NextGov Bold Awards - Department of State Transition App

One of my recent projects at the Department of State was selected as a finalist for the NextGov Bold Awards!

The project involved the development of a first-of-its kind iPad app that was used by Secretary of State John Kerry during his transition and confirmation process in December 2012 – February 2013.  The Transition App provided John Kerry and his staff with an introduction to the State Department including an overview of its organization structure, its embassies and consulates overseas, and key policy and management issues. The app helped the transition team to gain new insights and perspectives into the State Department by combining multiple datasets into a single information display that linked related information together to help show contextual relationships.

This was a vast improvement over the previous system of large, three-ring binders that contained hundreds of issue papers and briefing documents. The Transition App allowed the Secretary’s staff to update information within the app wirelessly as new information became available and enabled the transition team to request additional information directly from their iPads.

I worked on the development of the iPad app itself but the project team was comprised of a multidisciplinary group of developers, designers, IT security and network specialists. The iPad app was only one component of a large system that included XML-based content templates, an enterprise content delivery system, and a desktop app that could be used by staff without iPads. Of course, we also implemented a robust security model to protect the system. On the iPad we implemented encryption of data in transit and at rest, an enterprise Mobile Device Management (MDM) platform, and a custom user authentication module.

The app was very successful and has paved the way for other mobile applications at State. It’s a very exciting time to be a mobile developer at the State Department!