It Started 20 Years Ago

Philip—a decision scientist and programmer—and Carie—then a public policy mediator—met when the whole notion of transparency in government was having its (cosmetic) day. We were idealistic. And we realized that government can lay a lot of information out there but it is not necessarily the info people are interested in and—very importantly—what they want is not often findable. To be drowned in a fire-hose is not to be informed. And at a psychological level, providing information in the well-worn grooves of bureaucracy didn't exactly inspire citizens with a sense of agency. But that worn groove isn't just in government, it is everywhere. In this navigation system, we are throwing the grooves out. No, that's not it—we are inviting you to make your own path. The content is ours. The meandering is yours. (And eventually, a lot of the content could be yours, too.)