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NASA CoLab Overview

June 2008

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What is NASA CoLab

NASA CoLab uses technology and processes to enable

public participation, collaboration & innovation

at NASA

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What is “Public Participation” at NASA?

It’s “Participatory Exploration”.

NASA CoLab brings together NASA innovators to create possibilities for the public to contribute and easier for NASA employees to innovate.

Be there, virtually.

Control equipment remotely.

Collect and contribute data.

Help the mission.

Code. Analyze. Contribute.

DISCOVER.

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Participatory Exploration

--Participatory Exploration Summit, June 2007

“‘Participatory Exploration’ provides a mechanism for the public to collaborate with NASA.  Two-way communication enables the public to engage with NASA in a productive way, resulting in creative ideas and potential innovation.”

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t r a n s p a r e n c y

engage empower creative ideas

productive ownership

innovation contribution

openness

Value to NASA

• New, fresh methodologies and content

• Cost savings - not limited to traditional resources

• Cultural shift - greater transparency enables trust and

innovation internally

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NASA CoLab Elements

On-line: Web-basedtools to foster openinnovation and collaboration

Physical: Coworking environments at NASACenters and at cultural capitals close to NASACenters

Virtual: Utilize SecondLife and other platforms for virtual collaboration

Events: Host/presentinnovative gatherings to bring NASA staff together with externalCenters of innovation

Partnerships: Foster new partnerships withindividuals and non-traditional communities

Community: An engagedpublic workforce for NASA

Agency-wide: Establish internal NASA CoLab groups at NASA Centers

Facilitation: Assist NASAprograms in implementing collaborative processes

Community: Facilitate an internal culture and community of open innovation and collaboration

ENVIRONMENTSPUBLIC

PARTNERSHIPSINTERNAL

FACILITATION

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Public Perception of NASA CoLab

NASA CoLab has generated a lot of press, because it provides tangible, exciting opportunities for public participation

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NASA CoLab Accomplishments to Date

Environments• Online: NASACoLab.org, Twitter, Facebook.• Physical: Citizenspace, Yahoo! Brickhouse, ARC Building 17.• Virtual: Avg. 700 visitors / week, Avg. > 1 hour per visitor per week, 1st public Federal virtual space.

Public Partnerships• Events hosted : hosted Participatory Exploration Summit, Next Generation Exploration Conference-2.• Partnerships: Etsy.com, Yahoo! Brickhouse.• Community: Second Life, Hack Days.

Internal Facilitation• Agency-wide: CoLab Camp, Bi-weekly CoLab calls, Monthly NASA Virtual Worlds Working Group Telecons.• Facilitation: SMD WebFed talks, Technology Demos (Second Life, Open-Source Tools/ Drupal, Twitter)• Introducing NASA Management to Public Thought Leaders: Web 2.0 C-Level Executives at Twitter,

Linden Lab, Yahoo!; Chamber of Commerce, Technology Press

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Connections and Collaborations from First Year

• Contacted by innovators within other government agencies– CIA, USAF, State Department, Department of Education, Library of Congress, NIST

• Contacted by non-traditional space sector partners to collaborate with NASA

– City of San Francisco, Clean Technology companies, Yahoo! Brickhouse, Flickr, Etsy

• Began collaborating across all centers– Sharing Terms of Service, Open Source activities, ways of employing new technologies

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Lessons from First Year

• Our workforce is extremely creative, resourceful, and dedicated

• There is a lot of duplication of efforts and infrequent collaboration internally

• Little innovative projects and ideas find their way into main-stream projects and programs

…we need to collaborate and reward innovation within NASA(to help us better collaborate external to NASA)

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NASA CoLab Elements

Focus on Internal Facilitation for the Next YearFocus on Internal Facilitation for the Next Year

On-line: Web-basedtools to foster openinnovation and collaboration

Physical: Coworking environments at NASACenters and at cultural capitals close to NASACenters

Virtual: Utilize SecondLife and other platforms for virtual collaboration

Events: Host/presentinnovative gatherings to bring NASA staff together with externalCenters of innovation

