government's mobile communications are enormous. Not only will it provide greater transparency, it will give the public an early opportunity to spot mistakes and offer tips on ways to do things better.

For more on the Feds and mobile apps:
- see this InformationWeek article

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