Post on 21-Mar-2020
03.16.2016
Version1.0
OPEN DATA PLAYBOOK
OpenDataPlaybook|pagei
CONTENTS1INTRODUCTION...................................................................11.1THECITYOFSEATTLE’SOPENDATAPROGRAM....................................1
1.2ROLES&RESPONSIBILITIES..................................................................2
2HOWTOCREATEADATASETINVENTORY............................32.1WHATITIS...........................................................................................3
2.2HOWTOCONTRIBUTE.........................................................................3
2.3GUIDINGQUESTIONS...........................................................................3
2.4TEMPLATE...........................................................................................4
2.5DEFINITIONS........................................................................................4
3HOWTOPUBLISHASINGLEDATASET..................................83.1SELECTADATASET...............................................................................8
3.2CONVENEDATASETTEAM...................................................................8
3.3COMPLETETHEOPENDATASETSUBMISSIONFORM(METADATA).......9
3.4SUBMITTOTHEOPENDATATEAMFORREVIEW................................10
3.5DATASETTEAM:PUBLISHTHEDATASET.............................................10
3.6REVIEWANDUPDATE........................................................................11
4HOWTOMAKETHEBESTUSEOFOPENDATA...................12
4.1ENGAGESTAKEHOLDERS....................................................................12
4.2PARTICIPATEINLARGEREFFORTS......................................................13
4.3PARTICIPATEINLOCALEFFORTS........................................................14
4.4JOINTHEGLOBALCOMMUNITY.........................................................14
5SUPPORTINGDOCUMENTS................................................16
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1INTRODUCTIONUndertheCityofSeattle’sopendatapolicy,eachdepartmentisresponsibleforpublishingitsowndata,withcentralizedsupportfromtheopendatateaminSeattleIT.Asoutlinedinthepolicy,eachdepartmentappointsan“opendatachampion”toleadtheirdepartment’sworkandparticipateintheCitywidenetworkofchampions.ThisplaybookisintendedprimarilyforopendatachampionsintheCityofSeattle.Wheneverweusetheword“you,”wearereferringtotheopendatachampions.Wheneverweusetheword“we,”wearereferringtotheopendatateaminSeattleIT.
1.1THECITYOFSEATTLE’SOPENDATAPROGRAMTheCityofSeattle’sopendataprogramlaunchedinearly2010withthelaunchofouropendataportal,data.seattle.gov.Sincethen,Seattlehasbecomealeaderinmakinggovernmentdataavailabletothepublic.OurprogramisrankedsixthinthecountrybytheCodeforAmericaOpenDataCensus,andin2015,theGoverningInstitutenamedtheprogramitsCitizenEngagementProjectoftheYear.
Wewerethefirstinthenationtopublish911dispatchdatafromourpoliceandfiredepartmentsinnear-real-time,whichremainamongthemostpopulardatasetsonourportal.Currently,therearemorethan600datasetsandmapsavailable.Theyincludeinformationonschools,publicfacilities,publicart,andnumerousotherpubliclyregulatedactivitiesthataffectlifeinSeattle.Approximately14,000peoplevisitourportaleachmonth.
In2016,underMayorEdMurray,theCitycreatedanofficialOpenDataPolicythatisbackedbyanexecutiveorderfromtheMayor.ItdirectsallCitydepartmentstomaketheirdata“openbypreference,”whichbothsetstheexpectationthatpublicdatawillbepublicandmakesclearthatwehavearesponsibilitytoprotectprivacy.Thenewpolicylaysoutcleargoalsthatguideourworkasaprogram.Overthenextfewyears,ourprogramwillfocusonqualityoverquantity,prioritizedatasetsbasedonthepublicinterest,improvegovernanceofouropendatathroughimprovedmetadataandregularupdatestodatasets,andengageourusersproactivelythroughouttheprocess.Wewanttopublishdatathatismeaningfulandusable,maximizingthebenefittothepublicoftheresourceswespendtomanagetheprogram.
