It is amazing how far technology has advanced over the last few years, especially when it comes to supplying information. The development of Web 2.0 technologies like wikis, social networks, and blogs provide project managers (even quasi ones) with endless possibilities for meeting the needs of both their customers and their staff members.
During the past five years, I have had the good fortune of being involved in a project that is developing a network and portal for CDC’s Environmental Public Health Tracking initiative. As part of this effort, I have served as the co-chair of a national committee working to implement a descriptive metadata standard to assist in the discovery of data resources on the network. Leading this group has definitely been a challenge, because its members are geographically dispersed throughout the United States. However, these challenges have been greatly reduced, and in many cases, eliminated due to the use of Web 2.0 technologies.
At the conference in Washington D.C., I joined Kochukoshy (CK) Cheruvetollilof Ross & Associates Environmental Consulting, Ltd in presenting on how Web 2.0 technologies have been utilized in the development of the Tracking Network. The presentation below describes how these technologies have helped with maintaining standards documents, and with undertaking a nationwide training effort.
Harnessing Web 2.0 to Develop the Tracking Network