The Foreign Service Journal, March 2012

14 F O R E I G N S E R V I C E J O U R N A L / M A R C H 2 0 1 2 repository of information, much of which appears in unstructured text, e- mails, memoranda, cables and other documents. Trying to cope with the flurry of messages from Versailles at the conclusion of World War I, the State Department adopted a system of metadata, known as TAGS, to assist in quick delivery of messages to the rel- evant recipients. Today, that system still serves as a taxonomy for filing and archiving, and it also functions as a basis for rudi- mentary analysis. The diagram above shows a word cloud de- picting the frequency of tag use in a set of 60 ca- bles generated by a search for “science” and “diplomacy.” Considering that TAGS were introduced nearly a century ago, the system has aged well. Still, as knowledge work- ers in an information economy and as man- agers of State’s knowledge assets, we should look to do better, and not wait for some catastrophe to force change. Technologies currently in use in the State Department serve those who al- ready know what they are searching for. In contrast, visualization opens up S P E A K I N G O U T Frequency diagram of tags in 60 unclassified cables identified by the search terms “science” and “diplo- macy” gathered between August 2010 and August 2011. AFSA Resource Marketplace Find the Most-Requested Resources from the Overseas Briefing Center Online at www.afsa.org/AFSAMarketplace 1. FSI’s Transition Center 2. U.S. Department of State Overseas Briefing Center (OBC) 3. Security Overseas Seminars: PSOS, ASOS, SAA, SOS, SOS 4. Transition Center Training home page for eligible family members and members of household (MOH) 5. International Jobs - Working Overseas 6. Country Information (Bidding Resources) 7. Transition Center Courses 8. Preparing to Go Overseas 9. Pets and International Travel 10. Foreign Service Assignment Notebook: What Do I Do Now? 11. U.S. Department of State Career Transition Center (CTC) 12. Personal Post Insights 13. Elementary School Stuff 14. Arrange Medical Clearance and Immunizations 15. High Stress Assignment Outbrief Program