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1.2ROLES&RESPONSIBILITIESSeattleITSeattle’sITDepartment,ledbytheChiefTechnologyOfficer,providesleadershipfortheoverallopendataprogram,liaisingwiththeMayor’sOfficeandCityCouncilasnecessary,overseesthepolicy,and,viatheprivacyprogram,ensuresthatpublicationofopendataisconsistentwithourprivacypolicy.
OpenDataTeamTheopendatateam,partofSeattleIT’sDigitalEngagementdivision,isresponsibleforday-to-daymanagementoftheopendataprogram,includingtraining,processmanagement,andqualitycontrolforalldatasetspublishedtotheopendataportal,aswellastheopendatasetinventory.TheopendatateamisresponsibleforproducinganannualreporttotheMayorandthepublic,anannualplanthatoutlinestheprogram’sstrategyforthecomingyear,andanannualriskassessmentofboththeprogramandallthedataavailableontheportal.
Additionally,incollaborationwiththeCity’sCivicTechnologyAdvocate,theprogramoffers:
- DataCamp,anannualtrainingforopendatachampions- BreakfastofChampions,amonthlyengagementforopendatachampionsthatblendsprogram
management,training,andexposuretocivictechnologyopportunities- RegularopportunitiestoengagewiththecivictechnologycommunityinSeattleandbeyond
OpenDataChampionsEachdepartment’sopendatachampionisresponsibleformanagingtheirdepartment’sparticipationintheprogram.Theyworkwithleadershiptosetpriorities,overseethepublicationandongoingmanagementofdatasetsfortheirdepartment,andparticipateinongoingactivitieswiththenetworkofchampions.Theyalsokeeptheopendatasetinventoryup-to-dateandcontributetoannualreportsandplans.
DataOwnersDataownersacrossCitygovernmentcontributedatasetstotheinventoryandtotheportal.
DepartmentLeadershipDepartmentdirectorsandmanagersguidetheirdepartment’sparticipationintheopendataprogram,settingopendata-relatedperformancegoalsfortheirteams,updatingpoliciesandprocedurestoreflecttheopendatapolicy,andmakingsuretheirstaffhavethetimeandresourcestoparticipateintheprogram.Asneeded,theyworkwithopendatachampionstosetpriorities,engagestakeholders,andworkthroughanysensitivitiesintheirdatasetspriortopublication.TheyconsultwithopendatachampionsatthestartofnewprojectsandsoftwareimplementationtoensurethattheyfacilitatecompliancewiththeCity’sopendatapolicy.
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2HOWTOCREATEADATASETINVENTORY
2.1WHATITISTheopendataprogram’sdatasetinventoryservesas:
- awaytosee,ataglance,whatdatatheCityhasthatmightbeappropriateforpublicationasopendataunderthenewopendatapolicy
- atoolfortheopendatateamtokeeptrackofallthepotentialopendataintheCitysowecanmanagetheprogramandreportuptotheMayor’sOfficeandouttothepublic
- atoolforopendatachampionstokeeptrackoftheirdepartment’sopendataandmakesureitismanagedwellonanongoingbasis
ThedatasetinventoryispartoftheCity’scomprehensivedatainventory,whichismanagedbytheChiefPrivacyOfficer.Unlikethecomprehensivedatainventory,whichincludesalldatacollectedandstoredbytheCity,theopendataprogram’sdatasetinventoryisfocusedonexistingdatasetsthatarealreadyinuse.Thisisafirststepthatmayormaynotleadtopublicationofthedataset,infullorinpart.