Partnerships: Foster new partnerships withindividuals and non-traditional communities

Community: An engagedpublic workforce for NASA

Agency-wide: Establish internal NASA CoLab groups at NASA Centers

Facilitation: Assist NASAprograms in implementing collaborative processes

Community: Facilitate an internal culture and community of open innovation and collaboration

ENVIRONMENTSPUBLIC

PARTNERSHIPSINTERNAL

FACILITATION

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Internal Facilitation

Agency-wide: Establish internal NASA CoLab groups at NASA Centers

Facilitation: Assist NASAprograms in implementing collaborative processes

Community: Facilitate an internal culture and community of open innovation and collaboration

INTERNAL FACILITATION

• Agency-Wide– Initiate the NASA CoLab Ambassadors

Program– Initiate the NASA CoLab Council

• Facilitation– Secretariat for the NASA CoLab Council– Initiate NPR/NPDs, as appropriate, and

coordinate cross-directorate and support service organization coordination

• Community– Establish an agency-wide network of

innovators within NASA– Reward contribution and participation

agency-wide and between non-traditional partners

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NASA CoLab Ambassadors Program

• Twice monthly meetings at each NASA Center– Brown-bag lunches– Bring together innovators within the Center and bring external innovators to

NASA Centers• Responsibilities of the NASA CoLab Ambassador

– Agenda and minutes; posting all data online– Participate in the NASA CoLab Council and report back to the Center– Compile information on existing collaborative projects and help initiate future

collaborative projects• Timeline

– June 2008 – Identify Ambassadors– July 2008 – Initiate twice monthly brown-bag lunches– Second Wednesday each Month – Participate in NASA CoLab Council

telecon– August 2008, November 2008, February 2009, May 2009 – Contribute to

quarterly on NASA Centers with NASA CoLab Ambassadors

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NASA CoLab Council

• Monthly telecons between NASA Centers via the NASA CoLab Ambassadors– Coalesce NASA CoLab Program updates across Centers– Report new policies and initiatives on NASA CoLab Program

• Physical meeting bi-annually at IPP Quarterly• NASA CoLab staff is the secretariat for the NASA CoLab Council

– Organize online presence for NASA CoLab Program• Timeline

– June 2008 – Formally begin NASA CoLab Council and outline participation guidelines

– Second Wednesday each Month – Conduct NASA CoLab Council telecon– August 2008, November 2008, February 2009, May 2009 – Report on

NASA Centers with NASA CoLab Ambassadors– November 2008, May 2009 – Present NASA CoLab Council status update

at IPP Quarterly

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Internal Consulting

• Demonstrate NASA CoLab environments and methodologies to internal NASA constituents

– Introduce projects into Second Life

– Train participants on conference facilitation tool, etc.

• Consult NASA projects on how to make their projects more collaborative, open, and participatory

– Work with CIO’s office on public participation web technologies

• Timeline

– November 2008 – Generate and document 2-4 formal consultations within NASA

– May 2009 – Generate and document total of 6-8 formal consultations within NASA, both for NASA Centers and Headquarters level programs

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Internal Consulting

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Coworking at NASA

• Coworking definition– Emerging trend for a new pattern for working– Social gathering of group of people working independently w/ shared values & interest in

synergy from working with talented people in the same space• Coworking Environments

– Online Social Networks (NASACoLab.org, Facebook, IRC)– Physical Offline (ARC Bldg. 17, JSC, in San Francisco w/ Yahoo!)– Virtual Space (NASA CoLab in Second Life)

• Timeline– August 2008 – Sign MOU between Yahoo! (Brickhouse) and NASA ARC for coworking

and open innovation partnership pilot project– August 2008 – Hack Day with Yahoo! Brickhouse– October 2008 – Initial report to IPP at HQ on coworking with Yahoo! Brickhouse– February 2009 – Six month report to IPP at HQ on coworking with Yahoo! Brickhouse– May 2009 – Coworking at NASA publication