In September 2011, we sent a letter around to our friends working in the transparency and accountability space in Washington, DC asking them what they thought about the idea of moving in together. It only made sense: we were all in DC, we got along well, but we only saw each other from time to time. Why not every day?

Over the last twelve months, a lot has happened. We brainstormed, toured spaces in DC, and in the end, found ourselves part of a group of ten organizations committed and ready to give co-habitation a chance. We are excited to announce that the newly created OpenGov Hub (www.opengovhub.org) is opening its doors on Monday, October 1^st at the recently overhauled office space of Development Gateway, another founding OpenGov Hub anchor tenant.

In the spirit of transparency, we made some decisions early on to fully embrace the shared workspace concept. The immediate impact: out with the doors and cubicles and in with open plan workspaces, hot desks and Media:scape collaboration areas. We’ve even set up a laptop treadmill for those long conference calls where a little exercise takes the brain a long way.

We at Global Integrity are VERY much looking forward to our new office space and the opportunity to bounce our ideas and plans around with like-minded folk from groups that are doing some pretty amazing things.

Who’s in? Meet the crew!

Global Integrity (us!) (www.globalintegrity.org) is an innovation lab that produces high-quality research and creates cutting-edge technology to advance the work of a global network of civic, public, and private reformers pursuing increased transparency and accountability in governments.

Development Gateway (www.developmentgateway.org) is a non-profit organization that delivers information solutions to the people on the front lines of international development work, with a focus on increasing transparency and accountability.

Open Government Partnership (www.opengovpartnership.org)is a new multilateral initiative that aims to secure concrete commitments from governments to promote transparency, empower citizens, and strengthen governance.

Accountability Lab (www.accountabilitylab.org) is an independent, non-profit organization that works to make power-holders responsible. The Lab acts as a sounding board, listening to, analyzing and reflecting upon accountability concerns.

Institute for Social Policy and Understanding (ISPU) is an independent, nonpartisan think tank and research organization committed to conducting objective, empirical research and offering expert policy analysis on some of the most pressing issues facing the United States.

FrontlineSMS (http://www.frontlinesms.com/) By using available technology—affordable laptops and basic mobile phones—FrontlineSMS helps organizations in both economically developed and under-developed countries to overcome the communication barriers they face.

ReThink Media (http://rethinkmedia.org) is a strategic institute that provides affordable access to technology, effective communications training and public opinion data.

GroundTruth Initiative (http://groundtruth.in/) specializes in community-based participatory technologies, especially mapping and citizen journalism, in poor and marginalized regions throughout the world.

Humanitarian OpenStreetMap Team (HOT) (http://hot.openstreetmap.org) works both remotely and physically in countries to assist the collection of geographic data, usage of that information and training others in OpenStreetMap.

Ushahidi (http://ushahidi.com/) builds tools for democratizing information, increasing transparency and lowering the barriers for individuals to share their stories.

To follow our progress, check out the OpenGov Hub!

www.opengovhub.org

@opengovhub

facebook/opengovhub

— Christina Crawley

— Image Credit: OpenGov Hub