2.2HOWTOCONTRIBUTEEachdepartmentisdifferentintermsofhowitismanaged,howmuchdatayouown,whatkindofdatayouown(rangingfromreportscreatedwithotherpeople’sdata,usuallypublishedinpdf,tohugedatabasesystemswheredatasetsarenotalwayseasytoextract),andhowyouworktogetherasadepartment.Dependingonwhatworksforyou,youmaywanttostartwithanyorallofthesesteps:
- meetwithyourdepartmentdirectorand/orteamleaderstosharewhatopendatais,whattheMayor’sexpectationsarefortheinventory,andhowyoumightbestgoaboutsolicitinginputfromdataowners
- meetwithyourdepartment’scommunicationsteam,publicinformationand/orpublicrecordsofficer,orpersonsresponsibleforperformancemanagementreporting
- meetdirectlywithdataownerstotalktothemaboutwhattheyownAtthispoint,donotexcludeanydatasetsbasedonprivacy,security,sensitivityorqualityconcerns.Everydatasetwillbereviewedandapprovedbeforeit’spublished.
2.3GUIDINGQUESTIONS• Whatdatadoesyourdepartmentuseforinternalperformanceandtrendanalysis?• Whatdatapopulatesyourmonthlyorquarterlyreports?• Whatinformationispublishedasaperformancemetric(e.g.onperformance.seattle.gov)?• Whatinformationdoyoureporttolocal,state,orfederalagencies?• WhatinformationdoyousharewithotherCitydepartments?• Whatinformationdoyousharewithexternalpartners?• Whatinformationisrepeatedlyrequestedbythepublic,viathepublicdisclosureprocessand/or
opendatarequests?• Whatkindsofopendataareyourpeeragenciesacrossthecountrypublishing?
Hint:CheckoutChicago,Philadelphia,andSanFranciscotostart
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2.4TEMPLATETheopendataprogramhasprovidedatemplateforthecommoninventory,currentlyavailableasanExcelspreadsheet.Itincludesfieldsinthreecategories:
Basicinformation
At-a-glanceassessment
Post-publicationtracking
2.5DEFINITIONSTheat-a-glanceassessmentisatoolfortheinventorythatisintendedtoassistwithprioritization.Itisnotasubstituteforthein-depthdataqualityandprivacyassessmentsthatarerequiredpriortopublication.Inthetemplateitself,youwillfinddefinitionsforeachassessmentcategoryaswellasexamples.Mostfieldsareadrop-down.
Herearethedefinitionsasincludedinthetemplate:
Quality
Good Thisdatasetisusedroutinely,ismanagedinawaythatmakesitlegibletousersbesidestheowner,andisreasonablyaccurate
Acceptable Thisdatasetisusedroutinelybutnotnecessarilylegibletonon-ownersand/orhassomegapsordiscrepanciesthatlimititsusability
Poor Thisdatasetexistsbutisnotregularlyused,updated,orotherwisemanagedinawaythatmakesitvaluable
Privacy/PIIThisisaflagonly;datasetswillbereviewedforprivacypriortopublication.PIIincludesbutisnotlimitedto:
NameandinitialsinanycombinationIdentificationnumber(e.g.,SocialSecurity#)Birthdate
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AgeGenderHomeaddressHometelephonenumberPersonalcellular,mobileorwirelessnumberPersonale-mailaddressDrivers’licensenumberInformationonmedicalorhealthconditionsFinancialinformation(creditcard/PCI,billinginfo,accountinfo)HealthinformationMaritalstatusNationalitySexualbehaviororsexualpreferencePhysicalcharacteristicsRacialorethnicoriginReligious,philosophicalorpoliticalbeliefsTradeunionmembershipBiometricdataHouseholdinformationConsumerpurchaseorbillinghistoryUniquedeviceidentifiers(IP/MACaddresses)Location(e.g.,GPS)info(includingthatprovidedbymobiledevices)
Security
Public Publicinformationcanbeorcurrentlyisreleasedtothepublic.Itdoesnotneedprotectionfromunauthorizeddisclosure,butdoesneedintegrityandavailabilityprotectioncontrols.Thiswouldincludegeneralpublicinformation,publishedreferencedocuments(withincopyrightrestrictions),opensourcematerials,approvedpromotionalinformationandpressreleases.
