benefits of open government data (expanded)
DESCRIPTION
Expanded presentation on benefits of open government data, given at ALI's Social Media for Government conference in May.TRANSCRIPT
VisibleGovernment.ca
Benefits of Open Government Data
[1]
Another Type of Social Media: Publishing Structured Data
[2]
Graphic generated by Redkid.net
“have a much greater potential effect on the ability to transform government than anything else in the Web 2.0 world.”
- Gartner, 2007 The E-Government Hype Cycle Meets Web 2.0
Web-oriented Architectures:
Publishing Structured Feeds
• Ability to subscribe to interesting data
• Data streams can be ‘mashed’ in new ways.
Data Visualization
• Makes it easy to find new patterns.
Collaborative Organization
• Tagging, Voting, Sharing
Crowdsourcing
• Combines skills and input of large numbers of people
Governments publish data
streams
Citizens monitor data
streams
Issues are detected
Issues are resolved
3rd
Party Tools
• Governments publish data streams
• 3rd parties create tools for analysis and oversight
• Citizens collaboratively monitor their government
• Citizens detect issues, give feedback
• Issues are resolved
Why?
Open Systems Allow External Contribution.
Goldcorp
1999: Struggling Vancouver company
Early test results showed gold deposits
After years of searching: no gold found
[3]
From Wikinomics, by Dan Tapscott
Golden challenge unearths new ideas: Globe and Mail, April 2007.
“I
[The Goldcorps President] realized that the uniquely qualified minds to make new discoveries were probably outside the boundaries of his organization, and by sharing some intellectual property he could harness the power of collective genius and capability
[4]
What if governments took the same approach?
Vivek Kundra
Former CTO, District of Columbia
[20]
[21]
Changecamp Ottawa▪ Ottawa City Hall, May 16
Changecamp Vancouver▪ June 20 & 21st
Citizens can do more thancode websites...
structured govt. data
+ citizen expert groups
some examples...
1st Year Results:•2000 Citizen Reviewers • Avg. Time / Reviewer / Patent: 6hrs
Easy to File a Report
Rewarding
•25,000 Problems reported• 8,000 Fixed
A recent US Congress bill
Groups for bill
Groups against bill
Donations
Votes
Publishing Structured Feeds
• MAPLight is a mashup of data streams from different sources.
Data Visualization
• MAPLight makes relationship between money and votes
visible.
Collaborative Organization
• Advocacy group tagsdonating companies as belonging to interest groups.
Crowdsourcing
• Thousands of journalists, advocates, and citizens can browse data and flag issues.
Open Systems Make Failure Free.
* paraphrasing Clay Shirky.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/cobalt/1308955915/
Where’s the best solution?
It’s hard for governments to experiment.
There’s lots of people watching.
[5]
There’s lots of rules.
[6]
“An online compliance checklist for designers of government websites identifies
no fewer than 24 different regulatory
regimes with which all public government web sites must comply.”
-David Robinson, Princeton Center for Information Policy.“Government Data and the Invisible Hand”
[7]
Let others experiment
for you.
* Save tax money.
• Pared down interface
• Easy to navigate
Regulations.gov
OpenRegulations.org
2003 2008(+few months)
• Launched
• Limited Search
• Hard to Use
• Re-designed
• Re-launched
• Added RSS Feeds
*From: Government Data and the Invisible Hand, David Robinson, Princeton Center for Information Technology Policy.
Open Systems Create New Markets.
[8]
Cisco:127 Acquisitions in 15 Years
[9]
New Opportunities:
Visualization
Analysis
Community Mgmt.
Combining Data Sets
Data Mining
Niche Markets
[10]
Be like Cisco.
Buy the best solutions.
Open source them.
Create an expanding base of re-usable software.
[11]
An Architecture for Open.
[12]
OLD NEW
*From: Power of Information Task Force blog, June 2008.
OLD NEW
*From: Power of Information Task Force blog, June 2008.
*From: Government Data and the Invisible Hand, David Robinson, Princeton Center for Information Technology Policy.
DepartmentReporting
Reporting
Access
Access
Treasury Board
AuditorGeneral
An Architecture for Open
DepartmentReporting
Reporting
Access
Access
Treasury Board
AuditorGeneral*
ExternalGroups
ExternalGroups
* Save tax dollars.
