open data playbook published 2016.08 - seattle.gov home · open data playbook | page 2 1.2 roles...

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

OpenDataPlaybook|page1

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.


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.


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


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


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.


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


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


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


• 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


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.


PUBLISHPRIVATELYInitially,thedatasetwillbemarked"private"andislimitedtoyou,selectedtesters,andtheopendatateam.Theopendatateamwillreviewtheprivatelypublisheddatasetandworkwithdataownersandappropriatestakeholderstomakeanyneededchanges.Theopendatamanagerwilldeterminewhenitisreadyforfinalpublication.

OPENTOTHEPUBLICOncethedataisreadyforpublication,theopendatamanagerwillauthorizeittobereleasedtothepublic.

3.6REVIEWANDUPDATEOncethedatasethasbeenpublished,theopendatachampionisresponsibleforkeepingitup-to-date,handlingquestionsaboutthedatasetfromthepublic,andworkingwiththeopendatateamtoresolveanyissuesthatemerge.Atleastonceaquarter,youshouldreviewallyourdepartment’spublisheddatasetstoensuretheyarebeingupdatedonthebasispromisedinthemetadata.Thisistruefordatasetsupdatedautomaticallyaswellasthosethatrequireamanualupdate.Thedatasetinventoryservesasatoolforyoutokeeptrackofwhathasbeenpublishedsoitiseasiertoverifythatthedataareup-to-date.


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)


- 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:


• 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:


• 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.


5SUPPORTINGDOCUMENTS• OpenDatasetInventoryTemplate• OpenDatasetSubmissionForm• PrivacyOne-Pager

open data playbook published 2016.08 - seattle.gov home · open data playbook | page 2 1.2 roles...

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