Examples:
• InformationprovidedonCitywebsites• Informationforpublicdistribution(e.g.budgetdocumentsafterpublicrelease)• GISmaps• Meetingagendasandminutes
Sensitive Sensitiveinformationmaynotbespecificallyprotectedfromdisclosurebylawandisforofficialuseonly.Sensitiveinformationisgenerallynotreleasedtothepublicunlessspecificallyrequested.AlthoughmostallofthisinformationissubjecttodisclosurelawsbecauseoftheCity'sstatusasapublicentity,itstillrequirescarefulmanagementandprotectiontoensuretheintegrityandobligationsoftheCity'sbusinessoperationsandcompliancerequirements.ItalsoincludesdataassociatedwithinternalemailsystemsandCityUseraccountactivityinformation.
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Examples:
• Workphonenumbers• Organizationalcharts• Interdepartmentaldocuments• Policies,procedures,andstandards
Confidential ConfidentialinformationisinformationthatisspecificallyprotectedinallorinpartfromdisclosureundertheStateofWashingtonPublicDisclosureLaws(SeeLinktoStateDisclosureLawinAppendixB).
Examples:
• PersonallyIdentifiableInformation(PII)• Informationconcerningemployeepersonnelrecords• InformationregardingITinfrastructureandsecurityofcomputerand
telecommunicationssystems,informationsecurityplans• Informationrelatedtolawenforcement(e.g.witnessprotectioninformation)• Informationrelatedtominors(e.g.adoptionandfosterrecords)
SpecialHandling
Someconfidentialinformationisspecificallyprotectedfromdisclosurebylawandsubjecttostricthandlingrequirementsdictatedbystatutes,regulations,orlegalagreements.Seriousconsequencescouldarisefromunauthorizeddisclosure,suchasthreatstocriticalinfrastructure,increasedsystemsvulnerabilityandhealthandsafety,orlegalsanctions.Departmentshandlingthiscategoryofinformationmustdemonstratecompliancewithapplicablestatutes,regulatoryrequirementsandlegalagreements.
Examples:
• PaymentCardIndustry(PCI)information• NorthAmericanElectricReliabilityCorporation(NERC)
o Performanceandstandardsmetricso Riskmanagementandcapabilityinformation
• CriminalJusticeInformationServicesDivision(CJIS)o NCICdatao Openinvestigations
• HIPAApersonalhealthrecordsinformation,suchas:o Healthinsuranceo Patienttreatmentinformation
• FamilyEducationRightsandPrivacyAct(FERPA)information,suchas:o Taxrecordsofparentsandstudentso Grades
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Sensitivity
High Thisinformationisconsideredsensitivebystakeholders,leadership,ortheMayor'sOffice,suchthatitwouldlikelyrequireoutreachtothosegroupspriortopublication(e.g.labor,vendors,impactedpopulations)
Medium Thisinformationhasanimpactonstakeholdersthatshouldbetakenintoaccount,butisunlikelytobedisruptivetoongoingprocesses
Low Thisinformationisalreadypublicinsomeformordoesnotcontaindatathatwouldbesurprisingtostakeholders
Priority
High Thereisdemandforthisdatasetbythedepartmentand/orthepublic,oritisrelevanttohigh-profileworkorobjectives
Medium Thedatasetshouldbepublishedbutisnotanimmediatepriority
Low Thereisnoapparentdemandyetforthisdataset
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3HOWTOPUBLISHASINGLEDATASET
3.1SELECTADATASETWhiletheCity’sopendatapolicymakesourdata“openbypreference,”inreality,publishingeachdatasetrequiresworkonbothaone-timeandongoingbasis–tostandardizethedata,makeitmachine-readable,writegoodmetadata,andtakestepstoprotectprivacyandmitigatesecurityrisks.Eachdepartmentwillneedtoprioritizewhichdatasetstopublishbasedonavarietyoffactors,includinginputfromthepublic.
