GCPEDIA
Encyclopedia
GCPEDIA is an internal wiki
used by the Government of Canada
, for collaboration and knowledge sharing. Its slogan is “People & Knowledge“. GCPEDIA is only accessible via the Government of Canada network and contributors must be on a computer on a government (.gc.ca) network to be able to access it. This user base is potentially 250,000 people, from over 150 departments and agencies. Users must be registered if they wish to add or modify content, so that all contributions are attributable.
GCPEDIA has been used as a platform to take, publish, and distribute meeting minutes, to create project status dashboards, to collaboratively author interdepartmental papers, to brainstorm, and to create wiki-based briefing books.
Branch, Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat
, with support from members of the GCPEDIA Web 2.0 Steering Committee and participants throughout the federal government.
GCPEDIA was formally launched as a government-wide pilot by Ken Cochrane, former Chief Information Officer for Canada, at the annual Government Technology Exhibition and Conference (GTEC) in Ottawa, Canada on October 28, 2008.
software. It is hosted on the Public Works and Government Services Canada
(PWGSC) Mid-Range Application Hosting Service.
Canada's CIO
, Corinne Charette, said in October 2009 of the success of GCPEDIA: "Clearly this is a community that is ripe for collaboration".
In March 2010, the most senior Canadian public servant, the Clerk of the Privy Council, Wayne Wouters
, officially joined GCPEDIA with both a personal user page and a page inviting ideas and feedback from government employees.
In April 2010 Wouters stated that deputy heads
within the Government of Canada must advance Public Service Renewal in their departments by various means including public servants "experimenting with Web 2.0 technology, including GCPEDIA".
In a September 2010 article, Marj Akerley is quoted as stating "As government employees become more comfortable with new technology and seek mechanisms for collaboration, their confidence in the effectiveness of the tools is increasing".
"The federal public service utilizes GCPedia...to facilitate collaboration and the sharing of information." - Maclean's magazine, September 16, 2010
GCPEDIA is "a key medium for our staff in the regions to learn what's available, what's happening, in the National Capital Region and other regions," and it has helped tear down bureaucratic barriers between departments. - quote from Corinne Charette, CIO of Canada - Ottawa Citizen October 6, 2010
"GCPEDIA has demonstrated that public servants have an interest in sharing information and collecting feedback on their projects."
Wiki
A wiki is a website that allows the creation and editing of any number of interlinked web pages via a web browser using a simplified markup language or a WYSIWYG text editor. Wikis are typically powered by wiki software and are often used collaboratively by multiple users. Examples include...
used by the Government of Canada
Government of Canada
The Government of Canada, formally Her Majesty's Government, is the system whereby the federation of Canada is administered by a common authority; in Canadian English, the term can mean either the collective set of institutions or specifically the Queen-in-Council...
, for collaboration and knowledge sharing. Its slogan is “People & Knowledge“. GCPEDIA is only accessible via the Government of Canada network and contributors must be on a computer on a government (.gc.ca) network to be able to access it. This user base is potentially 250,000 people, from over 150 departments and agencies. Users must be registered if they wish to add or modify content, so that all contributions are attributable.
GCPEDIA has been used as a platform to take, publish, and distribute meeting minutes, to create project status dashboards, to collaboratively author interdepartmental papers, to brainstorm, and to create wiki-based briefing books.
Launch
GCPEDIA is an initiative of the Chief Information OfficerChief information officer
Chief information officer , or information technology director, is a job title commonly given to the most senior executive in an enterprise responsible for the information technology and computer systems that support enterprise goals...
Branch, Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat
Treasury Board Secretariat
The Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat is the administrative branch of the Treasury Board of Canada. The role of the secretariat is to support the Treasury Board as a committee of ministers, and to fulfill the statutory responsibilities of a central government agency...
, with support from members of the GCPEDIA Web 2.0 Steering Committee and participants throughout the federal government.
GCPEDIA was formally launched as a government-wide pilot by Ken Cochrane, former Chief Information Officer for Canada, at the annual Government Technology Exhibition and Conference (GTEC) in Ottawa, Canada on October 28, 2008.
Infrastructure
GCPEDIA runs on MediaWikiMediaWiki
MediaWiki is a popular free web-based wiki software application. Developed by the Wikimedia Foundation, it is used to run all of its projects, including Wikipedia, Wiktionary and Wikinews. Numerous other wikis around the world also use it to power their websites...
software. It is hosted on the Public Works and Government Services Canada
Public Works and Government Services Canada
Public Works and Government Services Canada is the department of the government of Canada with responsibility for the government's internal servicing and administration....
(PWGSC) Mid-Range Application Hosting Service.
Adoption within the Government of Canada
"According to the August 2009 content review, government of Canada public servants were using GCPEDIA primarily to share information and gather project/performance feedback; and build collaborative and interdepartmental communities of practice; establish terms of reference for interdepartmental committees; and as support networks across a wide range of topics"Canada's CIO
Chief information officer
Chief information officer , or information technology director, is a job title commonly given to the most senior executive in an enterprise responsible for the information technology and computer systems that support enterprise goals...
, Corinne Charette, said in October 2009 of the success of GCPEDIA: "Clearly this is a community that is ripe for collaboration".
In March 2010, the most senior Canadian public servant, the Clerk of the Privy Council, Wayne Wouters
Wayne Wouters
Wayne G. Wouters is a Canadian public servant and Clerk of the Privy Council and Secretary to the Cabinet. Canada’s most senior civil servant....
, officially joined GCPEDIA with both a personal user page and a page inviting ideas and feedback from government employees.
In April 2010 Wouters stated that deputy heads
Deputy Minister (Canada)
In Canada, a deputy minister is the senior civil servant in a government department. He or she takes political direction from an elected minister. Responsibility for the department's day-to-day operations, budget and program development lie with the deputy minister...
within the Government of Canada must advance Public Service Renewal in their departments by various means including public servants "experimenting with Web 2.0 technology, including GCPEDIA".
In a September 2010 article, Marj Akerley is quoted as stating "As government employees become more comfortable with new technology and seek mechanisms for collaboration, their confidence in the effectiveness of the tools is increasing".
"The federal public service utilizes GCPedia...to facilitate collaboration and the sharing of information." - Maclean's magazine, September 16, 2010
GCPEDIA is "a key medium for our staff in the regions to learn what's available, what's happening, in the National Capital Region and other regions," and it has helped tear down bureaucratic barriers between departments. - quote from Corinne Charette, CIO of Canada - Ottawa Citizen October 6, 2010
"GCPEDIA has demonstrated that public servants have an interest in sharing information and collecting feedback on their projects."
Snapshot of Usage, November 2011
- 27,264 registered users
- 15,388 articles
- 10,555,063 page views
External links
- GCPEDIA website (available within Government of Canada only)
- Web 2.0 will change the way you work (PowerPoint by Jeff Braybrook, Deputy Chief Technology Officer for Canada) - FPTT 2009 National Meeting - June 18, 2009