Open SystemRoadblocks.
[13]
Civil servants often feel they live in a fishbowl.
“No one was ever promoted for disclosing information.”
-US Government Employee.OMBWatch, Towards a 21st Century Right To Know Agenda
Open systems can make heroes.
Not just scapegoats.
[14]
Estonia: Government document repository entirely open to public.
- Stephen Clift, DemocracyOnline*
[18]* http://rebooting.personaldemocracy.com/node/52
Time Detected
Require-ments
Architec-ture
Construc-tion
System Test
Post-Release
Time Introduced
Require-ments
1× 3× 5–10× 10× 10–100×
Architec-ture
- 1× 10× 15× 25–100×
Construc-tion
- - 1× 10× 10–25×
McConnell, Steve (2004). Code Complete (2nd edition ed.)Microsoft Press. pp. 960. ISBN 0-7356-1967-0.Also here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Software_testing
Cost of Software Defect: Time Introduced vs. Time Detected
Let the public see your successes as they’re happening.
• Goals achieved
• Innovative services
• Efficiency improvements
Be a hero.
Change the reporting cycle.
Something that everyone knows about isn’t news.
Case Study #1
Canadian DMCA
(Social Media Against Government)
Members 90,284
Discussions 497
Wall Posts 3,654
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
100
Fair Copyright for Canada Facebook Members(Thousands)
Source: Updates posted to FCC Facebook Group
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=6315846683
Time Detected
Require-ments
Architec-ture
Construc-tion
System Test
Post-Release
Time Introduced
Require-ments
1× 3× 5–10× 10× 10–100×
Architec-ture
- 1× 10× 15× 25–100×
Construc-tion
- - 1× 10× 10–25×
McConnell, Steve (2004). Code Complete (2nd edition ed.)Microsoft Press. pp. 960. ISBN 0-7356-1967-0.Also here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Software_testing
Cost of Software Defect: Time Introduced vs. Time Detected
Include ordinary people in your feedback process.
Float trial balloons. Release drafts.
Monitor social media channels.
Have decision points. When will I do something?
Case Study #2
School Information Finder
Province of Ontario
Ministry of Education
Website to help parents choose a school.
Shows standardized test scores in context with demographics.
Shows the same data the Ministry uses to make decisions.
EQAO Test Results
Demographic Data
from StatsCan
Internal Ministry Analysis
Pre-Launch Consultations:
Talked to people in education.
Talked to a group of principles.
Let the school boards know.
Small user test with 7-8 parents
Survey: “Did you find what you were looking for?”
School Information Finder:
Site soft-launched.
Includes „School Bag‟ that lets parents select 3 schools to
compare by test & demographic information.
Features Up
Mar 29
Features Up
Public launch by Kathleen Wynne, Minister of Education,
at a parent conference.
Mar 29 Apr 4
Public Launch
Features Up
Mar 29 Apr 4 Apr 6
Public Launch
New way to compare public schools in Ontario - using test
scores and immigration background - not everyone thinks it's
good.
- Headline, Globe and Mail, April 6
Features Up
Mar 29 Apr 4 Apr 6
Public Launch
Public Meeting:
Minister decides
to remove
„School Bag‟.
Hearing concerns from stakeholders at a public meeting,
Minister agrees to:
- Remove „School Bag‟ comparison feature.
- Add more information.
Features Up
Mar 29 Apr 4 Apr 6 Apr 7
Public Launch
Public Meeting:
Minister decides
to remove
„School Bag‟
Online Petition Launched
„People for Education‟ Launches Online Petition:
“We are concerned that this site will encourage further social
polarization. “
Features Up
Mar 29 Apr 4 Apr 6 Apr 7
Public Launch
Public Meeting:
Minister decides
to remove
„School Bag‟.
Online Petition Launched
Coverage in:• Toronto Star
• Globe and Mail
• Ottawa Citizen
“Wynne deletes Web feature comparing schools, Minister
Backtracks”
- National Post, April 7, 2009
Features Up
Mar 29 Apr 4 Apr 6 Apr 7
Public Launch
Public Meeting:
Minister decides
to remove
„School Bag‟.
Online Petition Launched
Coverage in:• Toronto Star
• Globe and Mail
• Ottawa Citizen
„School Bag‟
removed.