3.2CONVENEDATASETTEAMTopreparethedatasetforpublication,youwillneedateam.Here’swhoyou’llwantonit:
• OpendatachampionThepersonresponsibleforoversightofallofthedepartment’sopendata
• Datasetowner(s)Thepersonorpeoplewhomanagethedataand/orworkrelatedtoit,whounderstandwhatitisusedfor,whocanprovidethecontext/metadatathatensuresthepublicunderstandswhatitmeans,andwhocanleadstakeholderengagement
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• TechnicalresourceThepersonwhohasthetechnicalskilltoextractdatasetsfromdatabasesandoutersources,preparethedataforpublicationandultimatelypublishthedatatodata.seattle.gov
Thesedonotneedtobeseparatepeople.Forexample,dependingonthedataset,thebusinessownermayhavethetechnicalskillsoralsoserveasOpendatachampion.Youwillentertheinformationaboutwhoisontheteam,andwhichmemberisresponsibleforwhichtask,intotheOpenDatasetSubmissionForm.
3.3COMPLETETHEOPENDATASETSUBMISSIONFORM(METADATA)Tosubmitadatasetforpublication,youwillfillouttheopendatasetsubmissionform,whichalsoactsasthemetadataforeachdataset.Thisinformationwillbeaccessibletothepublicalongsidethedatasetitself.Thisiswhereyouwillwanttoputanyinformationthatdoesnotbelonginsidethedatasetbutisimportantforunderstandingwhatitisandhowtouseit.Relevantlinksmaybeincluded,solongasyoutakecaretokeepthemuptodate.
Thesubmissionformhastwoparts:generaldatasetinformationandasamplerecord.Hereiswhatyouwillbeaskedtoprovide:
• Atitle,utilizingtheCity’snamingstandards• Description&businesspurpose(anyadditionalinformationaboutthedatasetthatwillbe
useful)• Keywordsdescribingthedatathathelppeoplesearchingforit• URL’sthatlinktothedepartmentandotherwebsitesrelatedtothedataset• Primarycontactinformation• Sourceandsourcetype• Howthedatasetisextractedandpreparedforpublication• Howthedatasetispublishedtodata.seattle.gov• Howoftenthedatasetispublishedtodata.seattle.gov
Foreachcolumninthedataset,youwilldocumentthe:
• Column(fieldname)• Datatype(text,date/time,geocode,etc.)• Samplevalue• Columnmetadatadescription(whatthedatainthecolumnrepresentsormeans)
Youwillalsoincludeaone-recordexampleofdatasetwithallfieldspopulated.HereisagreatexamplefromtheSoldFleetEquipmentdataset:
FieldName DataType Value MetadataDescriptionEQUIP_ID Text 1404 VehicleequipmentidentificationnumberYEAR Text 2000 VehiclemanufactureyearMAKE Text PLYMOUTH VehiclemakeMODEL Text NEON VehiclemodelDESCRIPTION Text SUBCOMPACTSEDAN Typeofvehicle
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DEPT Text SPD CitydepartmentSALE_PRICE Text 3700 VehiclesalepriceSOLD_BY Text BIDADOOONLINEAUCTION Salesagent
Youcanlearnmoreaboutmetadataforopendatathroughthisguide,publishedbytheCenterforGovernmentExcellenceatJohnsHopkinsUniversity:https://centerforgov.gitbooks.io/open-data-metadata-guide/content/
3.4SUBMITTOTHEOPENDATATEAMFORREVIEWTheopendatateamwillrevieweachdatasetforprivacy,security,andqualitypriortopublication.Ifthereisasignificantriskofprivacyharm,theywillescalatethereviewtotheChiefPrivacyOfficer.Iftheynoticesecurityissues,theywillworkwithyoutoreducetheriskofharmspriortopublication.Theywillflaganyqualityconcernssotheycaneitherbeaddressedpriortopublicationordescribedinthemetadata,sothatusersareawareofthedataset’slimitations.
3.5DATASETTEAM:PUBLISHTHEDATASETTherearethreemethodsforpublishingdatasetstodata.seattle.gov:
Manual.Thisisgenerallyusedfordatasetsthatarerelativelysmallanduncomplicated,andwheretherefreshrateisquarterlyorlonger.Withsometraining,thismethodiseasilymasteredbynon-technicaldataproviders.Automated.Thisisrecommendedwhendatasetswillbeupdatedmorefrequentlythanquarterly.Thetoolweuseforthis,Socrata’sDataSync,canalsobemasteredbynon-technicaldataproviders.Programmatic(APItoAPI).Thisisidealforreal-ornear-real-timetransfers.Applicationdevelopmentskillsarerequired.
Foranyofthemethodsabove,thefollowingstepsarerequired.
EXTRACTExportdatafromthesourcesystem.Everysystemisdifferentsothemethodfordoingthiswillvary.Ifpossible,youshouldexportonlythedatafields(orcolumns)thatcorrespondwiththeschemayoudefinedintheDatasetSubmissionForm(seeSection3.2above).
TRANSFORMIfnecessary,modifytheexporteddatasothatthedatastructurematchesthedataschemadefinedintheDatasetSubmissionForm.
LOADUsingoneofthepublicationmethodsdescribedabove,uploadthedataintodata.seattle.gov.
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PUBLISHPRIVATELYInitially,thedatasetwillbemarked"private"andislimitedtoyou,selectedtesters,andtheopendatateam.Theopendatateamwillreviewtheprivatelypublisheddatasetandworkwithdataownersandappropriatestakeholderstomakeanyneededchanges.Theopendatamanagerwilldeterminewhenitisreadyforfinalpublication.
OPENTOTHEPUBLICOncethedataisreadyforpublication,theopendatamanagerwillauthorizeittobereleasedtothepublic.
3.6REVIEWANDUPDATEOncethedatasethasbeenpublished,theopendatachampionisresponsibleforkeepingitup-to-date,handlingquestionsaboutthedatasetfromthepublic,andworkingwiththeopendatateamtoresolveanyissuesthatemerge.Atleastonceaquarter,youshouldreviewallyourdepartment’spublisheddatasetstoensuretheyarebeingupdatedonthebasispromisedinthemetadata.Thisistruefordatasetsupdatedautomaticallyaswellasthosethatrequireamanualupdate.Thedatasetinventoryservesasatoolforyoutokeeptrackofwhathasbeenpublishedsoitiseasiertoverifythatthedataareup-to-date.
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4HOWTOMAKETHEBESTUSEOFOPENDATA
4.1ENGAGESTAKEHOLDERSOpendatahasmanystakeholders:thosewhoareimpactedbythedatadirectly,thosewhoareimpactedbythedataindirectly,thosewhouseofthedata,andthosewhoconsumethedata.Anyonewhoisaffectedbyorinterestedinwhat’shappeninginourcityisastakeholderinopendata.
Werecommendengagingstakeholdersatallstagesintheprocess–asyoudeterminedemandfordatasetsfromthepublic,asyoupreparetoreleaseeachdataset,andonanongoingbasistoensurethedatasetisasusefulasitcanbe.Thisalsoallowsyoutoseehowpeoplereacttoyourproposeddatabeforeitispublished,identifyingareasofpotentialconfusionorunnecessarylimitationsonitsusefulness.Itcanalsorevealopportunitiesforustoworktogetherwithoutsidegroupstomakethemostofthedataforthepublicgood.
Forexample,adatasetthatrevealsinformationaboutPoliceDepartmentactivityislikelytohaveabroadgroupofstakeholders,fromvictimsofcrimeandtheirfamiliestoofficersandtheirlaboruniontotheChiefofPoliceandtheMayor,aswellasthegeneralpublic.Ifwesimplypublishthatdatawithoutfirstengagingwiththosewhoselivesittouches,wedothemagreatdisservice.However,ifwethinkaboutthesemanystakeholdersfromthebeginning,thatdatasetcanbethebasisforanopenandtransparentconversationbetweenthePoliceDepartmentandthecommunity.
Let’sdefineeachofthesegroups.