Removal of „School Bag‟ feature delayed by site traffic:
- 11,000 hits by 11am.
Feature removed that afternoon.
All test scores & demographic data still available on site.
Features Up
Mar 29 Apr 4 Apr 6 Apr 7
Public Launch
Public Meeting:
Minister decides
to remove
„School Bag‟.
Online Petition Launched
Coverage in:• Toronto Star
• Globe and Mail
• Ottawa Citizen
„School Bag‟
removed.
Comments on School Finder Website Survey, April 7:
(loosely categorized)
1/3 – Take down the whole site.
1/3 – The site should provide more information.
1/3 – Governments should make all information available.
Features Up
Mar 29 Apr 4 Apr 6 Apr 7
Public Launch
Apr 8
Public Meeting:
Minister decides
to remove
shopping bag.
Online Petition Launched
Coverage in:• Toronto Star
• Globe and Mail
• Ottawa Citizen
Statement by
Premier.
„School Bag‟
removed.
“If you were to ask parents whether or not they want this
information, I know what their answer is.”
- Dalton McGuinty, Premier, April 8
"Part of the disappointment today was
that it is a partnership table,"
"This was the first time that people
were blindsided and had no idea what
was going on.“
- Annie Kidder, People for Education
Wynne deletes Web feature comparing schools,
Minister Backtracks, National Post, April 7, 2009
May 5, 2009
The Ministry of Education is working with stakeholders to add more information to the website.
The School Information Finder site is getting 300-800 hits per day.
What should government websites do?
Government websites should do everything.
I’m still not happy.
[24]
This is what start-ups do.
Potential for negative press by people who want to influence you.
Wynne deletes Web feature comparing schools,
Minister Backtracks
- National Post, April 7, 2009
Don’t surprise anyone.
Have a very visible consultation process.
Have well documented feedback that supports your decisions.
... Takes a long time.
Make the data free.
Let other people build the websites.
[21]
Requires: A Policy
1.What types of sites do I trust to
present my data accurately?
2.What types of sites do I trust to
provide me with accurate
feedback?
Make a badge.
This site is trusted by
the Government of
Ontario.
[23]
About VisibleGovernment.ca
Focus: US Congress
California Legislature
Gives grants to online transparency tools
UK Non-Profit
Simple, Effective Tools
High Participation
Photo by memespring, Flickr.com, Creative Commons ASA2G
Ideas
Skills
Funds
Accelerate online transparency
Raise Awareness With public
With government
Raise Money
Fund External Development: Grants
Contests
Prove Concept
Get Publicity
Raise Awareness
Show What’s Possible
Direct Attention and Money and to Online
Tools For Transparency
[15]
Standardize
• Scrape data into standard format
Stream
• Publish RSS feeds
Visualize
• Provide basic visualization app
• Hold contests
30,000 Records collected so far.
4 Volunteers.
155 Errors found.
1 Visualization company engaged.
1 Lawyer making sure things are on the up-and-up.
[15]
FixMyStreet
What you can do now.
[16]
“When you open up the data, there’s no limit to what people can do. It engages the imagination of citizens in building the city.”
-David Miller, Mayor of Toronto.Toronto 2.0: Data Sharing SourceThe Globe and Mail, 09-01-31
Vivek Kundra
CIO, United States of America
“... we need to make sure that all
that data that is not private, that is
not restricted for national security
reasons, can be made public. “
- Vivek Kundra, US CIO
data.gov
Vivek Kundra, US CIO In His Own Words, O‟Reilly Radar
http://radar.oreilly.com/2009/03/vivek-kundra-federal-cio-in-hi.html
[17]
Government of Canada
Treasury Board
ITERation Project
• Generalized system for publishing data
• Implements IMF Code of Conduct for
Fiscal Transparency
1. Issue a high level statement in support of
transparency and openness.
Adapted from: OMBWatch: Towards a 21st Century Right to Know Agenda [19]
Government should be transparent.
Information maintained by the Federal Government is a
national asset.
My Administration will take appropriate action, consistent
with law and policy, to disclose information rapidly in
forms that the public can readily find and use.
Executive departments and agencies should harness
new technologies to put information about their
operations and decisions online and readily available to
the public.