DirectStakeholders:Peopleandinstitutionswhoarerepresenteddirectlyinthedata.
Forexample:
- Policeofficersidentifiedintheofficer-involvedshootingsdataset- Non-profitprovidersoffreemealslistedinthemealprogramsdataset- Ownersofthebuildingslistedintheunreinforcedmasonrydataset
Indirectstakeholders:Peopleandinstitutionswhomaybeimpactedbythereleaseofthedataoranalysisconductedonit.Forexample:
- Residentsofzipcodeslistedashavinghighratesofhouseholdsbelowthepovertylevel- Propertyownersinneighborhoodswherecrimeratesarehigherthanaverage- Studentsatschoolsthatareunderperforming
Users:Peopleandinstitutionswhowillusetherawdata.Forexample:
- Journalistswhowilllookforpossiblestoriesinthedata(e.g.“Howraciallydiverseisyourschool?”,TheSeattleTimes)
- Appdeveloperswhowanttobuildtoolsontopofthedata(e.g.ArtQuestSeattle)- Companiesthatingestthedata(e.g.Zillow)
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- Citydepartmentswhouseittocommunicatewithstakeholders(e.g.SpacefinderfromtheOfficeofArts&Culture)
Consumers:Anyonewhoreadsorusestheinformation.Thelistisendless,butthiscaninclude:
- PeopleintheCityadministrationwhouseittoinformtheirworkand/orperformance,suchasthedataowner,thedepartment’sleadership,theMayor,andpolicyadvisors
- Peoplewithapoliticalinterestintheworkitrepresents,suchasCityCouncilmembersandtheirstaff,communityorganizations,andactivists
- Peoplemanagingsimilarprogramsorwhohavesimilargoals,suchasotherjurisdictions,thecounty,thestate,thefederalgovernment,philanthropists,andnon-profits
- Peoplewhopayattentiontowhatishappeninginthecity,includingresearchers,media,localbusinesses,residents,andpeoplewhoworkhere,aswellasthosegenerallyinterestedinurbanplanning
Asyoucanimagine,therearemanypeopleandinstitutionswhoareimpactedbythedataindifferentways.Themoreyoucanmapthemoutasyouthinkaboutyourdatasets,theeasieritwillbetomakedecisionsaboutwhattoinclude(orwhatnotto),whatformattoprovidethedatain,andwhatactivitiesyoumightundertakearounditsreleasetoensurethedataiswellunderstood.
Werecommendlookingatallofthisthroughanequitylens.Theopendataprogramprovidesoutreachopportunitiesandcanhelptoconnectyouwithusersofdataaswellastosupportyoureffortstoengagethoseimpactedbythedataintheprocess,frompublicationtopromotion.However,werelyonyoursubjectmatterexpertisetoconsiderthepossibleimpactsandstartbrainstormingaboutwhoneedstobeengaged.
Here’sagreatSlidesharefromLaurenellenMcCannoftheNewAmericaFoundationthatoffersmoreinsights.
4.2PARTICIPATEINLARGEREFFORTSTheCityofSeattlehasparticipatedinnationaleffortstoreleasemoreandbetterdata,suchastheWhatWorksCitiesprogramandWhiteHousePoliceDataInitiative.Wealsocollaboratewithregionaljurisdictions,suchasthecountyandstate,andsharebestpracticeswithothercitiesinourarea.Theseconnectionsallowustoshareandadoptthebestapproaches,creatingacommunityofpracticethatmakesallthisworkeasierinthelongrun.
Therearemanyeffortsunderwaytocreateandimplementopendatastandards,allowingforcomparabilityofdataandinteroperabilityofapplicationsbuiltforcities.Standardssignificantlyimprovethepotentialforusefulanalysisanddrivedownthecostsofdevelopmentforcivictechnology.Forexample,theGeneralTransitFeedSpecification,orGTFS,powerstheOneBusAwayappandallowsforittobeusedinothercitiesthatpublishtransitinformationinGTFS.
Herearesomewell-knownOpenDatastandardsthatwewillstrivetouseinthefuture,alongwithexamplesofapplicationsthatusethem,couldusethem,orcouldexpandsignificantlyifourCity’sdatawereavailableinthisstandard:
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• Open311(allnon-emergencyissuereporting)Sampleusecases:FixMyStreetUK,SeeClickFix,ChicagoWorks
• OpenReferral(communityresourcesandsocialservices)Sampleusecases:PurpleBinderandmRelief,Chicago
o OpenEligibilityo HumanServicesDataSpecification
• OpenTrails(publictrailsandrelatedgeographicdata)
Sampleusecases:TrailsEditor,Totago
• Housefacts(residentialbuildings)Sampleusecase:Trulia
• Building&LandDevelopmentSpecification(BLDS)(commercialbuildingsandpermits)Sampleusecase:SeattleinProgress
• OpenContracting(publiccontracting)Sampleusecase:dgMarket
• GeneralTransitFeedSpecification(GTFS)(transit)Sampleusecases:OneBusAway,TransitApp
• StateDecoded(laws,codes,andstatutes)Sampleusecase:LawHelp.org
• FederalSpendingTransparency(budgetinformation)Sampleusecase:USAspending.gov,OpenBudget
4.3PARTICIPATEINLOCALEFFORTSSeattleIT’snewcivictechnologyprogramworkscloselywiththeopendataprogramtofacilitatebettercommunicationbetweentheCityandthetechnologycommunity.AsaparticipantintheNetworkofChampions,youwillhaveregularopportunitiestolearnaboutwhat’shappeningintheopendatamovement,tocollaboratewithcivictechnologists,andtoparticipateinlocalevents,fromhackathonstoongoingvolunteerprojects.ThisinformationissharedinternallyviaalistservandaSharepointcalendarforeasyaccessandismentionedatthemonthlyBreakfastofChampionsmeetings.
4.4JOINTHEGLOBALCOMMUNITYOpendataisaglobalmovementthatishelpinggovernmentsimprovetheiroperations,bettercommunicatewiththepublic,poweranalysisthatmakescities“smarter,”andstimulatethedevelopmentofcivictechnologytoolsthatimprovepeople’squalityoflife.BybecominganOpendatachampion,youalsobecomepartofagrowingnetworkofpublicservantsworkingtobuild21st-centurygovernment.Wethinkthisisexcitingwork,andwehopeyouwill,too.
Ifyouwanttoexploreopendatainanopen-endedwayonyourown,wesuggestcheckingoutthefollowingonlineresources:
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• TheU.S.federalgovernment’sopendatasitedata.gov
• CodeforAmerica,anationalnonprofitthatpartnerswithgovernmentandbuildsopen-sourcetoolscodeforamerica.org
• WhatWorksCities,anationalnetworkedinitiativefromBloombergPhilanthropieswhatworkscities.bloomberg.org
• TheOpenDataHandbook,aprojectoftheOpenKnowledgeFoundationthatincludesresourcesandcasestudiesopendatahandbook.org
• OpenGovFoundation,aprojectofOpenGovopengovfoundation.org
• The“IQuantNY”blogbydatascientistBenWellington,plushisamusing&insightfulTEDxtalk(yes,weareencouragingyoutouseYouTubeonCitytime!)IQuantNYandTEDxvideo
Socialmediaisanothergreatwaytogetengaged.Usethehashtags#opendata,#civictech,andeven#civtech,andfollowaccountslikeCodeforAmericafounderJenPahkla@pahlkadot,SunlightFoundationanalystAlexHoward@digiphile,CodeforAmericaBrigadeprogrammanagerChrisWhitaker@civicwhitaker,GovTechmagazine@govtechnews,andtheCityofSeattle’scivictechnologyprogram@civictechsea.
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5SUPPORTINGDOCUMENTS• OpenDatasetInventoryTemplate• OpenDatasetSubmissionForm• PrivacyOne-Pager