Executive departments and agencies should also solicit
public feedback to identify information of greatest use to
the public.
Memo from the President of the United States
http://www.whitehouse.gov/the_press_office/TransparencyandOpenGovernment/ [22]
1. Issue a high level statement in support of
transparency and openness.
2. Adopt a policy of disclosure by default, as
opposed to by exception.
3. Allocate money to implement a more
transparent government.
4. Create job-level incentives to promote
disclosure and transparency.
Adapted from: OMBWatch: Towards a 21st Century Right to Know Agenda [19]
TO DO: You
1. Get things online, internally. (Use Excel
less.)
2. Identify what information you collect and
use.
3. Identify who owns the information, and how
it‟s licensed.
[19]
Anonymously report data sets and licensing.
Users can tie use cases to the information.
Site collects signups of people who would like to see that information released.
TO DO: You
4. Come up with a good plan, so you look
fantastic.
[19]
Further Resources:
VisibleGovernment.ca Website: http://visiblegovernment.ca
GSA – Office of Citizen Services and Communication Intra-governmental Newsletter : Transparency and Open Governmenthttp://www.usaservices.gov/events_news/documents/Transparency.pdf
OMBWatch: Towards a 21st Century Right to Know Agendahttp://www.ombwatch.org/node/3840
Government Data and the Invisible Hand, David Robinson et. al. Princeton Center for Information Technology Policyhttp://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=1138083
Hack, Mash and Peer: Crowdsourcing Government TransparencyJerry Brito, George Mason Universityhttp://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=1023485
ChangeCamp: http://groups.google.com/group/changecamp
Sunlight Foundation: http://www.sunlightfoundation.com/
http://www.slideshare.net/jenniferbell
Photo Credits:
[1] 234 social media marketing examples, beingpeterkimhttp://www.flickr.com/photos/beingpeterkim/2909140600/
[2] Printing Press, Thomas Hawk http://www.flickr.com/photos/thomashawk/172495285/
[3] Gold Bars, Curtis Perry http://www.flickr.com/photos/curtisperry/56998544
[4] Where’s Wally?, McGarry http://www.flickr.com/photos/mcgarry/111003432
[5] Eye see you!, dotbenjamin http://www.flickr.com/photos/dotbenjamin/2636942186
[6] Auntie P.'s ruler, John Edgar Parkhttp://www.flickr.com/photos/edgar/355067220
[7] Chemical Reaction, Neys http://www.flickr.com/photos/neys/2386865187
[8] Landmark Supermarket Trinoma, bredgurhttp://www.flickr.com/photos/bredgur/2655954991
[9] Cisco 2950, Marco Wessel http://www.flickr.com/photos/mhw/91952572/
[10] Hanging Boken Bulb II, bitzcelt http://www.flickr.com/photos/bitzcelt/450640323/
[11] United Colors of Legotton, Guillermo http://www.flickr.com/photos/grdloizaga/817425185
[12] Rotterdam: abstract architecture, docmanhttp://www.flickr.com/photos/docman/2216568210
[13] Roadblock, iboy daniel http://www.flickr.com/photos/iboy_daniel/83671284
[14] just take my hand let's fly away, funkyahhttp://www.flickr.com/photos/funkyah/2400889778/
[15] Amelia Earheart, missrougue, http://www.flickr.com/photos/missrogue/297606078/
[16] Dave Wants You, Chris Owens http://www.flickr.com/photos/shutter/105497713
[17] Robots Attack, Andy Wilson http://www.flickr.com/photos/by_andy/2646443630/
[18] Old Town, Tallinn, Estonia http://www.flickr.com/photos/kaeru/1442362288/
[19] Notepad with Lines, net_effekt, http://www.flickr.com/photos/wheatfields/1803278949/
[20] Untitled, ckramer, http://www.flickr.com/photos/ckramer/3013249503/
[21] ChangeCamp at MaRS, Matthew Burpeehttp://www.flickr.com/photos/mburpee/3223056900/
[22] Paper Lace, pareerica, http://www.flickr.com/photos/8078381@N03/2855146837/
[23] Employment Badge, Leo Reynolds, http://www.flickr.com/photos/49968232@N00/5238329/
[24] Me? Dave Parker, http://www.flickr.com/photos/daveparker/2758392869/